Misplaced Pages

#620379

88-446: Patriarch Jacob may refer to: Jacob , one of the biblical Patriarchs Patriarch Jacob of Alexandria Patriarch Jacob I, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch in 1141–1151 Patriarch Jacob II , Maronite Patriarch of Antioch in 1277–1278 Patriarch Jacob III , Maronite Patriarch of Antioch in 1445–1468 Patriarch Jacob IV , Maronite Patriarch of Antioch in 1705–1733 Topics referred to by

176-471: A few days, for the love he had for her." When they were complete and he was 84 years old he asked for his wife, but Laban deceived him by switching Rachel for her older sister, Leah , as the veiled bride. In the morning, when the truth became known, Laban justified his action, saying that in his country it was unheard of to give a younger daughter before the older. However, he agreed to give Rachel in marriage as well if Jacob would work another seven years. After

264-425: A hairy garment, and his heel was grasped by the hand of Jacob, the secondborn. According to Genesis 25, Isaac and Rebecca named the first son Esau ( Hebrew : עשו ). The second son they named Jacob (Hebrew: יעקב, Ya'aqob or Ya'aqov, meaning "heel-catcher", "supplanter", "leg-puller", "he who follows upon the heels of one", from Hebrew: עקב , ' aqab or ' aqav , "seize by the heel", "circumvent", "restrain",

352-542: A house of idolatry , Esau would agitate to come out. Twelve Tribes of Israel Jacob, later called Israel, was the second-born son of Isaac and Rebecca , the younger twin brother of Esau , and the grandson of Abraham and Sarah . According to biblical texts, he was chosen by God to be the patriarch of the Israelite nation. From what is known of Jacob, he had two wives, sisters Leah and Rachel , and two concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah . The twelve sons form

440-434: A kind of theomachy ." In the morning, Jacob assembled his four wives and 11 sons, placing the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. Some commentators cite this placement as proof that Jacob continued to favor Joseph over Leah's children, as presumably the rear position would have been safer from a frontal assault by Esau, which Jacob feared. Jacob himself took

528-587: A list of the twelve tribes. However, the Tribe of Dan is omitted while Joseph is mentioned alongside Manasseh . In the vision of the Heavenly Jerusalem , the tribes' names (the names of the twelve sons of Jacob ) are written on the city gates ( Ezekiel 48:30–35 & Revelation 21:12–13 ). In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a patriarchal blessing usually contains a declaration of

616-488: A local girl from the idol-worshipping families of Canaan (as Esau had done). After Isaac sent Jacob away to find a wife, Esau realized his own Canaanite wives were evil in his father's eyes and so he took a daughter of Isaac's half-brother, Ishmael , as another wife. Near Luz en route to Haran, Jacob experienced a vision of a ladder, or staircase, reaching into heaven with angels going up and down it, subsequently referred to in popular culture as " Jacob's ladder ." He heard

704-409: A mysterious being appeared ("man," Genesis 32:24, 28; or "God," Genesis 32:28, 30, Hosea 12:3, 5; or "angel," Hosea 12:4), and the two wrestled until daybreak. When the being saw that he did not overpower Jacob, he touched Jacob on the sinew of his thigh (the gid hanasheh , גיד הנשה), and, as a result, Jacob developed a limp (Genesis 32:31). Because of this, "to this day the people of Israel do not eat

792-615: A number of daughters, but no details are provided. Only one daughter, Dinah , is known by name. In addition, Jacob also adopted the two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim . The offspring of Jacob's sons became the tribes of Israel following the Exodus , when the Israelites conquered and settled in the Land of Israel . There are two opinions in the Midrash as to how old Rebecca

880-506: A parcel of land, now identified as Joseph's Tomb . In Shechem, Jacob's daughter Dinah was kidnapped and raped by the ruler's son, who desired to marry the girl. Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, agreed in Jacob's name to permit the marriage as long as all the men of Shechem first circumcised themselves, ostensibly to unite the children of Jacob in Abraham's covenant of familial harmony. On

968-513: A position to tell the Egyptians all about their family. When the sons of Israel opened their sacks, they saw their money that they used to pay for the grain. It was still in their possession, and so they all became afraid. Israel then became angry with the loss of Joseph, Simeon, and now possibly Benjamin. It turned out that Joseph, who identified his brothers in Egypt, was able to secretly return

