Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.”
And Esau said, “I am at the point of death, so of what use is my birthright to me?”
Genesis 25:31-32 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)
Regarding Esau selling his birthright, there’s a fascinating story in Jewish tradition.
When Esau says “I am at the point of death,” we often think he’s being dramatic about being hungry. But some have suggested that something *happened* to him — perhaps an injury.
One teaching says that this may describe a hunting accident; Esau is bleeding out, linking his nickname and the soup and his blood together – all red.
In which case, Jacob isn’t swindling Esau out of his birthright. He is offering to pay a price for it, even though he would naturally obtain the birthright anyway if Esau died.
Jacob nurses Esau back to health, but maintains the birthright because he rightly paid for it.