Romans 9:13

10Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls--she was told, "The older will serve the younger."[4] 13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."[5]
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."[6] 16It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

Does anyone have ideas how this passage is best interpreted?

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Hi there!



I will address the word "hate" as it is used in this passage.

It is the same word that Jesus used when he said that to be his disciple, you must hate your father and mother (etc), with which the meaning is that they would have to prefer everything about God over their own families. The same is true in this text, that Jacob was the preferred.

The "election" is not about salvation, but about God's choice in people to do His works just as he chose Jacob over Esau.

~serapha~

Thanks, serapha. So I guess what Paul is pointing out is there is an arbitrariness to the way god chooses that has nothing to do with the relative goodness or badness of who he ultimatley decides to favor. At the same time when it says he 'hates' someone, this does not mean that He is is rejecting that person for all time, but is merely choosing the other to carry his out the task at hand.
First reading of such passages are sometimes difficult for me, and probably others as well, perhaps because the modern usage of the word 'hate' is so laden with emotional connotations perhaps not menat in the original usage of the word.

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This passage is part of a much larger context. Paul's theme throughout the entire book of Romans concerns the righteousness of God. He has traced this theme from chapter 1, showing that God is righteous in His judgments as well as in declaring men to be righteous through faith in Him.

Chapter 1 introduces a new question: What about Israel? Has the Word of God failed and will God be thus seen to be unrighteous if Israel, the chosen people, do not receive the gospel while Gentiles do?

Paul's reply is that it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel (Romans 9:6). He thus sets out to make a distinction between real Israel versus physical descendants of Abraham. The point is that being a physical descendant of Abraham is no guarantee of salvation because it is God who is Sovereign in such matters.

More on this at http://www.angelfire.com/nt/theology/rom09-01.html