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Genesis 25:22

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 25:22 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the children struggled together within her. And she said, If it be so, wherefore do I live? And she went to inquire of Jehovah.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the children struggled together within her. And she said, If it be so, wherefore do I live? And she went to inquire of Jehovah.
Genesis 25:22 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 25

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
19And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham`s son. Abraham begat Isaac.
20And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his wife.
21And Isaac entreated Jehovah for his wife, because she was barren. And Jehovah was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22And the children struggled together within her. And she said, If it be so, wherefore do I live? And she went to inquire of Jehovah.
23And Jehovah said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels. And the one people shall be stronger than the other people. And the elder shall serve the younger.
24And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25And the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment. And they called his name Esau.
← Genesis 25:21Genesis 25:23 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the children struggled together within her, etc.] When she was quick with child: this was some time before her delivery, and was not a common and ordinary motion felt by women in such circumstances, but an extraordinary one; the two children in her strove with each other, as if it was for mastery, or who should get out first before the proper time; which not only gave her great uneasiness of mind, but pain of body: this was an emblem of the future difference between those two children, Esau and Jacob, and of the contentions that would be between their respective offspring, and of the enmity and war between good and bad men in all ages, and of the conflict between flesh and spirit in all…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“25:22 When the pregnancy was difficult, Rebekah went to ask the Lord about it, probably by visiting a prophet—perhaps Abraham (20:7; see study note on 25:7-8).”
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Related study paths

Read Genesis 25 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification