Lest there be any immoral, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.
Read Chapter 12
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Or profane person, as Esau, who had so little regard for the blessing and inheritance of his father, that he sold his right of first-begotten for one mess of broth, and afterwards found no place for repentance, although with tears he had sought for it; that is, he could not make his father repent or change what he had once done, though he endeavoured with his tears and lamentable outcries. Or if any one will have repentance referred to Esau himself, still the Novatian heretics can have no advantage in favour of their error, when they deny that sinners can repent, because Esau's tears might only be for a temporal loss, not for God's sake, nor for the guilt of his sins, so that he wanted the dispositions of a true penitent and of a contrite heart. (Witham)
Bebelos, profane, like Esau, who for a trifling meal could forfeit his right of primogeniture, and the honour of priesthood thereto attached. Oh, how many give up all right to a heavenly and eternal inheritance for even a mere triflin...
And wherein was Esau a fornicator? He does not say that Esau was a fornicator. Lest there be any fornicator, he says, then, follow after holiness: lest there be any, as Esau, profane: that is, gluttonous, without self-control, worldly, selling away things spiritual.
Who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright, who through his own slothfulness sold this honor which he had from God, and for a little pleasure, lost the greatest honor and glory. This was suitable to them. This [was the conduct] of an abominable, of an unclean person. So that not only is the fornicator unclean, but also the glutton, the slave of his belly. For he also is a slave of a different pleasure. He is forced to be overreaching, he is forced to be rapacious, to behave himself unseemly in ten thousand ways, being the slave of that passion, and oftentimes he blasphemes. So he accounted his birthright to be nothing worth. That is, providing for temporary refreshment, he went even to the [sacrifice of his] birthrig...