SECTION 10

#1732765720621

1056-627: A prince"). While he is still called Jacob in later texts, his name Israel makes some consider him the eponymous ancestor of the Israelites . Jacob asked the being's name, but he refused to answer. Afterwards, Jacob named the place Penuel ( Penuw'el , Peniy'el , meaning "face of God"), saying: "I have seen God face to face and lived." Because the terminology is ambiguous ( "el" in Yisra'el ) and inconsistent, and because this being refused to reveal his name, there are varying views as to whether he

1144-630: A severe drought in his homeland of Canaan , Jacob and his descendants, with the help of his son Joseph (who had become a confidant of the pharaoh ), moved to Egypt where Jacob died at the age of 147. He is supposed to have been buried in the Cave of Machpelah . Jacob had twelve sons through four women: his wives (and cousins), Leah and Rachel , and his concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah . His sons were, in order of their birth: Reuben , Simeon , Levi , Judah , Dan , Naphtali , Gad , Asher , Issachar , Zebulun , Joseph, and Benjamin , all of whom became

1232-492: A tribe. The sons of Jacob were born in Padan-aram from different mothers, as follows: Deuteronomy 27:12–13 lists the twelve tribes: Jacob elevated the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh (the two sons of Joseph and his Egyptian wife Asenath ) to the status of full tribes in their own right due to Joseph receiving a double portion after Reuben lost his birth right because of his transgression with Bilhah. In

1320-487: A well where shepherds were gathering their flocks to water them and met Laban 's younger daughter, Rachel , Jacob's first cousin ; she was working as a shepherdess. Jacob was 77 years old, and he loved Rachel immediately. After spending a month with his relatives he asked for her hand in marriage in return for working seven years for Laban the Aramean . Laban agreed to the arrangement. These seven years seemed to Jacob "but

1408-422: A wordplay upon Hebrew: עקבה , ' iqqebah or ' iqqbah , "heel"). The boys displayed very different natures as they matured: "... and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents". Moreover, the attitudes of their parents toward them also differed: "And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebecca loved Jacob." Genesis 25:29–34 tells

1496-568: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Jacob Jacob , later given the name Israel , is a patriarch regarded as the forefather of the Israelites , according to Abrahamic religions of Judaism , Christianity , and Islam . Jacob first appears in the Book of Genesis , originating from the Hebrew tradition in the Torah . Described as

1584-428: Is recorded earlier still, in c.  1800 BC , in cuneiform inscriptions (spelled ya-ah-qu-ub-el , ya-qu-ub-el ). The suggestion that the personal name may be shortened from this compound name, which would translate to "may El protect", originates with Bright (1960). Previously, scholars had tended to find the more straightforward meaning of Yaqub-El, "Jacob is god." The name Israel given to Jacob following

1672-434: Is widely known among all ancient peoples. Archaeology has found that many of these personal names of ancestors originally were the names of clans, tribes, localities, or nations. [...] if the names of the twelve tribes of Israel are those of mythological ancestors and not of historical persons, then many stories of the patriarchal and Mosaic age lose their historic validity. They may indeed partly reflect dim reminiscences of

1760-596: The teraphim , considered to be household idols , from Laban's house. Laban pursued Jacob for seven days. The night before he caught up to him, God appeared to Laban in a dream and warned him not to say anything good or bad to Jacob. When the two met, Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword?" He also asked for his stolen teraphim back. Knowing nothing about Rachel's theft, Jacob told Laban that whoever stole them should die and stood aside to let him search. When Laban reached Rachel's tent, she hid

1848-772: The Jordan River to Atad where they observed seven days of mourning. Their lamentation was so great that it caught the attention of surrounding Canaanites who remarked "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians." This spot was then named Abel Mizraim . Then they buried him in the cave of Machpelah , the property of Abraham when he bought it from the Hittite Ephron . Jacob, through his two wives and his two concubines had 12 biological sons; Reuben , Simeon , Levi , Judah , Dan , Naphtali , Gad , Asher , Issachar , Zebulun , Joseph and Benjamin . The scene of Jacob mourning Joseph makes mention of him having

SECTION 20

#1732765720621

1936-575: The Tribe of Levi ) are descendants of a single Levite ancestor who came to Europe from the Middle East roughly 1,750 years ago. The growth of this specific lineage aligns with the expansion patterns seen in other founding groups of Ashkenazi Jews. This means that a relatively small number of original ancestors have had a large impact on the genetic makeup of today's Ashkenazi population. Attributed arms are Western European coats of arms given retrospectively to persons real or fictitious who died before

