HEBREW WORD STUDY – ESTRANGEMENT – SANE שנא Sene Nun Aleph
Ro 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Malachi 1:2: “I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say Wherein hast thou loved us? [Was] not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, (3) And I hated Esau and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.”
This is a very disturbing passage for many Christians. How is it possible for God who is perfect in love to hate? Many just pass this off saying: “Well, God is only human and He can hate just as much as the rest of us.” Some even use it as an excuse: “If God can hate Esau then I don’t see why I can’t hate…” We look at some wicked people and feel they are really deserving of God’s hatred. You have Hitler, mass murderers, atheists who mock and curse the very notion of God. Surely, we can allow God some room for hatred here, can we not?
If we use that reasoning where do we draw the line? Does God love a person who murdered just one person but hates the mass murderer who killed fifty people? What about forty? Would he hate someone who killed twenty people? Now I am beginning to sound like Abraham in Genesis 18:26-33. Where does dislike turn to hate in God’s nature? We do things that God dislikes but could he dislike us personally? Is that possible in perfect love? I guess we can play around with semantics and nuances of the word hate, dislike, detest or have an aversion and we will never reach a conclusion.
Today we have laws against hate speech and hate crimes. On the surface these laws sound very noble and most likely those who pushed to have such laws enacted had the noblest intentions. The only problem is if you move beyond the obvious hate speech and hate crimes you end up in some pretty murky waters as to whether a statement was hateful and crime was a hate crime. Even after many precedencies to these laws are established, there will always be new cases to consider and be debated. One man’s hate is another man’s dislike of something they do not personally agree with.
Here is the issue that disturbs me. If God could hate someone like Esau who really was not what we call a despicable person (ok, maybe in the minds of some he was) then what would it take for God to hate me? Just assigning the English word hate to God automatically puts us on a slippery slope where it can be argued that if we commit just one sin God will hate us.
The word in Hebrew for hate is sane which has other usages rather than hate but in the twenty-seven different English translations of the Bible I looked at only three used a word other than hate and those three used the word reject. Even that is disturbing because I always believed it is us that reject God and not God rejecting us. If God can reject us then that means I may cross some line and at some point, I go to God to ask forgiveness and He will say: “So sorry old chap, but you just committed that sin one too many times, I am afraid I will have to reject your request for forgiveness.
The reason translators walk in lockstep rendering sane as hate is because hate is the direct opposite of love and that is the most logical word to use when comparing the love God had for Jacob and the feelings He had for Easu which appears to be the opposite. But then who is to say that the word ahav, the word used for love here needs to be translated as love? Just like sane, ‘ahav has multiple usages as well. Maybe you could say: “Jacob I related to intimately.” You could also say: “Jacob in whom I was able to kindle a fire.” Then you would be able to express something lessor than hate when contrasted with Esau. Sane in its Semitic root expresses the idea of creating distance, estrangement, turning away, or alienation.
It would be just as proper to render this passage as: “Jacob, whom I was able to draw near to and kindle a fire of passion, but with Esau, I was alienated and unable to draw near to him.” There is nothing wrong with that English translation from both the Hebrew Old Testament and the Aramaic New Testament, except it just doesn’t go with tradition. It just doesn’t speak the party line and it is not walking in lockstep with the teachings of certain churches who consider themselves the front line of defense against a God who is angry and will hate you if you cross a certain line. Why. if not for these churches who give you a chance to appease this God’s anger every Sunday where would we all be? And it only cost you 10% of your income to join this exclusive club and to hold back this wild beast of a god. OMG!!! That is hate speech.
So, at the risk of sounding like I am teaching about a God of perfect love, always ready to forgive, filled with eternal mercy and compassion who cannot possibly hate you, I only present this little study as an option and leave it to you to decide which translation you wish to go with.
I think it is a nice piece of information certainly puts things in perspective. But why would God chose intimacy with Jacob over Esau even before they were born? Isn’t this what Roman tells us in chapter 9. Please illuminate.
