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ESAU
Isaac’s son, and the older twin brother of Jacob (Gn 25:24-26), who was given this name because of the hair on his body at birth. The reddish color of the baby, together with the color appearing in the episode of the lentil soup (v 30), led to the use of the term Edom, or “red.” The Edomites claimed to be descended from Esau, and naming their land Seir may have been an attempt to retain an association with the word sair, meaning “hairy.”
A proficient hunter, Esau brought tasty wild meat to his father, who enjoyed its stronger flavor much more than that of the mild meat provided from the family flocks by Jacob. On a certain day Esau returned home from an unsuccessful hunting expedition; he was very hungry. Esau was persuaded by Jacob to surrender his birthright in return for food (Gn 25:29-34).
Archaeological information from Nuzi shows that giving up the birthright to another member of the family was not unknown. Esau’s marriage to two local women who were not descendants of Abraham made life extremely difficult for his parents (Gn 26:34-35). This may have been the reason why his mother, Rebekah, decided to coach Jacob to obtain the patriarchal blessing that normally belonged to his elder brother Esau (ch 27). Esau’s anger on discovering the deception of his brother prompted Jacob to leave for Haran, though 20 years later, through the generous forgiveness of Esau, the brothers were reunited (33:4-16).
At birth Jacob had come into the world grasping the heel of Esau, an omen that was interpreted to show that the Edomite descendants of Esau would be subject to the offspring of Jacob. The subservient relationship between the Edomites and the Israelites in the time of David (2 Sm 8:11-15; 1 Chr 18:13) continued until the time of Jehoram (2 Kgs 8:20-22; 2 Chr 21:8-10). Following a rebellion in 845 BC, the Edomites gained their independence for a while but were reconquered by Amaziah (796–767 BC). Regaining their freedom in 735 BC, they subsequently remained independent of Judah. See Edom, Edomites.