2024-575: The folk etymology found in Genesis 25:26, the name Yaʿaqōv יעקב is derived from ʿaqev עָקֵב "heel", as Jacob was born grasping the heel of his twin brother Esau . The historical origin of the name is uncertain, although similar names have been recorded. Yaqub-Har is recorded as a place name in a list by Thutmose III (15th century BC), and later as the nomen of a Hyksos pharaoh. The hieroglyphs are ambiguous, and can be read as "Yaqub-Har", "Yaqubaal", or "Yaqub El". The same name

2112-409: The teraphim by sitting on them and stating she could not get up because she was menstruating . Jacob and Laban then parted from each other with a pact to preserve the peace between them near Gilead . Laban returned to his home and Jacob continued on his way. As Jacob neared the land of Canaan as he passed Mahanaim , he sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau. They returned with the news that Esau

2200-458: The 'period of the Judges' is widely considered doubtful. The extent to which a united Kingdom of Israel ever existed is also a matter of ongoing dispute. Living in exile in the sixth century BC, the prophet Ezekiel has a vision for the restoration of Israel, of a future in which the twelve tribes of Israel are living in their land again. According to Joshua 13–19 , the Land of Israel

2288-464: The Bible, the twelve tribes of Israel are sons of a man called Jacob or Israel, as Edom or Esau is the brother of Jacob, and Ishmael and Isaac are the sons of Abraham . Elam and Ashur , names of two ancient nations, are sons of a man called Shem . Sidon , a Phoenician town, is the first-born of Canaan ; the lands of Egypt and Abyssinia are the sons of Ham . This kind of mythological geography

2376-656: The Hebrews' tribal past, but in their specific detail they are fiction." Norman Gottwald argued that the division into twelve tribes originated as an administrative scheme under King David. Additionally, the Mesha Stele (carved c. 840 BCE) mentions Omri as King of Israel and also mentions "the men of Gad ". Recent studies of genetic markers within Jewish populations strongly suggest that modern Ashkenazi Levites ( Jewish males who claim patrilineal descent from

2464-476: The Israelite national founding myth : the number 12 was not a real number, but an ideal number, which had symbolic significance in Near Eastern cultures with duodecimal counting systems, from which, among other things, the modern 12-hour clock is derived. Biblical scholar Arthur Peake saw the tribes originating as postdiction , as eponymous metaphor giving an aetiology of the connectedness of

2552-537: The Lord , in a dream back during the breeding season, told Jacob "Now lift your eyes and see [that] all the he goats mounting the animals are ringed, speckled, and striped, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you", that he is the God whom Jacob met at Bethel, and that Jacob should leave and go back to the land where he was born, which he and his wives and children did without informing Laban. Before they left, Rachel stole

2640-628: The Sages, this was a prophetic reference to the End of Days, when Jacob's descendants will come to Mount Seir, the home of Edom, to deliver judgment against Esau's descendants for persecuting them throughout the millennia. Jacob actually diverted himself to Succoth and was not recorded as rejoining Esau until, at Machpelah , the two bury their father Isaac, who lived to be 180, and was 60 years older than they were. Jacob then arrived in Shechem , where he bought

2728-448: The account of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob. This passage tells that Esau, returning famished from the fields, begged Jacob to give him some of the stew that Jacob had just made. (Esau referred to the dish as "that same red pottage", giving rise to his nickname, Hebrew: אדום (' Edom , meaning "Red").) Jacob offered to give Esau a bowl of stew in exchange for his birthright, to which Esau agreed. As Isaac aged, he became blind and

Patriarch Jacob - Misplaced Pages Continue

2816-489: The angel representing the last exile, that of Edom , kept climbing higher and higher into the clouds. Jacob feared that his descendants would never be free of Esau's domination, but God assured him that at the End of Days, Edom too would come falling down. In the morning, Jacob awakened and continued on his way to Haran, after naming the place where he had spent the night " Bethel ", "God's house." Arriving in Haran, Jacob saw

2904-414: The basis for the twelve tribes of Israel, listed in the order from oldest to youngest: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Jacob was known to display favoritism among his children, particularly for Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of his favorite wife, Rachel, and so the tribes themselves were not treated equally in a divine sense. Joseph, despite being

