Jacob had a shady history. He was the younger of twins, and was not his father’s favorite. As the eldest, the birthright—the inheritance and blessing of his father—belonged to Esau, Jacob’s brother. Esau was a man’s man like his father. He loved things of the flesh: hunting, the local women, two of whom he married, who vexed his parents. Jacob was his mother’s favorite. We might imagine him as gentler, patient, more reflective, and certainly more cunning.