Birthright

Using the King James Version of the Bible there are nine occurrences of the word “birthright.” Reading Genesis 25:1 and I Chronicles 5:1 we see that birthright can be transferred from one son to another son. It the first case it was sold and in the second it was lost due to sinful transgression. From I Chronicles 5:2, it is clear that birthright is not necessarily the same as the lineage of the chief ruler, Jesus Christ. Genesis 27:36 shows that the birthright was not the blessing either. Therefore the birthright was something different than a blessing or a line to Jesus Christ. Esau shows us that one can despise their birthright. Genesis 43:33 reveals that the birthright gives a man his proper place in the family.

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines birthright as: any right or privilege, to which a person is entitled by birth, such as an estate descendible by law to an heir, or civil liberty under a free constitution.

From this definition, it is clear that birthright primarily has to do with the transfer of property or a civil liberty.

Birthright is extremely important when considering the claims of Israel to present day Palestine as opposed to the claims of Ishmaels’ descendants. If the birthright had gone to Ishmael then Israel would have no valid claim to the land. Oddly and interestingly, Islam claims its birthright back to Abraham through Ishmael. The inheritance of Palestine is largely a question of proper birthright.

The person who receives the birthright would also become the leader, especially the spiritual leader of the family. The profane, fornicating Esau held no value in his birthright as he sold it for a single meal. In Old Testament times it was a custom to trade birthright for something extremely valuable (Demaray, 98), one meal would hardly qualify. This trade showed how little Esau regarded his birthright. As Pastor James Knox puts it “Never was any food, save the forbidden fruit in Eden, purchased at so high a price.” (Knox, 222)

Halley’s Bible Handbook claims that while the birthright was sold by Esau to Jacob, Issac had to validate it with the blessing. From this perspective, the blessing and birthright are in fact tied together. The birthright gives the inheritance, the blessing validates it. In my reading on the birthright in the verses I found I did not find anything that mentioned this validating of the birthright but if one looks at the examples set forth in those verses there is no case where the birthright and blessing were given separately even though Esau indicated in Genesis 27:36 that he does make a distinction between the two. Although this is the same Esau who sold the birthright for a meal, so perhaps his division of birthright and blessing should not carry much weight. If the blessing confirms the birthright; this could show the inheritance we receive with Christ and how His blood validates that inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5). In this case the birthright is very important. Just as the birthright of the Jesus Christ gives us eternal life, the birthright of the Patriarchs in Genesis prepares the path for a nation of people who would be separated unto God and bring forth the Saviour.

James Knox claims that the birthright gave a person a place in the lineage of Jesus Christ, this is shown to be incorrect according to I Chronicles 5:2.

Sources:

Demaray C. E. Ph.D., Donald S. Metz, D.R.E., and Maude A. Stuneck, Ph.D. Exploring the Old Testament. Ed. W. T. Purkiser, Ph.D. Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press, 1959.

Knox, James W. The Christ-Honoring Commentary Series: The Book of Genesis. Deland, Florida: Bible Baptist Church of Deland, 2004.

Halley, Henry H. Hally’s Bible Handbook. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1965.