Talk:Jacob and Esau

This article has been broken out from Esau because this story involves both Jacob and Esau, having many commentaries on this subject that could be elaborated here. Jasonasosa (talk) 18:06, 11 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Lentil stew

An interesting twist on this story is the point that lentils (if the term meant then what it means now) are a relatively good source for ribose, a chemical that is important in several ways to the human body.

In particular, there is a genetic disorder known as myoadenylate deaminase deficiency (MADD) which affects about 2% of the current European population (though no telling about the population in his day) which could have been at work here. To quote the Wikipedia article on MADD:

"During heavy or prolonged mild to moderate activity, other enzymes convert two molecules of ADP into one ATP molecule and one AMP molecule, making more ATP available to supply energy. AMP is normally converted into IMP by myoadenylate deaminase—so myoadenylate deaminase deficiency reduces energy that would be available to the cell through the purine nucleotide cycle. Instead of being converted to IMP, the AMP builds up in the cells of affected individuals, spills into the blood, and is eventually metabolized in the liver. In persons with a defective enzyme, 5'-nucleotidase removes the ribose and phosphorus from AMP, increasing levels of adenosine measured in muscle cells by ~16–25×, after exercise."

To cut to the chase, the loss of ribose results in muscle injury and, in severe cases, extreme muscle pain. If Esau had MADD and had been exercising vigorously he might have been in severe pain, and even literally risking death (since the muscle damage can lead to kidney failure). Some versions of the story suggest that he had been out hunting, and this would make sense, as he might have been attempting kill an animal for it's organ meats, which tend to have a high ribose content. If he returned from an unsuccessful hunt he might well have been quite desperate. And, very likely, he knew that lintels also contained ribose and would provide relief. (When someone with MADD pain ingests significant amounts of ribose the relief is quite rapid -- in as little as 10 minutes.)

So selling his birthright may have been a wise deal.drh (talk) 02:16, 11 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]