Jacob and Esau in the Womb and at Birth

וַיֶּעְתַּ֨ר יִצְחָ֤ק לַֽיהֹוָה֙ לְנֹ֣כַח אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י עֲקָרָ֖ה הִ֑וא וַיֵּעָ֤תֶר לוֹ֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה וַתַּ֖הַר רִבְקָ֥ה אִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃ And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD let Himself be entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

וַיִּתְרֹֽצְצ֤וּ הַבָּנִים֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔הּ וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אִם־כֵּ֔ן לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה אָנֹ֑כִי וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ לִדְרֹ֥שׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה׃ And the children struggled together within her; and she said: ‘If it be so, wherefore do I live?’ And she went to inquire of the LORD.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה לָ֗הּ שְׁנֵ֤י (גיים) [גוֹיִם֙] בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִמֵּעַ֖יִךְ יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ וְרַ֖ב יַעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר׃ And the LORD said unto her: Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels; And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger.

וַיִּמְלְא֥וּ יָמֶ֖יהָ לָלֶ֑דֶת וְהִנֵּ֥ה תוֹמִ֖ם בְּבִטְנָֽהּ׃ And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ אַדְמוֹנִ֔י כֻּלּ֖וֹ כְּאַדֶּ֣רֶת שֵׂעָ֑ר וַיִּקְרְא֥וּ שְׁמ֖וֹ עֵשָֽׂו׃ And the first came forth ruddy, all over like a hairy mantle; and they called his name Esau.

וְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֞ן יָצָ֣א אָחִ֗יו וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֙זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְיִצְחָ֛ק בֶּן־שִׁשִּׁ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה בְּלֶ֥דֶת אֹתָֽם׃ And after that came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was threescore years old when she bore them.

(Genesis 25:21-26)

I believe that Jacob and Esau were meant to be loving brothers and that the way they were treated by their parents, with each parent picking a favorite and with there being only one birthright and one decent blessing, had a negative effect on both of them, with Esau having the worse treatment and the worse effect on his life. I also believe that the story of their sojourn in the womb, G!d’s prophecy about them given to Rebecca, and their birth can be reframed in a way that is faithful to the text that can create a potential reality in which, rather than be bitter rivals, they could have become the closest of friends.

First, the verb used to describe their relationship in the womb, וַיִּתְרֹֽצְצ֤וּ, can be read a couple of ways. Ibn Ezra and others argue that the verb is related to the shoresh רוץ, “to run”, pointing to Nahum 2:5, where the verb is applied to lightning, meaning “running to and fro”. Read it this way, it can be seen as the two brothers playing by running to and fro (similar to my two kittens, who love to run back and forth across the room, scattering papers in their wake). Even read as “struggle” or “crush each other”, from the root רצץ, it can be seen as two brothers playfully wrestling with each other. Or perhaps they were struggling to grow – and rather than struggling with each other, each was struggling with himself in the process of growth. And in terms of crushing, perhaps it can be seen as being crushed from the lack of expansiveness, even in the womb, that Isaac and Rebecca were willing to give them, since Rebecca sees the struggle as a problem – had it been interpreted as playfulness, perhaps there would not have been crushing.

But what of G!d’s words about them? It says that one nation shall be stronger than the other – but it could also be read that one nation shall be strong and courageous FROM the other – that is, the two nations could make each other strong and courageous through friendship rather than competition. And the elder serving the younger? This could also be read as the greater serving the weaker – and “serve” could be read as joyful service and work, rather than a servile forced service. G!d’s words, had Isaac and Rebecca treated their sons differently, could have been lived out in a very different and more life-giving way. G!d answered Rebecca’s inquiry – but it was up to her and Isaac to determine HOW the words would come true – whether in a life-giving way, with the two brothers strengthening and encouraging one another in mutual service, or in a destructive way, each strengthening himself at the expense of the other and with one necessarily dominating the other.

Finally, Jacob came out of the womb holding Esau’s heel – and this was seen as Jacob trying to supplant Esau and to replace him as the firstborn. But what if, as loving twins, this could be seen as Jacob not wanting to be left alone in the womb, to be separated from his brother whom he loves, but instead wanting to remain together and grasping his heel as a sign of love? What if – instead of Jacob – Supplanter/Heel – he had been named Ohev – Lover – to show that his action was an act of love, not bitter rivalry?

I choose to read this story in a way that opens up unrealized possibilities – that Jacob and Esau had the potential to be loving brothers and not enemies – a potential finally realized when they reconcile and Esau kisses Jacob – that could have been realized much earlier. That is how I choose to read the text of Scripture, in ways that open up lifegiving possibilities if I wrestle with the text and demand a blessing.