Jacob Supplanted Esau. Jacob has been much maligned because of Esau’s referring to Jacob as having supplanted him. That is the Myth because the Hebrew text does not say Jacob supplanted Esau. How come some new translations still have supplant? That is tradition from the Latin text, with the translators not going by the Hebrew. The correct translation of the Hebrew is literally “Jacob outwitted Esau.” Genesis 27:36. And he said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has outwitted me these two times: he took away my birthright and, behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” The Hebrew word translated Outwitted is Yak’veni, from the same root as the word Jacob. (See Yak’veni under Words.)