Jacob

Jacob. Isaac's 2nd son, twin of Esau, father of the 12 patriarchs, and a progenitor of the Hebrew people. Rebekah, Isaac's wife, bore Esau and Jacob 20 years after her marriage to Isaac. She had been childless, and Isaac had interceded with the Lord on her behalf when he was about 60 years old (Gen 25:21, 22). Prior to the birth of the twins the Lord told Rebekah that the elder should serve the younger, thus indicating that Jacob was to become inheritor of the birthright (v 23).

The name Jacob commemorates the fact that Jacob was born grasping Esau's heel, an incident the parents noted and later seem to have taken as an omen of the destined relationship between the two brothers (Gen 25:26 27:36 Hos 12:3). While Esau took to the adventuresome life of the hunter, at which he excelled, Jacob grew up to be a "quiet man" who preferred the domestic, pastoral routine of the encampment (Gen 25:27, RSV).

Rivalry developed between the two brothers because Isaac favored Esau, his first—born, while Rebekah was partial to Jacob. Isaac seems never to have been wholly reconciled to the idea that Jacob should become his heir, as implied by the prenatal communication from the Lord to Rebekah (Gen 25:23), but apparently preferred Esau because he admired his bold, adventuresome, masculine traits. Rebekah, on the other hand, remained loyal to the prenatal admonition, doubtless also appreciating Jacob's practical, industrious disposition (v 28).