Jacobיעקב
In the Bible
The prophet Jacob (יעקב) — first attested in Gen 25:26 (272 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible).
וְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֞ן יָצָ֣א אָחִ֗יו וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֙זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְיִצְחָ֛ק בֶּן־שִׁשִּׁ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה בְּלֶ֥דֶת אֹתָֽם׃
Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob.<sup class="footnote-marker">d</sup><i class="footnote"><b>Jacob </b>Play on Heb. <i>ʻaqeb</i> “heel.”</i> Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
Gematria & sigil
The consonantal gematria of Jacob (יעקב) and its sigil traced on the Lo Shu (Saturn 3×3) by the Aiq-Bekar digital-root method: each letter's value reduces to 1–9, those cells are joined in order — the trace is the sigil.
| Letter | Value | Aiq Bekar |
|---|---|---|
| י | 10 | 1 |
| ע | 70 | 7 |
| ק | 100 | 1 |
| ב | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 182 | 2 |
Stellar letters
The 4-consonant name needs its 3 distinct simple-letters to be occupied in the sky. The 7 classical bodies open a sign → its Hebrew simple letter; this name reads only when the planets sit in exactly these signs.
Readable on these rare conjunctions
Jacob appears in the stellar reading on 0 of the 12 dated rare conjunctions (proofs.json). Its required simple letters are never all occupied together on these 12 dates — a multi-letter name is rarer than a single-letter one. Open any date in the Reader to inspect that sky.
No readable date among the 12 — this name needs more simultaneous simple letters than any of these conjunctions occupy.
Description
Jacob, later given the name Israel, is the third Hebrew patriarch in Judaism and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother Esau, Jacob's paternal grandparents are Abraham and Sarah and his maternal grandfather is Bethuel, whose wife is not mentioned. He is said to have bought Esau's birthright and, with his mother's help, deceived his aging father to bless him instead of Esau. Then, following a severe drought in his homeland Canaan, Jacob and his descendants migrated to neighbouring Egypt through the efforts of his son Joseph, who had become a confidant of the pharaoh. After dying in Egypt at the age of 147, he is supposed to have been buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron.
Facts
| Resting place | Cave of Machpelah, Hebron, Canaan (traditional), 31°31′29″N 35°06′39″E / 31.5247°N 35.1107°E / 31.5247; 35.1107 |
| Other name | Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל) |
| Known for | Being the third Hebrew patriarch and the forefather of the Israelites |
| Spouse(s) | Leah, Rachel |
| Partner(s) | Bilhah, Zilpah |
| Children | Oldest to youngest, per woman: With Leah Reuben Simeon Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun Dinah (daughter) With Rachel Joseph Benjamin With Bilhah Dan Naphtali With Zilpah Gad Asher |
| Parents | Isaac (father)Rebecca (mother) |
| Relatives | Abraham (paternal grandfather) Sarah (paternal grandmother) Bethuel (maternal grandfather) Ishmael (paternal half-uncle) Esau (fraternal twin brother) Laban (maternal uncle, father-in-law) |
Life & work in brief
Summarised by section — one row per topic, for fast reading.
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Etymology | According to the folk etymology found in Genesis 25:26, the name Yaʿaqōv יעקב is derived from ʿaqev עָקֵב "heel", as Jacob was born grasping the heel of his twin brother Esau. |
| Genesis narrative | The biblical account of the life of Jacob is found in the Book of Genesis, chapters 25–50. |
| Religious perspectives | There are two opinions in the Midrash as to how old Rebecca was at the time of her marriage and, consequently, at the twins' birth. |
| Historicity | Although archaeologist and biblical scholar William F. |
Prophecies
Key prophetic utterances and visions attributed to Jacob, with sources.
| Prophecy / vision | Source |
|---|---|
| The ladder at Bethel; the LORD above it: in you and your seed all families of the earth blessed | Gen 28:12-14 |
| He wrestles the angel and prevails; your name is no more Jacob but Israel | Gen 32:28 |
| Gather yourselves, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the latter days | Gen 49:1-2 |
| You shall worship none but God; the creed of your fathers Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac | Quran 2:133 |
| We revealed to the prophets of the tribes: establish worship and give charity | Quran 19:58 |