22
The childrenהַבָּנִיםstruggled togetherוַיִּתְרֹצֲצוּwithin her,בְּקִרְבָּהּand she said,וַתֹּאמֶר“If so,אִם כֵּןwhyלָמָּה זֶּהme?”אָנֹכִיSo she wentוַתֵּלֶךְto inquireלִדְרֹשׁof YHWH.אֶת יְהוָה
Genesis 25:22
Study it in the app“The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If so, why me?” So she went to inquire of YHWH.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 25:22, word by word
- The childrenבָּנִיםbanim
son
The male born of a father and mother; in the plural, also sons and daughters.
Where else “banim” appears- struggled togetherיִּתְרֹצֲצוּyitrotsatsu
struggle
To jostle each other.
Where else “yitrotsatsu” appears- within herקִרְבָּkirba
inside
One's inner part, one's inmost self.
Where else “kirba” appears- and she saidתֹּאמֶרtomer
say
To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.
Where else “tomer” appears- So she wentתֵּלֶךְtelech
go
To head for a place, to leave where one is in order to reach another.
Where else “telech” appears- to inquireדְרֹשׁderosh
consult
To turn to YHWH to ask him, pray to him.
Where else “derosh” appears- of YHWHיְהוָהyehva
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yehva” appears
The context
21Isaac pleaded with YHWH on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and YHWH granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 · This verse (above)
23YHWH said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from your inner parts will be divided; one people will be stronger than the other people, and the older will serve the younger.”
To study Genesis 25 in a group
1. What it says
What did Esau do with his birthright, and what did he receive in exchange (vv. 29-34)?
2. What it means
What does the text mean when it ends, “Thus Esau despised his birthright” (v. 34)?
3. How I live it
What valuable thing are you at risk of trading away for a need of the moment?