Esau: Hairy, Rebekah's first-born twin son
(Genesis 25:25) The name of Edom,
"red", was also given to him from his conduct in connection with the
red lentil "pottage" for which he sold his birthright
(Genesis 25:30,31).
The circumstances connected with his birth foreshadowed the enmity
which afterwards subsisted between the twin brothers and the nations
they founded
(Genesis 25:22,23,26) In process of time Jacob, following
his natural bent, became a shepherd; while Esau, a "son of the
desert," devoted himself to the perilous and toilsome life of a
huntsman. On a certain occasion, on returning from the chase, urged by
the cravings of hunger, Esau sold his birthright to his brother,
Jacob, who thereby obtained the covenant blessing
(Genesis 27:28,29,36)
(Hebrews 12:16,17) He afterwards tried to regain what he had so recklessly
parted with, but was defeated in his attempts through the stealth of
his brother
(Genesis 27:4,34,38) At the age of forty years, to the great
grief of his parents, he married
(Genesis 26:34,35) two Canaanitish
maidens, Judith, the daughter of Beeri, and Bashemath, the daughter of
Elon. When Jacob was sent away to Padan-aram, Esau tried to conciliate
his parents
(Genesis 28:8,9) by marrying his cousin Mahalath, the
daughter of Ishmael. This led him to cast in his lot with the
Ishmaelite tribes; and driving the Horites out of Mount Seir, he
settled in that region. After some thirty years' sojourn in Padan-aram
Jacob returned to Canaan, and was reconciled to Esau, who went forth
to meet him
(Genesis 33:4) Twenty years after this, Isaac their father
died, when the two brothers met, probably for the last time, beside
his grave
(Genesis 35:29) Esau now permanently left Canaan, and
established himself as a powerful and wealthy chief in the land of
Edom (q.v.). Long after this, when the descendants of Jacob came out
of Egypt, the Edomites remembered the old quarrel between the
brothers, and with fierce hatred they warred against Israel.
