Genesis 25:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now."

NIV: Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."

NASB: But Jacob said, 'First sell me your birthright.'

CSB: Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."

NLT: All right,' Jacob replied, 'but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.'

KJV: And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

NKJV: But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

Esau, declaring himself exhausted after working in the field, has requested some of Jacob's red stew (Genesis 25:29–30). Jacob smells an opportunity or perhaps, understanding his brother's lack of self-control, he has set this whole thing up ahead of time. Jacob seeks to make a deal. He says simply, "Sell me your birthright."

The birthright, or "firstborn rights," gave the firstborn son special privileges. For one thing, the firstborn was often entitled to a double share of the father's property when he died. The birthright may have come with other privileges, as well. Jacob is demanding a huge price for a bowl of stew.

Esau may have thought this was a joke at first. Even when Jacob doubles down on his request, demanding that Esau swear an oath (Genesis 25:33), it's possible he didn't take the situation seriously. Jacob clearly does, however. And, he'll perform an even more daring act of trickery later on (Genesis 27). Esau's careless reaction costs him dearly.

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 1:11:39 PM