Genesis 27:1-46
Jacob and Esau
1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.”
“Here I am,” he answered.
2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.”
5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.”
11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.”
13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”
14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.
18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”
“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”
19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”
20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”
“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”
22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.
“I am,” he replied.
25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”
Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”
27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,
“Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you heaven’s dew
and earth’s richness—
an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
and those who bless you be blessed.”
30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”
32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”
“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.”
33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!”
35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”
37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”
38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.
39 His father Isaac answered him,
“Your dwelling will be
away from the earth’s richness,
away from the dew of heaven above.
40 You will live by the sword
and you will serve your brother.
But when you grow restless,
you will throw his yoke
from off your neck.”
41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”
Because God is LOVE, I have wondered a lot about the word hate and how it fits into the Bible...The use of the word "hated" in certain Old Testament passages, such as Leah being "hated" in comparison to Rachel (Genesis 29:31) and God "hating" Esau (Malachi 1:2-3, Romans 9:13), can be initially perplexing when we know that God is LOVE and is Completely Compassionate...This concept of relative favor, where one is loved less in comparison to another, is vividly illustrated in the narrative of Genesis 27...This chapter details the intricate and ethically complex account of Jacob's deception of his blind father Isaac, orchestrated with the help of his mother Rebekah, to secure the blessing intended for his older brother Esau...While not explicitly using the term "hate," Genesis 27 portrays a dynamic where Jacob actively seeks and ultimately receives the preferential blessing, setting him apart in a way that implicitly places Esau in a less favored position in that specific context...And we know that God has allowed this action of the taking of Esau's blessing by Jacob...This narrative of Jacob's pursuit and attainment of the blessing provides a crucial backdrop for understanding how the concept of being "loved" or "hated" in the Old Testament can sometimes reflect a Divine choosing or the unfolding of God's sovereign plan, even through flawed human actions, rather than necessarily implying intense emotional animosity...God chose Jacob to be the third Patriarch...
To better understand "hate" as a relative term signifying being less favored, we can see this dynamic at play in the lives of Leah and Esau...In the context of Jacob's preference, Leah was "hated" in comparison to Rachel, yet God's compassion extended to her through the blessing of children, illustrating His care for the overlooked and His sovereign ability to bless...Similarly, God's "hatred" of Esau reflects His sovereign choice in electing Jacob for the lineage of the covenant people, a decision tied to His overarching plan rather than personal animosity...This distinction in favor, even when described with the strong word "hate," underscores God's purposes and the often-unseen workings of His will...Remembering God is God and that God's Ways and Thoughts are above our limited thinking...
In the case of Leah, Jacob's deeper affection for Rachel meant Leah was comparatively "hated," yet God, seeing her distress, showed her compassion through the blessing of children, illustrating His care for the overlooked and His sovereign ability to bless regardless of human preference...Similarly, God's "hatred" of Esau reflects His sovereign choice in electing Jacob for the lineage of the covenant people, a decision tied to His overarching plan of redemption rather than personal animosity towards Esau...While Esau's descendants also made choices that opposed Israel, the primary lesson here emphasizes God's sovereign purposes and that His favor is sometimes expressed as a relative distinction, not necessarily implying human-like hatred...Therefore, when encountering "hate" in these Old Testament contexts, a careful consideration of the original Hebrew and the broader theological narrative reveals that it often denotes a relative lack of favor or a choice aligned with God's specific purposes, ultimately highlighting His compassion for the less favored and the sovereignty of His redemptive plan...
Paul uses this passage to illustrate God's sovereign right to choose whom He will for His purposes, emphasizing that salvation is by God's Grace and not solely based on human merit or ancestry...Paul wrote to the Romans: Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac...Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by Him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”...Just as it is written: “Jacob I LOVED, but Esau I hated.”...What then shall we say?...Is God unjust?...Not at all!...For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”...
God is sovereign in His choices and purposes...God's LOVE and favor are sometimes expressed in ways that seem to indicate a lesser regard for others, but this is often tied to His Plan and doesn't necessarily imply personal animosity in the human sense...It also highlights that God's ways are higher than our ways, and His ultimate purposes may not always be immediately clear to us...As Isaiah says God's Thoughts are not our thoughts and our ways are not God's Ways...As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God's ways higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our humanly thoughts...
In summary, when encountering the word "hate" in these contexts, it's crucial to consider the nuances of the original Hebrew and a Godly context...Often, it signifies a relative lack of favor or a choice for a specific purpose, rather than the emotional bitterness we associate with the term...The lessons revolve around God's compassion for the overlooked, His sovereign choices in fulfilling His Plans, and the importance of understanding His actions within the broader narrative of redemption...