Rozonoer, Anna2022-10-052022-10-052022"Verbum Vitae", 2022, T. 40, nr 2, s. 375-3851644-8561http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12153/3752Modern critical reception characterizes patriarch Isaac as a particular character type: the schlemiel. This article provides a tour through the cumulative evidence for this comedic read, focusing on Genesis 27, the blessing of Jacob. It provides a revised narratological and literary context, arguing that Isaac’s fivefold questioning demonstrates not confusion, but awareness: he knows exactly which son is in front of him. The paper presents an alternative narratological and literary context for Isaac, framing his questions in terms of the editing process: a synchronic reading of Isaac’s acumen is corroborated by evidence from diachronic reading. The redaction history of the Isaac material in chapter 26 yields a number of points suggesting the dependence of the Abraham material on the Isaac narrative. A number of features indicate a stronger, less subordinate Isaac figure based on the earlier tradition revealed by a complex transmission history than the image arising from the mainstream synchronic reading of chapter 27 seems to depict.enAttribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/biblical interpretationpatriarchal narrativeshistory of receptionIsaacinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article10.31743/vv.13351