(1 Chron. 1:32-33)
Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah.She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; Dedan's descendants were Ashurites, Letushites and Leumites.The sons of Midian: Epha, Ether, Enoch, Abida and Eldaga - all of them are descendants of Keturah.
Abraham left everything he had to Isaac.During his lifetime, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the east, to the eastern land.
Abraham lived a total of one hundred and seventy-five years.He breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, having had enough of life, and went to his ancestors.His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of the Hittite Ephron, son of Zohar,which Abraham bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried next to his wife Sarah.After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer-lahai-roi.
Descendants of Ishmael
(1 Chron. 1:28-31)
This is the genealogy of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, whom Sarah's servant, the Egyptian Hagar, bore to Abraham;
and these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebayot - the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
Mishma, Duma, Massa,Hadad, Tema, Yetur, Naphish and Kedma.These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, the names of the twelve leaders of the clans according to their settlements and nomads.In total, Ishmael lived one hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and went to his ancestors.
His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shura, near the border of Egypt, on the way to Ashur. They lived in enmity with all their brothers.Isaac's sons - Jacob and Esau
Here is the story of Isaac, son of Abraham:
Isaac was born to Abraham.
Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of the Aramean Bethuel of Paddan-aram and sister of the Aramean Laban.Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.
The children began to push each other in her womb, and she said:- Why do I need this?
And she went to ask the Lord.
The Lord said to her:- Two tribes in your belly,
two nations will come from you and be divided;
one will be stronger than the other,
and the elder will serve the younger.
When the time came for her to give birth, she actually found twin boys in her womb.
The first was born red, and his whole body was covered with hair like fleecy clothing; that's why he was called Esau.Then his brother appeared with his hand on Esau's heel; therefore he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.Esau sells his birthright
The boys grew up: Esau was a skilled hunter, a man of the fields, and Jacob was a quiet man, living among tents.
Isaac, who liked game, loved Esau more, but Rebekah loved Jacob more.One day, while Jacob was preparing stew, Esau returned from the field very hungry.
He said to Jacob:“Hurry up, let me eat some of that red you’re cooking!” I am starving! (This is why he was also given the name Edom).
Jacob replied:
- First, sell me your birthright.
“I’m dying of hunger,” said Esau. - What benefit does birthright have to me?
Jacob said:
- First, swear.
He swore, and so sold his birthright to Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate, drank, got up and left.
Thus Esau neglected his birthright.
a) 25:10: Or: “from the sons of Heth.”
b) 25:18: Or: “they lived east of the brothers.”
c) 25:20: That is, from northwestern Mesopotamia.
d) 25:22: The meaning of this passage in the Hebrew text is unclear.
e) 25:25: Here the name is related to Seir, the land where the descendants of Esau later lived; The sound of "Seir" resembles the Hebrew word for "hairy."
f) 25:26: Here this name is given the meaning “he holds on to the heel” (a figurative expression meaning “he deceives”).
g) 25:30: The sound of this name resembles the Hebrew word for “red.”
h) 25:31: Primogeniture is the special position of the eldest (firstborn) son in the house, which gave the right to primacy among brothers and special privileges when receiving an inheritance (see Deut. 21:15-17). Moreover, the firstborn belonged to God Himself (see Numbers 3:13).
For a long time he did not have children from his legal wife Sarah. But when Abraham was almost a hundred years old, God told him that he and 90-year-old Sarah would soon have a son. Neither he nor she believed it - even when three mysterious strangers (God's angels) came into their tent and predicted that in a year they would hold their son in their arms. However, a year later, Sarah gave birth to a boy, who was given the name Isaac (Yitzhak), meaning in Hebrew: “he will laugh.”
Even earlier, Abraham had a bastard son, Ishmael, from the Egyptian slave Hagar. At first, Isaac and Ishmael were raised as equals. But Sarah did not like that her son was placed next to the son of a slave. She insisted that Abraham throw Ishmael and Hagar out of the house. Hagar had to take her child and go with him into the desert. They almost died there from hunger and thirst, but were saved by the messenger of God. According to the legend of the Bible, Ismail became the ancestor of the Arab people.
Sacrifice of Isaac
Abraham was ardently devoted to the belief in one God. One day God wanted to test Abraham and ordered him to sacrifice Isaac to him. The next morning, Abraham led his son to Mount Moriah, without saying why. There he prepared a fire for the sacrifice. Isaac was amazed that the wood had already been laid out and the fire had been lit, but there was no sheep to sacrifice. However, Abraham placed him on the altar and had already taken the knife in his hand, when he suddenly heard a voice from heaven: “Abraham, do not touch the boy. Now I know how much you honor Me, since you did not spare even your only son for My sake.” Delighted Abraham immediately removed Isaac from the fire.
Sacrifice of Isaac. Painter Titian, 1542-1544
Isaac's marriage to Rebekah
After Sarah's death, Abraham began to think about choosing a wife for Isaac. Calling his faithful servant and housekeeper Eliezer, he ordered him to go look for a worthy girl in the ancient homeland of the Jewish tribe, in Mesopotamia. Eliezer took ten camels, loaded them with a lot of goods and set off. Soon he reached the city where Abraham’s relatives lived on the side of his brother Nahor.
Eliezer stopped outside the city, at a well. Meanwhile, the city girls went to the well for water. Eliezer decided: if I ask one of them for a drink and she gives water not only to me, but also to my camels, then I will know that God appointed her to be Isaac’s wife. Suddenly a young girl appeared in front of him, with a jug on her shoulder. She filled a jug from the well and wanted to leave. Eliezer ran to her and said: Let me drink from your jug. The girl gave Eliezer water and said: now I will draw for your camels too - and she began to give water to them. The faithful servant looked at the kind girl with tenderness. When she had given water to all the camels, he gave her a gold earring and two rings, asking: whose daughter are you, and is there a place for us to sleep in your father’s house? The girl answered that she was Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel and the granddaughter of Nahor, and that in their house there was room and enough food for the cattle.
