The word 'hate' is a comparative term—God's love for Jacob was so much greater that, by comparison, Esau's relationship to God is described as hatred.
Les Feldick teaches that Romans 9:13 is not speaking of God's ordinary hatred or desire to harm. Instead, it uses the same comparative language Jesus used when He said a disciple must 'hate' father and mother. Esau was destitute of faith, but the real wonder is not that God hated him—it is that God loved Jacob at all.
Romans 9:13 — This is the verse where Paul quotes the phrase 'Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated,' making it the central passage for this question.
Malachi 1:2-3 — This is the Old Testament source of the statement, where God says to Israel, 'Was not Esau Jacob's brother? ... Yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau.'
Luke 14:26 — Jesus' command to 'hate' father and mother helps explain the comparative sense of the word 'hate' in Scripture.
Hebrews 12:16-17 — This passage describes Esau as profane, selling his birthright for a morsel of meat, and shows that he found no place of repentance even when he sought it with tears.
The phrase 'Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated' appears in Romans 9:13 as a quotation from the Old Testament. In Malachi 1:2-3 God says to Israel, '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.' Scripture also links Esau with unbelief and profanity. Hebrews 12:16-17 says, '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.' The Bible uses the word 'hate' in other contexts as well. In Luke 14:26 Jesus says, '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.' This helps readers see that the word can carry a comparative or figurative force.
Les Feldick teaches that the word 'hated' in Romans 9:13 is not hatred in the ordinary sense of wanting to harm someone. Rather, it is a comparative term. God's love for Jacob was so far beyond human comprehension that, by comparison, Esau's relationship to God looked like hatred. He points to Jesus' instruction to 'hate' father and mother as the same kind of comparative language. Les also highlights that Esau was 'totally destitute of faith.' He sold his birthright for one morsel of food and was rejected when he later wanted the blessing. Although Esau wept and sought the blessing with tears, he never reached the point of believing what God had said. His tears did not increase his faith. Les uses the story of Spurgeon and the lady who could not understand how God could hate Esau to make the point: 'My problem is, how in the world did He love Jacob?' The deeper question, Les says, is why God loves any of us. Les further explains that Esau did not care about the spiritual birthright or the Messianic line; he was only upset when he lost the double portion of Isaac's flocks, herds, and wealth. In addition to his lack of faith, Les describes Esau as a fornicator and profane person, which helps explain why Scripture speaks of him so strongly.
Les Feldick says no. He explains that 'hate' is a comparative term, not the ordinary hatred that would make us want to harm someone. God's love for Jacob was so great that, by comparison, His relationship to Esau could be described as hated. The same principle applies to Jesus' words about hating father and mother—He was not commanding literal hatred, but saying that love for Christ should be so much greater that family love seems like hatred by comparison.
Les Feldick teaches that Esau wept and begged old Isaac, but those tears did not increase his faith. Though Esau sought the blessing carefully with tears, he never understood why he missed it—he could not believe what God had said. According to Hebrews 12:17, he found no place of repentance. His emotional response was not genuine faith or repentance.
Les Feldick uses this verse to illustrate the comparative meaning of 'hate.' Jesus never expected any human being to literally hate their parents. Rather, our love for the Lord Jesus should be so great that, by comparison, our love for family is almost like hatred. This same kind of comparison is at work in Romans 9:13 regarding Esau.
Esau's Emotional Tears Did Not Increase Faith
Les Feldick uses Esau as an example of someone who wept and begged emotionally but did not genuinely increase in faith, showing that emotion is not the same as faith.
The Word 'Hate' Is Comparative
Les explains that God's 'hatred' of Esau is comparative—God's love for Jacob was so great that by comparison Esau seems hated—and connects it to Jesus' command to 'hate' father and mother.
Defining 'Hated' in Romans 9:13
Les reads Romans 9:13 and immediately qualifies that 'hated' does not mean hating someone enough to practically do them harm.
Esau Cared Only About the Material Blessing
Les describes Esau as unconcerned with the spiritual birthright and the Messiah's line, but deeply upset when he lost the double portion of Isaac's wealth; he also calls Esau a fornicator.
The Statement Goes Back to Malachi 1
Les traces the quotation back to Malachi 1, where God says to Israel, 'Was not Esau Jacob's brother? ... Yet I loved Jacob.'
Esau Was Destitute of Faith
Les uses Spurgeon's reply to show that the real problem is not how God could hate Esau, but how God could love Jacob—and how He can love any of us.
Esau Found No Place of Repentance
Les explains that Esau's tears did not bring repentance because he could not believe what God had said; he was a man without faith.
Esau's Worldly Interest in the Double Portion
Les notes that Esau was interested in the double portion of his father's wealth, while the fact that Jacob was now in the Messianic line meant nothing to Esau.
Romans 9:13: As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
This is the key verse in Romans that quotes Malachi and directly uses the word 'hated' of Esau.
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.
This is the original Old Testament passage where God states His love for Jacob and His hatred of Esau.
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 uses the word 'hate' in a comparative way, helping explain how the same word is used in Romans 9:13.
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.
This passage describes Esau's profanity and his bitter rejection when he sought the blessing with tears, but found no repentance.
Romans 9:12: It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
This verse shows that God's purpose for Jacob and Esau was declared before the boys were born, setting up the statement in Romans 9:13.
Les Feldick teaches no. The word 'hate' in Romans 9:13 is a comparative term. God's love for Jacob was so great that by comparison, Esau appeared hated. It does not mean God had an intrinsic hatred toward Esau.
According to Les Feldick, Esau's tears did not increase his faith. He wanted the material blessing but never believed what God had said. Hebrews 12:17 says he found no place of repentance, even though he sought it carefully with tears.
No. Les Feldick explains that Jesus' command to 'hate' father and mother is a comparative term. Our love for Christ should be so much greater that, by comparison, our love for family seems like hatred. It does not mean literal hatred.
Les Feldick points out that Esau was destitute of faith and did not care about the spiritual birthright. He sold it for one morsel of food and was also described in Hebrews 12:16 as a fornicator and profane person.
Watch the Teaching: What Does the Bible Say About Deception? Jacob, Esau, and the Stolen Blessing.