2992-456: The best fruits of their land, including: balm , honey , spices, myrrh , pistachio nuts and almonds . Israel also mentioned that the money that was returned to their money sacks was probably a mistake or an oversight on their part. So, he told them to bring that money back and use double that amount to pay for the new grain. Lastly, he let Benjamin go with them and said "may God Almighty give you mercy... If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!" When

3080-496: The biblical narrative the period from the conquest of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua until the formation of the United Kingdom of Israel passed with the tribes forming a loose confederation, described in the Book of Judges . Modern scholarship has called into question the beginning, middle, and end of this picture and the account of the conquest under Joshua has largely been abandoned. The Bible's depiction of

3168-473: The caravans were to stop. They were directed to disembark at Goshen . It was here, after 22 years, that Jacob saw his son Joseph once again. They embraced each other and wept together for quite a while. Israel then said, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." The time had come for Joseph's family to personally meet the Pharaoh of Egypt. After Joseph prepared his family for

3256-606: The children in his household, he loved Rachel's firstborn son, Joseph, the most. Thus Joseph's half brothers were jealous of him and they ridiculed him often. Joseph even told his father about all of his half brothers' misdeeds. When Joseph was 17 years old, Jacob made a long coat or tunic of many colors for him. Seeing this, the half brothers began to hate Joseph. Then Joseph began to have dreams that implied that his family would bow down to him. When he told his brothers about such dreams, it drove them to conspire against him. When Jacob heard of these dreams, he rebuked his son for proposing

3344-481: The curse herself, then insisted that Jacob obey her. Jacob did as his mother instructed and, when he returned with the kids, Rebecca made the savory meat that Isaac loved. Before she sent Jacob to his father, she dressed him in Esau's garments and laid goatskins on his arms and neck to simulate hairy skin. Disguised as Esau, Jacob entered Isaac's room. Surprised that Esau was back so soon, Isaac asked how it could be that

3432-457: The death of Rebecca, Jacob's mother, is not explicitly recorded in the Bible, Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, died and was buried at Bethel, at a place that Jacob calls Allon Bachuth (אלון בכות), "Oak of Weepings" (Genesis 35:8). According to the Midrash, the plural form of the word "weeping" indicates the double sorrow that Rebecca also died at this time. Jacob then made a further move while Rachel

3520-413: The episode of his wrestling with the angel (Genesis 32:22–32) is etymologized as composition of אֵל el "god" and the root שָׂרָה śarah "to rule, contend, have power, prevail over":   שָׂרִיתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִים ( KJV : "a prince hast thou power with God "); alternatively, the el can be read as the subject, for a translation of "El rules/contends/struggles". The Septuagint renders

3608-491: The eponymous ancestors, and even whether the earliest version of this tradition assumes the existence of twelve tribes. Biblical lists of tribes, not all of which number 12, include the following: Scholars such as Max Weber (in Ancient Judaism ) and Ronald M. Glassman (2017) concluded that there never was a fixed number of tribes. Instead, the idea that there were always twelve tribes should be regarded as part of

Patriarch Jacob - Misplaced Pages Continue

3696-492: The flocks' watering holes or troughs, associating the stripes of the rods with the growth of stripes on the livestock. Despite this practicing of magic, later on Jacob says to his wives that it was God who made the livestock give birth to the convenient offspring, in order to turn the tide against the deceptive Laban. As time passed, Laban's sons noticed that Jacob was taking the better part of their flocks, and so Laban's friendly attitude towards Jacob began to change. The angel of

3784-427: The foremost position. Esau's spirit of revenge, however, was apparently appeased by Jacob's bounteous gifts of camels, goats and flocks. Their reunion was an emotional one. Esau offered to accompany them on their way back to Israel, but Jacob protested that his children were still young and tender (born six to 13 years prior in the narrative); Jacob suggested eventually catching up with Esau at Mount Seir . According to

3872-400: The good things We have provided you.' And they did not wrong Us, but they used to wrong [only] themselves." For thousands of years, Christians and Jews have accepted the history of the twelve tribes as fact. Since the 19th century, however, historical criticism has examined the veracity of the historical account; whether the twelve tribes ever existed as they are described, the historicity of

