Esau

In short

Jacob’s family is the nation of Israel, while Jacob’s brother becomes an enemy nation. The brother is Esau and the nation is Edom. (Edom is Esau’s other name.)

Why he is important

I count 188 verses about Esau, Edom and Edomites. The stories of Esau and the land of Edom are almost all bad. And yet, Deuteronomy 23:7, “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother.”

In the books of the prophets, there is judgment proclaimed on Judah, Israel and Edom alike.

Stories about Esau

1. His birth – Jacob is his fraternal twin (Gen 25:19-28)
2. Sells his birthright (he is firstborn) for some stew (Gen 25:29-34)
3. Esau’s first wives (it seems) “made life bitter” for his parents (Gen 26:35)
4. Jacob’s deception when their father was supposed to bless Esau (Gen 27)
5. Marries a foreign woman out of spite for his father Isaac (Gen 28:6-9)
6. In their old age, Jacob and Esau reunite (Gen 32-33)

Edom means red, and Esau was red when he was born (Gen 25:25). But that is not the origin of him being named Edom – that actually comes from the story about the red stew in Gen 25:30.

About the nation of Edom

The LORD prophesied to Esau’s mother, Rebekah, about the fate of Jacob and Esau in Gen 25:23, “And the LORD said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.’”

Edom is directly to the south of Israel’s land. In Jesus’ day, Israel becomes Judea and Samaria, and to the south of Judea is Idumea – in other words, Edom. The relationship persists throughout the Bible. At times, Israel conquered large swaths of Edom – 2021 Israel reflects this, too.

As I said, several of the prophets pronounced judgment against Edom – sometimes calling it Esau, in a poetic form. For example:

• Isaiah 34
• Jeremiah 9:26; 49:7-22
• Lamentations 4:21-22
• Ezekiel 25:12-14
• Joel 3:19
• Amos 1:11
• The book of Obadiah
• Malachi 1:2-5

Also notable is Doeg the Edomite, a man who betrays David in 1 Samuel 21-22, with tragic consequences.

Theology and doctrine

There is passing reference to Esau in the New Testament, three verses to be exact, but they are profound.

Heb 12:16 issues a final judgment on Esau, calling him “unholy.”

And Rom 9:13 mentions him in a really deep context of the right of God to do good to some and not to others.