Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 27:13 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 13. 13And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Rebekah tells Jacob that any curse may fall on her, then again commands him to obey and bring the goats. She assumes responsibility rhetorically and presses the scheme forward, but her words cannot erase Jacob's agency or transfer every consequence.
Read It With
- Genesis 27:6–29
Read verses 11–17. Jacob's concern appears in verses 11–12; verse 13 answers it; verses 14–17 show him complying while Rebekah prepares the disguise. Reading verse 13 alone can make guilt or consequences seem transferable by declaration.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Rebekah overcomes Jacob's stated objection and presses the plan from proposal into action.
Read Genesis 27:11–13 together
Why these verses belong together: Jacob's concern about touch and curse receives Rebekah's risk-assuming answer and repeated command.
Verse 11. 11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
Verse 12. 12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
Verse 13. 13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
Follow the Context
- Rebekah reports Isaac's words to Jacob and commands him to bring two goats so she can prepare the food and Jacob can receive the blessing (27:6–10).
- Jacob objects that Isaac may feel him and treat him as a deceiver, while Rebekah assumes the curse risk and repeats her command (27:11–13).
- Rebekah prepares the food, clothes Jacob in Esau's best garments, and covers his smooth hands and neck with goat skins (27:14–17).
- Jacob enters, claims to be Esau, falsely attributes his quick success to the LORD, and survives Isaac's tests of voice, touch, and identity (27:18–24).
- Isaac eats, drinks, requests a kiss, and treats the smell of Esau's garments as confirmation before beginning the blessing (27:25–27).
- Isaac blesses Jacob with heaven's dew, the earth's richness, abundant grain and wine, dominance over peoples and brothers, and reciprocal curse and blessing (27:28–29).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“upon me be thy curse”
In plain language: Let the curse you fear fall on me.
Rebekah accepts the stated risk in order to overcome Jacob's objection.
Why it matters: The pledge motivates compliance but cannot eliminate shared agency and later damage.
How certain? very strong“obey my voice”
In plain language: Listen to and follow my command.
Rebekah repeats her directive after addressing Jacob's fear.
Why it matters: Repeated authority language makes the coercive pressure visible without making the command righteous.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
'Upon me be thy curse' does not magically transfer all guilt or consequences to Rebekah.
Her confidence does not prove that God approved the plan.
Her repeated command does not remove Jacob's responsibility to refuse wrongdoing.
What Remains True
Taking responsibility for another person's risk does not make wrongdoing safe, truthful, or consequence-free.
How It Can Shape Life
- Do not recruit someone into deception by promising to bear all blame. Each participant should refuse the wrongful act and seek a transparent remedy.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 27:13's contribution to Genesis 27:6–29. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 27:6–29 — Rebekah and Jacob Obtain Isaac's BlessingSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, unit boundary, commands, objection, disguise, lies, sensory tests, blessing, and later narrative connections.
Exact location: Genesis 27:6–29 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 25:23, 28–34; 27:1–5, 30–45; 28:1–22; 29:15–30; 37:31–35; and 49:1–28
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Obedience language, deceiver wording, curse and blessing, garments, recognition, false divine attribution, voice and hands, kiss and smell, agricultural abundance, service, and reciprocal curse-blessing formula.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 27:6–29; lemmas and morphology for shama beqol, taah, kelalah, berakhah, beged and khamad, nakar, qarah, qol and yad, nashaq, reakh, tal, shemen, dagan, tirosh, avad, havah, arar, and barakh
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Before-the-LORD report, obey language, deceiver nuance, garment wording, providence claim, blessing sequence, and agricultural and dominance language.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 27:6–29 and translator notes, especially verses 7–13, 15, 20, 23, and 27–29
Open NET Genesis 27 ↗peer reviewed open access article
Not Only in God's Service: Reevaluating Rebekah
Gili Kugler
The Journal of Theological Studies 77(1), Oxford University Press, 2026
Supports: Rebekah's agency, danger of using the oracle to justify deception, final-form tension, and diachronic alternatives.
Exact location: Journal of Theological Studies 77.1 (2026), pp. 1–14, Genesis 27 section and conclusion
Open source ↗