Genesis 25:27

וַֽיִּגְדְּלוּ הַנְּעָרִים וַיְהִי עֵשָׂו אִישׁ יֹדֵעַ צַיִד אִישׁ שָׂדֶה וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם יֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִֽים׃

✦ Hebrew interlinear

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✦ The same verse in five languages

Hebrew

וַֽיִּגְדְּלוּ֙ הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וַיְהִ֣י עֵשָׂ֗ו אִ֛ישׁ יֹדֵ֥עַ צַ֖יִד אִ֣ישׁ שָׂדֶ֑ה וְיַעֲקֹב֙ אִ֣ישׁ תָּ֔ם יֹשֵׁ֖ב אֹהָלִֽים׃

Greek (Septuagint)

ηὐξήθησαν δὲ οἱ νεανίσκοι. καὶ ἦν Ἠσαὺ ἄνθρωπος εἰδὼς κυνηγεῖν, ἄγροικος· Ἰακὼβ δὲ ἦν ἄνθρωπος ἄπλαστος, οἰκῶν οἰκίαν.

Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0

Latin (Vulgate)

Quibus adultis, factus est Esau vir gnarus venandi, et homo agricola: Jacob autem vir simplex habitabat in tabernaculis.

Spanish

Los niños crecieron. Esaú se convirtió en un hábil cazador, un hombre de campo, mientras que Jacob era un hombre tranquilo que prefería quedarse en las tiendas.

Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)

Y crecieron los niños, y Esaú fué diestro en la caza, hombre del campo: Jacob empero era varón quieto, que habitaba en tiendas.

English

When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.

✦ What the text says

Summary

Genesis 25:27 describes the growth of the two boys, Esau and Jacob, and characterizes each with contrasting descriptions: Esau as a skilled hunter and man of the open field, Jacob as a quiet man who dwelt in tents.

Key words

va-yig'delu ("and they grew up", H1431) — qal narrative verb, plural, marking the sequential action that opens the verse and moves the story forward in time.
yode'a ("knowing/skilled", H3045) — qal participle, masculine singular, describing Esau's ongoing characteristic trait (one who habitually knows/practices hunting) rather than a single completed action.
tzayid ("hunting/game", H6718A) — masculine singular noun, the object of Esau's skill, forming the construct-like phrase "a man knowing hunting."
tam ("quiet/complete/simple", H8535) — masculine singular adjective describing Jacob, contrasting with Esau's description.
yoshev ("dwelling", H3427) — qal participle, masculine singular, describing Jacob's habitual state of dwelling, paired with ohalim ("tents", H0168G).

What the text says

The verse opens with two narrative verbs in sequence: va-yig'delu ("and they grew up", H1431) referring to both boys together, followed by va-yehi ("and he was", H1961) which shifts focus to Esau specifically. The description of Esau uses two parallel construct-like phrases: ish yode'a tzayid ("a man knowing hunting") and ish sadeh ("a man of the field", H7704G). Both phrases use ish ("man", H0376G) as their head noun, creating a repetitive structure that emphasizes Esau's identity through two angles — his skill and his domain.

Jacob's description mirrors this structure with ish tam ("a man quiet/complete", H8535) followed by a participial phrase yoshev ohalim ("dwelling [in] tents"). The participle yoshev (H3427) indicates a continuous or habitual state, paralleling yode'a (H3045) used for Esau. The Hebrew syntax thus builds a symmetrical contrast between the brothers using matching grammatical patterns — noun ish plus participle plus noun — for both descriptions.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders tam (H8535) as aplastos ("unformed" or "guileless"), and translates yoshev ohalim ("dwelling tents") as oikōn oikian ("dwelling in a house"), using singular "house" rather than the Hebrew plural "tents." The Vulgate renders ish sadeh ("man of the field") as "homo agricola" ("a farming man"), which shifts the sense from the Hebrew's more general "man of the open country" toward agricultural activity. The Vulgate keeps "tabernaculis" ("tents") closer to the Hebrew plural ohalim (H0168G), unlike the LXX's singular "house."

This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.