Difficult-to-Understand Passages
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"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated"	Why, in Romans 9:13 does it say, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." Does God hate? Let's study this closer. First a word study. The word "hated" in the original language means "to love less." So another way of translating this is: "Jacob I have [truly] loved, but Esau I have loved less." Why did God love Esau less? Esau was the firstborn. The firstborn was entitled to the firstborn's birthright by his father before his father's passing, and this blessing was a truly incredible, powerful, prophetic blessing because (in Esau's case) would mean the shaping of the nation that would arise from Abraham's seed: Gen. 27:28-29 - Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. This wasn't just a nice thing to say to your son before you die. It was a statement of substance that shaped the future, for in v. 35-37, once it was given to Jacob, it could not be given to Esau! Back in Genesis 25:27-34, we see how Esau valued his relationship with God and the firstborn birthright that was going to receive: he despised it, and counted it valueless. Jacob however earnestly desired it. And that is why God loved Jacob more. Got still loved Esau much and still blessed him, but thus through Jacob the nation of Israel was born.