By Mark W. Christy, PhD
In Romans 9:13, Paul writes, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[i] At first glance, many New Testament readers cannot help but cringe at the wording which suggests that God hates a person. To help readers better discern Paul’s meaning, this article will carefully consider the context of this verse and offer evidence to support a correct interpretation.
To begin with, God’s “hate” for Esau and his descendants, the Edomites, is such that Isaiah labels them as “the people whom [God has] devoted to destruction” (34:5). Jeremiah adds, “Edom will become an object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss at all its wounds” (49:17). Throughout the Old Testament (OT), Edom (from Genesis 25:23 to Malachi 1:2-3) served as the antithesis of Israel. In Numbers 20:14-21, they tried block Israel as they were following God through the commands of Moses. They actively supported the Babylonian destruction of Israel in 587 B.C. (Obad 11-14; Ezek 35:1-15).
Such was the Edomites’ persistence in doing evil that Isaiah uses them to serve as an example of God’s wrath against sin while contrasting their destruction due to sin with the blessing reserved for those who follow God’s way (34-35). In Malachi 1:4, the prophet offers an oracle of the Lord which states that people “will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the Lord is indignant forever.” From the many OT references, it is relatively easy to see that the people of Edom were portrayed as reprobates who had allowed themselves to be hardened by sin and thus evoked God’s righteous judgement.
While Esau’s actions and those of his descendants certainly merited God’s hateful rejection, the same could be said of Jacob and his descendants. From the pages of Scripture, one would find it challenging to discern which people were the most sinful. Regardless, Scripture plainly teaches that God’s righteous nature demands that He reject all sinners and forbid them entrance into His presence. For this reason, the Psalmist declares, “For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. 5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; 6 you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest” (Ps 5:5-6). Even so and despite being a sinner himself, the Psalmist is able to gain entrance into God’s throne room: “But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple” (Ps 5:7).
For a sinner to enter the heavenly court of God, the Psalmist indicates that God Himself must choose to bid them entrance: “How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You [t]o dwell in Your courts” (Ps 65:4). These blessed ones, mentioned by the Psalmist, have their sins forgiven and covered: “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!” (Ps 32:1). This sovereign choice of God to forgive the sinner is wholly due to lovingkindness being poured out upon those who He chooses: “by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house” (Ps 5:7). While this may be so, one must ask what Paul meant in Romans 9:13 when he quoted Malachi 1:2-3, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Like the Psalmist and every other person who enters God’s presence, both Jacob and Esau are at God’s mercy in regard to their fate. With this in view, Malachi (and Paul who quotes him) employs covenant language when he employs the terms “love” and “hate.”[ii] As Ralph L. Smith succinctly surmises, “’Loved’ means chosen and ‘hated’ means not chosen.”[iii] While it seems that many if not most scholars agree on the covenantal role of the language employed to discuss God’s love for Jacob and hatred for Esau, some debate exists on whether or not this is to be understood on an individual/personal level or at the corporate level.
For those who advocate for the corporate interpretation, Jacob is seen as the representative for Israel and Esau is representative for Edom. If this is the case, then the election by God of either group unto acceptance (love) or rejection (hate), as some suggest (such as Leighton Flowers in The Potter’s Promise), “must not be election to salvation but election to a special and honored role in salvation history.”[iv] In regard to this view, God in the OT does indeed choose peoples to accomplish His purposes, and such electing efforts need not be associated with salvation. Despite the distinct possibility of this view, some evidence exists for its rejection.
In the preceding context of Romans 9:13 for instance, Paul specifically mentions details about the births of both Jacob and Esau (vv.9-12). Beyond this, Paul employs his typical salvation language in the context of this verse. He uses language that connotes election (see “choice” (v.11; cf. 11:5, 7), calling (v.11; cf. 8:28), and “works” (v.11; cf. 4:2-8 and 11:6)). To be clear, such words are not typically applied to nations as they are more personal in nature. To put this another way, God may choose nations to suit His divine purposes, but Paul frequently clarifies that God’s choice in regard to salvation is not due to works (see v.11; cf. Rom 4:2-4; 9:32; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9; 2 Tim 1:9).
More evidence against the corporate interpretation of Romans 9:13 in found in v.6 where Paul distinguishes between God’s salvation work within Israel whereby not all of Israel was saved. In order to justify his assertion, Paul must provide OT proof that allows for discrimination within Israel in terms of the salvation of its members. Such evidence can be readily available should one interpret Romans 9:13 to be an affirmation of God’s role in electing individuals unto salvation in accordance with His own divine pleasure. On the other hand, if this verse is merely discussing God’s choosing of nations to serve His purposes, then Paul has failed to demonstrate how God can differentiate between those who are a part of spiritual Israel. Furthermore, Paul’s intention can be easily observed in Romans 9:30-32: “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.”
In conclusion, Paul, in quoting Malachi 1:2-3 (“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”) was indeed referencing the individuals so named and not the nation states of their descendants. Even so, Paul’s intent was not to have his readers focus on these individuals or God’s elective efforts on their behalf; rather, Paul’s purpose was to demonstrate the necessary role of the divine will in regard to election unto salvation. As the context reveals, Paul is attempting to demonstrate God’s justness in sovereignly choosing those whom He desires to allow into His presence (cf. Rom 9:14). As the Psalmist made clear, God’s righteousness prevents sinners from entering His gates, and yet His sovereign will enables Him to make a way. As the gospel has now made plain, that way is Christ, and following Him requires repentance and faith, which are both gifts granted by an act of God’s sovereign will (Acts 11:18; Eph 2:8-9; 2 Tim 2:25).
[i]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995.
[ii]Ralph L. Smith, Micah-Malachi, in Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word, 1984), 305; Andrew E. Hill, Malachi: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, in The Anchor Bible (New Haven: Yale, 1998), 152.
[iii]Smith, Micah-Malachi, 305.
[iv]Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, in NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 584-85.