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Romans Commentary Chapters 9-16  /  Romans 9:10-13 the Two Nations from Jacob and Esau Part One  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 9
Bercot insists “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated” (Malachi) is about nations (Israel/Edom), not an arbitrary prenatal hatred of an individual; how does his “before and after” reading (Genesis prophecy + Malachi fulfillment) change the emotional tone of Romans 9, and what does it imply about how God’s judgments relate to nations’ long-term patterns of violence or idolatry?
Another way to ask: If “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated” is about nations (Israel and Edom) over time, not God hating a baby before birth, how does that change how Romans 9 feels emotionally? What does it suggest about God judging nations based on long-term patterns like violence or idolatry?

Direct Answer Bercot’s “before and after” reading shifts Romans 9 from sounding like personal, prenatal favoritism to sounding like God’s long-range, morally grounded dealings with peoples over time. It implies that God’s judgments on nations (like Edom) correspond to entrenched patterns such as violence against others and persistent idolatry, not arbitrary dislike.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says many misread Paul as if God “arbitrarily loved Jacob and hated Esau before they were even born.”
  • Correction: Malachi’s words are “not about the two brothers… They are about the two earthly nations, Israel and Edom.”
  • “Malachi was written over a thousand years after” Genesis; Jacob and Esau were already dead.
  • Malachi’s context includes national devastation: “I have made his mountains a desolation… given his heritage to the jackals.”
  • He argues it was not arbitrary: Edom “had wickedly mistreated their brothers,” citing Obadiah: “Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob… you will be cut off forever.”
  • He notes national patterns: Israel served God “some of the time,” but “the Edomites always worshipped idols.”
Discussion Follow-ups How does it affect your reading of Romans 9 to see Paul citing a prophecy and then its historical fulfillment? What modern parallels help us think about God’s patience and judgment with whole peoples over time?

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