Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
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.
- BSB “Swear to me first,” Jacob said. So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright.
- 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 12:16lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal.
- Gen 27:36He 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?”
- Heb 6:16For men indeed swear by a greater one, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.
- Gen 24:3I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live.
- Gen 36:6–7Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, with his livestock, all his animals, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother Jacob.
- Mark 6:23He swore to her, “Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”
- Gen 14:22Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, possessor 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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