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עֵשָׂו (e.sav)

e.sav

Esau

H6215 · Hebrew · Old Testament · 73 verses

N:N-M-P

Quick Reference

Language
Biblical Hebrew
Testament
Old Testament
Occurrences
73 verses
Root
—
Part of speech
N:N-M-P

Word Overview

The name Esau, or ‘Esav, literally means "hairy" or "rough," reflecting the physical description of the twin brother of Jacob at his birth in Genesis 25:25. This etymology anchors the identity of Isaac’s eldest son in a tangible, bodily reality that contrasts sharply with the spiritual subtlety of his younger sibling.

In Scripture, the name functions on two levels. Primarily, it identifies the individual who traded his birthright for a meal and later lost the patriarchal blessing through deception. Secondarily, it serves as a metonym for his descendants, the Edomites. Prophets like Obadiah refer to "the mount of Esau" (Obadiah 1:8) to denote the nation itself, linking the personal history of the man to the geopolitical fate of his people.

The narrative weight of this name lies in its irony. The "hairy" one who valued immediate physical sustenance over spiritual inheritance becomes the symbol for a lineage that often stood in opposition to Israel. Yet, the text records God’s command to Jacob not to fear him (Genesis 32:7), preserving the family line even as it traces the separation of these two brothers.

Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).

What This Word Means for Your Faith

The name Esau means "hairy," a detail that grounds his story in physical reality. He was the elder twin, skilled in hunting and valued by his father for the wild game he brought home. Yet his heart often clung to immediate satisfaction rather than long-term promises. When he traded his birthright for a bowl of stew, it revealed a man who prized what he could see and taste over spiritual inheritance.

His story warns us against letting temporary desires overshadow eternal values. It is easy to despise what we do not fully understand or value what we have never truly sought. The narrative invites reflection on where our deepest affections lie, reminding us that some choices carry weight far beyond the moment they are made.

Though Esau’s path led to sorrow and separation, the text preserves his humanity without excusing his failures. We see a father’s love, a brother’s rivalry, and the consequences of impulsive decisions. This account encourages believers to consider their own priorities, ensuring that fleeting pleasures do not eclipse lasting spiritual blessings.

How it's translated

How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 73 verses where it appears, by frequency.

  • Esau78×
  • to/ Esau6×
  • and/ Esau2×
  • [was] Esau1×
  • [am] Esau1×

Forms in the text

The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.

  • עֵשָׂ֖ו14×
  • עֵשָׂ֔ו14×
  • עֵשָֽׂו\׃9×
  • עֵשָׂו֙7×
  • עֵשָׂ֑ו7×
  • עֵשָׂ֛ו6×
  • עֵשָׂ֗ו6×
  • עֵשָׂ֥ו4×
  • עֵשָׂ֣ו4×
  • עֵשָׂ֜ו4×
  • עֵשָׂ֤ו3×
  • לְ/עֵשָׂ֗ו2×

Key Verses

  • Genesis 25:34
    Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.

    This verse explicitly states that Esau despised his birthright, summarizing the core spiritual failure of trading eternal inheritance for immediate physical relief.

  • Genesis 27:34
    When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, my father.”

    Here Esau’s bitter cry reveals the devastating emotional and spiritual cost of his earlier indifference to the blessing he had previously ignored.

  • Genesis 25:29
    Jacob boiled stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was famished.

    This occurrence sets the scene for the tragedy, showing Esau arriving famished from the field, which highlights how physical exhaustion can cloud spiritual judgment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the name Esau mean?

The name Esau literally means "hairy" or "rough." This description refers to his physical appearance at birth, as he was covered in hair like a hairy garment. It serves as a tangible marker of his identity as the firstborn twin.

Why did Esau sell his birthright?

Esau sold his birthright because he was famished and valued immediate physical sustenance over his spiritual inheritance. He viewed the birthright as having no value to him in his current state of desperation, leading him to trade it for a single meal.

Who are the Edomites?

The Edomites were the descendants of Esau. In Scripture, the name Edom is often used as a metonym for the nation itself. Prophets frequently refer to the "mount of Esau" when discussing the geopolitical fate and judgment of this people group.

Every Occurrence (73 verses across 7 books)

Genesis 54 verses
Genesis 25:25

The first came out red all over, like a hairy garment. They named him Esau.

Genesis 25:26

After that, his brother came out, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel. He was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old…

Genesis 25:27

The boys grew. Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field. Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents.

Genesis 25:28

Now Isaac loved Esau, because he ate his venison. Rebekah loved Jacob.

Genesis 25:29

Jacob boiled stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was famished.

Genesis 25:30

Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with some of that red stew, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom.

Genesis 25:32

Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?”

Genesis 25:34

Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 26:34

When Esau was forty years old, he took as wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of…

Genesis 27:1

When Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, “My…

Genesis 27:5

Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

Genesis 27:6

Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Behold, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,

Genesis 27:11

Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

Genesis 27:15

Rebekah took the good clothes of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her…

Genesis 27:19

Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of…

Genesis 27:21

Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”

Genesis 27:22

Jacob went near to Isaac his father. He felt him, and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of…

Genesis 27:23

He didn’t recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.

Genesis 27:24

He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.”

Genesis 27:30

As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau…

Genesis 27:32

Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” He said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

Genesis 27:34

When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father,…

Genesis 27:37

Isaac answered Esau, “Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants. I have…

Genesis 27:38

Esau said to his father, “Do you have just one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father.” Esau lifted up…

Genesis 27:41

Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, “The days of…

Genesis 27:42

The words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. She sent and called Jacob, her younger son, and said to him,…

Genesis 28:5

Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and…

Genesis 28:6

Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as…

Genesis 28:8

Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn’t please Isaac, his father.

Genesis 28:9

So Esau went to Ishmael, and took, in addition to the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s…

Genesis 33:1

Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the…

Genesis 33:4

Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept.

Genesis 33:9

Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours.”

Genesis 33:15

Esau said, “Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me.” He said, “Why? Let me find favor in the…

Genesis 33:16

So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

Genesis 35:1

God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you…

Genesis 35:29

Isaac gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons,…

Genesis 36:1

Now this is the history of the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).

Genesis 36:2

Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon, the Hittite; and Oholibamah the daughter…

Genesis 36:4

Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz. Basemath bore Reuel.

Genesis 36:5

Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

Genesis 36:6

Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, with his livestock, all his…

Genesis 36:8

Esau lived in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom.

Genesis 36:9

This is the history of the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir:

Genesis 36:10

these are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, the son of Adah, the wife of Esau; and Reuel, the son of Basemath, the…

Genesis 36:12

Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau’s son; and she bore to Eliphaz Amalek. These are the descendants of Adah, Esau’s…

Genesis 36:13

These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the descendants of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

Genesis 36:14

These were the sons of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife: she bore to Esau Jeush,…

Genesis 36:15

These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief…

Genesis 36:17

These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah. These are the chiefs…

Genesis 36:18

These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah. These are the chiefs who came of…

Genesis 36:19

These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.

Genesis 36:40

These are the names of the chiefs who came from Esau, according to their families, after their places, and by their…

Genesis 36:43

chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their…

Deuteronomy 6 verses
Joshua 1 verse
I Chronicles 2 verses
Jeremiah 2 verses
Obadiah 6 verses
Malachi 2 verses