What is "jacob"

Jacob \Ja"cob\, n. [Cf. F. Jacob. See 2d Jack.] A Hebrew patriarch (son of Isaac, and ancestor of the Jews), who in a vision saw a ladder reaching up to heaven (--Gen. xxviii. 12); -- also called Israel. And Jacob said . . . with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. --Gen. xxxii. 9, 10. Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel. --Gen. xxxii. 28. Jacob's ladder.

1. (Bot.) A perennial herb of the genus Polemonium ( Polemonium c[oe]ruleum), having corymbs of drooping flowers, usually blue. Gray.

2. (Naut.) A rope ladder, with wooden steps, for going aloft.
   --R. H. Dana, Jr.

3. (Naut.) A succession of short cracks in a defective spar. Jacob's membrane. See Retina. Jacob's staff.

   1. A name given to many forms of staff or weapon, especially in the Middle Ages; a pilgrim's staff. [Obs.]
      --Spenser.

   2. (Surveying) See under Staff.

masc. proper name, name of Old Testament patriarch, son of Isaac and Rebecca and father of the founders of the twelve tribes, from Late Latin Iacobus, from Greek Iakobos, from Hebrew Ya'aqobh, literally "one that takes by the heel" (Gen. xxviii:12), a derivative of 'aqebh "heel." The most popular name for boys born in the U.S. from 1999 through 2008. Jacob's ladder, in various transferred uses from 1733, is from Gen. xxviii:12.

n. 1 One of the sons of Isaac and Rebecca, and twin brother of Esau; father of the Israelites. 2 (given name male from=Hebrew). 3 A breed of multihorned sheep.

Jacob, later given the name Israel, is regarded as a Patriarch of the Israelites. According to the Book of Genesis, Jacob (; Standard ) was the third Hebrew progenitor with whom God made a covenant. He is the son of Isaac and Rebecca, the grandson of Abraham, Sarah and of Bethuel, and the younger twin brother of Esau. Jacob had twelve sons and at least one daughter, by his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and by their handmaidens Bilhah and Zilpah.

Jacob's twelve sons, named in Genesis, were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. His only daughter mentioned in Genesis is Dinah. The twelve sons became the progenitors of the " Tribes of Israel".

As a result of a severe drought in Canaan, Jacob and his sons moved to Egypt at the time when his son Joseph was viceroy. After 17 years in Egypt, Jacob died and Joseph carried Jacob's remains to the land of Canaan, and gave him a stately burial in the same Cave of Machpelah as were buried Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, and Jacob's first wife, Leah.

Jacob is mentioned in a number of sacred scriptures, including the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Talmud, the Quran, the Book of Mormon and Bahá'í scripture.

According to the Book of Mormon, Jacob (; , Standard Yaʿakov) was a younger brother of the prophet Nephi, the keeper of the small plates of Nephi after Nephi's death, and is considered to be the author of the Book of Jacob.

Jacob was a patriarch of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions.

Jacob may also refer to:

• Jow (unit), an obsolete unit of length in India
• Jacob (sheep), a rare breed of black and white spotted, multi-horned sheep
• Book of Jacob (Mormon)
• Jacob (clothing retailer), a Canadian clothing store chain

Jacob is a German/ Italian/ American television movie from 1994, based on the novel Giacobbe by Francesco Maria Nappi, which is in turn based on a biblical account from the Book of Genesis about Jacob.

Jacob is a surname, ultimately from the Biblical figure Jacob. Jakob is the German form of the name.

For the meaning of the name, see Jacob (name).

Jacob (formally known as Boutique Jacob, Inc) is a private five store Canadian chain of women's and girls' clothing store chain based out of Montreal, Quebec. At its peak, Jacob once had over 200 stores all over Canada, usually in malls. In addition to its main brand Jacob, the company operated under the banners Jacob Connexion, Jacob Lingerie, Josef and Danz.

The company was founded in 1977 by its current president Jacob Basmaji. The original store opened in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec and still operates. The first store outside of Quebec was opened in Toronto in 1985. Jacob opened its first US store (in Cambridge, Massachusetts) circa 2000.

Jacob's flagship store is at the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Drummond streets in downtown Montreal.

Stores were shuttered in 2014 and online site ceased operating in 2015. In April 2015 the online site has been restarted offering only their fragrance and plans to open a few stores in Quebec only. Jacob emerged from bankruptcy and will now be operating six stores chainwide, all of which are located in the province of Quebec. Among these five stores is the original 1977 Sorel store and another store in Old Quebec. The other three are all located in Montreal (which includes, among others, the downtown flagship store and another one at Galeries d'Anjou).

Jacob is a common male first name and a less well-known surname. From 1999 through 2012, Jacob has been the most popular baby name for boys in the United States. It is a cognate of James. Jacob is derived from Late Latin Iacobus, from Greek Iakobos, from Hebrew (Yaʿqob, Yaʿaqov, '' Yaʿăqōḇ''), the name of the Hebrew patriarch, Jacob son of Isaac and Rebecca. The name comes either from the Hebrew root ʿqb meaning "to follow, to be behind" but also "to supplant, circumvent, assail, overreach", or from the word for "heel", ʿaqeb.

In the narrative of Genesis, it refers to the circumstances of Jacob's birth when he held on to the heel of his older twin brother Esau (Genesis 25:26). The name is etymologized (in direct speech by the character Esau) in Genesis 27:36, adding the significance of Jacob having "supplanted" his elder brother by buying his birthright.

In a Christian context, Jacob – James as reduced English form – is the name for several people in the New Testament: (1) apostle James, son of Zebedee, (2) another apostle James, son of Alphaeus, and (3) James the Just, who led the original Messianic Community in Jerusalem.

Since Jacob is also venerated as a Prophet of Islam, his name is commonly used as a male first name in Arab and Muslim societies (Arabic Yakub, Turkish Yakup).

In modern English language, the term Jacobite refers to a follower of Jacobitism, the political movement dedicated to the return of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Jacob (Iacob in Latin) is a fictional character of the ABC television series Lost played by Mark Pellegrino. He was first mentioned as the true leader of the Others by Ben Linus and was described as a "great man" that was also "brilliant", "powerful" and "unforgiving". He made his first appearance in the Season 5 finale " The Incident". He was killed in this episode, but continued to appear as a ghost, as well as in flashbacks in the episodes " Ab Aeterno" and " Across the Sea". Being an unseen character for much of the series, he caused all the events that take place, starting from the plane crash right to the end, in response to a conflict with his nemesis and brother, The Man in Black. Jacob has been the guardian and protector of the island for a very long time and has been referred to as "the man in charge." In some of his appearances, Jacob has exhibited supernatural powers such as having immortality, healing, omniscience, and changing peoples' destiny to suit his goals. Due to these powers, he has had a considerable influence on the lives of several main characters including Jack Shephard, Kate Austen, John Locke, James "Sawyer" Ford and Hugo "Hurley" Reyes.