kids encyclopedia robot

Jacob facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Jacob
Rembrandt - Jacob Wrestling with the Angel - Google Art Project.jpg
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, by Rembrandt
Personal
Born Canaan
Died New Kingdom of Egypt
Children 12 sons (Twelve Tribes of Israel)
Dinah (only daughter)
Parents Isaac and Rebecca
Relatives Abraham (grandfather)
Sarah (grandmother)
Ishmael (uncle)
Esau (twin brother)
Rachel (cousin, wife)
Leah (cousin, wife)

Jacob is a figure in the Abrahamic religions. He was a patriarch of the Hebrew people, as told in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an. He was the ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his children.

Jacob had an older brother, Esau. His mother was named Rebecca and his father named Isaac. Jacob had twelve sons and at least one daughter.

Near Luz en route to Haran, Jacob experienced a vision of a ladder, or staircase, reaching into heaven with angels going up and down it, commonly referred to as "Jacob's ladder". He heard the voice of God, who repeated many of the blessings upon him, coming from the top of the ladder.

As a result of a severe drought in Canaan, Jacob and his sons moved to Egypt at the time when his son Joseph was viceroy. After 17 years in Egypt, Jacob died, and the length of Jacob's life was 147 years. Joseph carried Jacob's remains to the land of Canaan, and gave him a stately burial in the same Cave of Machpelah.

Jacob is mentioned in a number of sacred scriptures, including the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament, the Quran, hadith, and the Book of Mormon. The biblical account of the life of Jacob is found in the Book of Genesis, chapters 25–50.

Images for kids

  • ACU Jacobs Dream artwork

    Jacob's Dream statue and display on the campus of Abilene Christian University

  • Abraham - Isaac - Jacob - Judah by Michelangelo Buonarroti

    Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah by Michelangelo Buonarroti, Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

  • JacobBirthright

    Jacob offering a bowl of stew to Esau for his birthright, 18th-century painting by Zacarias Gonzalez Velazquez

  • Govert Flinck - Isaac Blessing Jacob - WGA07930

    An elderly Isaac blessing Jacob, oil on canvas by Govert Flinck, 1638

  • Blake jacobsladder

    Jacob's Dream by William Blake (c. 1800, British Museum, London)

  • Rachel WilliamDyce

    Rachel and Jacob by William Dyce

  • Francesco Hayez 061

    Esau and Jacob reconcile (1844) by Francesco Hayez

  • Metz Der Tod Rahels

    The death of Rachel after the birth of Benjamin (c. 1847) by Gustav Ferdinand Metz

  • Giovanni Andrea de Ferrari - 'Joseph's Coat Brought to Jacob', oil on canvas, c. 1640, El Paso Museum of Art

    Joseph's Coat Brought to Jacob by Giovanni Andrea de Ferrari, c. 1640

  • Tissot Joseph and His Brethren Welcomed by Pharaoh

    House of Israel welcomed by Pharaoh, watercolor by James Tissot (c. 1900)

  • Joseph with his father Jacob and brothers in Egypt

    Joseph with his father Jacob and brothers in Egypt

  • Jacob with Ephraim and Manasseh

    Jacob blessing Ephraim and Manasseh

  • Jacob's funeral procession

    Jacob's funeral procession

  • Cenotaph of Jacob

    Cenotaph of Jacob, Cave of the Patriarchs

Women's History Month on Kiddle
Women Scientists of Antiquity
Hypatia
Agnodice
Aglaonice
Mary the Jewess
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Jacob Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.