n.
Hebrew patriarch , son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham , and the traditional ancestor of the people of Israel.
His story is told in the Book of Genesis . The younger twin brother of Esau, he used trickery to gain Isaac's blessing and Esau's birthright. On a journey to Canaan he wrestled all night with an angel, who blessed him and gave him the name Israel. Jacob had 13 children, 10 of whom founded tribes of Israel . His favorite son, Joseph , was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers, but the family was later reunited when a famine forced the brothers to go to Egypt to seek grain.