The name Jacob comes to us from Hebrew, where it is the name of the patriarch יעקב (yaʿaqov, pronounced ya-ah-KOHV). The name comes from the Hebrew verb עקב (ʿaqav), which means "to betray, trick," but literally means "to follow/seize at the heel," as the Hebrew noun of the same spelling, עקב (ʿaqev) means "heel" (cf. Gen. 3:15). He was given this name since Genesis 25:26 says he was holding on to his twin brother Esau’s heel at birth. This perhaps foreshadows Jacob's personality as a "trickster," who deceives his brother out of his birthright (cf. Genesis 25:29–34; 27:1–46), and as a wrestler who will even wrestle with God, forcing him to bless him and change his name to Israel (ישׂראל, yisraʾel), which means "to struggle/contend with God" (Genesis 32:24–33).