Rebecca at the well. Artist N. Poussin, ca. 1648
She ran home and told her mother everything that had happened. Rebekah's brother Laban went out to Eliezer and brought him to his parents' house. Touched by the hospitality, Eliezer told Rebekah's parents and brother about the purpose of his visit and announced that God himself had destined Rebekah to be Isaac's wife. Bethuel and Laban answered: Take Rebekah, and let her be the wife of your master's son. Eliezer took out silver and gold things and clothes and gave them to the bride, her mother and brother. The next morning, Rebekah's parents blessed her and sent her and Eliezer to Canaan. Approaching Abraham's tents, Eliezer and Rebekah met Isaac in the field. He brought the girl into his parents' tent, and she became his wife.
Isaac's sons - Jacob and Esau
Abraham died at the age of 175, and after his death Isaac became the elder (patriarch) of the Jews. Like his father, he lived in the south of Canaan (Palestine), engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture. With Rebekah, Isaac had two twin sons. The first was called Esau, and the second Jacob(Jacob). They differed greatly in inclinations. Esau loved to hunt animals and was a “man of the steppes,” while Jacob loved the peaceful shepherd life and was a “man of the tent.”
One day Esau returned from hunting, tired and hungry. Seeing Jacob's lentil stew, he asked for something to eat. Jacob said: give me your seniority for this (Esau was the eldest brother and was supposed to become the head of the family after the death of his father). Esau said: I am dying of hunger, what use is seniority to me? Jacob fed his brother, and Esau did not regret that he sold his right of seniority for lentil stew. But Isaac continued to treat Esau as his eldest son. Esau brought fresh game from the hunt and presented it to his father. He was the favorite of Isaac, and the humble Jacob was the favorite of his mother, Rebekah.
When Isaac was old and almost blind, he called Esau and said to him: “My son, I will soon die; take your weapon, go into the field, catch me some game and prepare my favorite dish from it; then I will bless you before I die.” Rebekah, hearing this, became concerned that the parental blessing would go to Esau and not her favorite, Jacob. She advised Jacob to use cunning to get his father’s blessing before his brother. Jacob brought a couple of kids from the herd, from whose meat Rebekah made the old man’s favorite dish. She dressed Jacob in Esau's hunting dress, put the skins of kids on his hands and neck, and ordered him to carry the food to his father. Jacob came to his father and said: “Here I am Esau, your eldest son; I did what you told me; now eat and bless me.” Blind Isaac felt his son and said in surprise: your voice is like the voice of Jacob, and your shaggy hands are like Esau’s. But the elder believed that Esau was in front of him, and blessed his son: “May God give you an abundance of bread and wine, may the nations serve you, and may you be lord over your brothers.”
As soon as Jacob left, Esau returned from hunting, prepared a game dish and brought it to his father. Isaac asked: who was here before and received the blessing from me? Esau realized that his brother was ahead of him, and in despair he exclaimed: “My father, bless me too!” But Isaac answered: “I have already blessed Jacob so that he will be lord over his brothers; I wish for you that you defend yourself with a sword, and if your brother’s power is heavy, you will throw off his yoke by force.”
Isaac blesses Jacob. Mosaic from the cathedral. Mosaic from the Cathedral of Montreal, Italy, 1180s.
From then on, Esau hated Jacob and planned to kill him as soon as his father died. Having learned about Esau’s plan, Rebekah said to Jacob: “Run to my brother Laban in Mesopotamia and live with him until your brother’s anger subsides.” Isaac also advised Jacob to go to Laban and find himself a wife there.
Jacob set off on a long journey. In Mesopotamia he was well received by Laban and married his daughters, Rachel and Leah. Laban gave Jacob part of his flocks, he became rich and returned to his homeland. There he reconciled with Esau and settled near his father, who lived in Hebron.
According to the Bible, Isaac died at the age of 180. He and Rebekah were buried in the Cave of Machpelah, near Hebron, in the family tomb of his father, Abraham. After the death of Isaac, Jacob became the elder and leader of the Jewish tribe (patriarch).
And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.- this quote from the book of Genesis (15, 6) occurs three times in the New Testament (Rom. 4, 3, Gal. 3, 6 and James 2, 23). We talk about the history of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his sons, about what this Old Testament chronicle teaches us, Christians, with a biblical scholar, candidate of theology, author of a textbook for seminaries “The Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament” Alexei Kashkin.
- Alexey Sergeevich, the history of Abram (Abraham) and his descendants is set out in the first, oldest of the books of the Old Testament - the Book of Genesis. Abram's father Terah is a direct descendant of Noah. But we know almost nothing about Terah, and the events in the center of which Abram (later Abraham) finds himself begin with the words “And the Lord said to Abram...”. That is, from an act of unconditional obedience to God. What is it - the same faith of Abraham, imputed to him as righteousness?
- If we look closely at the fate of Abraham, to whom God repeatedly promises countless offspring and who at the same time lives to be a hundred years old without having children, and then is called to sacrifice his only son, miraculously born, as a sacrifice, we will see that the word “faith” in this case can be replaced by the word “trust”. Abraham's faith was complete trust in God. Trust in any circumstances. At the beginning of chapter 12, God turns to Abram and calls him: get thee out of your land, from your kindred, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you(1). What was it like for a person of that time to leave his family, his tribe? And even at 75 years old... But Abram leaves Haran. He trusts God, despite the fact that he has to wait twenty-five years for the promised offspring - from seventy-five to one hundred. Twenty-five years - without grumbling, without doubt that God’s promise will be fulfilled. Although he could, in a purely human way, see the fulfillment of the promise in something other than what it was supposed to take place, for example, in the birth of Ishmael from the slave Hagar. The fact that his hope would be realized precisely in Isaac, the son of Sarah, and not in Ishmael, became clear to him only when Isaac was born. Let us pay attention: Abram was already eighty-six years old when the slave Hagar gave birth to Ishmael (see: Gen. 16 , 16), and after that for thirteen whole years there was nothing - no news from God, no signs. Abram waited patiently and trustingly. And only when he turned ninety-nine, God appeared to him and said: and I will establish My covenant between Me and you. And I will greatly, greatly multiply you (...) I will be your God and your descendants after you(Gen. 17 , 1-7).
