Genesis

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Esau Character Analysis

Esau is the elder of Isaac’s and Rebekah’s twin sons. One day, Esau exchanges his birthright (his inheritance from Isaac) in exchange for some of his brother Jacob’s stew. Later, Jacob tricks Esau out of his rightful blessing from Isaac as the firstborn, enraging him. Many years later, Esau reunites with Jacob joyfully, despite Jacob’s fears that his brother would still be angry about Jacob’s past trickery. Esau has two Hittite wives, and he also marries one of Ishmael’s daughters. Esau’s descendants become known as the Edomites.

Esau Quotes in Genesis

The Genesis quotes below are all either spoken by Esau or refer to Esau. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
God, Humanity, and Creation Theme Icon
).
Chapter 27 Quotes

Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him?—yes, and blessed he shall be!” When Esau heard his father's words, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me also, father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright; and look, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

Related Characters: Isaac (speaker), Esau (speaker), Jacob (Israel), Rebekah
Page Number: 27:33–36
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant […] Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children. Yet you have said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted because of their number.’”

Related Characters: Jacob (Israel) (speaker), God/the LORD God, Abram (Abraham), Isaac, Esau
Page Number: 32:9–12
Explanation and Analysis:
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Esau Quotes in Genesis

The Genesis quotes below are all either spoken by Esau or refer to Esau. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
God, Humanity, and Creation Theme Icon
).
Chapter 27 Quotes

Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him?—yes, and blessed he shall be!” When Esau heard his father's words, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me also, father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright; and look, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

Related Characters: Isaac (speaker), Esau (speaker), Jacob (Israel), Rebekah
Page Number: 27:33–36
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant […] Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children. Yet you have said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted because of their number.’”

Related Characters: Jacob (Israel) (speaker), God/the LORD God, Abram (Abraham), Isaac, Esau
Page Number: 32:9–12
Explanation and Analysis: