Questions
What Do Jacob, Esau, and David Tell Us About Biblical Masculinity?
Summary: They tell us Scripture is not particularly interested in masculinity as a category. Esau was the hairy hunter and Jacob the smooth tent-dweller, but the covenant narrative commends neither as “manlier”; David played the lyre and killed Goliath, but the text treats both as theological signs, not as a balanced masculine ideal.
Esau was a skilled hunter, hairy, and physically imposing. Jacob was a “quiet” (see question 4 on tam) man who dwelt in tents, smooth-skinned, and apparently less threatening physically. By most cultural measures, Esau would be identified as the more masculine figure. And yet the narrative does not commend Esau’s masculinity or critique Jacob’s softness. It follows the logic of the covenant, in which God’s election operates by its own criteria, not by cultural notions of strength or virility.
David presents a similar pattern. He plays the lyre, an instrument of delicacy and sensitivity, and kills Goliath with a sling. From a cultural perspective, playing the lyre might be considered “feminine” and killing a giant “masculine.” But the narrative is not mapping out a balanced masculinity. The lyre positions David in relation to Saul, underscoring the contrast between the rejected king and the Lord’s anointed. The Goliath episode demonstrates that the Lord gives the victory, not the strength of the warrior.
The consistent pattern across biblical narratives is that male characters are evaluated in terms of their relationship to God, their willingness to obey even if that requires suffering, and their love and compassion for others. When we read certain characteristics as evidence for a biblical theology of masculinity, we are importing a category the text is not using.
Christians who appeal to biblical figures to construct a theology of masculinity have a more difficult exegetical task than they typically acknowledge. The figures are there, but it isn’t clear how one would go about distinguishing a masculine act from a faithful one. For instance, can we distinguish Deborah from any of the other judges based on anything but her sex? Does she somehow judge in a feminine manner? It isn’t clear that we can. She judges in a way similar to certain other male judges. Her situation is unique, but nothing in the narrative suggests that she judged in a feminine way.
Key Takeaways: Biblical Figures and Masculinity
- Jacob and Esau: Esau is hairy and hunts; Jacob is tam (quiet/blameless) and dwells in tents—yet the covenant narrative commends Jacob, not the “more masculine” brother.
- David’s Dual Portrait: The lyre and the sling serve theological purposes (contrast with Saul; the Lord gives victory), not a template of balanced masculinity.
- The Deborah Test: Deborah judges in ways comparable to male judges; no masculine/feminine judicial style is distinguishable in the text.
- The “So What”: Constructing a theology of masculinity from biblical figures requires a distinction—between masculine acts and faithful ones—that the text itself does not support.
About the Author — James Spencer, PhD, is a theologian, author, and host of the Thinking Christian podcast, where he writes and speaks on Christian formation, political theology, and technology. He holds a PhD in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and completed the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He serves as President of the D.L. Moody Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, as adjunct faculty in Wheaton College’s MA in Leadership program, and as an Associate Research Fellow at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Christianity.com, and Sojourners; he has been quoted in The Telegraph; and he is a regular guest on Stand in the Gap Today with the American Pastors Network. His forthcoming book is Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press, Fall 2026). Learn more at jamesgspencer.com.