The English bibles sure make it sound that way.
“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” - Malachi 1:2-3 (and actually quoted again in Romans 9:13)
Many people read these words and simply take that at face value (like much of the Bible, without context). But it’s printed right there, that’s what it says, right? God simply chose to despise Esau. Actually, a closer look at Scripture paints a much different, and more promising, picture.
In the Bible, the words love and hate are often used as covenant language, describing choice and preference, not necessarily emotion, as we use it today.
Jesus used the same kind of language in Luke 14:26: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother… he cannot be My disciple.”
Jesus was not commanding hatred toward our families. In fact, He also commanded us to honor our parents. His point was that our love and allegiance to Him must be so great that every other relationship becomes secondary by comparison.
This same principle helps us understand Esau. God had chosen Jacob, not because Jacob was somehow superior, but because God’s covenant promise would continue through him. Before either brother had done anything good or bad, God declared His purpose (Romans 9:10-12). This was about God’s sovereign plan, not favoritism.
There’s another important detail many people overlook here too though. When Malachi wrote, Jacob and Esau had been dead for centuries. God was speaking about the nations that came from them, Israel and Edom, not merely the two brothers as individuals (Malachi 1:2-5).
And when you read Genesis, you don’t find a God who dislikes or opposes Esau. The opposite, actually. Esau became wealthy, fathered a great nation, received his own inheritance, and eventually embraced Jacob instead of seeking revenge. God even instructed Israel not to seize Edom’s land because He had given it to Esau’s descendants.
The fact in this story is that God did not “hate” Esau, as we we interpret and understand that word today.
The lesson is that God chose Jacob for a unique covenant purpose. And God’s election is about His redemptive plan, not His inability to love.
That’s good news for all of us. None of us were chosen because we were more deserving. We were chosen because of His grace.
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you…” -John 15:16
The story of Jacob and Esau reminds us that God’s purposes are established by His wisdom, His sovereignty, and ultimately His mercy, not by human morality or achievement.
The God who chose Jacob is the same God who, through Christ, now invites every tribe, every nation, and every person to become part of His royal family, eternally, through faith.
He loves us all, and died for us all…
~ Devin
Devin Osborne
The Early Church
