After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel;The birth of Jacob and Esau is significant in biblical history, as it sets the stage for the ongoing struggle between the two brothers and their descendants. The act of Jacob grasping Esau's heel is symbolic of the conflict that would characterize their relationship. In Hebrew, the name Jacob (Ya'akov) is related to the word for "heel" (akev), indicating his role as the one who follows or supplants. This foreshadows Jacob's later actions in obtaining Esau's birthright and blessing. The imagery of grasping the heel also suggests a struggle for dominance, which is a recurring theme in their lives and the history of their descendants, the Israelites and Edomites.
so he was named Jacob.
The name Jacob means "he grasps the heel" or "he deceives," reflecting both his birth action and his later life. Names in the Bible often carry significant meaning and can reflect character or destiny. Jacob's life is marked by instances of deception, such as when he tricks Esau out of his birthright and deceives his father Isaac to receive the blessing meant for Esau. This name also points to the transformative journey Jacob undergoes, as he later wrestles with God and is renamed Israel, meaning "he struggles with God," indicating a shift in his character and relationship with God.
And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
Isaac's age at the birth of Jacob and Esau highlights the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham regarding his descendants. Isaac, the child of promise, waited twenty years after marrying Rebekah to have children, emphasizing the theme of divine timing and faith in God's promises. This period of waiting also mirrors the experiences of other patriarchs, such as Abraham and Sarah, who waited for the birth of Isaac. The age of Isaac at the twins' birth underscores the continuation of the covenantal line through Jacob, despite the challenges and delays faced by the patriarchs.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
JacobThe second son of Isaac and Rebekah, born grasping his brother Esau's heel. His name, "Jacob," is derived from the Hebrew root (aqab), meaning "to follow" or "to supplant," which foreshadows his future actions and character.
2.
EsauThe firstborn twin brother of Jacob. His birth and the circumstances surrounding it set the stage for the sibling rivalry and the fulfillment of God's prophecy to Rebekah about the two nations in her womb.
3.
IsaacThe father of Jacob and Esau, who was sixty years old at the time of their birth. Isaac's role as the patriarch is significant in the continuation of God's covenant with Abraham.
4.
RebekahThe mother of Jacob and Esau, who received a prophecy from God about the two nations that would come from her sons.
5.
Birth of the TwinsThe event of Jacob and Esau's birth is pivotal in the account of Genesis, highlighting themes of destiny, divine election, and the unfolding of God's plan.
Teaching Points
Divine Sovereignty and Human ResponsibilityGod's plans and purposes are sovereign, yet human actions and decisions play a role in the unfolding of His will. Jacob's grasping of Esau's heel symbolizes his future actions and the fulfillment of God's prophecy.
Identity and DestinyNames in the Bible often reflect character and destiny. Jacob's name foreshadows his life's journey and the transformation he undergoes. Reflect on how our identity in Christ shapes our destiny.
Family Dynamics and God's PlanThe account of Jacob and Esau highlights complex family dynamics and God's ability to work through them. Consider how God can use our family situations for His purposes.
God's Faithfulness Across GenerationsIsaac's age at the birth of his sons reminds us of God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises across generations. Trust in God's timing and faithfulness in your own life.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Genesis 25:26?
2.How does Jacob's birth foreshadow his future actions in Genesis 25:26?
3.What significance does Jacob's name hold in Genesis 25:26 and throughout his life?
4.How does Genesis 25:26 connect to God's promise to Rebekah in Genesis 25:23?
5.What lessons can we learn from Jacob's birth about God's sovereignty in Genesis?
6.How can Jacob's story in Genesis 25:26 inspire trust in God's plan today?
7.Why was Jacob holding Esau's heel at birth in Genesis 25:26?
8.What is the significance of Jacob's name in Genesis 25:26?
9.How does Genesis 25:26 foreshadow Jacob and Esau's future relationship?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Genesis 25?
11.Who are the Sons of Jacob?
12.What is the significance of Jacob and Esau's story?
13.Why did Esau sell his birthright to Jacob?
14.What is the significance of Jacob's pride?What Does Genesis 25:26 Mean
After this, his brother came out• The birth order is recorded with simple, historical clarity—first Esau, then Jacob—underscoring God’s faithful fulfillment of His promise of offspring to Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 25:21-24).
• This moment anticipates what God had already declared: “the older will serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). Even the timing of the birth is part of the sovereign storyline that runs through later passages likeRomans 9:10-12.
grasping Esau’s heel• The newborn Jacob literally holds his brother’s heel, a vivid sign of coming struggle between the two boys and their descendants (Obadiah 1:10).
•Hosea 12:3 looks back to this scene, remarking that Jacob “grasped his brother’s heel in the womb,” connecting the act to Jacob’s lifelong pattern of contending for blessing.
• The gesture illustrates early the tension of the flesh vs. promise theme that resurfaces when Jacob later contends with Esau over the birthright (Genesis 25:29-34) and the blessing (Genesis 27:1-40).
so he was named Jacob• “Jacob” sounds like “heels” and “supplants,” so the name memorializes both the literal grasp and the prophetic hint that Jacob will overtake Esau (Genesis 27:36).
• Throughout Scripture, names often point to destiny—Abram/Abraham (Genesis 17:5), Sarai/Sarah (Genesis 17:15)—showing that God writes purpose into a person’s very identity.
