A Hebrew patriarch (son of Isaac, and ancestor of the Jews), who in a vision saw a ladder reaching up to heaven (Gen. xxviii. 12); -- also called Israel.

Grandson of Sarah and Abraham, and second son of Isaac and Rebecca, he is remembered for having bought his brother's birthright. Also, Genesis reports that he and his mother tricked his father into giving the inheritance and the paternal blessing to him rather than to his elder brother, Esau. He fled the country and went to live with his uncle, Laban, and later married Laban's two daughters, Leah and Rachel.

(Old Testament) son of Isaac; brother of Esau; father of the twelve patriarchs of Israel; Jacob wrestled with God and forced God to bless him, so God gave Jacob the new name of Israel (meaning `one who has been strong against God')

The second son of Isaac and Rebekah; he was the twin brother of Esau; his name was changed to Israel after he wrestled with God at the Jabbok River; he became the recipient of the ancestral promises and his twelve sons because the tribes of Israel. See Chapter 2.