Genesis 25:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The children struggled together within her, and she said, "If it is thus, why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the Lord.

NIV: The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the Lord.

NASB: But the children struggled together within her; and she said, 'If it is so, why am I in this condition?' So she went to inquire of the Lord.

CSB: But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the Lord.

NLT: But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. 'Why is this happening to me?' she asked.

KJV: And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord.

NKJV: But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

Rebekah, formerly unable to have children, becomes pregnant after Isaac prays to the Lord for her. In fact, she is carrying the double blessing of twins. Rebekah likely doesn't know she is carrying twins, and her pregnancy doesn't appear to have felt especially "blessed" to her. Carrying two children at once is hard enough, but these unborn rivals seem particularly active. As this verse notes, the twins are "struggling" against each other, a comment which makes more sense once we've seen all that will occur between them in the future. The kicking and writhing of the children in her womb grows to the extent that it worries Rebekah.

Keep in mind that Rebekah does not have the medical technology available in the modern era. She probably has no idea that she's bearing twins. All she knows is that something is wrong. The struggle within her gets so bad for Rebekah that she finally wonders "why is this happening to me?" or perhaps "why am I here?" Overcome, she goes to inquire of the Lord. We're not told what form her prayer may have taken. It's possible she went to a sacred place or consulted a prophet, but she does receive a very specific response from the Lord in the following verse.

Genesis 25:19–28 describes the birth of Isaac and Rebekah's twin boys. After marrying when Isaac is 40, Rebekah does not become pregnant for 20 years, and only in response to Isaac's prayer to the Lord. Her pregnancy is so difficult that she approaches the Lord to ask why. His response is a prophecy about the divided nations that will come from her. That makes more sense when two children are born, one red and hairy, the other grabbing his brother's heel. The first is named Esau, who becomes a hunter loved by his father. The second is Jacob, a quiet, stay-at-home man favored by his mother.

Genesis 25 is packed with information. Abraham marries another wife, most likely before Sarah died, and has six sons with her. Abraham dies at the age of 175 and is buried by both Isaac and Ishmael at the family-owned cave where Sarah was buried. Ishmael's 12 sons are listed, along with the region their tribes settled in, to the east of what would later become Israel. And, finally, God grants Isaac's prayer for Rebekah to become pregnant by giving the couple twins: the feuding Jacob and Esau.

The previous chapter tells the story of how Abraham's servant found a wife for Isaac from among Abraham's people. This chapter rushes to fill in the details of the end of Abraham's life before beginning the story of Isaac's years as patriarch. Abraham marries another woman and has six sons with her, eventually sending them all away from Isaac. Abraham dies and is buried with Sarah. Ishmael's 12 sons are listed, and then his death is recorded, as well. Finally, Isaac's twin boys are born in response to his prayer to the Lord.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.