ESAREIAD'DON was the son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Nothing is known, positively, concerning him until his accession to the throne after the murder of his father by two other sons. The length of his reign cannot be determined, but the number of his military expeditions and the extent of his architectural works show that it must have continued many years. The order in which its principal events occurred is not known. He reigned personally at Babylon as well as Nineveh, having palaces at both cities and residing alternately in each. This fact explains and justifies the Scripture statement that Manasseh, king of Judah, when taken captive, was brought before the king of Assyria at Babylon. The monuments indicate that E. was one of the mightiest of the Assyrian kings. He conquered all Asia between the Persian gulf, the Armenian moun tains, and the Mediterranean sea. On the w., his influence extended over Cilicia and Cyprus; on the e., he made war against tribes which his fathers had not known; and on the s., asserted authority over Egypt and Ethiopia. lie built numerous temples that shone with silver and gold, and palaces that surpassed in magnificence those of his pre decessors. The s.w. palace at Nimurud, built by him, was of extraordinary size, its great hall being 220 ft. by 100, and its porch 160 ft. by 00. It was adorned with the usual array of winged bulls, colossal sphinxes, and sculptured slabs of alabaster. When first uncovered it was apparently in a good state of preservation, but it was soon evident that fire had raged through it, splitting and calcining the alabaster slabs, which consequently crumbled to dust when exposed to the air. In his unfinished palace at Calalm the slabs around the rooms were smoothed in readiness for the inscription, but when they were turned, in order to be carried away, their backs were found to be sculptured, showing that they had been taken from an older building, and that E., having consigned to
oblivion the records of a former reign, was preparing to celebrate his own exploits on the reversed sides of the slabs.
E'SAIT ("hairy" or "rough"), the eldest son of Isaac, and of Jacob. As E. grew up, he became " a man of the field," a cunning hunter, and his father's favorite. He seems to have been a wild, rough, hearty Bedouin, or son of the desert, thinking nothing of to-morrow, but living with joyous carelessness from day to day. This is apparent from the manner in which he allowed Jacob to defraud him of his birthright, although it carried with it, besides many temporal advantages, the Covenant-blessing itself. After this transaction, E., when 40 years of age, married two Canaanitish women, " which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah" (Gen. xxvi. 35). Then follows the narrative of Jacob's personation of his brother, and his securing irrevocably the blessing to himself. E. now swore to kill his brother, whereupon Rebekah sent Jacob to his uncle Laban in Padanaram. E. next married his cousin Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael; and appears to have established himself in his wife's country, to the s. of Palestine, in Mt. Seir. Here he lived probably as a predatory chief. When Jacob was returning from Padanaram, E. encountered him with 400 of his Bedouins. The meeting was a touching one. The wild borderer at least was in earnest. " Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell ou his neck, and kissed him" (Gen. xxxiii. 4). His anger had long died out. E. next appears at the burial of his father Isaac, whom he seems to have loved with the warm and simple affection of a child of nature, and having obtained his share of the property, " went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob" (Gen. xxxvi. 6). From E. the region of Mt. Seir took the name of Edom (q.v.), and his posterity are generally called Edomites.