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[257]
NOW Isaac's wife proved with child, after the death of Abraham; 1
and when her belly was greatly burdened, Isaac was very anxious, and inquired
of God; who answered, that Rebeka should bear twins; and that two nations
should take the names of those sons; and that he who appeared the second
should excel the elder. Accordingly she, in a little time, as God had foretold,
bare twins; the elder of whom, from his head to his feet, was very rough
and hairy; but the younger took hold of his heel as they were in the birth.
Now the father loved the elder, who was called Esau, a name agreeable to
his roughness, for the Hebrews call such a hairy roughness [Esau, 2
or] Seir; but Jacob the younger was best beloved by his mother.
1 The birth of Jacob and Esau is here said to be after Abraham's death: it should have been after Sarah's death. The order of the narration in Genesis, not always exactly according to the order of time, seems to have led Josephus into this error, as Dr. Bernard observes here.
2 For Seir in Josephus, the coherence requires that we read Esau or Seir, which signify the same thing.
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