Genesis 25

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 2080 BC – 1943 BC · The patriarchs · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

34 verses · 621 words · ~3 min read · ~4 min listen

Abraham and Keturah

The Death of Abraham

The Descendants of Ishmael

Jacob and Esau

Esau Sells His Birthright

Footnotes (6)
  1. a v18 Or Assyria
  2. b v20 That is, northwest Mesopotamia
  3. c v23 Cited in Romans 9:12
  4. d v25 Esau sounds like a Hebrew term that means hairy.
  5. e v26 Jacob means he grasps the heel or he deceives.
  6. f v30 Edom means red.

Study notes on this chapter · 2

Prophecy & fulfillmentWidely held reading

Ishmael: twelve princes and a great nation

God promises Hagar that her son will have many descendants and live in hostility with his kin, and promises Abraham that Ishmael will father twelve princes. Genesis lists twelve sons of Ishmael, and later texts name Arab peoples linked with him.

When: Genesis (traditionally c. 1900 BC).

Where the New Testament applies itGenesis 25:12–18

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentWidely held reading

Two nations in your womb

Before Jacob and Esau are born, God tells Rebekah that two nations are in her womb and the older will serve the younger. Israel and Edom are the later nations, and David's conquest of Edom is usually seen as a first fulfillment. Malachi and Paul use the pair to speak of God's freedom in choosing; how Paul's argument is best read is disputed among traditions.

When: Genesis (traditionally c. 1900 BC); David's conquest of Edom, c. 1000 BC; Romans, c. AD 57.

Where the New Testament applies it2 Samuel 8:13–14
Ways people read this (3)
  • Paul uses Jacob and Esau to argue for God's sovereign election of individuals (Reformed and related traditions).
  • Paul is speaking of God's choice of peoples and their roles in his purposes, not the final destiny of individuals (many Arminian, Orthodox and Catholic readers).
  • Malachi's 'love' and 'hate' describe covenant preference in Semitic idiom, not emotion.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

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