God gives Abram a new name - Abraham, the father of many nations, and the sign of the covenant between Him and Abraham - circumcision. The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans emphasizes that this sign is seal of righteousness through faith (4
, 11), which Abraham already had and manifested earlier, before the covenant was made. That's why he became the father of all believers (...) not only those who received circumcision, but also those who walk in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham (4
, 11-12). The same chapter says that Abraham I believed with hope beyond hope(18) and did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but remained steadfast in faith, giving glory to God and being fully confident that He was able to fulfill His promise (20-21).
- But why - as far as we can judge - did the Lord test Abram (Abraham) for so long and so harshly?
- The reward that God gives to a person still presupposes some kind of work, a feat on his part. It doesn't come easy. The Church Fathers posed a similar question: why couldn’t the Lord arrange it so that Adam, in principle, could not sin? And they themselves answered: if a person could not sin, he would not deserve the reward for overcoming sin, that is, all those benefits that God has prepared for those who love Him(1 Cor. 2 , 9). The Lord arranges the fate of Abraham in such a way that he shows his personal qualities by making his own choice. In addition, the events that happen to Abraham are significant not only for him, but also for all future generations - as a lesson, as a model. Of course, this would hardly have consoled Abraham when he was chopping wood to sacrifice Isaac (see: Gen. 22 , 3). But the Lord knew in advance how it would all end.
In fact, the Lord did not test Abraham - He is omniscient, He does not need to test a person. It was Abraham who had to test himself. It can be assumed that he himself had no idea about his hidden reserves, about his ability to endure such a terrible test. The Lord foresees that Abraham will act in exactly this way - he will holyly fulfill His will, but it does not follow from this that Abraham’s act itself is not necessary. Abraham himself needs him first of all. What he had to endure in the land of Moriah (see: Gen. 22 , 2), prepared him for the true knowledge of God.
— Why is Abraham’s sacrifice considered a prototype of the Sacrifice of the Cross?
“There are a lot of parallels here, and they are, of course, not accidental. Abraham sacrifices his beloved and, note, only son. Christ is also the only one, the Only Begotten Son of God the Father. Christian interpreters of the Old Testament paid special attention to Isaac’s behavior, his voluntary participation in his father’s sacrifice, and the absence of any resistance or protest. In Abraham's son we see the same trust in God that was in his father. Isaac carries the wood (see: Gen. 22 , 6) - so our Savior bore His cross. Isaac, although he is probably stronger than his decrepit father, allows him to tie him up and put him on the fire (see: Gen. 22 , 9). So Christ could have called legions of Angels to help Him, but He voluntarily sacrificed Himself. Isaac, condemned, doomed, already lying on the altar, remained alive and returned home with his father on the third day (see: Gen. 22 , 19) - this is also seen as a prototype of Christ’s three-day stay in the tomb, although this is a somewhat strained parallel, because Isaac did not die.
- Let's go back to those years when Isaac was not yet on earth: who appeared to Abraham when he was sitting at the entrance to his nomadic tent near the oak grove of Mamre? Who predicted the birth of a son to the frightened Sarah? Abraham sees three husbands, but clearly addresses one of them: Lord! If I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant(Gen. 18:3). And then he talks about two others: and I will bring bread, and you will strengthen your hearts; then go(Gen. 18:5). The development of the dialogue and subsequent events suggest that it was the Lord Himself and two Angels with Him...
- Or the Most Holy Trinity Itself. Notice the Lord says: I'll go down and see if they really act like this, what is the cry against them(Gen. 18 , 21), after which Two of the Three go to Sodom, to Lot. And One - the Lord - remains to talk with Abraham, and the famous dialogue takes place about justice, about the fate of the righteous in a sinful city (see: Gen. 18 , 23-33). Of course, this is a very difficult place, and it is impossible to give a comprehensive answer here. To see the Trinity in Abraham's three guests can be perceived as an image chosen to express the dogmatic idea of the Trinity. Before Rev. Andrei Rublev, no one considered this event as a phenomenon of the Trinity. That is, this is an interpretation of the Russian late Middle Ages. In patristic literature there are two versions: three Angels and the Lord with two Angels. The latter is more likely. Most interpreters are inclined to believe that Christ appeared to Abraham - the second Person of the Trinity, the Word not yet incarnate, the Angel of the Great Council.
— Why is it so important that Abraham’s line was continued by his legitimate son, Isaac, and not Ishmael, although the Heavenly Father clearly shows concern for poor Hagar and her son?
- It was the son from his wife, and not from a slave, who was considered the full heir of the father, despite the fact that children from slaves, in the absence of children from the mistress, from the point of view of the law of that time, were also considered legal heirs. But something else is important here. The will of God is that the descendants of Abraham should be precisely from Sarah, from a certain moment - Sarah; God blesses her (see: Gen. 17 , 15-16). It is in Sarah that the hope must be fulfilled. But this was revealed later, after the birth of Ishmael, but in the meantime, time passes, and the aging couple still has no children, and Sarah, as we would say now, takes the initiative. She hopes to solve the problem on her own, through her human efforts - she sends a slave to her husband (see: Gen. 16 ). There is nothing unusual in this act of Sarah: barren women in the East did this quite often in order to then take a child born of a slave for themselves and raise it as their own. Sometimes even the marriage contract obligated the wife to provide her husband with a slave in case the wife turned out to be infertile. Ishmael grew up in Abraham's house, but as a result of his birth, a conflict arose between two women - a mistress and a slave - and Abraham took the side of his wife. The birth of Ishmael is a manifestation of human will, which seems to invade this story. But the Lord loves everyone, so He saves Hagar and her son in the wilderness (see: Gen. 21 , 11-21).
- Why does the dying Abraham, after the death of Sarah (the grief of Abraham and Isaac, the compassion of their neighbors - one of the most touching pages of the book of Genesis, see 23) send his slave for a bride for his son Isaac to that distant country from which he once came to Canaan (see: Gen. 24)?
