Why did God "hate" Esau?

[Angel7]

While reading through The Old Testament I came across a passage once, don’t know where to find it now, that said “Essau I hate”.

This was God speaking to Esau’s brother, I dont remember his name.

Does anyone know what this passage means? I honestly don’t believe God hated anyone, and that Im obviously misunderstanding something (maybe a translation issue?) but I don’t know what the original meaning could be.

Does anyone know what I’m refering to? and can someone help me understand better?

 

[cargau]

The passage you are referring to is actually in Romans 9:13. Paul is writing to a Christian community in Rome that was comprised mostly of Jews. In the days of Paul’s writings, the break from Judaism had not fully materialized. That is why there is are references to personalities of the Old Testament. The hearers of Pauls words would have been familiar with Hebrew Scriptures.

The passage is meant to say that Jacob was favored more than Esau. The term hate was never meant to conjure up an image of “loathing” but rather a preference. It would be like saying I love Pepsi but I hate Coke. It just means you favor Pepsi (no offense to the coke lovers).

Paul was trying to explain that contrary to Jewish tradition and custom, the oldest son was not the one who automatically became the one through whom God’s plan iof salvation would be carried out. Issac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau and Joseph over the other eleven would be one who God chose.

Likewise, contrary to the expectations of the Jews, Christianity would be available in its fullness to the Gentiles without first becoming Jewish (adhering to the Law, circumsision, etc). It is a fyrther illustration by Paul that God’s love and mercy is transmitted God’s way, not man’s.

 

[St_Francis]

St Loyis de Montfort has a great take on this, which I had to read a cpuple or three times to really get. It is in True Devotion to Mary, which is onlone, in a chapter named something like Rebecca, Jacob, and Esau-- very easy to find.

His point, wrt Esau, is that Esau was a “type” of sinners: he did not care for the spiritual life and he gave up his inheritance for immediate gratification.

The wholw passage is well worth reading.

 

[Carolus_Martell]

I so pleased to have read cargau’s explanation and it’s makes perfect sense too.

Duh! all this time I thought the mother feared for the tribes well being under the leadership if the divisive stronger Esau. But after Jacob gained his inheritance by deceit he seems to have left the tribe for at least 14 years?

So it seemed to me that Esau led the tribe anyway or did I get that wrong too?

 

[Dave_Noonan]

While reading through The Old Testament I came across a passage once, don’t know where to find it now, that said “Essau I hate”.

This was God speaking to Esau’s brother, I dont remember his name.

Does anyone know what this passage means? I honestly don’t believe God hated anyone, and that Im obviously misunderstanding something (maybe a translation issue?) but I don’t know what the original meaning could be.

Does anyone know what I’m refering to? and can someone help me understand better?

The quote is originally from Malachi 1:2-3, the Romans quote is a conflation of and reference to the Malachi text.

Unfortunately “love” and “hate” (here and elsewhere, particularly in the Old Testament) are very poor translations of the underlying Hebrew words. “Love” has more to do with recognizing the status of one’s particular (sometimes covenantal) relationship with someone else and acting in loyal accord with the requirements of that relationship. “Hate” is the opposite–stating the lack of such a relationship. Jacob and his family have a particularly relationship with Israel’s God, Yahweh. Esau and his family do not have this relationship.

 

[LilyM]

I so pleased to have read cargau’s explanation and it’s makes perfect sense too.

Duh! all this time I thought the mother feared for the tribes well being under the leadership if the divisive stronger Esau. But after Jacob gained his inheritance by deceit he seems to have left the tribe for at least 14 years?

So it seemed to me that Esau led the tribe anyway or did I get that wrong too?

Jacob didn’t gain his inheritance by deceit, although he tricked his father into giving him the blessing traditionally reserved for the oldest son.

Esau SOLD him the inheritance for a pot of soup. This shows how little Esau valued the privilege of leading God’s chosen people

And Esau may have led a certain number of people but Jacob’s was the greater destiny - he became Israel and literally founded the nation.

 

[NotWorthy]

Jacob didn’t gain his inheritance by deceit, although he tricked his father into giving him the blessing traditionally reserved for the oldest son.

Esau SOLD him the inheritance for a pot of soup. This shows how little Esau valued the privilege of leading God’s chosen people

And Esau may have led a certain number of people but Jacob’s was the greater destiny - he became Israel and literally founded the nation.

Esau founded the tribe that would later become Edom. This is where King Herod came from.

If you see the Balaam’s words in Numbers 24, you’ll see why Herod wanted to kill the baby Jesus.

17 *** I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel, That shall smite the brows of Moab, and the skulls of all the Shuthites, 18 ****** Till Edom is dispossessed, and no fugitive is left in Seir. Israel shall do valiantly,****** 19 ****** and Jacob shall overcome his foes***.