“And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name ESAU.” Can you please elaborate on this?
This is in reference to the birth of Esau to Isaac and Rebekah. It is found in Genesis 25. Of course, Rebekah was giving birth to twins…Jacob and Esau. Genesis 25:26 tells us, “And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.”
Esau, at birth, was covered all over with red hair, like he was wearing a hairy garment. The name, Esau, means ‘hairy’. His twin brother, who took hold of Esau’s heel while still in the womb was named Jacob, which means ‘supplanter.’
Esau’s hairiness played a major part later in his life. Let’s read Genesis 27:1-4, “And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.” Isaac, thinking that his days on earth were short, desired to pass along his blessing to his oldest son, Esau. Esau was a skilled hunter, so Isaac asked him to kill some venison and prepare it for him, “so that my soul may bless thee before I die.”
Sadly, Rebekah played favorites with her two sons. She greatly favored Jacob over Esau. We read in verses 6-10, “And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.” Rebekah wanted Jacob to have his father’s blessing, so she devised a plan. Instead of hunting for venison, she told Jacob to take a kid from the flock, prepare it for Isaac, and give it to him before Esau could return from his hunt. Since Isaac’s ‘eyes were dim’, she hoped to confuse Isaac and cause him to bless the younger son.
Jacob realized that this plan would not work because Esau was such a hairy man. We have Jacob’s words in verses 11-12, “And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.” Verses 15-16 tell us of Rebekah’s continuing plan of deceit, “And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck.” This dishonest plan worked and Isaac gave Jacob his blessings. I encourage you to read verses 18-40 to read of how Isaac mistakenly blessed Jacob and the results of such deception. Verse 41 says, “And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.” Such a tragic event that resulted in Esau hating his brother and declaring that he would kill him. (To learn of Jacob and Esau’s eventual tearful reconciliation, read Genesis, chapters 32-33.) (403.6)