— Abraham does not want his son to marry a Canaanite: these are people with completely different religious ideas and different values. Such a marriage could lead to the family becoming infected with local superstitions; he would not have been happy for Isaac and would not have given a worthy continuation of the family. Rebekah comes from the same family as Isaac (see: Gen. 22 , 23), she happens to be his cousin. She is the bearer of the same religious, cultural and moral ideas as her future husband. A lively scene of the meeting of Abraham's servant with a kind, warm-hearted and hardworking girl who, in response to his request let me drink a little water from your jug(Gen. 24 , 17) immediately volunteers to water his camels, talks about what qualities were brought up in this environment, what behavior was encouraged.
“Nobody forces Rebekah to leave her home and go with Abraham’s servant to the distant land of Canaan. The parents ask her consent. And she immediately answers: I will go (Genesis 24:58). And in this “I’ll go” one can already hear the future Behold, the handmaid of the Lord: let it be done to me according to your word(Luke 1:38).
— At least, Rebekah’s determination is compared with the determination of Abram, who left Haran (see: Gen. 12 ). He also left his father and his family to follow the command of God. So Rebekah readily responds to the call to leave her family and go to the land of Canaan, that is, for her, unknown where. Thus, she becomes a participant in the promises made to Abraham and his descendants. It must be taken into account that at that time there were no means of communication, and young Rebekah parted with her parents, brothers and sisters forever. Why did she make this decision? The Bible does not say this directly, but we can assume that the grace of God touched the girl’s heart, that she heard the voice of God and responded to Him. After Isaac married Rebekah, the Lord appears to him and confirms the promises made to his father Abraham: ...I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and I will give to your descendants all these lands(Gen. 26 , 4).
- We move on to the generation of Abraham's grandchildren - Rebekah gives birth to Isaac's twin sons. Esau, who was born first, sells his birthright to his brother Jacob for a cup red, red this(Gen. 25, 30) - lentil brew. Esau is simply dead tired and hungry from the hunt, and he doesn't see much point in his birthright. The meaning is clarified later, and not even by Esau, but by the Church: “You imitated the hated Esau, your soul, you gave the first kindnesses to your charmer the primacy, and you fell away from your fatherly prayers...” - this is from the Great Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete. What is the spiritual meaning of selling the birthright?
“Contracts of this kind—when the older brother sold the birthright to the younger—were common at that time. This is a purely material transaction that does not have any spiritual overtones: the eldest (or, as it were, becoming the eldest) brother received advantages in the division of his father's inheritance. What is surprising here is the insignificant price - a bowl of stew. This speaks of Esau’s frivolity: he is at the mercy of momentary desires and does not think about long-term values. But in this case - in the descendants of Abraham - the birthright also carries a spiritual load: it is, after all, the inheritance of God's promises. Esau doesn't understand this. In the Canon of Repentance, Esau’s irrationality is a symbol of the irrationality of a person who prefers his temporary desires to the salvation of the soul, eternal life.
— Quite unexpectedly for us, Rebekah shows cunning and deceit - she tricks her blind husband into blessing Jacob (her mother’s favorite), and not Esau, whom her father loves more (see: Gen. 27). Why is it so important that Jacob succeeds his father, who will later receive the name Israel from God, see the Heavenly Ladder and fight with God?
- The Lord looks at a person’s heart, and He does not always choose the firstborn - David was also the youngest in his family, but God chose him (see: 1 Sam. 16 , 1). And in this case, the Lord chooses like this, through deception. meek(Gen. 25 , 27) Jacob, not Esau the trapper. Deception and lies are something that is allowed by God. But this cannot be justified, and later Jacob will pay for it in full - he himself was cruelly deceived, and who is his uncle Laban (see: Gen. 29 , 20-27). Jacob fell in love with Laban's daughter Rachel at first sight; seven years of work for her seemed to him in a few days because he loved her(Gen. 29 , 20). But when the hour of the wedding feast comes, Laban tricks Jacob into marrying his eldest daughter Leah instead of Rachel.
Events take place according to God's Providence; Human sin invades this Providence, but the Lord turns the consequences of sin to benefit. And yet, for every violation of the moral law there is retribution. For the blessing acquired by deception, Jacob paid for it with twenty years of service with the selfish and dishonest Laban: I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your cattle, and you changed my reward ten times.(Gen. 31 , 41). Jacob waited for many years for the birth of a son from his beloved Rachel, Joseph (see: Gen. 30 , 22). All biblical patriarchs experienced such periods - tests of faith: Rebecca, too, at first could not give birth, Isaac prayed for her so that she would conceive twins (see: Gen. 25 , 21). But Jacob also had a transgression on his conscience, which he had to atone for, earning forgiveness and only then a reward.
Jacob knows that he is unworthy of all that he has received from the Lord (see his prayer - Gen. 32 , 10). And this humbles Jacob, helps him to reconcile with his uncle-father-in-law Laban, when Jacob finally left him (see: Gen. 31 ), and with his deceived brother Esau, to whom Jacob first bowed to the ground seven times(Gen. 33 , 3-4). This is a very touching place - And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept. Forgiveness, reconciliation, peace - this is what the Lord expects from righteous people.
Is it easy for Esau to forgive his twin brother, with whom he fought in the womb (Gen. 25 , 22)? Probably even more difficult than for Joseph - his brothers in Egypt, because Joseph had reached a high position by the time they met; what his brothers did to him in their stupidity and cruelty has already turned out for the better for him; and the brothers are actually in his power. With Esau it is different. Of course, enough time has passed and his pain may have subsided. But the main reason that he forgives his brother is that the Lord touches his heart. In the next book of the Old Testament - the book of Exodus - where it talks about the plagues of Egypt, the Lord says to Moses: I will harden the heart of Pharaoh(Ex. 14 , 4). Sometimes people ask: what is Pharaoh to blame for, if God Himself hardened his heart, he could not resist God. But when God has mercy on a person, he turns to the best that is in him, so that it brings good fruit to the person; and when he punishes, it is for the worse, and a person receives the bitter fruits of his evil. God hardened Pharaoh's heart, but softened Esau's heart. Also because Jacob, through his suffering, earned the right to return to the Promised Land, he deserved to be received kindly here.
