Jacob and Esau

Cultural  

1. The sons of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham. As the eldest son of Isaac, Esau should have inherited the covenant with God that Abraham had passed on to Isaac. But Esau traded his birthright (inheritance) to his younger brother, Jacob, for a “mess of pottage” (a meal of stew) when he was too hungry to consider what he was throwing away. Jacob also cheated Esau out of their blind father's deathbed blessing by impersonating him, a deceit prompted by their mother, Rebecca. The feud between the brothers ended many years later in a joyful reconciliation. The night before his reunion with Esau, Jacob wrestled with God and forced God to bless him. God gave Jacob the new name of Israel, meaning “one who has been strong against God.” (See Jacob's ladder.)

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Example Sentences

There’s fraternal competition, as old and awful as Jacob and Esau.

From New York Times • Oct. 20, 2022

The trope of twins ensnared with each other traces back to Castor and Pollux, Jacob and Esau, but she makes it fresh.

From Washington Post • Jan. 25, 2022

And, of course, the diction gently picks up the Biblical thread of the reference to Jacob and Esau, a story that begins with a father’s blessing.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 4, 2016

Jacob and Esau Abraham and Rebekah Israel and Sara What did Conservative politician Rab Butler do for children in 1944?

From BBC • Aug. 20, 2013

Since the day we were born, twins like Jacob and Esau, the younger had ruled the older.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson