Jacob

Jacob was the third great patriarch of Israel, son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the father of the twelve sons who became the ancestors of the twelve tribes. Born grasping the heel of his twin brother Esau, his name means 'supplanter,' a reflection of his character as a cunning negotiator who obtained Esau's birthright and blessing (Genesis 25, 27). After a twenty-year sojourn in Paddan-Aram under Laban, he returned to Canaan and at the Jabbok ford wrestled with a divine figure who renamed him Israel ('he struggles with God'), marking a spiritual transformation (Genesis 32:22–32). His twelve sons—especially Judah and Joseph—are pivotal figures in the subsequent history of Israel.