3960-469: The headings "the generations of Esau". A conservative interpretation is that, at Isaac's burial, Jacob obtained the records of Esau, who had been married 80 years prior, and incorporated them into his own family records, and that Moses augmented and published them. The house of Jacob dwelt in Hebron , in the land of Canaan. His flocks were often fed in the pastures of Shechem as well as Dothan . Of all

4048-633: The heads of their own family groups, later known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel . He also had a daughter named Dinah . According to Genesis, Jacob displayed favoritism among his wives and children, preferring Rachel and her sons, Joseph and Benjamin, causing tension within the family—culminating in Joseph's older brothers selling him into slavery. Scholars have taken a mixed view as to Jacob's historicity, with archaeology so far producing no evidence for his existence. William Albright initially dated

4136-597: The hunt to prepare his game and receive the blessing. The realization that he had been deceived shocked Isaac, yet he acknowledged that Jacob had received the blessings by adding, "Indeed, he will be [or remain] blessed!" (27:33). Esau was heartbroken by the deception and begged for his own blessing. Having made Jacob a ruler over his brothers, Isaac could only promise, "By your sword you shall live, but your brother you shall serve; yet it shall be that when you are aggrieved, you may cast off his yoke from upon your neck" (27:39–40). Although Esau sold Jacob his own birthright, which

4224-475: The hunt went so quickly. Jacob responded, "Because the LORD your God brought it to me." Rashi says Isaac's suspicions were aroused even more, because Esau never used the personal name of God. Isaac demanded that Jacob come close so he could feel him, but the goatskins felt just like Esau's hairy skin. Confused, Isaac exclaimed, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau!" Still trying to get at

4312-516: The idea that the house of Jacob would even bow down to Joseph. Yet, he contemplated his son's words about these dreams. Sometime afterward, the sons of Jacob by Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah, were feeding his flocks in Shechem. Jacob wanted to know how things were doing, so he asked Joseph to go down there and return with a report. This was the last time he would ever see his son in Hebron. Later that day,

4400-499: The inheritance of the house of Israel, as if they were his own children, just as Reuben and Simeon were. Then Israel laid his right hand on the younger Ephraim's head and his left hand on the eldest Manasseh's head and blessed Joseph. However, Joseph was displeased that his father's right hand was not on the head of his firstborn, so he switched his father's hands. But Israel refused saying, "but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he." A declaration he made, just as Israel himself

4488-554: The lineage of the recipient of blessing in relation to the twelve tribes of Israel. The Quran (7th century CE) states that the people of Moses were split into twelve tribes. Surah 7 ( Al-A'raf ) verse 160 says: "We split them up into twelve tribal communities, and We revealed to Moses , when his people asked him for water, [saying], 'Strike the rock with your cane,' whereat twelve fountains gushed forth from it. Every tribe came to know its drinking-place. And We shaded them with clouds, and We sent down to them manna and quails: 'Eat of

SECTION 50

#1732765720621

4576-549: The meeting, the brothers came before the Pharaoh first, formally requesting to pasture in Egyptian lands. The Pharaoh honored their stay and even made the notion that if there were any competent men in their house, then they may elect a chief herdsman to oversee Egyptian livestock. Finally, Joseph's father was brought out to meet the Pharaoh. Because the Pharaoh had such a high regard for Joseph, practically making him his equal, it

4664-412: The money that they used to pay for the grain, back to them. When the house of Israel consumed all the grain that they brought from Egypt, Israel told his sons to go back and buy more. This time, Judah spoke to his father in order to persuade him about having Benjamin accompany them, so as to prevent Egyptian retribution. In hopes of retrieving Simeon and ensuring Benjamin's return, Israel told them to bring

4752-502: The name Iákobos ( Ancient Greek : Ἰάκωβος ), whence Latin Jacobus , English Jacob . The biblical account of the life of Jacob is found in the Book of Genesis, chapters 25–50. Jacob and his twin brother, Esau, were born to Isaac and Rebecca after 20 years of marriage, when Isaac was 60 years of age. Rebecca was uncomfortable during her pregnancy and went to inquire of God why she

4840-414: The narratives of Jacob to the 19th century BCE, but later scholars like John J. Bimson and Nahum Sarna argued against using archaeological evidence to support such claims due to limited knowledge of that period. Recent scholars such as Thomas L. Thompson and William Dever suggest that these narratives are late literary compositions with ideological purposes rather than historical accounts. According to

