The phrase is comparative, not a literal hatred of Esau; God's love for Jacob was so much greater that it is described as hatred.
Les Feldick teaches that when Scripture uses the word 'hate' of God, it is a comparative word. It means His love for Jacob was so much greater than for Esau that it was almost hatred. God cannot hate because hate is sin, and the same principle applies to Jesus' words about hating father and mother.
Romans 9:13 — This is the exact verse quoted in the question, where Paul says 'Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.'
Malachi 1:2-3 — This is the Old Testament source Paul quotes, where God says 'I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau.'
Romans 9:13 states, "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." The Old Testament source is Malachi 1:2-3: "I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness." Genesis 27:41 records Esau's own human hatred: "And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob." Jesus also used the word 'hate' figuratively in Luke 14:26.
Les Feldick consistently teaches that when the Bible speaks of God hating Esau, 'hate' is a comparative word. He says it "merely means that his love for Jacob was so much greater than it was for Esau, it was as if it was almost a hatred." He adds, "God can't hate. Hate is sin." Les uses Jesus' statement about hating father and mother to illustrate the same principle: Jesus does not expect people to hate their parents; rather, our love for the Lord should be so much greater than even our love for earthly parents that by comparison it is the difference between love and hate. Les also distinguishes God's comparative 'hatred' from Esau's real human hatred in Genesis 27:41. That hatred, he says, has lasted right up until today and is "the crux of all the problems in the Middle East." He further notes that God in His sovereignty designated Jacob to be in the line of the Messiah rather than Esau, and he quotes Hebrews 12:16-17, which describes Esau as a fornicator and profane person.
Les says the word 'hate' used of God is comparative and must be seen in context. It "merely means that his love for Jacob was so much greater than it was for Esau, it was as if it was almost a hatred." He reminds us that God cannot hate because hate is sin.
Les explains that Jesus' words in Luke 14:26 about hating father and mother do not mean He expects people to hate their parents. Rather, our love for the Lord should be so much greater than even for our earthly parents that, by comparison, it becomes "the difference between love and hate."
Genesis 27:41 says Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him, and Esau said he would slay Jacob. Les adds that Rebekah sent Jacob away for what became twenty years, and that Esau's hatred has persisted through history, being "the crux of all the problems in the Middle East." He also explains that Esau's descendants were outside the covenant promises.
Why Did God Hate Esau? Romans 9:13 and Sovereignty Explained
Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick.
God's Comparative Hatred
Les shows that in Malachi 1:2-3, God's 'hatred' of Esau is a comparative term: His love for Jacob was so much greater that it was almost hatred, and God cannot hate because hate is sin.
Jesus' Command to Hate Father and Mother
Les applies the comparative principle to Jesus' words: believers are not to hate their parents; rather, love for the Lord should be so much greater than even earthly family love that it is the difference between love and hate.
A Hard Saying That Bothers People
Les acknowledges that Jesus' saying about hating father and mother has bothered people, and he points to it again to show how the word 'hate' must be understood in context.
God's Sovereign Choice of Jacob
Les explains that God in His sovereignty designated Jacob, not Esau, to be in the line of the Messiah, and he quotes Hebrews 12:16-17's description of Esau as a profane person.
Esau's Hatred Never Left His Heart
Les traces Esau's bitterness to show his real human hatred: Esau planned to kill Jacob, and the separation lasted twenty years; Rebekah never saw Jacob again.
Esau Outside the Covenant
Les explains that Esau's descendants were outside the covenant promises and therefore enemies of God's covenant people; Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father gave him.
Esau Without Faith
Les describes Esau as a man destitute of faith and incapable of knowing right from wrong, which contrasts with Jacob's place in the promised line.
Romans 9:13: As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
This is the exact verse in the question, quoting the Old Testament.
Malachi 1:2-3: I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
God's original declaration that He loved Jacob and hated Esau.
Genesis 27:41: And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
Shows Esau's literal human hatred toward Jacob.
Luke 14:26: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Jesus' comparative use of 'hate' that Les says illustrates the same principle.
Hebrews 12:16-17: Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Quoted by Les to show Scripture's description of Esau as a profane person.
Les Feldick teaches that the word 'hate' when used of God is comparative. God's love for Jacob was so much greater than for Esau that it was as if it were almost hatred. God cannot hate, because hate is sin.
God's hatred is comparative language, not literal malice. Esau's hatred was real: he hated Jacob because of the blessing his father gave Jacob and planned to kill him. Les says that human hatred has lasted into modern times and is the crux of Middle East problems.
Les says God in His sovereignty designated Jacob to be in the line of the Messiah rather than Esau. He also points to Esau's being outside the covenant promises and describes him from Hebrews as a profane person.
Watch the Teaching: Why Did God Hate Esau? Romans 9:13 and Sovereignty Explained