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The Myth: And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. (Gen. 25:21–28)

The Reality: Jacob and Esau corresponded to the Egyptian gods Horus and Set, who struggled in the womb and fought over who would become the leader of the nation.

Jacob and Esau were twins who struggled even in the womb. Esau came out first, “red, all over like an hairy garment,” but Jacob tried to pull him back in. This story presents just one of several incidents involving Jacob and Esau that draw upon the Egyptian myths about the conflict between Horus and Set.

We have several pieces of evidence concerning the original identity of Jacob and Esau, but they are scattered throughout several stories and need to be reassembled. The salient features will be discussed here and some others will be mentioned in more detail in other relevant myths .

Perhaps the most important clue about their identity comes from Esau’s physical description. He exited the womb quite a hairy child, cloaked in red hair so thick it seemed like a garment. So hirsute was he that in later years Jacob disguised himself as Esau by covering his own arms with a goat skin. Esau’s physical characteristics are those of the Egyptian god Set, brother and rival to the ruling god Horus. Egyptians frequently portrayed Set in the form of a red-haired donkey.

According to Plutarch’s account of the birth of Osiris, god of the afterlife and brother of Set, the latter was born ahead of his appointed time by forcing his way through his mother’s side, not unlike Esau’s action in forcing himself out ahead of Jacob. In the same account, Set followed immediately after the birth of Horus the Elder but appeared well before Horus the Son of Isis. Because Egyptians merged the identities of several Horus gods together, Set and Horus were twins who also shared the relationship of uncle and nephew.

Esau and Set also share the trait of being mighty hunters and warriors, more so than any of their comrades. And both were loners who did not mix well with other members of the family.

As the first born, Esau should have been heir to the covenant and Issac favored him. But his mother loved Jacob more and conspired to trick Isaac and Esau into transferring the birthright to her beloved son. The Egyptian story has the same scenario. Re, the chief deity, favored Set as the successor to Osiris. Isis, however, favored her son Horus, who was also Set’s brother. Ultimately, Isis enabled Horus to succeed to the throne (see Myth # 55).

Another interesting parallel between the Egyptian and biblical stories about Set and Esau concerns Esau’s name. When Set arranged to trap Osiris in a chest and float him out to sea, an Ethiopian queen named Aso aided him. Although Set’s ally has a female persona, her name is philologically identical to Esau’s, sharing the same consonants. (Neither Egyptian nor Hebrew used vowels.) This indicates that when the Hebrews adopted the story, they substituted the name of the deity’s chief human assistant for that of the deity himself.

By implication, the above correspondences between Set and Esau also contribute to identifying the nature of Esau’s brother. Horus the Elder was Set’s twin brother and the two struggled in the womb. So did Jacob and Esau. Horus the Child and Jacob both relied on their mother to help them trick their brother out of the leadership role. Horus and Jacob both faced opposition from the head of the clan. In addition, Plutarch tells us that long after Set’s birth, Horus the Son of Isis was born lame. Jacob, too, became lame, long after Esau’s birth but just before he changed his name to Israel. Contextually, the name change should be considered a form of new birth, as it signifies a new stage in Jacob’s life.