Edom (see on v.30); similarly, all over like a mantle of hair
((
Hebrew characters)) is a play on Sē'îr, the country of the Edomites (368).
It is singular that the name 'Ēsāw itself (on which v.i.)
finds no express etymology.—26a. with his hand holding Esau's heel] (Ho. 124) a last effort (v.22) to secure the
advantage of being born first. There are no solid grounds
for thinking (with Gu. Luther [INS, 128], Nowack, al.) that
Hos. 124a ((Hebrew characters)) presupposes a different version
of the legend, in which Jacob actually wrested the priority
from his brother (cf. 3828f.). The clause is meant as an
explanation of the name 'Jacob.'
27, 28. Their manner of life.—27. Esau becomes a man skilled in hunting, a man of the field] It is hardly necessary to suppose that the phrases are variants from
(also 'stupid'), though that would require as strict Heb. equivalent (Hebrew characters)
(Dri.). A connexion with the Phœn. (Greek characters), brother of Šamêmrûm, and
a hero of the chase, is probable, though not certain. There is also a
goddess 'Asît, figured on Eg. monuments, who has been thought to be
a female form of Esau (Müller, AE, 316 f.).—(Hebrew characters)] GS (Hebrew characters), as v.26;
but [E] has pl. both times. In any case the subj. is indef.—26. (Hebrew characters) is
a contraction of (Hebrew characters) (cf. (Hebrew characters), Jos. 1543), Ju. 111ff. with (Hebrew characters), Jos. 1914.
27; (Hebrew characters), 2 Ch. 266 with (Hebrew characters), Jos. 1511) which occurs (a) as a place name
in central Palestine on the list of Thothmes III. (No 102: Y'ḳb'r);[1]
and (b) as a personal name (Ya'ḳub-ilu)[2] in a Bab. contract tablet of the
age of Ḫammurabi. The most obvious interpretation of names of this
type is to take them as verbal sentt., with 'Ēl as subj.: 'God overreaches,'
or 'follows,' or 'rewards,' according to the sense given to the [root] (Hebrew characters) (see
Gray, HPN, 218).[3] They may, however, be nominal sentt.: 'Ya'ḳōb is
God' (see Mey. 282); in which case the meaning of the name (Hebrew characters) is
pushed a step farther back. The question whether Jacob was originally
a tribe, a deity, or an individual man, thus remains unsettled by
etymology.—At end of v., G adds (Greek characters),—an improvement in style.
- ↑ Mey. ZATW, vi. 8; INS, 251 f., 281 f.; Müller, AE, 162 f.; Luther, ZATW, xxi. 60 ff.—The name has since been read by Müller in a list of Ramses II., and (defectively written) in one of Ramses III.: see MVAG, 1907, i. 27.—Questioned by Langdon, ET, xxi. (1909), p. 90.
- ↑ Homm. AHT, 96, 112. According to H., the contracted form Yaḳubu also occurs in the Tablets (ib. 2031).
- ↑ In Heb. the vb. (a denom. from (
Hebrew characters), 'heel') is only used with allusion
to the story or character of Jacob (2736, Ho. 124, Jer. 93† : in Jb. 374 the
text is doubtful), and expresses the idea of insidiousness or treachery.
So (Hebrew characters) (Ps. 496† ), (Hebrew characters) (Jer. 179), (Hebrew characters) (2 Ki. 1019† ). The meanings
'follow' and 'reward' are found in Arab. (BDB, 784 a).]
