May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This blessing highlights how God's provision is both natural and spiritual, encompassing the literal dew and fertile land needed for survival, but also pointing to the deeper, life-giving blessings that flow from His favor. It's more than just a wish for material wealth; it's a profound declaration of divine abundance that sustains in all aspects of life.
May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.
English Standard Version (ESV)
In this dramatic scene, Isaac, old and nearly blind, intends to bless his favored son Esau with the patriarchal blessing, a covenant promise passed down from Abraham. Rebekah overhears this and orchestrates a plan for her younger son Jacob to impersonate Esau, deceiving Isaac into giving him the blessing instead. This happens right after Isaac asks Esau to hunt and prepare a meal, setting the stage for Jacob's deceitful act and the subsequent revelation of the stolen blessing.
Isaac's blessing to Jacob sounds like a wish for a good harvest and a comfortable life. But what do 'dew of heaven' and 'fatness of the earth' really signify?
When Isaac blesses Jacob, he asks that 'God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine.' This isn't just a generic wish for good weather and fertile soil.
The Significance of Dew
In the land of Canaan, rain was scarce and fell only at specific times of the year. The abundant dews that fell each night were crucial for making the land fruitful between these rains. So, 'the dew of heaven' symbolized a vital, life-sustaining blessing from God, essential for survival and prosperity in that climate.
The Fatness of the Earth
'Fatness of the earth' refers to the richness and fertility of the land, producing abundant crops and resources. It points to a land that is not just livable, but thriving and generous.
A Prophetic Word
These blessings, while describing temporal prosperity, were also understood as prophetic. They pointed beyond the immediate physical blessings to the deeper, spiritual provision that God would give to Jacob's descendants, particularly in the spiritual blessings found in God's covenant. It’s a picture of God's holistic provision – both material and spiritual.
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Isaac's words to Jacob are more than a father's wish; they are a weighty, divinely-ordained pronouncement. What makes this blessing so significant in the grander story?
This wasn't just Isaac casually bestowing a gift. In the patriarchal era, a father's blessing upon his deathbed carried immense spiritual and covenantal weight. It was understood as a way to pass on God's promises and the lineage of faith.
A Prophetic Role
Isaac, though tricked, was acting in his prophetic role as patriarch. He was not merely a father expressing affection, but an interpreter of God's will, conveying the covenant promises to the chosen son. The commentators note that 'the blessing here spoken of was not a mere prayer but a legitimate sanction, divinely interposed, to make manifest the grace of election.'
God's Election Confirmed
Although Isaac intended to bless Esau, God ultimately ensured that the covenant promise, which had been given to Abraham and then to Isaac, was passed to Jacob. The fact that Isaac, even after realizing his mistake, declared, 'yea, and he shall be blessed,' underscores that this blessing was not ultimately dependent on Isaac's discernment but on God's predetermined plan.
Entailing the Promise
This blessing, encompassing earthly abundance, also carried the spiritual inheritance and the promise of the Messiah who would come through Jacob's line. It was the continuation of God's redemptive plan, ensuring that His chosen people would carry forward the lineage through which salvation would eventually come.
Understand the original words
tal · Hebrew Noun
A meteorological phenomenon symbolizing divine provision and vitality. In a desert climate, it is essential for agricultural life, often serving as a metaphor for God’s refreshing and life-giving grace.
cheleb · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the fertility, richness, and abundance of the land. In the context of the patriarchal blessing, it represents God’s provision of agricultural prosperity and material sustenance.
This blessing, given through deception, highlights the tension between human scheming and God's sovereign purposes. While Isaac intended to bless Esau, his words to Jacob, invoking the dew and fatness of the earth, are understood not just as material prosperity but as a prophetic confirmation of God's covenant, which He intended for Jacob all along, regardless of the flawed human means used to secure it.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham receives God's promise
God promises Abraham numerous descendants and a land, establishing a covenant that would pass through his lineage.
c. 1780 BC
Isaac is born
Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah as the child of promise, destined to carry on the covenant.
c. 1740 BC
Isaac marries Rebekah
Isaac marries Rebekah, and they later have twins, Esau and Jacob.
c. 1715 BC
Isaac prepares to bless his sons
Isaac, old and nearly blind, intends to bestow his patriarchal blessing, the spiritual and familial inheritance, upon his favorite son, Esau.
c. 1715 BC— this verse
Jacob deceives Isaac
Rebekah and Jacob conspire to trick Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing intended for Esau, involving deception and substitution.
c. 1715 BC
Esau receives a lesser blessing
After Jacob receives the primary blessing, Esau arrives, and Isaac, realizing the deception, gives Esau a secondary blessing.
c. 1715 BC
Jacob flees from Esau
Fearing Esau's wrath after the deception, Jacob flees to Mesopotamia to avoid conflict and to protect himself.
This passage echoes the blessing by invoking God's favor upon Joseph, specifically mentioning the 'precious things of the earth and its fulness' and the 'favor of him who dwells in the bush,' highlighting the abundance and divine favor associated with God's blessings.
Psalm 147:14This verse speaks of God making 'your border peaceful and filling you with the finest of the wheat,' which directly relates to the 'fatness of the earth and plenty of grain' in Isaac's blessing, emphasizing God's provision for His people.
Haggai 1:11This passage includes a curse upon the land that results in a lack of grain, wine, and fresh oil, standing in stark contrast to Isaac's blessing and showing that the 'plenty of corn and wine' is a sign of God's favor and a healthy land.
Romans 11:17Paul speaks of Gentiles being grafted into the 'olive tree' and sharing in the 'rich root,' which is a spiritual parallel to the natural fertility and abundance promised in Jacob's blessing, representing participation in God's covenant blessings.
gillGenesis 27:28: "Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:"
Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven,.... Or "shall" or "will give thee" (x), seeing he was blessed of God, and the blessed seed should spring from him, as well as his posterity should inherit the land of Canaan; for this is said rather by way of prophecy than wish, and so all that follow; and the dew of heaven is the rather mentioned, not only because that makes the…
calvinGenesis 27:1-46: "And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I."
And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it
Ribca autem audiebat, dum loqueretur Ishac ad Esau filium suum: et perrexit Esau in agrum, ut venaretur venationem, ut afferret.
And Rebekah spake unto Jacob h…
This blessing highlights how God's provision is both natural and spiritual, encompassing the literal dew and fertile land needed for survival, but also pointing to the deeper, life-giving blessings that flow from His favor. It's more than just a wish for material wealth; it's a profound declaration of divine abundance that sustains in all aspects of life.
In this dramatic scene, Isaac, old and nearly blind, intends to bless his favored son Esau with the patriarchal blessing, a covenant promise passed down from Abraham. Rebekah overhears this and orchestrates a plan for her younger son Jacob to impersonate Esau, deceiving Isaac into giving him the blessing instead. This happens right after Isaac asks Esau to hunt and prepare a meal, setting the stage for Jacob's deceitful act and the subsequent revelation of the stolen blessing.
In this dramatic scene, Isaac, old and nearly blind, intends to bless his favored son Esau with the patriarchal blessing, a covenant promise passed down from Abraham. Rebekah overhears this and orchestrates a plan for her younger son Jacob to impersonate Esau, deceiving Isaac into giving him the blessing instead. This happens right after Isaac asks Esau to hunt and prepare a meal, setting the stage for Jacob's deceitful act and the subsequent revelation of the stolen blessing.
"May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine." — This blessing highlights how God's provision is both natural and spiritual, encompassing the literal dew and fertile land needed for survival, but also pointing to the deeper, life-giving blessings t…
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Last reviewed October 2026