Help me out, my Biblical knowledge is sadly lacking (spoilers for S5 finale)

[TinkTanker]

Okay, for argument's sake let's say the guy with Jacob was named Esau (as some have speculated).

How would the Bible story fit into the Lost mythology (bear in mind I don't know the Bible story and I'm looking for one of youse guys to speculate).

[Eric]

We watched most of the finale, even though we're not avid Lost follwers (any more).
This is interesting, though (from a Lost blog):
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Quick Jacob Bible Lesson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob
Let's remind everyone that Jacob had a twin brother, Esau.

Jacob, together with Esau, was born to Isaac and Rebekah after 20 years of marriage, at which thyme his father was 60 (Genesis 25:26), and Abraham was 160 years old. He and his twin brother Esau were markedly different in appearance and behavior. Esau was a ruddy hunter, while Jacob was a gentle man who "dwelled in tents," interpreted by many biblical commentators as a mark of his studiousness and reserved personality. ( sound like two people we know?)

Esau was the firstborn. His brother Jacob was born immediately afterwards, and was grasping Esau's heel. His name, Ya'akov (יעקב), derives from the Hebrew root "עקב," "heel." Commentators explain that Jacob was trying to hold Esau back from being the firstborn, and in that way claim the Abrahamic legacy for his own self. According to the text, Jacob was favoured by his mother, while Esau was favoured by his father.

Jacob was Benjamin's father in the bible.

....just sayin'

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[TinkTanker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYo65cMu8IU#lq-hq

[Consigliere5]

Titus Welliver's hairy face last night was perfect if his character is named Esau...

[Consigliere5]

if you have 26 minutes to spare, you can't go wrong with Chuck Missler's Bible commentary...

go here:
http://www.khouse.org/6640/CD116-13/

and click on "Jacob - Listen to Part 2"

[Consigliere5]

Here's the story of two brothers who were fighting with each other even before they were born! It led to much trouble and unhappiness - but then, fighting always does.

Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. Many years went by, and still they didn't have any children. And so Isaac prayed to God, "Oh Lord, please look with favor on my wife Rebekah, and bless us with children."

God heard Isaac's prayer (of course, God hears every prayer!), and he answered it. When Isaac was 60 years old, Rebekah became pregnant - and not with just one child, but with twins!

But before they were even born, Rebekah could feel them kicking and fighting inside her.

"Why is this happening?" she called out.

And God answered her,


"The two children inside you
will become the fathers of two nations.
Just like the two are fighting with each other now,
the two nations will struggle with each other.
One will be stronger than the other.
and the older will serve the younger."


Soon it came time for the children to be born.

The first baby born was a boy. He was all red and covered with hair, and so Isaac and Rebekah named him Esau, which sounded like their word for "red." The second baby was also a boy, and he came grabbing onto Esau's heel. So they named him Jacob, which sounded like their word for "heel."

The boys grew up.

Esau became a strong and skillful hunter who loved the outdoors.

Jacob was a quiet man, who preferred to stay home.

Isaac like Esau because he liked to eat the wild game Esau brought home from hunting. But Rebekah liked Jacob because he learned to cook and to do other things to help her around the home.

One day Esau went out for another one of his hunting trips. He must have been gone for a few days, and the hunting must not have been very good, because when he came back, he was starving for something good to eat.

It just so happened that when Esau came home, Jacob had just made a great big pot of hot, steaming, stew. The mouth-watering smell filled the air.

"Give me some of that red stuff - I am starving!" Esau demanded.

Jacob was a schemer, and so he said, "Sure! I'll give you some stew - IF you will give me your Birthright."

The Birthright was a very important thing. It went to Esau because he was born first. When Isaac died, Esau's Birthright would make him the head of the household, and he would get twice as much of Isaac's wealth as Jacob would.

But here is where Esau made his mistake.

He was hungry NOW.

He didn't care about tomorrow. All that Birthright stuff wouldn't happen for a long time.

But Jacob was wiser.

He knew one day tomorrow would come. If he had the Birthright, one day he would become the head of the household.

