What did Esau trade away?
Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew and later lost the blessing to Jacob's deceit, and Hebrews uses him as a warning about despising holy things. His story shows how a single appetite can put a price on a priceless inheritance, and how God's purpose still stood through human scheming without excusing it.
This question arose from studying How did God provide a wife for Isaac?.
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What the Scripture says
He sold an inheritance for a meal
Esau came in from the field famished and asked for the red stew; Jacob named his price, and Esau swore the oath and sold his birthright. The chapter does not soften the verdict: 'So Esau despised his birthright.' Hunger is real, but the trade reveals what he actually valued, and it was not the promise given to his grandfather Abraham.
Jacob boiled stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom. Jacob said, “First, sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Jacob. Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
A blessing cannot be unsaid
Jacob deceived his blind father and took the blessing, and when Esau learned of it he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry: 'Bless me, even me also, my father.' Isaac had nothing left to give. The scene is painful precisely because it is irreversible: some losses are not repaired by regret, however loud the tears.
When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, my father.” He said, “Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing.” He said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. See, now he has taken away my blessing.” He said, “Haven’t you reserved a blessing for me?” Isaac answered Esau, “Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers have I given to him for servants. With grain and new wine have I sustained him. What then will I do for you, my son?” Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father.” Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
Hebrews calls him profane, not merely foolish
Hebrews warns against being sexually immoral or profane like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal, and adds that afterward he was rejected and found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears. The word profane means treating the sacred as ordinary. That is the real sin of Esau: he handled a holy inheritance like a piece of merchandise.
lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears.Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
God's purpose stood, and Jacob still paid
The oracle had already said the elder would serve the younger before either twin was born, so that God's purpose in election would stand apart from works. God's plan was never at risk from Jacob's deceit. And yet Jacob paid for it: he fled, was deceived by Laban in return, and spent twenty years in a household of manipulation. Grace overrules our sin without making it cheap.
Yahweh said to her, “Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger.”And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls, it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.”(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
In the morning, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Didn’t I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?
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How did Jacob become Israel?→“Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.”And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”How did God raise Joseph in prison?→“Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.”What was God doing in Joseph's slavery?→“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”Explore further
Does God use our failures for our good?→Our Walk with Him trail“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”What is repentance?→The Gospel trail““Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”Hold onto these
Verses to meditate on
Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Jacob. Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, my father.”And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears.Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.”It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
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