Genesis 25:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!" (Therefore his name was called Edom. )

NIV: He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom. )

NASB: and Esau said to Jacob, 'Please let me have a mouthful of that red stuff there, for I am exhausted.' Therefore he was called Edom by name.

CSB: He said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I’m exhausted." That is why he was also named Edom.

NLT: Esau said to Jacob, 'I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!' (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means 'red.')

KJV: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

NKJV: And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.

Esau has returned from working in the field, perhaps from hunting, and he is exhausted. Jacob has been home. He has made stew, perhaps for himself. Esau likes the look of the "red stew" and asks for some, describing how tired he is.

Esau's actions in the upcoming verses indicate some combination of desperation and carelessness. Jacob's behavior is just as unpleasant—he will demand an outrageous price for giving food to his own brother. While it's possible that Esau will take this as a joke, Jacob's trickery results in consequences which are very real (Genesis 25:34).

We're told in an aside that this is why Esau's name is also called Edom, the name by which his people will later be known. Apparently the word Edom is similar to the word for red, which describes both the color of the stew and the color of Esau's hair or skin at his birth. The Edomites will come to be bitter, spiteful enemies of Israel over the centuries (Obadiah 1:10–14)

Genesis 25:29–34 describes a significant encounter between the twins Jacob and Esau. Esau, the hunter, returns home from the fields exhausted. He requests a bowl of Jacob's red stew. In curt language, Jacob demands Esau's birthright in exchange. Esau foolishly agrees. Jacob, cruelly it seems, requires his brother to bind himself to the ''sale'' with an oath so that it can't be reversed. Neither brother is presented in a flattering light.

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.

Accessed 11/21/2024 1:00:43 PM