Esau
Esau[a] is the elder son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis[3] and by the prophets Obadiah[4] and Malachi.[5] The Christian New Testament alludes to him in the Epistle to the Romans[6] and in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Acording to the Hebrew Bible, Esau is the progenitor of the Edomites and the elder brother of Jacob, the patriarch of the Israelites.[8] Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebecca, and the grandsons of Abraham and Sarah. Of the twins, Esau was the first to be born with Jacob following, holding his heel. Isaac was sixty years old when the boys were born.
Red & hairy
Gen 25:25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
Esau, a "man of the field", became a hunter who had "rough" qualities that distinguished him from his twin brother. Among these qualities were his redness and noticeable hairiness. Jacob was a plain or simple man, depending on the translation of the Hebrew word tam (which also means "relatively perfect man"). Jacob's color was not mentioned. Throughout Genesis, Esau is frequently shown as being supplanted by his younger twin, Jacob (Israel).
Isaac's favor of Esau
Gen 25:28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Esau sells birthright
In Genesis, Esau returned to his twin brother Jacob, famished from the fields. He begs Jacob to give him some "red pottage" (a play on his nickname, Hebrew: אדום`Edom, meaning "red".) This refers to his red hair.[15] Jacob offers Esau a bowl of lentil stew[b] in exchange for Esau's birthright (Hebrew: בְּכֹרָה bəḵōrāh, the right to be recognized as firstborn son with authority over the family), and Esau agrees. Thus Jacob acquires Esau's birthright. This is the origin of the English phrase "to sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage".
Esau takes wife's
(Gen 26:34) And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:
(Gen 26:35) Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
Isaac ask's Esau for meal to bless him
(Gen 27:1) And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.
(Gen 27:2) And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:
(Gen 27:3) Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
(Gen 27:4) And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
(Gen 27:5) And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
Esau returns for blessing only to find it had been stolen
(Gen 27:30) And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
(Gen 27:31) And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.
(Gen 27:32) And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
(Gen 27:33) And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
(Gen 27:34) And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
(Gen 27:35) And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
(Gen 27:36) And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
(Gen 27:37) And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
(Gen 27:38) And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
(Gen 27:39) And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
(Gen 27:40) And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Esau wants to slay brother
(Gen 27:41) And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
(Gen 27:42) And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
(Gen 27:43) Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
(Gen 27:44) And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
(Gen 27:45) Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
Esau takes another wife
(Gen 28:6) When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
(Gen 28:7) And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
(Gen 28:8) And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
(Gen 28:9) Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
Jacob sends messengers to his brother Esau
(Gen 32:3) And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
(Gen 32:4) And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:
(Gen 32:5) And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
Jacob fears Esau
(Gen 32:6) And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
(Gen 32:7) Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;
(Gen 32:8) And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
(Gen 32:9) And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
(Gen 32:10) I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
(Gen 32:11) Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
(Gen 32:12) And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
Present for Esau from his brother
(Gen 32:13) And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
(Gen 32:14) Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
(Gen 32:15) Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
(Gen 32:16) And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.
(Gen 32:17) And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?
(Gen 32:18) Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.
(Gen 32:19) And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.
(Gen 32:20) And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.
(Gen 32:21) So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
Jacob meets Esau
(Gen 33:1) And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
(Gen 33:2) And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
(Gen 33:3) And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
(Gen 33:4) And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
Esau dwelt in Mount Seir with his family
(Gen 36:1) Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.
(Gen 36:2) Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;
(Gen 36:3) And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth.
(Gen 36:4) And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel;
(Gen 36:5) And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.
(Gen 36:6) And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob.
(Gen 36:7) For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle.
(Gen 36:8) Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.
Generations of Esau
Esau had five sons:
(Gen 36:9) And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir:
(Gen 36:10) These are the names of Esau's sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau.
(Gen 36:11) And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.
(Gen 36:12) And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife.
(Gen 36:13) And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.
(Gen 36:14) And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.
Dukes of the sons of Esau
(Gen 36:15) These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,
(Gen 36:16) Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah.
(Gen 36:17) And these are the sons of Reuel Esau's son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.
(Gen 36:18) And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esau's wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.
(Gen 36:19) These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.
(Gen 36:40) And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth,
(Gen 36:41) Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,
(Gen 36:42) Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,
(Gen 36:43) Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.
Lord gave Mount Seir to Esau
(Deu 2:4) And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:
(Deu 2:5) Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
Jos 24:4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
House of Esau shall be stubble and shall remain
(Oba 1:15) For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
(Oba 1:16) For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.
(Oba 1:17) But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
(Oba 1:18) And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.
Judgment of mount of Esau
(Oba 1:19) And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
(Oba 1:20) And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.
(Oba 1:21) And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S.
Lords Hatred toward Edom(Esau)
(Mal 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,
(Mal 1:3) And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
(Mal 1:4) Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.
(Mal 1:5) And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel.
Esau killed by Hushim
According to the Babylonian Talmud, Esau was killed by Hushim, son of Dan, son of Jacob, because Esau obstructed the burial of Jacob into the cave of Machpelah. When Jacob was brought to be buried in the cave, Esau prevented the burial, claiming he had the right to be buried in the cave; after some negotiation Naphtali was sent to Egypt to retrieve the document stating Esau sold his part in the cave to Jacob. Hushim (who was hard of hearing) did not understand what was going on, and why his grandfather was not being buried, so he asked for an explanation; after being given one he became angry and said: "Is my grandfather to lie there in contempt until Naphtali returns from the land of Egypt?" He then took a club and killed Esau, and Esau's head rolled into the cave.[36] This means that the head of Esau is also buried in the cave.
According to Islamic scholars, the prophet Ayyub was the great grandson of Esau's son Reuel.[28]