25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled 3 hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 4
1 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
2 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
3 tn Heb “knowing.”
4 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”