Genesis 24:58

24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want ¹  to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”

Genesis 25:25

25:25 The first came out reddish ²  all over, ³  like a hairy ⁴  garment, so they named him Esau. ⁵ 

[24:58]  ¹ tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.

[25:25]  ² sn Reddish. The Hebrew word translated “reddish” is אַדְמוֹנִי (’admoni), which forms a wordplay on the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. The writer sees in Esau’s appearance at birth a sign of what was to come. After all, the reader has already been made aware of the “nations” that were being born.

[25:25]  ³ tn Heb “all of him.”

[25:25]  ⁴ sn Hairy. Here is another wordplay involving the descendants of Esau. The Hebrew word translated “hairy” is שֵׂעָר (se’ar); the Edomites will later live in Mount Seir, perhaps named for its wooded nature.

[25:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “And they called his name Esau.” The name “Esau” (עֵשָׂו, ’esav) is not etymologically related to שֵׂעָר (se’ar), but it draws on some of the sounds.