“And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.”
But Jacob said: swear to me first. So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. The oath is the completion of the transaction: Jacob requires a sworn oath before he gives the stew. The formal covenant language — swear to me — is used to seal what would otherwise be an easily dismissed exchange in the field. The sworn birthright transfer is legally binding. Ecclesiastes 5:2 warns against hasty oaths. Esau swears. The application: the most consequential decisions are sometimes made in the most casual settings, and the oath that seals them is the thing you cannot undo.
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