Dear Chaim. I find this translation really helpful. Because of some tragic experiences for many years I took this literally and thought that God hated me. This particular passage sealed the deal. I know now that God loves me completely, but it has taken years to remove the lies and be filled with the truth of his amazing love
Blessings! Chaim, I would love to do a one on one with you about this lesson. There is the second death, so Adonai must have some hard feelings to consign someone to the second death. In Torah, it says that HaShem will forgive someone of their sins, if they come to Him with a humble heart, turn from their sins and follow His path, Loving Him with ALL their heart, soul and strength and loving one’s brothers and Sisters as one’s self. Yeshua taught that reinforcing the teachings of Torah. Bless you and your desire to please the Most High. Your doing a GREAT job!
Thanks for clarifying Chaim. That sure makes more sense in my thinking too. “I was unable to draw near to Esau”. I believe God still had a plan for Esaú as I recall. Gonna look that up again! Man divides, but God separates unto Himself.
The Lord is … not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance 2peter3:9
Thx again stirring up some much needed intercession 🙏🏽
Have written this one in my Bible, much happier feelings about this.
That was really wonderful!
I choose sane and ahav instead of love and hate. Easy decision for me. Thank you. At 64 and walking with God since 9-10-1978 I’m really thanking God for guiding me to you! Blessings on you!
I appreciate the application of the word – I was always “perplexed and shocked” at this statement in scripture re: seems to be preferential but the Bible says that God is “not” a respecter of persons”…but as much as I appreciate your highlighting the word to give emphasis and awareness of its meaning, I often do not even glean on OT scripture anymore unless it is a circumstance of a biblical “living person” (I can’t stand when pastors ay “biblical character”… as if they were fictional creations! Not!!)…
for instance, if dealing with needing courage, I will visit pre-King-David and see his victory over the giant. It is amazing “what he said” before fighting the giant – and Who He gave pre-credit to…before even going to battle.
If needing a reminder of “what God Performs”, I can revisit the parting of the Sea with Moses or 2 Chronicles 20 re Jehosaphat engagement with God and the Victory that ensued.
Jesus is our Living Forgiving Forever because of His sacrifice and our belief in Him.
Faith is the main ingredient and a “close relationship with the Living God” and proclamation of His Word is what activates our faith to believe and receive what God promises and wants to give us.
It is a continual daily entry into our personal relationship with God – inviting Him into all the circumstances of our lives – and believing what He Says…for this reason, I embrace your clarification of the following:
” …sane in its Semitic root expresses the idea of creating distance, estrangement, turning away, or alienation” …
That gives me great awareness into being mindful and self-focused on REMAINing and ABIDE-ing In Christ…so that the intimacy becomes of symphony of faith lived out and experienced and enjoyed “with Him”…God always invites us to be with Him – His Throne of Grace (because of what Jesus did) always receives us…God’s Throne always has a WELCOME MAT. (Hebrews 4;16: “…COME (my italics) boldly to the throne of grace, that [you] may obtain mercy[forgiveness] and find grace to help in time of need.” Wow…what an invitation! To come boldly – without reservation…the ‘always welcomed and never rejected’ invitation of Love.
Thanks for the clarification on this.
For God so….”LOVEd (es) the world”…anyONE can and does receive permanent access to that Abiding, Lingering love if they have given their life to Christ through acceptance of His Grace gift of salvation. But the most important part – and beautiful, yet sometimes painful part – is personal “sanctification’…the pruning and refining of our very lives and attitudes…so that we can beCOME more and more daily “like Christ”.
It is worth every adventure to “sit with God and Our Saviour” – to seek Him in His Word, private and friend/corporate prayer…and most especially, as beloved Friend. [Sweet Jesus said: I no longer call you servants, but friends!] The Spirit of God is the “indwelling Presence of God’ on the inside of us. I think He is so Prevalent, but the most forgotten or least-emphasized part of the Triune God.
All we have to do is acknowledge the Spirit of God in us daily… and indulge in the beautiful ONEness that we all have to enJOY a personal relationship with Him. What a gift!
