(concretely) a boy (as active) · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
grew
וַֽיִּגְדְּלוּ֙vai.yig.de.Lu
H1431
to be (causatively make) large (in various senses · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
Esau
עֵשָׂ֗ו'e.Sav
H6215
Esav · proper noun, a man's name
cunning
יֹדֵ֥עַyo.De.a'
H3045
to know (properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
hunter
צַ֖יִדTza.yid
H6718
the chase · noun, common masculine singular absolute
man
אִ֛ישׁ'ish
H376
a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
field
שָׂדֶ֑הsa.Deh
H7704
a field (as flat) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
Jacob
וְיַעֲקֹב֙ve.ya.'a.Ko
H3290
Jaakob · conjunction + proper noun, a man's name
plain
תָּ֔םTam
H8535
complete · adjective, masculine singular absolute
man
אִ֣ישׁ'ish
H376
a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular construct
dwelling
יֹשֵׁ֖בyo.Shev
H3427
properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
tents
אֹהָלִֽים'o.ha.Lim
H168
a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Genesis 21:20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
Hebrews 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of t…
Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
Genesis 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
Genesis 28:10-11 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.
Genesis 27:3-5 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
Genesis 27:40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt…
Genesis 31:39-41 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or st…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Genesis 25:19-28
We have here an account of the birth of Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah: their entrance into the world was (which is not usual) one of the most considerable parts of their story; nor is much related concerning Isaac but what had reference to his father while he lived and to his sons afterwards. For Isaac seems not to have been a man of action, nor much tried, but to have spent his days in quietness and silence. Now concerning Jacob and Esau we are here told,
I. That they were prayed for. Their parents, after they had been long childless, obtained them by prayer, Gen 25:20, Gen 25:21. Isaac was forty years old when he was married; though he was an only son, and the person f…
the boys grew--from the first, opposite to each other in character, manners, and habits.
Adam Clarke on Genesis 25:27
A man of the field - איש שדה ish sadeh, one who supported himself and family by hunting and by agriculture.
Jacob was a plain man - איש תם ish tam, a perfect or upright man; dwelling in tents - subsisting by breeding and tending cattle, which was considered in those early times the most perfect employment; and in this sense the word תם tam, should be here understood, as in its moral meaning it certainly could not be applied to Jacob till after his name was changed, after which time only his character stands fair and unblemished. See Gen 32:26-30.
John Gill on Genesis 25:27
And the boys grew,.... In stature, became strong and fit for business, and betook themselves to different employments:
and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field: whose business lay in tilling and sowing it, which his father Isaac followed sometimes; or rather he chose to range about the field and hunt after beasts and birds, in which he was very expert, and contrived traps and snares to catch them in; and this course of life was most agreeable to his temper and disposition, being active, fierce, and cruel; according to the Targum of Jonathan, he was also a hunter and slayer of men, Nimrod and Henoch his son:
and Jacob was a plain man; an honest plain hearted man, whose heart and to…
The Church Fathers
ON THESE WORDS: JACOB WAS A SIMPLE MAN. — Jacob was a simple man, living in a house . What the Greek text qualifies as απλαστος, some Latins translated it as simplicem (simple). But απλαστος accurately means "sincere." For this reason, some Latin translators translated that word “ sine dolo ” (without deceit), giving the phrase the following meaning: “Jacob was a man without deceit, who lived at home.” Hence arises the great problem of knowing how the blessing received through a deception was considered for a man without deception. The answer is that Scripture anticipated this to mean something great. Therefore, we are totally obliged to understand something spiritual in this passage, because it was a man without deception who acted with deceit. I have sufficiently developed, in a sermon addressed to the people, my feeling on this subject (Cf. Serm. 4.16). [
And the history of Jacob and Esau testifieth. "Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field, and Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in a tent," and from their works we are able to understand the difference of their characters. In all places the Scriptures call Esau cunning and crafty, and one who layeth up anger, and keepeth wrath. And Jacob appeareth as the opposite of this in everything, whether as regardeth his parents, or the house of Laban, for by his deeds he is shewn to us to be a simple and obedient man. And for this reason the Holy Book sheweth us all his simplicity in one word: "Jacob was a simple man dwelling in a tent." And, moreover, by reason of his simplicity he would never have meditated the stealing of the birthright unless his mother Rebecca had taught him; but when he heard of the matter which would help him he was persuaded in the simplicity of his mind and was not stubborn.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Field — (Heb. sadeh), a cultivated field, but unenclosed. It is applied to any cultivated ground or pasture (Gen. 29:2; 31:4; 34:7), or tillage (Gen. 37:7; 47:24). It is also applied to woodland (Ps. 132:6)…
Hunting — Mentioned first in Gen. 10:9 in connection with Nimrod. Esau was “a cunning hunter” (Gen. 25:27). Hunting was practised by the Hebrews after their settlement in the “Land of Promise” (Lev. 17:15;…
Rebekah — A noose, the daughter of Bethuel, and the wife of Isaac (Gen. 22:23; 24:67). The circumstances under which Abraham’s “steward” found her at the “city of Nahor,” in Padan-aram, are narrated in Gen.…
Esau · A hunter — A hunter
Rebekah (Rebecca) · Mother of Esau and Jacob — Mother of Esau and Jacob
Tents · Were used by: Patriarchs — Were used by: Patriarchs
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
And the boys grew. Moses now briefly describes the manners of them both. He does not, indeed, commend Jacob on account of those rare and excellent qualities, which are especially worthy of praise and of remembrance, but only says that he was simple. The word tm (tam,) although generally taken for upright and sincere, is here put antithetically. After the sacred writer has stated that Esau was robust, and addicted to hunting, he places on the opposite side the mild disposition of Jacob, who loved the quiet of home so much, that he might seem to be indolent; just as the Greeks call those persons oikositous oikositous, who, dwelling at home, give no evidence of their industry. In short, the com…
Esau became "a cunning hunter, a man of the field," i.e., a man wandering about in the fields. He was his father's favourite, for "venison was in his mouth," i.e., he was fond of it. But Jacob was תּם אישׁ, "a pious man" (Luther); תּם, integer, denotes here a disposition that finds pleasure in the quiet life of home. אהלים ישׁב, not dwelling in tents, but sitting in the tents, in contrast with the wild hunter's life led by his brother; hence he was his mother's favourite.
Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 25:27-34
Jacob and Esau each developed in accord with his initial characteristics (25:24-26). Esau, the reddish, hairy man, cared about physical things rather than spiritual things (see Heb 12:16); he was finally overcome by physical appetites and sold his birthright. Jacob, the heel grabber, knew the birthright’s value and drove a ruthless bargain to gain it presumptuously from his brother.
25:27 Esau was a skillful hunter and an outdoorsman—a wild man who loved wild country. Jacob had a quiet (or even) temperament and preferred to stay at home (literally dwelling in tents)—i.e., he was civilized.
Rashi on Genesis 25:26
ואחרי כן יצא אחיו וגו AND AFTERWARDS HIS BROTHER CAME OUT, ETC. — I have heard a homiletical midrash that expounds it according to its simple meaning: It was with justice that he was grabbing him to hold him back. Jacob was conceived from the first drop and Esau from the second. Go and learn from a tube with a narrow opening - put in it two stones, one after the other. The one that goes in first will come out last, and the one that goes in last will come out first. It comes out that Esau, who was conceived last, came out first, and Jacob, who was conceived first, came out last. And [so] Jacob came to hold him back, so that the first for birth would be the same as the first for conception; an…