- Let's talk about the wonderful events that happened to Jacob. Leaving his parents for Mesopotamia, to his uncle Laban (see: Gen. 28), he falls asleep on the road and sees the Heavenly Ladder, along which Angels ascend and descend and on which the Lord stands, reaffirming His blessing to the descendants of Abraham (see: Gen. 12-16). Why exactly the staircase (ladder), how to understand it?
— A more accurate translation of the Hebrew word “sullam” is not even a ladder, but an embankment or elevation. In Ancient Mesopotamia, temples were built in the form of stepped bulk towers - ziggurats; pagans believed that the gods descended to earth along these steps. Christ Himself reminds Jacob of the vision of the ladder when he says to Nathanael: from now on you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending to the Son of Man(In. 1 , 51). The vision of a mysterious staircase is a sign that the communication between Heaven and earth after man’s fall away from God was not terminated; that from God Angels are sent to earth (which is spoken about many times in the Old Testament), and that at a certain time the Lord Himself will descend to earth, unite with human nature and open the path to salvation for man. The Holy Fathers of the Church see in the Ladder of Jacob a prototype of the Mother of God, who united and reconciled Heaven with earth: “Secretly in the sacred scriptures they spoke about You, Mother of the Most High: Jacob of old, who formed the ladder of You, said: This is the degree of God” - Canon of Matins Annunciation.
- In chapter 32, Jacob wrestles with God and receives a new name - Israel. The meaning of this struggle seems mysterious...
— The meaning of this mysterious struggle is revealed in the words heard by Jacob: you fought with God, and you will overcome men(Gen. 32 , 28). Jacob at this time is afraid of the revenge of his brother Esau. He must understand that there is no need to be afraid, that God did not abandon him, Jacob, and meekness and love will help him earn his brother’s forgiveness. In the fight, Jacob is injured - his opponent damages the joint of his hip (see: Gen. 25 ), making him lame for life. This is necessary to reassure Jacob that the event is real, that he did not dream it. Words of the Lord: Let Me go, for the dawn has risen(Gen. 26 ) perhaps mean that Jacob is already sufficiently strengthened for the trials ahead of him. God blesses Jacob and gives him a new name - Israel (“God fights” or even “He who wrestled with God”); subsequently it will become the name of an entire people. The naming of a new name speaks of a new spiritual birth of a person; the name Israel should instill in Jacob a firm understanding that God will give him strength to endure any trial. The struggle cleansed Jacob of sins and weaknesses (such as the craving for earthly wealth): from now on he firmly follows in the footsteps of his fathers.
“But why didn’t God reveal His name to Jacob?”
— In general, the name of God is a complex concept for the human mind, and it cannot be revealed to an unprepared person, especially since he is still not able to comprehend the full depth of this mystery; Samson's father Manoah receives a similar answer in the Bible (see: Judgment. 13 , 18). You also need to consider: Jacob did not ask about the name because he did not know Who he was dealing with. He guessed about this, otherwise he would not have asked his Rival to bless him (see: Gen. 32 , 26) and would not have said immediately after the fight: I saw God face to face, and my soul was preserved(thirty). The request to name speaks of Jacob's desire to know more about God than he has been given; penetrate into what other people cannot know. And the Lord makes Jacob understand that he must be content with what is revealed to him. Additionally, Jacob may have been tempted to use God's name for magical purposes.
— Leaving her father’s house after her husband, Rachel stole the household gods - idols (see: Gen. 19, 32); It follows from this that Laban’s family, related to the family of Abraham, was not averse to idolatry. So, with Rachel, paganism came to Jacob’s family too?
“Perhaps this is so, although we do not know how Jacob himself felt about these idols. When asked why Rachel stole the teraphim (the so-called household gods - the patrons of the clan), interpreters give different answers: perhaps the possession of idols gave the right to claim an inheritance, or Laban’s daughter considered them talismans that guarded travelers on a long journey. Therefore, it is possible that Rachel did not consider her father’s household gods to be objects of worship; that her attitude towards them was purely pragmatic.
The further fate of these gods is as follows: having experienced such a close encounter with the One God, Jacob forces his household to give him all the idols and buries them under an oak tree (see: Gen. 35 ). The house of Jacob must be cleansed of paganism by changing clothes; then Jacob builds an altar to God, who He heard me in the day of my trouble and was with me(Gen. 35 , 3). After this, the Lord appears to Jacob again and again (see: Gen. 35 , 10) confirms the naming of the name Israel. He says to Israel: be fruitful and multiply: a people and a multitude of nations will come from you, and kings will come out of your body; the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and to your descendants after you I will give this land. (35 , 11-12).
- Jacob becomes the father of twelve sons, and they become the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel; Jesus Christ will come from the tribe of Judah. But the history of this generation, the fourth after Abraham (see: Gen. 37), will begin with a drama: the brothers, secretly from their father, will sell into Egyptian slavery Joseph, the penultimate of the sons of Jacob, one of the two sons of Rachel, a man noted for his miraculous spiritual gifts from his youth. gifts. Why is the story of Joseph and his brothers seen as a prototype of the story of Christ?
