What does Genesis 25:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Rebekah was barren for20 years after she married Isaac ( Genesis 25:20; Genesis 25:26). God closed her womb so the chosen family would recognize her children as the fruit of His grace rather than simply the fruit of nature. Isaac was apparently the only monogamous patriarch among the first three: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [source][source]

[source]

Context Summary

In the thought of that age, the birthright carried with it the spiritual leadership of the tribe. To be the priest of the family, to stand between the Most High and the rest of the household, to receive divine communications and execute the divine will, and to be in the direct line of the Messiah-such were some of the privileges that gathered around this position. They were nought in Esau's estimation, and he was quite content to part with all they implied, if only he might have the immediate gratification of appetite. The steaming fragrance of the lentil pottage was sweet in the nostrils of the hungry hunter. We have all passed through such an experience. On the one hand, our self-respect, our true advantage, our God; on the other, passionate desire crying, "Give, give." In days and hours like that, beware: for you may say a word or do an act that shall determine your future, and, like Esau, you will find no loophole for altering the cast of the die. See Hebrews 12:16. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 25

¹  The sons of Abraham by Keturah
⁵  The division of his goods
⁷  His age, death, and burial
¹¹  God blesses Isaac
¹²  The generations of Ishmael
¹⁷  His age and death
¹⁹  Isaac prays for Rebekah, being barren
²²  The children strive in her womb
²⁴  The birth of Esau and Jacob
²⁷  Their different characters and pursuits
²⁹  Esau sells his birthright