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The text of Genesis introduces us to Jacob’s older twin brother, and to his name “Esau”, as follows: “And the first came out red
[)DMWNY], all over like an hairy [%(R] garment; and they [his parents Rebekah and Isaac,
with Rebekah presumably taking the lead] called his name Esau [‘$W].” Genesis 25:
25 As an initial step in trying to
figure out what the name “Esau” means, let’s start by asking what underlying
meaning of the name “Esau” would make sense in the context of Genesis 25:
25. As we will now see, the ideal
meaning would be “ebony”, implying “dark red ebony”. The “red”, meaning “red
porridge”, for which Esau sells his birthright a mere five verses later, at
Genesis 25: 30, was probably dark red in color. Esau is closely associated with
Thus by saying at Genesis 25: 25 that Esau came out “red” and “hairy” at birth, that is likely indicating that Esau as a newborn infant was covered with dark red hair, so that the newborn baby looked as dark as dark red ebony. Ebony wood is known for being dark -- either dark red or black: “Ebony [wood] varies from deep black to dark red, with a variety of rich dark shades.” http://canequest.com/ebony_wood.asp If the underlying meaning of the name “Esau” is “ebony”, and implies in context “dark red ebony”, then Genesis 25: 25 would be interpreted as follows: “And the first
came out [dark] red [being dark red ebony in color], all over like an hairy
garment [with such dark red hair making the baby look dark, like the color of
dark red ebony]; and they called
his name Esau.” The question then
becomes as follows. Did the name
“Esau” mean “ebony” in Bronze Age So the questions
that need addressing are as follows.
Is a name similar to “Esau” historically attested in Bronze Age Syria
[perhaps at Jim
Stinehart |
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