Genesis 27:28

And God give thee The blessing of the firstborn in this and the following verse is solemnly pronounced by Isaac. It is irrevocable; see Genesis 27:33. It invokes (a) blessings of fertility upon the soil, (b) blessings of victory over other nations, (c) blessings of predominance over kindred tribes and clans.

This invocation is closed by the short and solemn utterance of a curse against the foe, and of a benediction upon the friend.

the dew of heaven The blessing from above, cf. Genesis 49:25, "with blessings of heaven above." In a hot country the dew falling heavily by night is a source of fruitfulness to the land; and gives refreshing coolness to the atmosphere. Cf. Deuteronomy 33:13; Deuteronomy 33:28; Zechariah 8:12.

the fatness of the earth The other side of the blessing of prosperity is supplied by the fertility of the soil, for which the Heb. expression is "the fat things." By "the earth" is clearly indicated a parallel to "the heaven" in the previous clause. There is no need for supposing, as some scholars have done, that Isaac here identifies Canaan with "the earth." See Numbers 13:20; Nehemiah 9:25; Nehemiah 9:35, "fat land"; Isaiah 28:1, "fat valley"; Ezekiel 34:14, "fat pasture."

plenty of corn and wine The two most typical illustrations of agricultural wealth; cf. Exodus 22:5; Numbers 20:17. We find "corn," "wine," and "oil," represented as the three blessings of the soil in Deuteronomy 7:13; and "corn" and "wine" in Deuteronomy 33:28; Psalms 4:7.