"Give me your Birthright, and I will give you some stew," Jacob said again, as he slurped on a steaming spoonful himself.

"All right! All right!" Esau said, "You can have my Birthright. What good will it be to me if I starve to death!" Not that he would have starved to death. He was just hungry.

"Do you promise?" Jacob said.

"I promise!" Esau snapped.

"All right then," Jacob said, and he gave Esau what he wanted.

And so Esau gave away his Birthright for a bowl of soup and few pieces of bread.

That wasn't too smart.

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Isaac was old now.

He was bent over. The hair he had left on his head had turned white. And he could no longer see. He knew he would die soon.

And so he called his son Esau.

"Here I am," Esau answered.

"My son, before I die, I want you to take your bow and your arrows and go out hunting. When you come back, cook the meat you have caught. Make one of your delicious meals, the kind I like so much, and bring it to me. And then I will bless you."

Now, Rebekah just happened to hear all of this from the other room (the walls of tents aren't very thick!).

As soon as Esau left, Rebekah took Jacob by the arm and said to him, "Your father has sent Esau away to hunt. When Esau gets back, he is going to fix your father's favorite dinner, and your father is going to give him his blessing.

"Quick! Do what I say! Go out into the fields and bring me two young goats, and I will make your father's favorite dinner from them. Bring it to him, and your father will think you are Esau, and he will bless you instead."

But Jacob said, "Esau is all hairy, and I am not! If my father feels me, he will know I am trying to trick him, and he will curse me instead of blessing me!"

"Let the curse be on me," Jacob's mother said, "Just do what I say."

And so Jacob did.

When Jacob had brought the two goats, Rebekah prepared a delicious meal. Then she took some of Esau's clothes and had Jacob put them on. She took the skins from the goats and put them on Jacob's arms and the back of his neck so that he would be hairy like his brother.

Wearing the disguise his mother had made, Jacob took the steaming hot meal in to his father.

"Who is there?" his father asked.

"It is your first born son Esau," Jacob said. "I have brought your favorite dinner, just like you asked."

"How did you do it so quickly?" his father asked.

"Your God was with me, and he gave me success," Jacob answered. "Eat, and then you can give me your blessing."

"You don't sound like Esau," Isaac said. "You sound like your brother Jacob. Come here. Let me touch you."

Isaac felt the fur on Jacob's neck and arms. And then he said, "The voice is Jacob's, but the arms are Esau's."

He was about to give his blessing when he asked again, "Are you really my son Esau?"

"Yes, I am," Jacob lied.

And so Isaac ate the meal he thought Esau had brought him. When he was finished he said, "Come here, my son, and kiss me, and then I will give you my blessing."

So Jacob came near his father and kissed him. Isaac could smell the smell of Esau's clothes, and so he said,

"The smell of my son is like the smell
of open country the Lord has blessed.
May God give you the dew of heaven,
and the richness of the earth,
corn and new wine in plenty!
Let nations and peoples serve you.
May you rule over your brothers,
and may they bow down to you.
Let anyone who curses you be cursed,
but blessed be anyone who blesses you!"

And so Isaac gave Jacob his blessing.

But he thought it was Esau.

Jacob had barely left when his brother Esau came in from his hunting. He fixed his father's favorite meal, just as his father had asked him to. He brought it in to him, so that he could get his blessing.

"Who are you?" his father asked.

"Why, I am your firstborn son Esau, of course!" Esau said.

All of a sudden Isaac began to shake terribly. He knew he had been tricked. "Then who was just here? Who brought me my favorite meal, the one that I just ate? I gave him the blessing. and I can't take it back!"

Esau knew right away who it was.

He cried out a terrible cry.

"Bless me also!" he pleaded.

"I can't," Isaac said, "Your brother has tricked me, and he has stolen your blessing."

Esau cried out again.

"You named him right when you named him Jacob," Esau cried ('Jacob' sounds like their word for 'cheat'). "He has cheated me twice. First he took my birthright, and now he has stolen my blessing!" Now he knew how valuable his father's blessings were - but it was too late.

