Esau was the older twin brother of Jacob. He was the son of Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 25:24–26).
Esau's Name and Meaning
His parents named him Esau because he had a lot of hair on his body when he was born.
Esau’s skin looked red when he was born. Later, he sold his rights as the firstborn son to Jacob for some red lentil soup (Genesis 25:30). Because of this, people called him “Edom,” which means “red.”
The people of Edom said they came from Esau. They named their land Seir. This name may come from the Hebrew word sair, which means “hairy.”
Esau's Work and Personality
Esau was a skilled hunter. He brought wild meat to his father, Isaac, who liked the strong taste. Jacob, who stayed with the flocks, gave milder meat. Isaac preferred Esau’s food.
One day, Esau came home from hunting. He had not caught anything and was very hungry. Jacob offered him some food. In exchange, Esau gave up his birthright (Genesis 25:29–34).
Family Conflict and Blessing
Archaeologists found records at Nuzi that show a man could give his birthright to another family member. So Esau giving his birthright to Jacob was not unusual in that time.
Esau later married two local women who were not from Abraham’s family. This caused great trouble for his parents, Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:34–35). Because of this, Rebekah helped Jacob trick Isaac into giving him the blessing that normally belonged to Esau, the older son (chapter 27). When Esau found out, he became very angry. Jacob had to run away to Haran. After 20 years, Esau forgave Jacob. The two brothers met again in peace (33:4–16).
Esau's Descendents
When Jacob was born, he was holding Esau’s heel. People saw this as a sign. They believed it meant that Esau’s descendants, the Edomites, would one day serve Jacob’s descendants, the Israelites.
This happened during the time of King David. The Edomites were under Israel’s rule (2 Samuel 8:11–15; 1 Chronicles 18:13). This continued until the time of King Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20–22; 2 Chronicles 21:8–10).
In 845 BC, the Edomites rebelled and became free for a time. But King Amaziah of Judah conquered them again. He ruled Judah from 796 to 767 BC. Later, in 735 BC, the Edomites became free once more and stayed independent from Judah.