Essay Archive - Religious Meaning of the Birthright Story
Religious Meaning of the Birthright Story
As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man who lived in the
open; whereas Jacob was a simple man, who kept to his tents. Isaac preferred
Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah preferred Jacob. Once, when
Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the open, famished. He said to
Jacob, "Let me gulp down some of that red stuff; I'm starving." (That is why he
was called Edom.) But Jacob replied, "First give me your birthright in exchange
for it." "Look," Esau said, "I'm on the point of dying, what good will a....
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