4928-461: The report that Jacob ended up receiving came from Joseph's brothers who brought before him a coat laden with blood. Jacob identified the coat as the one he made for Joseph. At that moment he cried "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces." He rent his clothes and put sackcloth around his waist mourning for days. No one from the house of Jacob could comfort him during this time of bereavement. The truth

5016-470: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Patriarch Jacob . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patriarch_Jacob&oldid=1247458883 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Title and name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

5104-407: The second-youngest son, received double the inheritance of his brothers, treated as if he were the firstborn son instead of Reuben, and so his tribe was later split into two tribes, named after his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. The Israelites were the descendants of twelve sons of the biblical patriarch Jacob . Jacob also had at least one daughter, Dinah , whose descendants were not recognized as

5192-559: The sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket" This incident is the source of the mitzvah of porging . Jacob then demanded a blessing, and the being declared in Genesis 32:28 that, from then on, Jacob would be called יִשְׂרָאֵל, Israel ( Yisra'el , meaning "one that struggled with the divine angel" (Josephus), "one who has prevailed with God" (Rashi), "a man seeing God" (Whiston), "he will rule as God" (Strong), or "a prince with God" (Morris), from Hebrew: שרה , "prevail," "have power as

5280-411: The son of Isaac and Rebecca , and the grandson of Abraham , Sarah , and Bethuel , Jacob is presented as the second-born among Isaac's children. His fraternal twin brother is the elder, named Esau , according to the biblical account. Jacob is said to have bought Esau's birthright and, with his mother's help, deceived his aging father to bless him instead of Esau. Later in the narrative, following

5368-441: The sons of Israel (Jacob) returned to Hebron from their second trip, they came back with 20 additional donkeys carrying all kinds of goods and supplies as well as Egyptian transport wagons. When their father came out to meet them, his sons told him that Joseph was still alive, that he was the governor over all of Egypt and that he wanted the house of Israel to move to Egypt. Israel's heart "stood still" and just couldn't believe what he

SECTION 60

#1732765720621

5456-442: The sons returned to their father Israel from Egypt, stockpiled with grain on their donkeys. They relayed to their father all that had happened in Egypt. They spoke of being accused as spies and that their brother Simeon had been taken prisoner. When Reuben, the eldest, mentioned that they needed to bring Benjamin to Egypt to prove their word as honest men, their father became furious with them. He couldn't understand how they were put in

5544-541: The stranger was "God Himself and, therefore, Christ in His preincarnate state", citing Jacob's own evaluation and the name he assumed thereafter, "one who fights victoriously with God", and adding that God had appeared in the human form of the Angel of the Lord to eat a meal with Abraham in Genesis 18. Geller wrote that, "in the context of the wrestling bout, the name implies that Jacob won this supremacy, linked to that of God's, by

5632-618: The third day after the circumcisions, when all the men of Shechem were still in pain, Simeon and Levi put them all to death by the sword and rescued their sister Dinah, and their brothers plundered the property, women, and children. Jacob condemned this act, saying: "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites , the people living in this land." He later rebuked his two sons for their anger in his deathbed blessing (Genesis 49:5–7). Jacob returned to Bethel, where he had another vision of blessing. Although

5720-460: The time of her marriage, and 23 years old at the birth of Jacob and Esau. According to the second opinion, Rebecca was 14 years old at the time of their marriage, and 34 years old at the birth of Jacob and Esau. In either case, Isaac and Rebecca were married for 20 years before Jacob and Esau were born. The Midrash says that during Rebecca's pregnancy whenever she would pass a house of Torah study, Jacob would struggle to come out; whenever she would pass

5808-533: The tribal names are "not personal names, but the names of ethnic groups, geographical regions, and local deities. E.g. Benjamin , meaning "son of the south" (the location of its territory relative to Samaria ), or Asher , a Phoenician territory whose name may be an allusion to the goddess Asherah ." Historian Immanuel Lewy in Commentary mentions "the Biblical habit of representing clans as persons. In

5896-412: The tribe to others in the Israelite confederation. Translator Paul Davidson argued: "The stories of Jacob and his children, then, are not accounts of historical Bronze Age people. Rather, they tell us how much later Jews and Israelites understood themselves, their origins, and their relationship to the land, within the context of folktales that had evolved over time." He goes on to argue that most of

