What is the difference between jacob and esau

Esau chose hunting and agriculture, while Jacob preferred the breeding and tending of animals. Isaac loved the companionship of Esau, and Rebekah favored Jacob see Gen. Further evidence of his wayward nature can be noted several years later when, contrary to the commandment, he married a woman outside of the covenant, whose beliefs were not in harmony with the teachings of God. When Isaac became about years old, and his sons more than 70, 1 the time was right for the bestowal of the birthright blessing.

Thus, by pretending to be his brother, Jacob received the birthright blessing from his father that his brother had promised him years earlier. Any rift that may have existed between them was now a chasm. Isaac and Rebekah also wanted Jacob to marry righteously see Gen. So at about age 77 see note 1 , Jacob and Esau parted, a separation that lasted about 20 years see Gen.

Then, in a visit from an angel of the Lord, Jacob was commanded to return to his birthright land see Gen. They returned with word that Esau was coming to meet him with armed men see Gen. Since God had given the direction, Jacob appealed to Him in fervent prayer for protection. Jacob then instructed his servants to divide over of his animals into many groups and to drive them in a staggered formation toward Esau. Each servant of Jacob presented his group of animals as a separate gift—gift piling upon gift.

As Esau drew close, Jacob went out with his wives and children to meet his brother, bowing seven times as he went—a sign of respect for his older brother. He had buried all his resentment, and forgotten all his injuries; and receives his brother with the strongest demonstrations, not only of forgiveness, but of fraternal affection.

He was immersed in the physical world, but could have elevated that materialism and sanctified it, imbuing it with spirituality, by overcoming his evil inclinations. Yaakov, on the other hand, lived a life of holy pursuits, reserved for the unique few, removed from and disenchanted with the material world. Of course, Yitzhak knew his sons, but he believed that the ideal path for a Jew is to live in the physical world and to bring God in to our day-to-day activities.

One should not remove oneself from the world, and live in an ashram meditating and praying. In the end, Esav did not actualize this potential for perfection. He became too immersed in the physical world, chose aggression and violence, deceit and immorality. Yaakov, on the other hand, became a man of wholeness and balance. He did engage in the physical world, and worked to perfect it with sanctity and Truth. Jews read the same text each year, even the same commentaries yet see them differently because we are different, and we encounter a different world.

From the womb onward the tension between the fraternal twins is acute. Our tradition is naturally inclined toward Jacob. The Rabbis understand Jacob not so much as a tent-dweller but rather inhabiting the tent of Shem and Ever, studying Torah, modeling and mirroring what they do. Yet the plain meaning of the Torah passes no judgment on Esau, the hunter. In fact, middle aged Isaac seems to favor Esau, enjoying the fruits of his bounty.

Toward the end of his life, he makes a final request of him that is within his skill set. The archetype of Esau is a man of the body and of Jacob a man of the spirit. Sibling rivalry is matched by parental rivalry and our tradition struggles mightily to find a harmony that is not achieved until the brothers meet decades later.

At that point, both are blessed with much — but their harmony is not quite trusted. Is the embrace of these brothers a reconciliation or a trap? In the pasuk we learn that as the twin boys grew up Esav became a hunter, a man of the field, and Yaakov became a simple man who dwelled in tents. I read simple here not in the sense of limitation but rather of possibility. Esav on the other hand saw himself as an expert, not needing to learn anything more.

What is even more striking about this is the juxtaposition with the second half of the description of Yaakov as a dweller in tents. He comments that Yaakov dwelled in multiple tents, one used by shepherds and the other a tent of Torah study. We see Yaakov as being of both the physical and spiritual worlds — a shepherd and a scholar, a learner and an earner. He was committed to continuing his learning both in the professional and spiritual spheres.

He was able, through continuous learning, to blend them into a single identity. Knowing the character of his brother, Jacob replied: Sell me this day thy birthright Esau had no interest in spiritual things so he agreed, saying: I am at the point about to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

Esau could not have been at the point to die by missing one meal but he revealed how worthless he considered the birthright. When Issac was close to death it became time to give Esau his blessings. Issac asked Esau to go hunt for a special meal after which he would pass the blessing.

