Open AccessHow Did God Hate Esau (Malachi 1:2–3)?
Author(s) -
Ron Bergey
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
unio cum christo
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2473-8476
pISSN - 2380-5412
DOI - 10.35285/ucc7.2.2021.art2
Subject(s) - covenant , wife , deference , philosophy , theology , history , law , political science
The Antonyms “love” And “hate” In Biblical Covenant Contexts And Ancient Near East Political Texts Refer Respectively To Keeping And Not Keeping Covenant Or Treaty Commitments. This Same General Sense Is Found In The Marital Covenant Framework. One Case Involves Leah Being Described As “hated” And Rachel As “loved.” As Jacob’s First Wife, Leah Had Covenantal Matriarchal Rights, Which Were Disregarded In Deference To Her Younger Sister, Rachel, Jacob’s Second Wife. Against This Background, The Proposal Made Here Is That The Diametrically Opposite Divine Disposition Regarding Jacob And Esau In Malachi 1:2–3 Has To Do With Covenant Succession— God’s Disregard For The Right Of Primogeniture Of Esau, Said To Be “hated,” In Deference To His Younger Twin, Jacob, Said To Be “loved.” KEYWORDS: Malachi 1:2–3, Romans 9:13, Genesis 29:30–33, Deuteronomy 21:15–17, Love, Hate, Jacob, Esau, Rachel, Leah, Covenant, Marriage, Primogeniture