Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

GENESIS 27:28KJV
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Genesis 27:28 (KJV)

What does Genesis 27:28 mean?

Genesis 27:28 records Isaac asking God to give his son a fruitful land and abundant food and drink. Dew, rich soil, grain, and wine describe the conditions and harvests that could sustain a household.

Isaac is speaking to Jacob, though Isaac believes he is blessing Esau. After describing the smell of his son’s clothing as the smell of a field in verse 27, Isaac asks for the land’s productivity to become part of his son’s future.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 27:28

  • “dew” — טַל (ṭal): This means moisture that settles on the ground. In a land with a long dry season, dew could supply moisture when rain was scarce.
  • “fatness” — מִשְׁמַן (mishman): This can mean richness or fertility. Here it describes productive soil, rather than fat as food.
  • “corn” — דָּגָן (dagan): This means grain. In the KJV, “corn” is a general word for grain, not specifically the maize commonly called corn today.

Why Genesis 27:28 matters

  • Isaac’s words are a request for God’s favor, not merely a prediction about the weather. “God give thee” introduces the whole list of good things.
  • The gift is pictured in both growing conditions and finished produce. “Dew” and “fatness of the earth” stand alongside grain and wine, which come from the harvest.
  • The identity of the listener matters to the story. Isaac addresses the son he takes to be Esau, while Jacob has come wearing Esau’s clothes and carrying food prepared by Rebekah (Genesis 27:15–25).

Where else these words appear

“fatness” Hebrew H4924 · used in 7 verses

  • Genesis 27:39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
  • Psalms 78:31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
  • Isaiah 17:4 And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.

“dew” Hebrew H2919 · used in 30 verses

  • Genesis 27:39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
  • Judges 6:39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
  • Proverbs 19:12 The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

“wine” Hebrew H8492 · used in 38 verses

  • Genesis 27:37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
  • 2 Chronicles 32:28 Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks.
  • Jeremiah 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

“corn” Hebrew H1715 · used in 40 verses

  • Genesis 27:37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
  • Nehemiah 5:2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.
  • Lamentations 2:12 They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom.