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Esau

Person c. 1836 BC Chronological estimate ⓘ Open in tree

firstborn son of Isaac (GEN 25:25-26)

Lineage: God › Adam › Seth › Enos › Cainan › Mahalaleel › Jared › Enoch › Methuselah › Lamech › Noah › Shem › Arphaxad › Cainan › Salah › Eber › Peleg › Reu › Serug › Nahor › Terah › Abraham › Isaac › Esau

Names
  • en Esau
    he that acts or finishes
  • en Edom · Also called
    red, earthy; of blood
  • en Edomite · Also called
  • en Esau · Also called · H6215 G2269 · GEN 25:25
    hairy
  • he עֵשָֽׂו esau · H6215 · GEN 25:25
    hairy
  • he אֱדֽוֹם edəom · H112b · GEN 25:30
    red
  • he עֵשָׂו · H6215G
  • he אֱדוֹם · H0123H
  • el Ησαυ Ēsau · G2269 · GEN 25:25
  • el Εδωμ Edōm · none · GEN 25:30
  • el Ἠσαῦ · G2269G
  • bg Исав
Birth
Gen 25:26
Mentioned in (152)
Gen 25:25 Gen 25:26 Gen 25:27 Gen 25:28 Gen 25:29 Gen 25:30 Gen 25:32 Gen 25:34 Gen 26:34 Gen 27:1 Gen 27:5 Gen 27:6 Gen 27:11 Gen 27:15 Gen 27:19 Gen 27:21 Gen 27:22 Gen 27:23 Gen 27:24 Gen 27:30 Gen 27:32 Gen 27:34 Gen 27:37 Gen 27:38 Gen 27:41 Gen 27:42 Gen 28:5 Gen 28:6 Gen 28:8 Gen 28:9 Gen 32:3 Gen 32:4 Gen 32:6 Gen 32:8 Gen 32:11 Gen 32:13 Gen 32:17 Gen 32:18 Gen 32:19 Gen 33:1 Gen 33:4 Gen 33:9 Gen 33:12 Gen 33:15 Gen 33:16 Gen 35:1 Gen 35:29 Gen 36:1 Gen 36:2 Gen 36:4 Gen 36:5 Gen 36:6 Gen 36:8 Gen 36:9 Gen 36:10 Gen 36:12 Gen 36:13 Gen 36:14 Gen 36:15 Gen 36:16 Gen 36:17 Gen 36:18 Gen 36:19 Gen 36:21 Gen 36:31 Gen 36:32 Gen 36:40 Gen 36:43 Exod 15:15 Num 20:14 Num 20:18 Num 20:20 Num 20:21 Num 20:23 Num 21:4 Num 24:18 Num 33:37 Num 34:3 Deut 2:4 Deut 2:5 Deut 2:8 Deut 2:12 Deut 2:22 Deut 2:29 Josh 15:1 Josh 15:21 Josh 24:4 Judg 5:4 Judg 11:17 Judg 11:18 1 Sam 14:47 2 Sam 8:14 1 Kgs 9:26 1 Kgs 11:14 1 Kgs 11:15 1 Kgs 11:16 1 Kgs 22:47 2 Kgs 3:8 2 Kgs 3:9 2 Kgs 3:12 2 Kgs 3:20 2 Kgs 3:26 2 Kgs 8:20 2 Kgs 8:22 2 Kgs 14:7 2 Kgs 14:10 1 Chr 1:34 1 Chr 1:35 1 Chr 1:51 1 Chr 1:54 1 Chr 18:11 1 Chr 18:13 2 Chr 8:17 2 Chr 25:20 Ps 137:7 Isa 11:14 Isa 63:1 Jer 9:26 Jer 25:21 Jer 27:3 Jer 40:11 Jer 49:7 Jer 49:8 Jer 49:10 Jer 49:17 Jer 49:20 Jer 49:22 Lam 4:21 Lam 4:22 Ezek 25:12 Ezek 25:13 Ezek 25:14 Ezek 32:29 Dan 11:41 Joel 3:19 Amos 1:6 Amos 1:9 Amos 1:11 Amos 2:1 Amos 9:12 Obad 1:6 Obad 1:8 Obad 1:9 Obad 1:18 Obad 1:19 Obad 1:21 Mal 1:2 Mal 1:3 Mal 1:4 Rom 9:13 Heb 11:20 Heb 12:16

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Dates and sources (6)

Absolute years are conditional chronological estimates. A biblical passage may state an age or event, but does not by itself establish a BCE year. Different calendar systems are preserved separately.

Family of origin
Family with Adah
Family with Bashemath
Family with Aholibamah
Family with Oholibamah
Descendants (13)
Took part in (3)
Esau Summary STEPBible TIPNR

Esau, also called Edom, was Isaac's firstborn son who sold his birthright to his twin brother Jacob and became the father of the Edomites.

Esau Article STEPBible TIPNR

Esau, also known as Edom, was the firstborn son of Isaac and Rebekah and the twin brother of Israel (or 'Jacob') (Gen 25:25-26). He was a skillful hunter and his father's favorite son (Gen 25:27-28). Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew when he was famished (Gen 25:29-34). He married two Hittite women, causing grief to his parents (Gen 26:34-35). Esau lost his father's blessing to Jacob through deception (Genesis 27). He held a grudge against Jacob but later reconciled with him (Genesis 32-33). Esau settled in the hill country of Seir, which became known as Edom (Gen 36:8-9). He had five sons and became the father of the Edomites (Gen 36:1-43). The Edomites were later considered enemies of Israel (Num 20:14-21; 1Sa 14:47; 2Sa 8:13-14). God's love for Jacob and His rejection of Esau is used as an example of His sovereignty (Mal 1:2-3; Rom 9:13).

Esau Dictionary Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)

Hairy, Rebekah’s first-born twin son (Gen. 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 (30, 31). The circumstances connected with his birth foreshadowed the enmity which afterwards subsisted between the twin brothers and the nations they founded (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 (Gen. 27:28, 29, 36; Heb. 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 (Gen. 27:4, 34, 38).

At the age of forty years, to the great grief of his parents, he married (Gen. 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 (Gen. 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 (33:4). Twenty years after this, Isaac their father died, when the two brothers met, probably for the last time, beside his grave (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.

Sources: BibleData (CC BY 4.0, Esau_1) · STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0, Esau@Gen.25.25-Heb) · Theographic Bible Metadata (CC BY-SA 4.0, esau_1216)

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