Wikipedia's first sentence called it “son of isaac and rebekah and the older twin brother of jacob in the biblical book of genesis”. Today it says “elder son of isaac in the hebrew bible”. Sections present on October 6, 2023 no longer exist: “Jacob's deception”.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Esau ( Hebrew עֵשָׂו , Standard Hebrew ʿEsav , Tiberian Hebrew ʿĒśāw ) is the son of Isaac and Rebekah and the older twin brother of Jacob in the biblical Book of Genesis , whom in the Torah , was tricked by Jacob into giving up his birthright (leadership of Israel) for a "mess of pottage" (meal of lentils ). From this, "Esau" in western religions has metaphorically stood for anyone who is tricked into a worthless bargain. The root of the name in Hebrew is derived from the word asuy denoting "completion", made and complete , since Esau was born hairy and very strong, being "completed" and not infantile. Esau has also been called Edom , which is also the name of the land where his descendents settled (Gen 36:16). The Book of Genesis connects this name with the red stew for which Esau exchanged his birthright (Gen 25:27-34).1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16057417.
The opening as it stood in 2010 5 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
According to the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible , Esau ( ) ( Hebrew , Standard Hebrew Esav , Tiberian Hebrew ʿĒśāw ; ) was the fraternal twin brother of Jacob (whom God renamed Israel )—the patriarch and founder of the Israelites.Esau and Jacob were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah , and the grandsons of Abraham and Sarah .Esau was born first and when Jacob was born, he held onto Esau's heel ( Genesis 25:26 ).Isaac was sixty years old when they were born, but Rebekah is believed to have been much younger.Abraham was still alive at that time, though he would have been 160 years old by that stage, and would live another fifteen years.As the first born, Esau was entitled to inherit the wealth of his father Isaac after his death.However, he sold his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a " mess of pottage " (meal of lentils ) ( Genesis 25:29–34 ).According to the Talmud , the sale of the birthright took place immediately after Abraham died.The Talmudic dating would give both Esau and Jacob an age of 15 at the time.
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Matthias Stom , Esau [right] selling his birthright to Jacob or The Lentil Stew , 17th century Esau ( / ˈ iː s ɔː / ; Hebrew : ; Standard Hebrew : Esav ; Tiberian Hebrew : ʿĒśāw; ISO 259-3 ʕeśaw ; Hēsau ; ‘Īsaw ; meaning "Hairy" or "Rough" ), in the Jewish Bible , is the older son of Isaac .He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis , and by the prophets , Obadiah and Malachi .The New Testament of the Christian Bible alludes to him in St Paul's Letter to the Romans and in the Letter to the Hebrews .Esau is the progenitor of the Edomites and the elder twin brother of Jacob , the patriarch of the Israelites. Esau and Jacob were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah , and the grandsons of Abraham and Sarah . Of the twins, Esau was the first to be born with Jacob following, holding his heel (the Hebrew name Yaacov meaning "Heel-holder").Isaac was sixty years old and Rebekah is believed to have been younger when the boys were born.The grandfather Abraham was still alive, being 160 years old at that time.Esau, a "man of the field" became a hunter who had "rough" qualities that distinguished him from his twin brother.Jacob was a shy or simple man, depending on the translation of the Hebrew word "Tam" (which also means "relatively perfect man").Throughout Genesis, Esau is frequently shown as being supplanted by his younger twin Jacob (Israel).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 666069863.