Rebekah overhead and helped Jacob disguise himself as Esau and bring Issac the meal instead while his brother was still hunting.

Because Issac had poor sight he was tricked into giving the blessing to Jacob. Esau was enraged and Jacob had to run away to save his life.

The writer of Hebrews referred to Esau as a profane godless person Hebrews Before their births, God knew that Esau's descendants would become enemies of Israel for generations to come and He knew Jacob was a man of integrity. He had preordained that Jacob would be in the lineage of Jesus. Read the Biblical account of these two important Old Testament brothers in the Scripture below, followed by helpful commentary and video, audio Bible studies. By his instructive example, Esau warns us to hold firm to what is truly valuable, even if it means rebuking the desires of the flesh.

God chose the younger Jacob to carry on the Abrahamic Covenant, while Esau was providentially excluded from the Messianic lineage Romans While their competition with each other is legendary, the fact that they forgave and reconciled is an equally powerful story. Abraham, a descendent of Noah, had been told by God to leave his family and move to Canaan, as well as that his family line would be blessed Genesis Isaac was born when Abraham was over years old, and Isaac married his wife Rebekah when he was 40 years old Genesis Like Abraham, Isaac lived in tents—a nomadic herder who moved around to wherever fields were available.

After various prayers, Rebekah gave birth to twins Genesis Even before Jacob and Esau got out of the womb, it was clear that there would be problems. Not only that, but one of the sons would be stronger, and while one would be older, he would serve the younger one Genesis It was also clear from the moment of birth that the boys would look very different. Jacob was more interested in staying at home and developed into a clever, conniving man. The fact that their parents picked favorites—Isaac preferred Esau, Rebekah preferred Jacob Genesis —made things more complicated.

At that point, he asked Esau to make him a wild game meal, and then he would give Esau his blessing Genesis Isaac was initially confused since this man talked like Jacob Genesis but decided to believe the evidence of his hands. Esau came shortly afterward, and it quickly became clear what Jacob had done. Isaac told him that he could not bless him, and when Esau demanded something and wept, Isaac said the following:.

You will live the sword and you will serve your brother. Whether this was meant as a rebuke to Esau or a prophecy of what would logically follow since Jacob had gotten the blessing, is hard to say. Either way, Esau stayed angry and plotted to kill Jacob sometime after their father had passed away Genesis Fortunately for Jacob, Rebekah learned about his plans and convinced Isaac to send Jacob away on the pretense of finding a wife among her people. During the next few years, Jacob had a wide variety of strange experiences.

Early on, he had visions in his sleep, of a ladder leading to heaven Genesis After Rachel had her first son, Joseph, Jacob planned to return home, but Laban convinced him to stick around longer.

Taking the herds and servants he had acquired, his two wives, and the 11 sons he had between those wives, Jacob traveled back home to face Esau. After leaving Laban, Jacob sent messengers to Edom , where Esau had settled. His messengers came back with the news that Esau was coming to meet Jacob…and bringing men with him. Worried this was an army coming to kill him, Jacob sent out a gift of livestock to Esau and cautiously began moving toward a place where they could meet.

After his party had crossed the Jabbok River, Jacob sent his family and possessions ahead and spent a night alone. A man appeared, they wrestled, and Jacob refused to let go until after the man had blessed him. The man replied that Jacob was wrestling with God himself Genesis The next day, Jacob returned to his party, and say Esau arriving.

He then moved Leah and her children to the front of his group, Rachel and Joseph to the back, and approached Esau in a humble pose Genesis Jacob approach bowing and moving slowly, but Esau ran to him and embraced him.

Jacob traveled further into Canaan and bought some land that he settled on, naming it Elohe Israel There are many things we could take from the story of Jacob and Esau, but maybe the most important one is how hopeful their story is.