correctly acknowledge that the patriarchal blessing played a unique role in salvation history. It was reserved for one special occasion, it was irrevocable and prophetic, and it was based on God’s sovereign choice of the biological line of divine blessing. Smalley and Trent are convinced, however, that these passages not only portray the actions of Isaac and Jacob but also teach the permanent importance of parental blessing. They even identify in Genesis five elements that every parental blessing