Genesis 26:2 | 63
25:21 s 1Ch 5:20; 2Ch 33:13; Ezr 8:23;
Ps 127:3; Ro 9:10
25:22 t 1Sa 9:9; 10:22
25:23 u Ge 17:4 v Ge 27:29, 40;
Mal 1:3; Ro 9:11‐12 * 25:25 w Ge 27:11
25:26 x Hos 12:3 y Ge 27:36
25:27 z Ge 27:3, 5
25:28 a Ge 27:19 b Ge 27:6
25:33 c Ge 27:36; Heb 12:16
26:1 d Ge 12:10 e Ge 20:1
26:2 f Ge 12:7; 17:1; 18:1 g Ge 12:1
21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on be half of his wife, be cause she was child less. The Lord an swered his prayer, s and his wife Re bekah be came preg nant. 22 The ba bies jos tled each other within her, and she said,“ Why is this hap pen ing to me?” So she went to in quire of the Lord. t
23 The Lord said to her,
“ Two nations u are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger. v”
24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy gar ment; w so they named him Esau. a 26 Af ter this, his brother came out, with his hand grasp ing Esau’ s heel; x so he was named Jacob. b y Isaac was sixty years old when Re bekah gave birth to them.
27 The boys grew up, and Esau be came a skill ful hunter, a man of the open coun try, z while Ja cob was con tent to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, a loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. b
29 Once when Ja cob was cook ing some stew, Esau came in from the open coun try, famished. 30 He said to Ja cob,“ Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’ m fam ished!”( That is why he was also called Edom. c) 31 Ja cob re plied,“ First sell me your birth right.” 32“ Look, I am about to die,” Esau said.“ What good is the birth right to me?” 33 But Ja cob said,“ Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, sell ing his birth right c to Jacob. 34 Then Ja cob gave Esau some bread and some len til stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau de spised his birth right.
Isaac and Abimelek
26:1-11Ref— Ge 12:10-20; 20:1-18
26 Now there was a fam ine in the land d— besides the previous famine in Abraham’ s
time— and Isaac went to Abim e lek king of the Phi lis tines in Ge rar. e 2 The Lord appeared f to Isaac and said,“ Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. g
a 25 Esau may mean hairy. b 26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives. c 30 Edom means red.
highlighting how the younger brother Jacob takes precedence over his older twin Esau. The entire story is skillfully composed, with the motifs of birthright and blessing being especially significant. 25:19 – 34 Jacob and Esau. The strained relationship between the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah comes to the fore in chs. 25 – 36. Even before they are born, the boys struggle with each other( vv. 22 – 23), anticipating a greater struggle that will eventually result in Jacob fleeing for his life( 27:41— 28:5). At the heart of this struggle is the issue of who will be heir to the promises God gave to Abraham. While the birthright belongs to Esau, he dismisses it as unimportant, being willing to sell it to his brother for a bowl of stew( vv. 29 – 34). Jacob, however, is keen to have the benefits that accompany the status of firstborn. 25:19 This is the account of the family line of. This formula marks the start of a new section in Genesis( 25:19— 35:29). See note on 2:4. 25:20 Paddan Aram. The roots of Abraham’ s family go back to this location in Northwest Mesopotamia( see NIV text note); for this reason Abraham is later designated a“ wandering Aramean”( Deut 26:5). 25:21 childless. Like Sarah before her( 11:30) and Rachel after her( 29:31), Rebekah is unable to have children. The motif of childlessness in Genesis draws attention to how God ensures the continuation of the unique family lineage through which the nations of the earth will be blessed.
25:22 – 23 When Rebekah asks God to explain the struggle that is happening inside her womb, she learns that her twins will produce two nations. 25:23 the older will serve the younger. Contrary to the custom of that time. This prediction provides the first indication that the special family line that Genesis traces will continue through Jacob rather than Esau. The struggle between the unborn babies recalls how throughout Genesis, beginning with Cain and Abel, conflict between brothers is a recurring motif. Such conflict threatens the survival of the unique lineage through which the nations will be blessed. The apostle Paul quotes from this verse to show that God is free to act as he pleases in the process of accomplishing his plan of salvation( Rom 9:10 – 13). 25:25 – 26 The names of both Jacob and Esau derive from features associated with their births( see NIV text notes). A person who grasps another person by the heel was a way to describe a deceiver. The motif of deception reappears throughout Jacob’ s life. 25:26 Isaac was sixty years old. If Isaac was this age when the twins were born, then Abraham was still alive. Not all events in Genesis are in strict chronological order; see vv. 7 – 10, where Abraham’ s death is recorded. 25:27 – 28 As the two boys grow into manhood, they differ significantly in their interests and character( see note on vv. 29 – 34). Esau favors outdoor activities, while Jacob prefers a more domesticated lifestyle. Their differing interests not only cause Isaac and Rebekah to favor different sons, but they set the scene for the events in the episodes that follow. 25:29 – 34 Although Jacob’ s desire to buy his brother’ s birthright demonstrates his grasping nature, Esau’ s attitude comes in for particular criticism. By selling for a bowl of stew the benefits associated with his firstborn status, Esau displays contempt for all that God promised to Abraham and his family line. What Esau despises( v. 34), Jacob desires. Jacob recognizes the value of the birthright, even though his method of attaining it is hardly commendable. This short episode casts a long shadow over the rest of the Jacob-Esau story, building on the earlier prediction in v. 23 that“ the older will serve the younger.”
26:1 – 33 Isaac and Abimelek. The next stage in the story of Jacob and Esau’ s struggle with each other occurs when their father Isaac is close to death( 26:34— 28:9). Meanwhile, ch. 26 records various incidents involving Isaac. Remarkably, these incidents have much in common with events involving Abraham. Not only do Isaac’ s actions closely parallel those of his father, but Isaac receives the promises God made to Abraham. 26:1 famine. Abraham went to Egypt during a famine( 12:10 – 20), but God instructs Isaac to remain in Gerar( v. 2). Abimelek. Possibly the king chs. 20 – 21 mention; more likely, he is a son or grandson of that Abimelek. Philistines. See note on 21:32.