Genesis 25:31-34

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Genesis 25:31 tn Heb “today.”
2. Genesis 25:32 tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”
3. Genesis 25:33 tn Heb “Swear to me today.”
4. Genesis 25:33 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5. Genesis 25:33 sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.
6. Genesis 25:34 sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.
7. Genesis 25:34 sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.