The opening as it stood in 2020 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Esau selling his birthright to Jacob by Matthias Stom , 1640s Esau ( / ˈ iː s ɔː / ; Hebrew : , Modern : ʿĒsáv , Tiberian : ʿĒśāw , ISO 259-3 ʕeśaw ; Ēsaû ; ; ‘Īsaw ; meaning "hairy" or "rough" ), in the Hebrew Bible , is the older son of Isaac . He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis , and by the prophets Obadiah and Malachi . The New Testament alludes to him in the Epistle to the Romans and in the Epistle to the Hebrews .According to the Hebrew Bible, Esau is the progenitor of the Edomites and the elder brother of Jacob , the patriarch of the Israelites. Esau and Jacob were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah , and the grandsons of Abraham and Sarah . Of the twins, Esau was the first to be born with Jacob following, holding his heel. Isaac was sixty years old when the boys were born. Esau, a "man of the field", became a hunter who had "rough" qualities that distinguished him from his twin brother. Among these qualities were his redness and noticeable hairiness. Jacob was a plain or simple man, depending on the translation of the Hebrew word tam (which also means "relatively perfect man"). Jacob's color was not mentioned. Throughout Genesis, Esau is frequently shown as being supplanted by his younger twin, Jacob (Israel).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 957905392.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Older son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible For the 2019 drama film, see Esau (film) .Esau is the elder son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible . He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis and by the prophets Obadiah and Malachi . The Christian New Testament alludes to him in the Epistle to the Romans and in the Epistle to the Hebrews . According to the Hebrew Bible, Esau is the progenitor of the Edomites and the elder brother of Jacob , the patriarch of the Israelites. Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebecca , and the grandsons of Abraham and Sarah . Of the twins, Esau was the first to be born with Jacob following, holding his heel. Isaac was sixty years old when the boys were born. Esau, a "man of the field", became a hunter who had "rough" qualities that distinguished him from his twin brother. Among these qualities were his redness and noticeable hairiness. Jacob was a plain or simple man, depending on the translation of the Hebrew word tam (which also means "relatively perfect man"). Jacob's color was not mentioned. Throughout Genesis, Esau is frequently shown as being supplanted by his younger twin, Jacob (Israel). According to the Muslim tradition, the prophet Yaqub or Israel was the favorite of his mother, and his twin brother Esau was the favorite of his father prophet Ishaq , and he is mentioned in the "Story of Ya'qub" in Qisas al-Anbiya .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1168956828.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Older son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible For other uses, see Esau (disambiguation) . Esau is the elder son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible . He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis and by the prophets Obadiah and Malachi . The story of Jacob and Esau reflects the historical relationship between Israel and Edom , aiming to explain why Israel, despite being a younger kingdom, dominated Edom. The Christian New Testament alludes to him in the Epistle to the Romans and in the Epistle to the Hebrews . According to the Hebrew Bible, Esau is the progenitor of the Edomites and the elder brother of Jacob , the patriarch of the Israelites. Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebecca , and the grandsons of Abraham and Sarah . Of the twins, Esau was the first to be born with Jacob following, holding his heel. Isaac was sixty years old when the boys were born. Esau, a "man of the field", became a hunter who had "rough" qualities that distinguished him from his twin brother. Among these qualities were his redness and noticeable hairiness. Jacob was a plain or simple man, depending on the translation of the Hebrew word tam (which also means "relatively perfect man"). Jacob's color was not mentioned. Throughout Genesis, Esau is frequently shown as being supplanted by his younger twin, Jacob (Israel). According to the Muslim tradition, the prophet Yaqub , or Israel, was the favorite of his mother, and his twin brother Esau was the favorite of his father, prophet Ishaq , and he is mentioned in the "Story of Ya'qub" in Qisas al-Anbiya .
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Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “son of isaac and rebekah and the older twin brother of jacob in the biblical book of genesis”. Today it says “elder son of isaac in the hebrew bible”. Sections present on October 6, 2023 no longer exist: “Jacob's deception”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
son of isaac and rebekah and the older twin brother of jacob in the biblical book of genesis
Now
elder son of isaac in the hebrew bible
Sections that no longer exist
This section existed on October 6, 2023. It is gone today. The current article has no similar heading in its place, and the article is shorter overall. So this is not a heading that got renamed, and it is not a topic that got folded into a bigger section. 1 section of 400 characters or more gone since October 6 2023, with the article 29 characters shorter.
Jacob's deception
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