What does it mean that Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau "concerning things to come"?

When it says Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau "concerning things to come," it means his words were not just good wishes. He was speaking about their future and the future of their descendants based on what God had promised. Jacob’s blessing pointed to plenty, to rule over his brother, and to a special place in God’s plan. Esau’s blessing was more about earthly, short–term good. Isaac himself did not own the land or see those promises fulfilled, yet he spoke as if God’s word would surely come true. That trust in what he could not yet see is what the passage calls faith.

How could Isaac bless Jacob by faith if he thought he was blessing Esau?

This can feel confusing. Isaac was tricked and thought he was blessing Esau when he laid his hands on Jacob. So how is that called faith? His mistake in which son stood before him does not change that he believed God would truly bring to pass the blessings he spoke. He trusted that the person he blessed would really be blessed as God had said. Later, when he realized it was Jacob, he did not take the blessing back but confirmed it. So the faith here is not in Isaac’s perfect insight, but in his confidence that God’s promises to his offspring would stand and that his spoken blessing had real weight.

Why did Jacob bless Joseph’s sons and worship leaning on the top of his staff?

Jacob was old and near death when Joseph brought Ephraim and Manasseh to him. Blessing them was a way of treating Joseph’s sons as full heirs in the promised line, giving them a share in what God had promised about the land and the future of the people. He put the younger, Ephraim, before the older, which again showed he was following God’s purpose, not just custom. The note about him worshiping while leaning on the top of his staff shows his weakness and age, but also that he bowed his heart to God. Even as his body failed, he praised God for keeping him alive to see Joseph’s children and trusted that God would keep his word about the future.

Why does this passage mention Jacob leaning on a staff, and why is there debate about it?

The passage says Jacob worshiped while leaning on the top of his staff. Elsewhere, the same scene can be described with Jacob at the head of his bed. The wording in the old languages is close, so readers have taken it both ways. Some think the focus is on him sitting up on his bed to bow before God. Others, following the phrase about a staff, picture an old man supporting himself on a stick while he worships. In either case, the main point is the same. Jacob is weak and near death, yet he still turns his heart toward God in gratitude and trust as he blesses Joseph’s sons.

What is the significance of Joseph mentioning the departure of the children of Israel?

Joseph’s words about the children of Israel leaving Egypt show that he had not forgotten God’s promise about giving his family the land of Canaan. At that time, his relatives were living comfortably in Egypt, and Joseph was a powerful ruler there. There was no outward sign that they would ever leave. Yet Joseph spoke with certainty that God would visit them, bring them out, and give them the land promised to their fathers. By talking about this at his death, he reminded his family that Egypt was not their final home. His faith looked beyond his success in Egypt to God’s long-term plan for his people.

Why did Joseph give commandment concerning his bones before he died?

Joseph asked that when God brought Israel out of Egypt, they should carry his bones with them and bury him in the promised land. This showed he believed their stay in Egypt would not last forever, even though it would continue long after his body decayed. He was so sure God would keep his promise that he planned for something that would happen centuries later. His request also tied his own story to the story of God’s people. He did not want to be remembered as an Egyptian ruler, but as one of the family God had chosen. His bones waiting to be moved would remind future generations that God had promised them another home.

What do Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph together teach about faith in God’s promises?

These three men are all near death in this passage, yet their minds and words reach far beyond their own lives. Isaac blesses his sons about future blessings they cannot yet see. Jacob blesses his grandsons and worships God, trusting that the family God chose will indeed become a nation in the land promised to them. Joseph looks past the wealth and honor of Egypt to a day when God will bring Israel out and into Canaan, and he leaves instructions that tie his own remains to that future. Together they show that real faith holds onto God’s word even when the present situation seems weak, small, or settled in another direction.

How can this passage about blessings and bones apply to believers today?

This passage shows that faith is not only about what God is doing right now, but also about what he has said he will do in the future. Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph made choices and spoke words that lined up with God’s promises, even though they did not see the end of the story. For believers today, this encourages us to live and speak in light of God’s promises in Scripture, not only what we see with our eyes. It also reminds us that death is not the end of God’s work. Like Joseph planning for his bones to be moved, we can face death trusting that God will finish what he began and keep every promise he has made.

What does this passage show about God’s character and his covenant faithfulness?

The passage highlights that God’s word is steady across generations. Isaac has only a burial place in the land, Jacob dies outside it, and Joseph dies in a foreign country, yet all three speak and act as if God’s promises are firm. This shows that God does not forget what he has said, even when human circumstances change. The blessings passed from Isaac to Jacob, from Jacob to Joseph’s sons, and the hope kept alive through Joseph’s command about his bones all point to a God who binds himself to his people and carries his plan forward. It invites readers to see God as trustworthy, patient, and committed to what he has promised.

Why might this short passage be hard to understand at first reading?

The passage can feel difficult because it refers quickly to several different stories without explaining all the background. It mentions blessings, a staff, the sons of Joseph, and Joseph’s bones, assuming the reader knows the longer stories. It also speaks a lot about things that had not yet happened, which can be hard to picture. On top of that, there are some wording questions, like whether Jacob leaned on a staff or at the head of his bed. But when you slow down and link each line to those older stories, the main idea becomes clear. Each man trusted God about the future, even in his last moments.

Heb.11.20

Hebrews 11:20

KJV

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

The Faith of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.