5984-570: The tribes receiving an allotment were: The twelve tribes of Israel are referred to in the New Testament . In the gospels of Matthew ( 19:28 ) and Luke ( 22:30 ), Jesus anticipates that in the Kingdom of God his disciples will "sit on [twelve] thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel". The Epistle of James ( 1:1 ) addresses his audience as "the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad". The Book of Revelation ( 7:1–8 ) gives

6072-409: The truth, Isaac asked him directly, "Art thou my very son Esau?" and Jacob answered simply, "I am." Isaac proceeded to eat the food and to drink the wine that Jacob gave him, and then told him to come close and kiss him. As Jacob kissed his father, Isaac smelled the clothes which belonged to Esau and finally accepted that the person in front of him was Esau. Isaac then blessed Jacob with the blessing that

6160-492: The voice of God, who repeated many of the blessings upon him, coming from the top of the ladder. According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer , the ladder signified the exiles that the Jewish people would suffer before the coming of the Jewish Messiah : the angels that represented the exiles of Babylonia, Persia, and Greece each climbed up a certain number of steps, paralleling the years of the exile, before they "fell down"; but

6248-1001: The week of wedding celebrations with Leah, Jacob married Rachel, and he continued to work for Laban for another seven years. In those seven years, Jacob fathered twelve children. He loved Rachel more than Leah, and Leah felt hated. God opened Leah's womb and she gave birth to four sons rapidly: Reuben , Simeon , Levi , and Judah . Rachel, however, remained barren. Following the example of Sarah, who gave her handmaid to Abraham after years of infertility, Rachel gave her handmaid Bilhah to Jacob so that Rachel could raise children through her. Bilhah gave birth to Dan and Naphtali . Seeing that she had left off childbearing temporarily, Leah then gave her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob so that Leah could raise more children through her. Zilpah gave birth to Gad and Asher . Afterwards, Leah became fertile again and gave birth to Issachar , Zebulun , and Dinah , Jacob's only daughter. God remembered Rachel, who gave birth to Joseph , and later, Benjamin . After Joseph

6336-508: The worst of the seven-year famine. Israel (Jacob) was 147 years old when he called to his favorite son Joseph and pleaded that he not be buried in Egypt. Rather, he requested to be carried to the land of Canaan to be buried with his forefathers. Joseph swore to do as his father asked of him. Not too long afterward, Israel had fallen ill, losing much of his vision. When Joseph came to visit his father, he brought with him his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Israel declared that they would be heirs to

6424-499: Was a man, an angel, or God. Josephus uses only the terms "angel", "divine angel," and "angel of God," describing the struggle as no small victory. According to Rashi, the being was the guardian angel of Esau himself, sent to destroy Jacob before he could return to the land of Canaan. Trachtenberg theorized that the being refused to identify itself for fear that, if its secret name was known, it would be conjurable by incantations. Literal Christian interpreters like Henry M. Morris say that

6512-435: Was an honor to meet his father. Thus, Israel was able to bless the Pharaoh. The two chatted for a bit, the Pharaoh even inquiring of Israel's age which happened to be 130 years old at that time. After the meeting, the families were directed to pasture in the land of Ramses where they lived in the province of Goshen. The house of Israel acquired many possessions and multiplied exceedingly during the course of 17 years, even through

6600-521: Was at the time of her marriage and, consequently, at the twins' birth. According to the traditional counting cited by Rashi , Isaac was 37 years old at the time of the Binding of Isaac , and news of Rebecca's birth reached Abraham immediately after that event. In that case, since Isaac was 60 when Jacob and Esau were born and they had been married for 20 years, then Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebecca (Gen. 25:20), making Rebecca three years old at

6688-487: Was born, Jacob decided to return home to his parents. Laban the Aramean was reluctant to release him, as God had blessed his flock on account of Jacob. Laban asked what he could pay Jacob. Jacob suggested that all the spotted, speckled, and brown goats and sheep of Laban's flock, at any given moment, would be his wages. Jacob placed rods of poplar, hazel, and chestnut, all of which he peeled "white streaks upon them," within

6776-435: Was coming to meet Jacob with an army of 400 men. With great apprehension, Jacob prepared for the worst. He engaged in earnest prayer to God, then sent on before him a tribute of flocks and herds to Esau, "A present to my lord Esau from thy servant Jacob." Jacob then transported his family and flocks across the ford Jabbok by night, then recrossed back to send over his possessions, being left alone in communion with God. There,

