Genèse 25:25

25 Le premier sortit entièrement roux, comme un manteau de poil; et on lui donna le nom d'Esaü.

Genèse 25:25 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 25:25

And the first came out red
Either his body, or rather the hair it was covered with, red; which was a sign, as Jarchi observes, that he would be a shedder of blood, fierce and cruel as were he and his posterity: all over like an hairy garment;
his body was all over full of hair, which stood as thick as a garment made of hair, and was a sign of the roughness of his disposition, as well as of the strength of his body: and they called his name Esau;
his parents, and those present at his birth, all that saw him thus covered with hair; for he had his name not from the colour of his body or hair; for the word does not signify "red", but comes from a word which signifies "to make", he being a "maker": that made his way out before his brother, or an active man as afterwards, or because of his hair was "made" or born more like a man than a child; and so the Targum adds,

``because he was wholly perfect, with the hair of his head and beard, and with his teeth and grinders:''

but chiefly because of his hairiness, for Esau in the Arabic language signifies "covered" ^F6, as he was with hair: some say, a word in that language signifies a hairy garment made of camel's hair ^F7.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 <arabic> "texit", "operuit", Castel. col. 2930.
F7 Vid. Stockium. p. 923.

Genèse 25:25 In-Context

23 Et l'Eternel lui dit: Deux nations sont dans ton ventre, et deux peuples se sépareront au sortir de tes entrailles; un de ces peuples sera plus fort que l'autre, et le plus grand sera assujetti au plus petit.

24 Les jours où elle devait accoucher s'accomplirent; et voici, il y avait deux jumeaux dans son ventre.

25 Le premier sortit entièrement roux, comme un manteau de poil; et on lui donna le nom d'Esaü.

26 Ensuite sortit son frère, dont la main tenait le talon d'Esaü; et on lui donna le nom de Jacob. Isaac était âgé de soixante ans, lorsqu'ils naquirent.

27 Ces enfants grandirent. Esaü devint un habile chasseur, un homme des champs; mais Jacob fut un homme tranquille, qui restait sous les tentes.