- This is a completely obvious prototype, it is sung about this in the hymns of Holy Week: “Let us now add weeping to the lamentation, and pour out tears with Jacob, weeping for the ever-memorable and chaste Joseph, who was enslaved by the body, but kept his soul unenslaved, and who reigned over Egypt to all: God gives for His servant an incorruptible crown” (Ikos of Great Monday). Joseph's brothers hate him, jealous of his father, envious of his prophetic dreams (see: Gen. 37 , 3-11); in the same way, Jesus was hated because He called God His Father, for the miracles that He performed. Joseph's brothers sold him to foreigners (see: Gen. 26 -28) - so Jesus was betrayed by His fellow tribesmen to the Roman authorities. Joseph rises from the bottom of suffering to the heights of power in Egypt; so Jesus ascends to the Father, having endured the torment of crucifixion, having accepted death. Finally, Joseph forgives, moreover, saves his brothers, who are in his complete power, from hunger, just as Christ forgave His crucifiers. The story of how the sons of Jacob came to Egypt to buy bread and met there with Joseph, whom they did not recognize, whom Pharaoh had previously appointed over all the land of Egypt(Gen. 41 , 41), the tests that Joseph subjected his brothers to make sure that their conscience was alive and they were not alien to repentance are described in chapters 42-45 of the book of Genesis. The scene of Joseph's forgiveness of his brothers and family reunion is one of the most poignant in the Old Testament: Joseph could no longer hold out in front of everyone standing around him and shouted: Get everyone away from me. And there was no one left with Joseph when he revealed himself to his brothers. And he wept loudly, and the Egyptians heard, and the house of the Pharaohs heard. And Joseph said to his brothers: I am Joseph; is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer him, because they were embarrassed before him. And Joseph said to his brothers, Come to me. They came up. He said: I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt; but now do not be sad and do not regret that you sold me here, because God sent me before you to preserve your life; for now there are two years of famine on earth: five more years, in which they will neither yell nor reap; God sent me before you to leave you on earth and preserve your life with a great deliverance. So it was not you who sent me here, but God, who made me a father to Pharaoh and lord over all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Go quickly to my father and tell him: This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord over all Egypt; come to me, do not delay; you will live in the land of Goshen; and you will be near me, you, and your sons, and your sons’ sons, and your flocks and herds, and all that is yours; and I will feed you there, for there will be another famine for five years, so that you and your house and all that is yours will not become poor. (45 , 1-11). So Israel came to Egypt, which would later become for him a place of captivity and cruel oppression. But this is another story - the story of the Exodus.
Journal "Orthodoxy and Modernity" No. 40 (56)
Isaac and his sons.
The first days of Isaac's family life passed during the life of the patriarch Abraham. Isaac was the only heir of the promise and, like his father, had to undergo a test of faith.
The test that the Lord sent him was his beloved barren wife, whom he took, loving with all his heart. His wife was barren for almost 20 years, says the Holy Scriptures. But he did not despair and prayed to the Lord.
“And the Lord heard him, and Rebekah his wife conceived”
Just before the moment of their birth, her sons began to beat in her womb, and she said:
“If this happens, then why do I need it? And she went to ask the Lord. The Lord said to her: Two nations are in your womb, and two different nations will come out of your womb; one people will become stronger than the other, and the greater will serve the lesser. And the time came for her to give birth: and behold, twins were in her womb. The first one came out red, all shaggy like leather; and they called his name Esau"
(Genesis 25:22–25) "Esau" means "shaggy." “Then his brother came out, holding Esau’s heel with his hand; and his name was called Jacob” (Gen. 25:26). "Jacob" means "he who holds on to his heel."
“And Isaac was sixty years old when they were born
[from Rebekah]
. (Genesis 25:26).
Esau became a man skilled in hunting, and Jacob was meek, lived in tents, and, as often happens in families, the mother gave preference to the one who lived closer to her - the meek, peace-loving Jacob. Not to say that she did not love Esau, but she treated him with coolness. And, of course, she was worried that the person in whom she, perhaps, did not see the grace that she would like to see, should inherit the birthright. Esau was the eldest, and although there were moments of difference, it was important - the issue of birthright was being decided, about the blessing that the Lord, through their father, was supposed to give to the eldest son.
You know the story of the brother who sold his birthright for lentil stew. From that time on, it received the name Edom, i.e. red. Why red, because lentils are not red? It depends on how you cook it. If you add some roots, it turns red. These lentils became the reason that he sacrificed his spiritual birthright for the sake of material things. Not because he was hungry, but at the moment he did not value his birthright, he lived a momentary life: Esau was a carnal man, and no birthright mattered to him. He himself renounced his birthright - and this is very important.
Meanwhile, one of those years of famine begins, which often forced the patriarchs to go to other countries. And Isaac (54) considers it necessary to follow the example of his father and go to Egypt in order to survive the famine years there. However, the Lord appears to him and forbids him to go to Egypt, but blesses him to settle within the borders of the Philistine king Abimelech. And here a story similar to Abraham’s takes place. Isaac passes off his wife as his sister, fearing that because of her they will kill him and the people close to him. Abraham's trick was learned by his son. But after Isaac’s wickedness was revealed, he, like Abraham, was rewarded with gifts and sent away, only so that he would leave and not interfere with them. Thanks to this, Isaac began to lead a more settled life and took up farming. And it says:
“And Isaac sowed in that land, and that year he received barley a hundredfold: so the Lord blessed him. And this man became a great man and grew more and more great until he became very great. He had herds of small and herds of cattle and many arable fields."
(Genesis 26:12–14). Isaac's quiet family life was soon disrupted by the disobedience of his beloved son Esau. After all, Isaac loved his eldest son, his heart favored him more. However, Esau showed base carnal feelings and married two Canaanite women at the age of forty, thus entering into kinship with idolaters. And the Scripture says:
"And they were a burden to Isaac and Rebekah"
(Genesis 26:35), that is, his wife, but soon he faced an even greater test. The time approached when Isaac felt that his last strength was leaving him, the time had come to leave this earth. According to ancient Eastern custom, he had to bestow his blessing on his eldest son, bless his children, and thus prepare for the journey of the whole earth.
On this occasion, he ordered a meal to be arranged, which each son was to prepare from the fruits of his hands, in order to bless them afterwards as he saw fit. It is unlikely that Esau told him that he had sold his birthright - rather, it was an episode known only to his mother. Therefore, here too she shows some cunning and, taking advantage of the fact that her brother was out hunting, she skillfully makes up her youngest son to look like his elder son, tying his body with animal skins, prepares delicious dishes that her husband loved, gives them to the youngest son, and he goes without any hesitation to his father, having received a blessing from his mother. And before us is a very interesting dialogue between Jacob and Isaac:
“And Isaac said to Jacob, Come
I will feel you, my son, are you my son Esau or not? Jacob came to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “A voice, the voice of Jacob; and the hands, the hands of Esau. And he did not recognize him, because his hands were like the shaggy hands of Esau, his brother; and he blessed him and said, Art thou my son Esau? He answered: I"
(Genesis 27:21–24) What did he do? He lied - it was an obvious lie, and not just a cunning and trick. If the father had not asked him, but simply blessed him as the eldest son, this would have been a lesser sin, but he asked:
“Are you my son?”
