(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
“When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red all over, like a hairy garment. They named him Esau. After that, his brother came out, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel. He was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.”
(Genesis 25:24-26)
Rebekah carried her children to full term. They may have struggled inside her, but it was a healthy pregnancy and a good birth. When she bore them, the Word of the Lord to her was proven: she indeed had twins.
Isaac was sixty years old at the birth of his children. It had been twenty years since they were married. Abraham was alive and a hundred and sixty – and lived another fifteen years. Shem, the son of Noah, was also still alive. Shem was five hundred and fifty when Esau and Jacob were born – and lived another fifty years.
One was red-haired and hairy. The other was smoother and not red-haired. This is the only physical difference mentioned in these twins. It is possible that they were identical twins, except for the colour and volume of their hair – which makes sense in light of future events. One was striking in his outward differences. The other was striking for his inward differences.
Jacob had hold of his brother’s heel. It is often portrayed as Jacob trying to take Esau’s place or preventing Esau from being born first, but there is no evidence of that. Some sages teach he was pushing Esau out first, helping in his birth. Others that he didn’t want to be separated, that he had a sense they belonged together. It was not necessarily a negative behaviour.
Esau means ‘to do’ or ‘to make’, ‘fully formed’. It speaks to the outside, bringing order to chaos, handling rough things. According to Abarim Publications’ Biblical Dictionary: ‘The verb עשה (‘asa I) is the common Hebrew verb to do or make. It should be distinguished from the verbs ברא (bara) meaning to create something that wasn’t there before, יצר (yasar), meaning to fashion something that was already there in some rudimentary form, and פעל (pa’al), which tends to describe one’s moral deeds. The verb עשה (‘asa) differs additionally in that this verb allows the making of some kind of deed (hence: doing), such as a commandment. Apart from conveying the meanings contained in our English verb “to do”, this wonderful verb works like a virtual engine in a wide range of expressions: do mightily, do efficiently, do a work, exercise power or sovereignty, do evil, do kindness, to deal with, etcetera. The verb is also used to mean to make or fashion, to bring about something, to destroy something, to produce something, to prepare, to attend, to observe or celebrate, to acquire, to appoint, ordain or institute, to use or to spend.’
Jacob means ‘to set the heel down’, ‘to control one’s feelings and goings’, ‘to hide one’s will and intent’. According to Abarim Publications’ Biblical Dictionary: ‘The noun עקב (‘aqeb) most literally means heel, but — since the word for foot, namely רגל (regel), euphemizes the male genitalia — is closely associated to a man’s testicles, and hence his inner motivations and intentions (when wearing a long robe, the heel was the most obvious part of one’s largely invisible legs). Just like the noun for knee yields the verb to kneel (i.e. to be blessed: to be so safe and well stocked as to sit in repose), so the verb עקב (‘aqab), “to heel”, tells of either (a) having someone “by the balls”, i.e. manipulating them, taking control over their subconscious motivations, and (b) discretely covering one’s own intentions, will and sentiments.’
The sage Sforno writes: ‘והנה תומים בבטנה, before they were born, the onlookers already realised that there were twins in her womb. Therefore, when the first one emerged being completely covered with hair, this was a birth which was presumed to be more difficult than the passage of Yaakov whose skin was smooth and did not cause friction with the lining of the womb, they called the first one עשו, attributing his easy passage to his twin brother who had helped push him out of the womb of his mother. ויקרא שמו יעקב. The word means he will remain at the heel, and the tail-end. This is based on the future mode of the word יעקב. Our sages (quoted by Rashi) say that the subject in our verse is G’d Who named Esau’s brother Yaakov, the reason for the unusual formulation being that after the destruction of the Kingdom of Edom and other nations, successor of Esau, only Yaakov and his descendants will remain. Our sages base all this on Jeremiah 46,28 אעשה כלה בכל הגויים…ואותך לא אעשה כלה, “I will make an end of all nations…but I will not make an end of you.”’
The sage Rav Hirsch writes: ‘V. 24. הנה .והנה תומם always introduces something unexpected. As Rebecca had already been fully informed that she had two boys in her womb, now that this fact is established it could not have been unexpected so that the והנה can not refer to that. The opposite seems to be the case. After she had been told of the contrasting difference between the expected children, one would have thought that they would be non-identical twins, and look not at all alike. The surprising thing was that they were really identical twins. The only difference was in their constitution, that the one — as we are immediately told — was much more developed, stronger, than the other. Perhaps also the way the word is speiled תומם :חסר דחסר for תאומים (like ויחדו יהי תמים על ראשו Ex. 26,24) points to the exterior complete apparent similarity. This complete exterior similarity taken together with the complete dissimilarity which had been predicted would develop in the future, could well have been designed to draw attention to the fact that the germ of this future dissimilarity lay deep below the surface, and so be the means of bringing about that this deep inner difference in the two boys be specially studied quite early. V. 25. אדמוני, the same is said of David I. Sam. 16,12, red-cheeked, ruddy, a sign of radiant health. He was also hairy. Hair at newborn babies is a sign that there is sufficient strength and life-force to spare for the development of hair, which usually only gets developed properly later. And in this case, not merely on the head, but the whole body was covered with down. That is why they called him, i.e. all those who were present at the birth, עשו (from עשה) an already finished, completely “made” man. He brought “life” (red cheeks I.L.) and “protective strength” (hair I.L.) in full measure already with him into the world. V. 26. ויקרא, then he, Isaac, called him Jacob. The others present paid no attention to this fact, but Isaac did indeed do so. The child looked almost exactly like Esau, but what specialised each baby was a contrast. Esau’s speciality was his outward appearance, his personality, Jacob’s lay in what he was doing, or in the position he adopted. Isaac called him יעקב, he will come behind. He allows Esau the precedence, but follows at his heels, he is just that צעיר, the lesser one, the weaker one, who unexpectedly will finally be the first (עקב means, unexpectedly to follow). Hence עקב, the unexpected result, the reward that one had not worked for. Hence also עקב to do unexpected harm to someone, to outwit him (See on Ch. 22,18).’
The Torah: A Women’s Commentary writes: ‘When the time came for her to give birth. The focus remains on Rebekah’s experience. The description of Isaac’s role in the conception has been limited to pleading. lo—she had twins in her belly! A nearly identical expression appears again with the birth of Tamar’s twins (38:27). Each of these women eventually uses subterfuge in order to ensure what she believes is the right outcome: Tamar, in order to have a child (Genesis 38); Rebekah, to secure the future of the son she considers most worthy (Genesis 27). Esau. The etymology of this name is unclear. Esau is also known as Edom (25:30, 36:8), which relates to “red” (adom). He will become the ancestor of the Edomites (36:9), a nation with which Israel has frequent conflict, according to later books of the Bible. Jacob. Heb. Yaakov, which echoes the word “heel” (akev) and can also be translated as “he will act crookedly.”’
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