John Gill Commentary Hebrews 12:16

"lest [there be] any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright." — Hebrews 12:16 (ASV)

Lest there be any fornicator or profane person
The first of these is guilty of a sin against the second table of the law, as well as against his own body; and which is opposed to the holiness the apostle had before exhorted to; such who are guilty of it, are not to be continued in the communion of the church; and it is a sin, which, lived in not repented of, excludes from the kingdom of heaven: the latter is one who is a transgressor of the first table of the law; who is an idolater, a swearer, a despiser of public worship and ordinances, and who behaves irreverently in divine service, and mocks at the future state, as Esau; to whom both these characters seem to belong.

And this agrees with what the Jews say concerning him: they have a tradition ^F23 , that he committed five transgressions on the day he came out of the field weary.``He committed idolatry: he shed innocent blood; and lay with a virgin betrothed; and denied the life of the world to come (or a future state); and despised his birthright.'' It is elsewhere <sup>F24</sup> a little differently expressed. ``Esau, the wicked, committed five transgressions on that day: he lay with a virgin betrothed; and killed a person; and denied the resurrection of the dead; and denied the root, or foundation, (i.e. that there is a God,) and despised his birthright; and besides, he desired his father's death, and sought to slay his brother.'' It is common for them to say of him, that he was an ungodly man; and particularly, that he was a murderer, a robber, (Pawnw) , "and an adulterer" ^F25 ; and that he has no part in the world to come ^F26 :

who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright; the account of which is in (Genesis 25:29–34) this includes all the privileges which he has a right unto by being the firstborn; as a peculiar blessing from his father; a double portion of goods; and dominion over his brethren: and it is commonly said by the Jews, that the priesthood belonged to the firstborn, before the Levitical dispensation; and that for this reason, Jacob coveted the birthright ^F1 , Esau being a wicked man, and unfit for it. The birthright was reckoned sacred; it was typical of the primogeniture of Christ; of the adoption of saints, and of the heavenly inheritance belonging thereunto; all which were despised by Esau: and so the Jewish paraphrases ^F2 interpret the contempt of his birthright, a despising of his part in the world to come, and a denial of the resurrection of the dead: and his contempt of it was shown in his selling it; and this was aggravated by his selling it for "one morsel of meat"; which was bread, and pottage of lentiles, (Genesis 25:34) . The Jewish writers speak of this bargain and sale much in the same language as the apostle here does; they say ^F3

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FOOTNOTES:

• F23: Targum Jon. ben Uzziel in Gen. xxv. 29.
• F24: Shemot Rabba, sect. I. fol. 89. 3. T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 16. 2.
• F25: Tzeror Hammor, fol. 27. 1.
• F26: Tzeror Hammor, fol. 26. 3.
• F1: Bereshit Rabba, sect. 63. fol. 56. 2.
• F2: Targum Hieros. & Jon. in Gen. 25. 34. Bereshit Rabba, ib.
• F3: of him, this is the man that sold his birthright (Mhl rkk deb) , "for a morsel of bread"; and apply to him the passage in (Proverbs 28:21) "for a piece of bread that man will transgress".