Genesis 25:21-26

25:21 Isaac prayed to ¹  the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled ²  inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” ³  So she asked the Lord, ⁴  25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ⁵  are in your womb,

and two peoples will be separated from within you.

One people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.”

25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, ⁶  there were ⁷  twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish ⁸  all over, ⁹  like a hairy ¹⁰  garment, so they named him Esau. ¹¹  25:26 When his brother came out with ¹²  his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. ¹³  Isaac was sixty years old ¹⁴  when they were born.

Genesis 25:1

The Death of Abraham

25:1 Abraham had taken ¹⁵  another ¹⁶  wife, named Keturah.

Genesis 1:1

The Creation of the World

1:1 In the beginning ¹⁷  God ¹⁸  created ¹⁹  the heavens and the earth. ²⁰ 

Matthew 1:2

1:2 Abraham was the father ²¹  of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Romans 9:9-13

9:9 For this is what the promise declared: ²²  “About a year from now ²³  I will return and Sarah will have a son.” ²⁴  9:10 Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, ²⁵  our ancestor Isaac – 9:11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election ²⁶  would stand, not by works but by ²⁷  his calling) ²⁸  – 9:12 ²⁹  it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,” ³⁰  9:13 just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” ³¹ 

[25:21]  ¹ tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the Lord to remove the plagues. The cognate word in Arabic means “to slaughter for sacrifice,” and the word is used in Zeph 3:10 to describe worshipers who bring offerings. Perhaps some ritual accompanied Isaac’s prayer here.

[25:22]  ² tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.

[25:22]  ³ tn Heb “If [it is] so, why [am] I this [way]?” Rebekah wanted to know what was happening to her, but the question itself reflects a growing despair over the struggle of the unborn children.

[25:22]  ⁴ sn Asked the Lord. In other passages (e.g., 1 Sam 9:9) this expression refers to inquiring of a prophet, but no details are provided here.

[25:23]  ⁵ sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.

[25:24]  ⁶ tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”

[25:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “look!” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene as if they were actually present at the birth.

[25:25]  ⁸ sn Reddish. The Hebrew word translated “reddish” is אַדְמוֹנִי (’admoni), which forms a wordplay on the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. The writer sees in Esau’s appearance at birth a sign of what was to come. After all, the reader has already been made aware of the “nations” that were being born.

[25:25]  ⁹ tn Heb “all of him.”

[25:25]  ¹⁰ sn Hairy. Here is another wordplay involving the descendants of Esau. The Hebrew word translated “hairy” is שֵׂעָר (se’ar); the Edomites will later live in Mount Seir, perhaps named for its wooded nature.

[25:25]  ¹¹ tn Heb “And they called his name Esau.” The name “Esau” (עֵשָׂו, ’esav) is not etymologically related to שֵׂעָר (se’ar), but it draws on some of the sounds.

[25:26]  ¹² tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.

[25:26]  ¹³ tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.

[25:26]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”

[25:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “took.”

[25:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”

[1:1]  ¹⁷ tn The translation assumes that the form translated “beginning” is in the absolute state rather than the construct (“in the beginning of,” or “when God created”). In other words, the clause in v. 1 is a main clause, v. 2 has three clauses that are descriptive and supply background information, and v. 3 begins the narrative sequence proper. The referent of the word “beginning” has to be defined from the context since there is no beginning or ending with God.

[1:1]  ¹⁸ sn God. This frequently used Hebrew name for God (אֱלֹהִים,’elohim ) is a plural form. When it refers to the one true God, the singular verb is normally used, as here. The plural form indicates majesty; the name stresses God’s sovereignty and incomparability – he is the “God of gods.”

[1:1]  ¹⁹ tn The English verb “create” captures well the meaning of the Hebrew term in this context. The verb בָּרָא (bara’) always describes the divine activity of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. The verb does not necessarily describe creation out of nothing (see, for example, v. 27, where it refers to the creation of man); it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing (see Ps 51:10; Isa 43:15, 65:17).

[1:1]  ²⁰ tn Or “the entire universe”; or “the sky and the dry land.” This phrase is often interpreted as a merism, referring to the entire ordered universe, including the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The “heavens and the earth” were completed in seven days (see Gen 2:1) and are characterized by fixed laws (see Jer 33:25). “Heavens” refers specifically to the sky, created on the second day (see v. 8), while “earth” refers specifically to the dry land, created on the third day (see v. 10). Both are distinct from the sea/seas (see v. 10 and Exod 20:11).

[1:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “fathered.”

[9:9]  ²² tn Grk “For this is the word of promise.”

[9:9]  ²³ tn Grk “About this time I will return.” Since this refers to the time when the promised child would be born, it would be approximately a year later.

[9:9]  ²⁴ sn A quotation from Gen 18:10, 14.

[9:10]  ²⁵ tn Or possibly “by one act of sexual intercourse.” See D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 579.

[9:11]  ²⁶ tn Grk “God’s purpose according to election.”

[9:11]  ²⁷ tn Or “not based on works but based on…”

[9:11]  ²⁸ tn Grk “by the one who calls.”

[9:12]  ²⁹ sn Many translations place this verse division before the phrase “not by works but by his calling” (NA²⁷/UBS⁴, NIV, NRSV, NLT, NAB). Other translations place this verse division in the same place that the translation above does (NASB, KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV). The translation has followed the latter to avoid breaking the parenthetical statement.

[9:12]  ³⁰ sn A quotation from Gen 25:23.

[9:13]  ³¹ sn A quotation from Mal 1:2-3.