“Swear to me first,” Jacob said. So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Jacob.
- KJV And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
- NKJV Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
- NASB And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore an oath to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
- NLT But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
At Jacob's insistence, Esau swears an oath and sells his birthright.
Overview
Esau confirms the transaction with a binding oath, formally surrendering his birthright. His readiness to swear it away underscores how lightly he esteemed it. The deal advances God's foretold purpose that the elder would serve the younger, though through flawed human dealings.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Heb 12:16See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright.
- Gen 27:36So Esau declared, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice. He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”
- Heb 6:16Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all argument.
- Gen 24:3and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,
- Gen 36:6–7Later, Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the people of his household, along with his livestock, all his other animals, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan, and he moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob.
- Mark 6:23And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”
- Gen 14:22But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 25:33 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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