Cain and Abel were the first example of sibling rivalry in the Bible. That relationship ended tragically with the first murder. Some believe Cain and Abel were twins.
The rivalry of Esau and Jacob will have dire consequences too.
There are several sets of twins mentioned in the Bible. Soon we will meet Perez and Zerah (Genesis 38:12-30). From Perez would come the family of David (Ruth 4:18-22).
There is good reason to believe Ephraim and Manasseh were twins. Although not specifically stated, they were both born “before the year of famine came” (Genesis 41:50). Two conceptions are not mentioned in the text. If they were twins they fit into the pattern seen in the lives of Isaac and Judah: the younger twin inheriting the birthright, just as the younger Ephraim was blessed first by Jacob (Genesis 48:19).
And then there was Thomas the Twin in the New Testament. His surname was Didymus (John 11:16; 20:24; 21:2), meaning “double,” or “twofold.”
Genesis 25:22-38 NKJV
Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Blessings, Cecilia
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