Esau I Have Hated

We find a very strange statement in the opening verses of Malaki / Malachi.

2 "I have loved you," says YHWH. Yet you say, "How have You loved us?" "Was not Esav Ya'aqov's brother?" says YHWH, "Yet I loved Ya'aqov; 3 but Esav I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his heritage to the monsters of the wilderness." – Malaki / Malachi 1:2,3 (SQV)

These words are repeated by Sha'ul in Romaios / Romans 9:6-13, when he writes about the election of the children of Avraham. But in this statement, Sha'ul fails to explain why YHWH says He hates Esav. Even in Malaki, YHWH only proclaims the judgment and punishment that will come on Edom/Esav; He does not elaborate on why. So let's take a look at a few things and see if we can figure out just why, exactly, YHWH has said that He hates Esav.

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