6864-550: Was divided into twelve sections corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel. However, the tribes receiving land differed from the biblical tribes. The Tribe of Levi had no land appropriation but had six Cities of Refuge under their administration as well as the Temple in Jerusalem . There was no land allotment for the Tribe of Joseph , but Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh , received their father's land portion. Thus

6952-716: Was hearing. Looking upon the wagons he declared "Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die." Israel and his entire house of 70, gathered up with all their livestock and began their journey to Egypt. En route, Israel stopped at Beersheba for the night to make a sacrificial offering to his God, Yahweh. Apparently he had some reservations about leaving the land of his forefathers, but God reassured him not to fear that he would rise again. God also assured that he would be with him, he would prosper, and he would also see his son Joseph who would lay him to rest. Continuing their journey to Egypt, when they approached in proximity, Israel sent his son Judah ahead to find out where

7040-478: Was his blessing, for "red pottage," Esau still hated Jacob for receiving his blessing that their father Isaac unknowingly had given to him. He vowed to kill Jacob as soon as Isaac died. When Rebecca heard about his murderous intentions, she ordered Jacob to travel to her brother Laban 's house in Haran , until Esau's anger subsided. She convinced Isaac to send Jacob away by telling him that she despaired of his marrying

7128-399: Was meant for Esau. Genesis 27:28–29 states Isaac's blessing: "Therefore God give thee of the dew of heavens, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee." Jacob had scarcely left the room when Esau returned from

7216-520: Was not given at the time, but he did condemn Reuben for it later, in his deathbed blessing. Jacob was finally reunited with his father Isaac in Mamre (outside Hebron ). When Isaac died at the age of 180, Jacob and Esau buried him in the Cave of the Patriarchs , which Abraham had purchased as a family burial plot . At this point in the biblical narrative, two genealogies of Esau's family appear under

7304-475: Was pregnant; near Bethlehem , Rachel went into labor and died as she gave birth to her second son, Benjamin (Jacob's twelfth son). Jacob buried her and erected a monument over her grave. Rachel's Tomb , just outside Bethlehem, remains a popular site for pilgrimages and prayers to this day. Jacob then settled in Migdal Eder , where his firstborn, Reuben , slept with Rachel's servant Bilhah; Jacob's response

7392-440: Was suffering. She received the prophecy that twins were fighting in her womb and would continue to fight all their lives, even after they became two separate nations. The prophecy also said that "the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:25 KJV) . When the time came for Rebecca to give birth, the firstborn, Esau, came out covered with red hair, as if he were wearing

7480-613: Was that Joseph's older brothers had turned on him, apprehended him and ultimately sold him into slavery on a caravan headed for Egypt. Twenty years later, throughout the Middle East a severe famine occurred like none other that lasted seven years. It crippled nations. The word was that the only kingdom prospering was Egypt. In the second year of this great famine, when Israel (Jacob) was about 130 years old, he told his 10 sons of Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah, to go to Egypt and buy grain. Israel's youngest son Benjamin, born from Rachel, stayed behind by his father's order to keep him safe. Nine of

7568-429: Was to his firstborn brother Esau. Then Israel called all of his sons in and prophesied their blessings or curses to all twelve of them in order of their ages. Afterward, Israel died and the family, including the Egyptians, mourned him 70 days. Israel was embalmed for 40 days and a great ceremonial journey to Canaan was prepared by Joseph. He led the servants of Pharaoh, and the elders of the houses Israel and Egypt beyond

7656-462: Was told before the twins' birth that the older son would serve the younger. Rebecca blessed Jacob and she quickly ordered Jacob to bring her two kid goats from their flock so that he could take Esau's place in serving Isaac and receiving his blessing. Jacob protested that his father would recognize their deception since Esau was hairy and he himself was smooth-skinned. He feared his father would curse him as soon as he felt him, but Rebecca offered to take

7744-486: Was uncertain when he would die, so he decided to bestow Esau's birthright upon him. He requested that Esau go out to the fields with his weapons (quiver and bow) to kill some venison. Isaac then requested that Esau make "savory meat" for him out of the venison, according to the way he enjoyed it the most, so that he could eat it and bless Esau. Rebecca overheard this conversation. It is suggested that she realized prophetically that Isaac's blessings would go to Jacob, since she

#620379