Anyway, let me borrow some content from Wikipedia to help you understand. First the physical (taken from this page):
"Esau's name in Hebrew means "hairy", and, according to Genesis 25:25, it is a reference to his hairiness at birth. He is also called "Edom", which means red. Genesis relates this directly to his selling his birthright for some "red stuff" (Gen. 25:30). However, Genesis also makes a point of mentioning that he was red when he emerged from the womb (Gen 25:25). However, this may be an example of retroactive nomenclature, as the land which was supposedly inhabited by his descendants, Edom, contains a great abundance of red rock, and most scholars believe that the name of the land is a topographical reference."
If you only knew the Esau in my life. You would say, "by God, that's him. Tell me more!" Ok, well since you requested more info about my Esau, check this out (thanks Wikipedia):
"Genesis 25:29-34 shows him willingly and foolishly selling his birthright to Jacob[1] in exchange for a "mess of pottage" (meal of lentils). Some controversy has surrounded this scripture, in that some have noted that Esau may have been in danger of starving to death and was taken advantage of by Jacob in a vulnerable moment. Certainly, Jacob's refusal to share his food without exacting a high price from Esau is in conflict with Biblical principles for moral living such as charity and goodwill. However, others suggest that among the large entourage of Isaac's wealthy household, death from starvation would not likely have been a genuine danger simply on account of Esau not having caught anything while hunting that day. Owing to the strict law concerning draining the blood from an animal before eating it, Esau would not have expected to immediately eat what he killed and would probably have carried food while hunting.According to the Bible the food laws were given later to Moses. Rather, Esau's words about being close to death may have been dramatic exaggeration of the type frequently found in the Old Testament and that selling his birthright indicated Esau's lack of appreciation for the long-term value of such an intangible right when he was more interested in fulfilling his immediate needs."
When I read the above, I think "pissing on family" for wealth and personal gain. I tell ya, I know this guy and he doesn't look 4,000 years old. This has to be metaphor for a certain type of human anomaly, more specifically the "Edomites."
So that is how it stands today with the Esau that I know. I don't know how the story will end but there is hope! From the legends of the bible, the story continues and has a happy ending. Check it out (again, thanks Wikipedia):
"Meanwhile, Esau also shows forgiveness and reconciliation. In spite of this bitter conflict, Genesis Chapters 32-33 tells a heart-warming story of Jacob and Esau eventually being reconciled. Jacob effectively apologizes to Esau, indirectly through sending multiple waves of gifts to Esau as they approach each other, and Jacob ultimately bowing down before Esau. It is not until Jacob has set in motion these plans to send gifts to Esau as attempts at reconciliation that God appears to Jacob and renames Jacob as "Israel." The brother who sought to take Esau's position as leader of the family in the end bows down to Esau.
But upon seeing his brother again, Esau -- who had once vowed to kill him -- warmly embraces and welcomes his brother Jacob back, refusing most of Jacob's gifts as being too generous. The brothers weep upon being reunited."
To me, the bible is no where definitive of any one thing, but it does seem to be full of metaphor and analogous to human occurance. If this is the case, the Esau's of the world might heed some of this analysis (also taken from Wikipedia):"Hundreds of years later, when the Israelites returned from captivity in Egypt during the Exodus, God commands the Israelites to honor and respect their "brothers" the Edomites, the descendants of Esau. The Israelites are commanded to be careful not to provoke the Edomites or take anything from them without paying for it. However, although the Bible does not record it in connection with those events, later God expresses anger at the Edomites for not showing the Israelites hospitality, such as in Numbers 20:14-22.
There are many Biblical references to hostility between the people of Israel and the people of Edom (e.g., 2 Samuel 8:12-14; 2 Kings 8:20-22; Psalm 137:7), and it is possible that some of the narrative of Genesis is intended to explain the origins and justification of that hostility. The Edomites (also known as Idumeans) came to be dominated by the larger kingdom of Israel, but from time to time fought wars with Israel throughout Israel's history.
Approximately 1000 years after Esau's and Jacob's common birthday, God expresses extreme anger and condemnation upon the Edomites such as in the prophesies of the Book of Malachi Book of Obadiah Chapter 1. However, although the Bible follows the convention of describing the Edomites by the name of their long-dead patriarch Esau, the specific reasons given for God's anger involve then-recent sins of the Edomite people, not of the individual man Esau. Id. Chapter 1 and the
The prophesies of Obadiah and to some extent also Malachi indicate that the Edomite race no longer exists in modern times. In Obadiah Chapter 1:18, it is declared: ' "But the house of Esau will be as stubble. And they will set them on fire and consume them, So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau," For the LORD has spoken. ' "
We love you Esau... Just waiting for you to pull your hairy head out of your hairy ass!
