Red-headed people account for one to two percent of the human population. They have often been characterized as having fiery tempers to go along with their red hair. It makes for a great Bible trivia question. How many people had red hair in the Bible?
Two men in the Bible are believed to have had red hair. One was Esau, the other was King David. With one we can be fairly certain of his hair color, the other one it’s not so clear.
Red and Hairy Esau
(Genesis 25:25) the first baby was covered with red hair, so he was named Esau. (Contemporary English Version)
Esau was the older twin brother of Jacob. This son of Isaac and Rebekah certainly could have been called hot-headed at one point in his life, although it was a result of his own doing.
First Esau traded his birthright to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29-33). He then ends up losing the blessings of their father to his younger and deceitful brother. All of this leads Esau to make a vow that he would kill Jacob after the death of their father (Genesis 27:41). This does sound like a bit of a red-headed temper tantrum, although in the end he never follows through with his intentions of killing his sibling.
Was David A Red Haired King?
(1 Samuel 16:12) So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”
While many people believe David had red hair, it is not clear from the scriptures as to whether he actually was a carrot top. Many versions of the Bible use the word “ruddy” in the verse above to describe David. Some commentators believe the Hebrew word “ruddy” is translated to mean he had red hair. However, others think it is referring to his complexion. Either way, we can’t say with certainty that King David could be accused of being hot-tempered just because he had red hair.
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