Thanks for the insight into the Word of God through instruction about the Aramaic meanings of words… now that text on God “hating Esau” is transformed for me through that…and even renewed my thinking as it highlights the importance of maintaining an abiding relationship with God the Father, The Son and the Spirit. Blessings to all reading this!
Chaim,
One things that is not completely accurate in it, is the common misconception that “hate is the opposite of love.” it is not. Love and hate are the opposite ends of emotion. Cause we can only truly hate someone we have loved, and it turns to the extreme polar opposite. Indifference is actually the real opposite of hate. It means one does not care or put forth any emotion towards that other person. When you have a person who says they “hate” a group or a type of person that they really do not know: they are really psychologically “projecting” their repressed Jungian shadow self/ those exact splintered off feelings they repress within themselves that they then call “hate” towards that group. To hate someone you have to “know them.” Hitler saw something in Jews that he did not accept or express in his own psyche. Same with “racist” they hate something about the group they hate being different. The group becomes the object of their own repressed nature. Not all police are bad, just because one in fear or panic shot an angry teen. But in the mind of a person with authority issues, then all cops are bad. Same in reverse, not all African Americans are criminals, but the media shows enough that it scares a lot of other colors of people, white, blue. You get my meaning. A preacher who hates “gays” and claims it is because they are sinners. Well, is he not supposed to be loving them and trying to help them as Jesus would if he were around, instead of condemning them to hell. GOD gives us all a life and time to grow and to change. Some people kill people out of their hate so they can deny their own dark shadow selves.
William Congreve wrote, “Heaven has no rage, like love to hatred turned….” Rejected love, hurt love often becomes its polar opposite of hate to protect the rejected person.
Very interesting Chaim about the Hebrew word “love/ ‘ahav ” used here is the same one used about David and Johnathon’s relationship. However that is the differences in the way it is used. Thanks for your valued insight.
When I was a teenager I had an experience where I felt God’s love pouring in through the top of my head, filling me up and flowing back out and over me, wrapping around me, and I looked out the window and saw a person walking down the side walk and I knew that God loved that person just as much as he loved me, and that love was not dependent on that person loving him back. So, no I do not believe that God hated Esau. Estranged from him, yes, because that is what sin does.
Malachi 1:2,3. Hate as used here is an idiom of preference, as in Luke 14:25-27, not a term expressing personal malice or jealousy in the sense that we now use it. This is the 6th of 12 cases in Scripture where God made the choice of the younger over the older brother. Here it was because of the disposition and attitude toward Him. Esau was a fornicator and destitute of hunger for God in his life (Heb.12:16-17 – note the word “rejected”), while Jacob was the type that loved the Lord and hungered to do his will.
Paul asks, Rom 9: 14 Is there unrighteousness with God? [ in choosing one over another?] God forbid. There is no unrighteousness with God if He sees the disposition of two boys and chooses on the basis of what He can foresee in each one. So with God’s present dealings with Israel and the gentiles (the subject of Rom. 9). If He sees the Jews will be continually rebelling against Him and the Gentiles will not, can He not act accordingly without unrighteousness? God is not responsible for the acts of Esau or Jacob, the Jews or Gentiles. He had to make the choice of Jacob over Esau due to the dispositions and lives of the boys.
Yes, Yes, right on! the Lord wants relationship bottom line and it is us whose chooses how vital and passionate that relationship is. Your rendering of this passage is spot on to me….. Our Lord is always pouring out love it is I who controls of level of fellowship. Churches that manipulate that love are like the Godfather….
Excellent once again!… this makes WAY more sense than ‘hating’ Esau. Thank you for your study and insight to a truly loving God!
Thank you for this very important message. What you have written raises many questions, such as: Who has said the ‘party line’ should be followed, in this case? By carefully examining the Hebrew word, sane, you have uncovered a profound need for all teachers and pastors to do more than merely follow what others have written or said about God’s word. Thank you, again.
That is an excellent translation. I have always been bothered by this passage. This rings truth of the God I know and love. He says draw close to me and I will draw close to you. He knew it was Jacob who would make that choice.