Esau was the firstborn son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, the elder of the twin brothers; he is known for selling his birthright and the brothers' conflict, yet was ultimately reconciled with Jacob, and became the ancestor of Edom.
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Esau was the firstborn son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the grandson of Abraham (Genesis 25:25). At birth he came out red and hairy, and was therefore named Esau (עֵשָׂו, H6215), a name linked to the root for "red," which later gave rise to the byname Edom (אֱדוֹם). One day, returning faint from the field, he was drawn to the stew Jacob was cooking and traded his birthright for a single meal (Genesis 25:29)—a decision that became a classic biblical picture of despising spiritual privilege. Years later, when Isaac had grown old and his eyes were dim, he summoned Esau intending to give him the blessing of the firstborn (Genesis 27:1). Through Rebekah and Jacob's scheme, however, the blessing was conferred upon Jacob. Esau's bitter cry and vow to kill his brother forced him to flee to his relatives, and in the tradition of the Prophets he comes to symbolize the life "according to the flesh," while in Obadiah he stands as a figure of divine judgment, with Edom becoming a perennial brother-enemy nation representing pride and opposition to God's people. Yet the brothers' story closes with an unexpected reconciliation. When Jacob returned to Canaan, Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept together (Genesis 33:4). The scene is often compared to the parable of the prodigal son, and echoes Jacob's words that meeting Esau was like seeing the face of God. Though Esau did not carry the patriarchal covenant line, his legacy as the father of Edom runs throughout the whole of Old Testament history.