Esau’s Birth and Birthright
Overview
- Testament: Old
- Book: Genesis
- Chapters: 25:21–34
- Summary: Rebekah bears twins, Esau and Jacob; the LORD declares the elder shall serve the younger, and Esau later despises and sells his birthright to Jacob for a meal of pottage.
Details
Isaac entreated the LORD for his barren wife Rebekah, and she conceived twins who struggled within her. When she inquired of the LORD, he answered that two nations were in her womb, that the one people would be stronger than the other, and that the elder should serve the younger. At birth the first came out red and hairy and was named Esau; the second came forth grasping his brother’s heel and was named Jacob. Esau grew to be a cunning hunter and a man of the field, loved by Isaac, while Jacob was a plain man dwelling in tents, loved by Rebekah. One day Esau came in from the field faint with hunger and found Jacob boiling pottage. He begged for the red stew, and Jacob required his birthright in exchange. Esau, saying he was at the point to die and asking what profit the birthright was to him, swore and sold it. He ate and drank and rose up and went his way; thus Esau despised his birthright.
Key People Involved
- Esau — The elder twin who sold his birthright
- Jacob — The younger twin who bought it
- Rebekah — Mother of the twins
Key Places
- Beer-lahai-roi region — Where Isaac and Rebekah dwelt
Important Verses
- Genesis 25:23 — “the elder shall serve the younger.”
- Genesis 25:34 — “thus Esau despised his birthright.”
Cross-References
- Related events: Israel Refused Passage Through Edom, Edom’s Judgment at Jerusalem’s Fall
- Fulfilled in: Paul’s teaching on election (Romans 9:10–13); warning against profanity (Hebrews 12:16)
Notes
Esau is held up as a profane man who sold his lasting inheritance for a single meal, while God’s sovereign choice of the younger sets the pattern of grace over natural birthright.