He doubted because he sensed a lie. And for this lie the Lord punished Jacob many times, although he provided for him. Any lie is punishable. And the father said, blessing his son:
“This is the smell of my son, like the smell of a field
[full]
Which the Lord blessed; May God give you from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the earth, and plenty of bread and wine; Let the nations serve you, and let the nations worship you; be lord over your brothers, and let your mother’s sons worship you; those who curse you are cursed; those who bless you are blessed!”
(Genesis 27:27–29)
“And as soon as Jacob went out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came from his hunt.”
Esau also prepares all kinds of food and goes to receive the blessing. Isaac blesses his eldest son, although this is a completely different blessing:
“Behold, from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and from the dew of heaven from above; and you will live by your sword and serve your brother; The time will come when you will resist and cast off his yoke from your neck.”
(Genesis 27:39–40).
This blessing is the entire future fate of the descendants of Esau (his descendants are called the Edomites, the Edomites, who were subordinate to the Jews for a long time, but subsequently broke away from obedience and themselves began to rule over Israel in the person of their king Herod the Great, who was an Edomite by origin).
After this incident, Esau hated his brother and said these words:
“The days of mourning for my father are coming, and I will kill Jacob my brother.”
(Genesis 27:41). That is, in other words, soon my father will die, and then I will deal with my brother (a clear hint that he will kill his brother). Rebekah, knowing Esau's indomitable temper, decides to send Jacob for some time to Mesopotamia, to her brother Laban, until Esau's rage subsides. In order not to bother her elderly husband, she calls the “official” version of marriage. Thus, Jacob flees on behalf of his brother Esau in order to simultaneously arrange his family and personal life. His brother took Canaanite wives for himself and thereby showed his complete failure as the firstborn.
After these events, Isaac will live another 43 years, but will not show himself in anything else. His son Jacob goes to his relative Laban to look for a wife, his eldest son apparently remains in wickedness and moves away from true worship of God. Isaac himself exhibits meekness, humility and deep, serene peace of mind.
What character traits are characteristic of this patriarch? Remember how Abraham leads him to the slaughter? Isaac shows unconditional, complete obedience to his father - this first. Second- tender affection for mother. He mourned his mother until he got married. Third- devotion to his wife, although she was barren for a long time. He took neither maids nor concubines, but by being faithful, he showed faith in the promise of God. Fourth- patiently endured the trials that the Lord sent him through his sons. AND fifth a characteristic touch is a sedentary lifestyle. Modern Bible researchers (Lopukhin and a number of others) say that Isaac spent almost his entire life in almost one place, and if he left, it was no further than 100 kilometers. And yet, before us is a patriarch who was great not because of his high-profile exploits, but because of his rich spiritual world. He was rich in faith in the Providence of God, which throughout his life made him the embodiment of humility, hope and love.
Before us next patriarch - Jacob. The Lord makes the same covenant with him as with Abraham and Isaac. It is no coincidence that the Lord said, addressing the people of Israel:
"I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob"
That is, the promise of God rested completely on Jacob. And the Lord said to him:
[Don't be afraid.]
The land on which you lie will I give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants will be like the sand of the earth."
(Genesis 28:13–14)
These words were spoken at the greatest moment in history when Jacob went to Haran.
“And he came to one place and stayed there overnight”
(Genesis 28:11), and he dreams.
Chapter 28 from verse 10 to the end. I think you know this scripture very well. Artists often depict Jacob sleeping, with a stone lying at his head, and he sees a ladder descending from heaven, along which the Angels of God descend and ascend. The ladder symbolizes the Mother of God: through Her the grace of God descended to earth. The Lord became man in order to bring man closer to Himself. It is Jacob who awakens from sleep and says that this place is scary:
“this is nothing other than the house of God, this is the gate of heaven”
(Genesis 28:17). And he took the stone that was at his head, and set it up as a monument, and poured oil on it, and called the name of the place Bethel, which means “house of God.”
“And Jacob made a vow, saying: If
[Lord]
God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I am going on, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and I will return in peace to my father’s house, and the Lord will be my God, then this stone, which I have set up as a monument, will
house of God; and of all that You, O God, give me, I will give You a tenth.”
(Genesis 28:20–22)
He promises to give God a tithe for the good deeds that the Lord promises to send him.
Next is the story that we all know: his acquaintance with a treacherous uncle who was on his own, and then the story of Jacob’s marriage to his sisters Leah and Rachel. Here we see the trials that the Lord sends to him because he deceived his father. Just as he deceived his father, so he himself was deceived by his father-in-law. Leah was the eldest, and Rachel the youngest; He fell in love with Rachel with all his heart and promised to work for her for seven years with his uncle. But after the contract was concluded, the marriage ceremony began, at the end of which it turned out that it was not Rachel, but Leah, who was brought into the groom’s tent.
According to Eastern custom, having crossed the threshold of the groom's tent, she was considered his wife, no matter what. There was no turning back. And when he saw that the one standing in front of him was not the one he was expecting, he was saddened and annoyed and told his father-in-law about this. And his father-in-law sympathized with him and said: “I’m worried with you, but we have such a custom: it’s supposed to give away the eldest daughter first, and then the youngest. I don’t mind, take the younger one later, but work for me for another seven years.” Jacob agrees and works seven more for his wife Rachel. So, he gave 14 years to live with the woman he loved. What is important here is not the years themselves, but the love that knows no barriers. For him, work was like a single day, because he loved Rachel. But Leah also fell in love with him, but there was no reciprocity. In addition, she “was weak in the eyes,” that is, she had a certain physical disability. This irritated Jacob and he clearly favored his second wife, Rachel, who was barren. And the Lord blessed Leah for her humiliation, for her suffering, for the fact that she was despised by her husband. And she began to bear him children.