• Later God renames Jacob “Israel” (Genesis 32:28), moving him from striving to prevailing by faith, yet the original name keeps reminding us of grace that overcomes human frailty.
And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born• The verse anchors the account in real time, confirming the reliability of Genesis’ genealogical record (compareGenesis 21:5).
• Isaac was forty when he married Rebekah (Genesis 25:20), meaning the couple waited twenty years for these children. The delay highlights God’s timing, much like Abraham and Sarah’s wait for Isaac (Genesis 21:1-2).
• This age marker prepares readers for the next chapters by situating Jacob and Esau’s development within Isaac’s remaining 120 years (Genesis 35:28-29).
summaryGenesis 25:26 narrates more than a birth; it sets the trajectory of God’s covenant story. Jacob’s grasping heel foreshadows the struggle for blessing between brothers and nations, his name testifies to God’s purposeful design, and Isaac’s recorded age affirms the trustworthiness of Scripture’s timeline. The verse invites us to see every detail—order, action, name, and date—as evidence that the Lord superintends history to advance His promises.
(26)
His hand took hold on Esau's heel.--Usually there is a considerable interval--an hour or more--between the birth of twins; but here Jacob appeared without delay, following immediately upon his brother. This is expressed by the metaphorical phrase that his hand had hold on Esau's heel--that is, there was absolutely no interval between them. Though very rare, yet similar cases have been chronicled from time to time.
His name was called Jacob.--The name signifiesone who follows at another's heels.It was Esau who first put upon it a bad meaning (Genesis 27:36), and this bad sense has been riveted to it by Jacob's own unworthy conduct. It is constantly so used even in the Bible. Thus inHosea 12:3--a passage quoted in defence of a literal explanation of the metaphor in this verse by those who are acquainted only with the English Version--the Hebrew has,he Jacobed,literally,heeled--that is, oJeremiah 9:4 and elsewhere; but it is not well rendered by our wordsupplant,which contains a different metaphor, theplantabeing the sole of the foot; whereas to be at a person's heel is to be his determined pursuer, and one who on overtaking throws him down.
Verse 26. -
And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel. The inf. constr, standing for the finite verb (Ewald's 'Hebrews Synt.,' 304). Not simply followed close upon the heels of Esau (Kalisch), but seized Esau's heel, as if he would trip him up (Keil, Murphy). It has been contended (De Wette, Schumann, Knobel) that such an act was impossible, a work on obstetrics by Busch maintaining that an hour commonly intervenes between the birth of twins; but practitioners of eminence who have been consulted declare the act to be distinctly possible, and indeed it is well known that "a multitude of surprising phenomena are connected with births" (Havernick), some of which are not greatly dissimilar to that which is here recorded. Delitzsch interprets the language as meaning only that the hand of Jacob reached out in the direction of his brother's heel, as if to grasp it; but
Hosea 12:3 explicitly asserts that he had his brother's heel by the hand while yet in his mother's womb.
And his name was called - literally,
and he (
i.
e. one)
called his name;
καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ (LXX.);
id circo appellavit eum (Vulgate; cf.
Genesis 16:14;
Genesis 27:36) -
Jacob. Not "Successor," like the Latin
secundus,
from sequor (Knobel, Kalisch); but "Heel-catcher" (Rosenmüller, Gesenius, Keil, Lange, Murphy), hence Supplanter (cf.
Genesis 37:36).
And Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. Literally,
in the bearing of them, the inf. constr, taking the case of its verb (
vide Gesenius, § 133) - when she (the mother) bare them;
ὄτε ἔτεκεν αὐτοὺςῬεβέκκα (LXX.);
quum nati sunt parvuli (Vulgate); though, as Rebekah's name does not occur in the immediate context, and
ילד is applied to the father (
Genesis 4:18;
Genesis 10:8, 13) as well as to the mother, the clause may be rendered
when he (Isaac)
begat them (Kalisch, Afford).
CHAPTER 25:27-34
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Afterוְאַֽחֲרֵי־(wə·’a·ḥă·rê-)Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 310:The hind or following partthis,כֵ֞ן(ḵên)Adverb
Strong's 3651:So -- thushis brotherאָחִ֗יו(’ā·ḥîw)Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 251:A brother, )came outיָצָ֣א(yā·ṣā)Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318:To go, bring, out, direct and proximgraspingאֹחֶ֙זֶת֙(’ō·ḥe·zeṯ)Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 270:To grasp, take hold, take possessionEsau’sעֵשָׂ֔ו(‘ê·śāw)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6215:Esau -- oldest son of Isaacheel;בַּעֲקֵ֣ב(ba·‘ă·qêḇ)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6119:Heel, footprint, hind partso he was namedוַיִּקְרָ֥א(way·yiq·rā)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7121:To call, proclaim, readJacob.יַעֲקֹ֑ב(ya·‘ă·qōḇ)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3290:Jacob -- a son of Isaac, also his descAnd Isaacוְיִצְחָ֛ק(wə·yiṣ·ḥāq)Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3327:Isaac -- 'he laughs', son of Abraham and Sarahwas sixtyשִׁשִּׁ֥ים(šiš·šîm)Number - common plural
Strong's 8346:Sixtyyears oldבֶּן־(ben-)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121:A sonwhen [the twins] were born.בְּלֶ֥דֶת(bə·le·ḏeṯ)Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3205:To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage
Links
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OT Law: Genesis 25:26 After that his brother came out (Gen. Ge Gn) 
