Edomite living at the time of the Patriarchs
Esau
Isaac and Rebekah’s elder twin, born red all over and hairy, so called Esau; his name Edom, “red,” came from the stew he asked Jacob for (Genesis 25:24–30). He was a skillful hunter and his father’s favorite. Hungry, he sold his birthright to Jacob for a meal: “So Esau despised his birthright” (Genesis 25:29–34). When Isaac gave the blessing to Jacob by mistake, Esau cried out and vowed to kill him (Genesis 27).
After twenty years he met Jacob again with four hundred men, and he ran to meet him, embraced him, and wept (Genesis 32:6; 33:1–4). He settled in Seir, and “Esau (that is, Edom)” became the ancestor of the Edomites (Genesis 36:1–8). The New Testament calls him a warning, a man who gave up his birthright for a single meal (Hebrews 12:16–17).
Family
- Father
- Isaac
- Mother
- Rebekah
- Wives
- Oholibamah, Judith, Adah, Mahalath
- Children
- Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, Korah