"You must have a blessing for me," he said to his father.

Isaac said, "I have already made you your brother's servant. I have given him the corn and new wine of our fields. What do I have left to give to you?"

Esau fell to his knees. "Is there nothing left for me?" he cried out.

Then his father said to him,

"You will not have the richness of the earth,
The dew from heaven won't be given to you.
You will have to live by taking,
and you will serve your brother.
But one day you will break free."


From that day on Esau hated his brother Jacob. "One day, my father will die," he said, "And then I will kill my brother Jacob!"

Esau's words got back to Rebekah, and so she sent her son Jacob to run for his life. "I can't lose both my sons in one day," she said.

What a mess we make when we lie and cheat.

Jacob did lie, and he cheated his brother. But, still, God didn't leave him. God knows our weakness, and he is forgiving. He accomplishes his good and wonderful plans through us, even when we mess things up.

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you can find the rest here:
http://www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible26.html

and here:
http://www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible27.html

and here:
http://www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible29.html

and here:
http://www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible32.html

and here:
http://www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible34.html

and here:
http://www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible35.html

and finally here:
http://www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible36.html

[Consigliere5]

Jacob and Esau Bible Story Puzzled Over by Puzzled Lost Fans
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1747152/jacob_and_esau_bible_story_puzzled.html

Jacob and Esau is a classic Bible story, detailing how Jacob and Esau are two brothers fighting for their birthright. But for Lost, Jacob and Esau are just two more Bible references to make, and another story of literature to parallel. Jacob's significance on Lost has been speculated for three seasons, as the God-like, unseen leader of the Others. But Jacob was not alone on the island, as the Lost season finale proved. Now, the story of Jacob and Esau may be our only clues for nine months as to who is impersonating the late John Locke.

The Lost season finale didn't begin in 1977 or 2007, but possible in the mid 1800's - when the Black Rock slave ship arrived and the four toed statue was still standing. This event was marked by two men having a typically cryptic conversation - with the one in the white shirt revealed as the long awaited Jacob.

The second man, wearing a black shirt and played by Deadwood actor Titus Welliver, was never revealed by name. All we learned of him was that he has a dim view of humanity, and he wants to find a loophole to kill Jacob. And in the end of the season finale, Lost provided its biggest shock of the night by revealing he had.

The strange, resurrected John Locke was not resurrected - but in fact, was being impersonated by Jacob's long thyme nemesis. And this unknown man had manipulated Ben Linus all throughout the last few weeks to finally kill Jacob, which he appeared to accomplish.

In the desperate search for clues as to who this shape shifting, vengeful, possibly villainous figure is, Lost fans have searched the Bible story of Jacob and Esau. In the Bible, Jacob is a quiet, intelligent, crafty being, much like Lost's Jacob.

Esau, on the other hand, is an impulsive hunter and gatherer who blames Jacob for stealing his birthright. So Esau tries to get one up on Jacob and take power over him, perhaps like the mystery man did to Lost's Jacob last night.

But the lesson of Jacob and Esau is that it was a battle between two strong, flawed would-be leaders that had to combine their strengths to overcome their weaknesses - a common theme of Lost. Good and evil was often at a blur, as is always the case on Lost. Jacob was the chosen son, but Esau was always lurking behind the scenes - just like the Esau stand in on Lost seems to have always been lurking.

With Jacob's unnamed rival getting a decisive win in the Lost season finale, fans have nine months of Bible studying to figure out if Jacob can rise again. As if this season, with its constant Jesus and religious parallels, didn't drive enough Lost fans to study the Bible when not studying physics.

LOST - Season 5 Finale - Opening Scene (Jacob)

Jacob and Esau and the Emergence of the Jewish People
http://www.jcpa.org/dje/articles/jacob-esau.htm

[Consigliere5]

darn.... i guess Titus Welliver's face isn't as hairy as i had remembered...

never mind...

[TinkTanker]

Thanks for al the info, very much appreciated.

[Spooky]

Great article at BH on LOST.

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bshapiro/2009/05/15/what-happens-next-on-lost/