Genesis 25:22-23

Rebekah’s pregnancy was so painful that she wondered if there was any point to going on living. She expressed the same thought when her sons had grown up (Genesis 27:46). God’s choice of the younger over the elder "was contrary to ancient Near Eastern custom, but the elective purposes of God transcend custom." [Note: Davis, p. 232.] The divine oracle summarizes the careers of Jacob and Esau and is similar to Genesis 12:1-3 in that both statements are programmatic. All of Jacob’s subsequent scheming to obtain the birthright and the blessing was unnecessary since God promised that he would become the dominant nation.