Jacob I Have Loved, Esau I Have Hated (Rom. 9:13)

“When Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated’” (Rom. 9:10-13, ESV).

Calvinists argue this passage supports their view of predestination, which holds that God predetermined some individuals to be saved and others to be damned. After all, God had said about Rebekah’s twins prior to their births: “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated” (Rom. 9:13).

Does this passage support the Calvinist view?

To start with, contrary to what Calvinists say, God did not literally hate Esau. God was simply using a Hebraism (Jewish expression). Compare this passage (Rom. 9:13) to Jesus saying:

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).

Did Jesus mean that his disciples should literally hate their parents? Of course not. Jesus said elsewhere to “honor your father and mother” (Matt. 19:19).

When Jesus said, “hate your parents,” he was simply using a Hebraism to say: You must love me more than your parents. Matthew’s parallel account of this statement confirms this interpretation:

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37).

The ancient Hebrews often used “love/hate” as an expression to mean “preferred/not preferred,” as Jesus did in Luke 14:26. And this is what God was doing, too, when he said, “Jacob I have loved, Esau I have hated” (Rom. 9:13). God was simply using a Hebraism to say: I’ve chosen Jacob’s bloodline—rather than Esau’s—to bring about the Messiah. I preferred Jacob over Esau.

But God didn’t literally hate Esau. In fact, God said elsewhere, “Do not abhor an Edomite [a descendant of Esau], for he is your brother” (Duet. 23:7). Esau was blessed of God (see Genesis 33:9; Genesis chapter 36)…even though he wasn’t chosen/preferred to bring about the Messiah.

Paul’s Point in Romans 9

The reason why Paul used the Jacob and Esau illustration (in Romans 9:10-13) is simply this: As God had chosen Jacob’s lineage, rather than Esau’s, to bring about the Messiah, so God has chosen the faithful followers of Jesus—rather than the biological descendants of Abraham—for salvation. We can be confident of this interpretation because Paul had just said in the previous verses:

“For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham…Those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed” (Rom. 9:6-8).

In other words, true Israel = the faithful. Bloodline is irrelevant.

So the reason why Paul used the Jacob and Esau illustration is to show that it’s God’s prerogative to go against common expectations, if he so chooses. As God chose the younger brother Jacob (rather than the older brother Esau) to bring about the Messiah—which went against common Jewish expectations—so God has chosen the faithful followers of Jesus, rather than the physical descendants of Abraham, for salvation. This too when against the common Jewish expectations!

Ancestry is irrelevant. What matters is one’s faithfulness to Christ. That’s who the sovereign God has chosen to save.

Conclusion: Romans 9:10-13 in no way supports the Calvinist view of predestination, which holds that God predetermined certain individuals to be saved and others to be damned. Rather, what God predetermined is that the faithful will be saved and the faithless will perish (John 3:16). And it’s up to each individual to choose wisely.

By Alex Polyak, Answering Calvinism (.org), 1/30/26