33
Jacobיַעֲקֹבsaid,וַיֹּאמֶר“Swearהִשָּׁבְעָהto meלִּיtoday.”כַּיּוֹםSo he sworeוַיִּשָּׁבַעto himלוֹand soldוַיִּמְכֹּרhis birthrightאֶת בְּכֹרָתוֹto Jacob.לְיַעֲקֹב
Genesis 25:33
Study it in the app“Jacob said, “Swear to me today.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 25:33, word by word
- Jacobיַעֲקֹבyaakov
Jacob
Jacob, the younger son of Isaac and Rebekah, twin brother of Esau and father of the twelve tribes. In Hebrew "Yaakov" sounds like "heel" and "supplant" (Genesis 25:26; 27:36). God later gave him the name Israel; the name also stands for his descendants, the people of Israel.
Where else “yaakov” appears- saidיֹּאמֶרyomer
say
To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.
Where else “yomer” appears- “Swearהִשָּׁבְעָhishava
swear
To promise with God as witness.
Where else “hishava” appears- todayיּוֹםyom
today
This very day in which one speaks, the present moment.
Where else “yom” appears- and soldיִּמְכֹּרyimkor
sell
To give something or someone to another in exchange for payment.
Where else “yimkor” appears- his birthrightבְּכֹרָתbechorat
birthright
The rights of the eldest son in the family.
Where else “bechorat” appears
The context
32Esau said, “Look, I am going to die; what good is a birthright to me?”
33 · This verse (above)
34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, rose, and went away. So Esau despised the birthright.
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?