And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
The boys grew - from the first opposite to each other in character, manners, and habits.
A cunning hunter - i:e., skillful, well versant in all the arts and wiles by which the prey might be entangled and subdued.
A man of the field - i:e., loving to roam about; leading a roving, unsettled mode of life.
Jacob was a plain man, [Hebrew, taam (H8535)] - used hero to describe the mild, peaceful disposition of Jacob, in contrast to the wild, reckless, violent character of his brother. But the word, in a moral sense, denotes uprightness, integrity, perfection: and although Jacob was very far from being a perfect man, 'the term,' as Gerlach suggests, 'may have reference to his relation to God. In the more quiet life of a herdsman he walks before God, and lives in his service, and in faith on His promises; while Esau, in his wild hunter's life, cared only for this world.'
Dwelling in tents - i:e., leading a nomadic life as a shepherd: his pursuits were sober, his deportment grave and thoughtful, and his turn of mind domestic.