Leah gave birth to Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. Rachel has not yet had a single child, and then she, jealous of her sister, gives him the maid Baal as a concubine (a common custom. Remember, Abraham already did this?), from whom two side sons are born: Dan and Naphtali. Then Leah says, why am I worse? And she also gives him her maid. Jacob is not embarrassed and takes himself another concubine. And although he was the son of a father who was faithful to one wife all his life, the Holy Scriptures are nevertheless true. From his second concubine, the maid (56) Zilpah, Gad and Asser were born to him. Then Leah herself gives birth to Issachar, Zebulun and a daughter, Dinah. You don’t need to think that he didn’t have any more daughters, it’s just that a certain story is connected with this daughter in the future, that’s why the Holy Scripture mentions her here, the rest of the daughters were not included in the Holy Scripture because their names are not connected with historical events.
Finally, the Lord removes the shame from Rachel: she conceived and gives birth to a long-awaited beloved son, to whom he gives the name Joseph, which means: “The Lord has looked upon me, the Lord will give me another son,” that is, she was happy that, finally, received forgiveness. Apparently, this happened when she came to terms with her situation and envy left her heart. Then the Lord, looking upon her humble heart, gave her children, perhaps in adulthood. Isaac lived with Laban for about 20 years: seven years for one, seven years for another, and several more years.
When Jacob became the father of a large family, he felt that it was time for him to be independent and free from the tutelage of his father-in-law. He says that he wants to leave and start his own farm, return to his homeland. Again we see here a trick: under the leadership of Jacob, the livestock entrusted to him miraculously multiplied, and when they began to divide their herds, it turned out that Jacob had more. They decided that the piebald ones would be Jacob's, and those who would be of the same color would be Laban's. But Jacob knew how to make the cattle have piebald color. When the cattle drank, he cut the rods and made cuts on them down to the wood.
Looking at these piebald rods, the cattle gave birth to the same piebald offspring. In a word, his flocks multiplied and multiplied, but Laban’s remained at the same level.
This irritated Laban, of course. And he really didn’t want to part with such wealth that he saw from the husband of his daughters, and he didn’t want to let his daughters go either.
“And Jacob saw Laban’s face, and behold, it was not the same to him as it was yesterday and the day before. And the Lord said to Jacob: Return to the land of your fathers and to your homeland; and I will be with you. And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field to his herd of flocks, and said to them: I see the face of your father, that it is not the same towards me as it was yesterday and the day before; but the God of my father was with me; You yourself know that I served your father with all my might, but your father deceived me and changed my reward ten times; but God did not allow him to harm me. When he said that cattle with specks will be your reward, all the cattle were born with specks. And when he said: the motley ones will be your reward, then all the cattle gave birth to motley ones. And God took it away
your father's cattle and gave
(Genesis 31:4–9).
Jacob leaves Laban unnoticed, he simply runs away from him. And Jacob took his wives, put his children on camels, took all the livestock, his wealth that he had acquired in Mesopotamia, and went to the land of Canaan. But since Laban was not at home, Rachel stole the idols that her father had. These were small local gods that were common in the East (they were called teraphim): people believed in them as guardians of hearths.
Laban grabbed his idols, suspected that they had been stolen, and began to pursue Jacob. His daughter’s trick was successful: she hid the idols, and he did not find them. Moreover, Jacob managed to win over Laban, and they entered into an alliance. Jacob stabbed
"sacrifice on the mountain and called his relatives to eat bread, and they ate the bread
and spent the night on the mountain. And Laban rose early in the morning and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters, and blessed them.”
(Genesis 31:54, 55).
And Laban returned home, and Jacob went his way, that is, this event served as a reconciliation between Jacob and Laban, who blessed his offspring in the person of his grandchildren.
"Make friends for yourself with unrighteous wealth"
(Luke 16:9). If you give a person something from a pure heart, then you simply want to win him over, and there is no sin here. But if we quarreled, and I give you one thing, then another, then a third, then how can I be angry? Our relationship is improving. And this is human wisdom, which Jacob showed. He does this to his brother and fervently prays to God to reconcile them. And God heard the prayer. Esau meets him, and this meeting ends in reconciliation.
One day Jacob, in a lonely night, was granted some mysterious vision, as it is said: “Someone wrestled with him.”
“And Jacob was left alone. And Someone fought with him until dawn appeared; and when he saw that it did not prevail against him, he touched the joint of his thigh and damaged the joint of Jacob's thigh when he wrestled with Him. And said
: Let me go, for the dawn has risen. Jacob said: I will not let you go until you bless me. And he said: What is your name? He said: Jacob. And said
: From now on your name will not be Jacob, but Israel, for you have fought with God, and you will overcome men. Jacob also asked, saying: Tell me
your name. And He said: Why do you ask about My name?
[it's wonderful]
. (Genesis 32:24–29)
Remember who else asked the name of God? Moses. “What is your name?” (The time has not yet come (57) to reveal the name). Jehovah, the Jehovah. Remember? Here He says, “It is wonderful.” Israel was not yet ready to spiritually accept this name. And we read further:
“And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Penuel; for he said, I have seen God face to face, and my soul is preserved. And the sun rose as he passed Penuel; and he limped on his hip. Therefore even to this day the children of Israel do not eat the sinew that is on the thigh, because He who fought touched the sinew on Jacob’s thigh.”
(Genesis 32:29–32). The Lord allows a person to even fight with Himself, so that from this struggle the person learns for himself the lesson that the Lord loves him. And so, inspired by this meeting, Jacob goes to his brother, and here reconciliation takes place. Perhaps without this struggle there would have been no reconciliation, but now they found those words for each other, that forgiveness that came from the Lord to the hearts of both. And it is said that they hugged and kissed and both cried, and after that the peace that came into the heart of Jacob allowed him to live in safety and continue his ministry in the place where his ancestors lived, where Abraham lived - in the land of Canaan , near Shechem.
Unfortunately, the ordeal for his family continued. The beautiful sister Dinah was the reason for the bloodthirsty actions of her brothers: Simeon and Levi. The son of the local ruler Shechem liked Dinah, who dishonored her. Although Shechem offered to take her as his wife, this seemed too offensive to the sons of Jacob.
Jacob himself agreed to Dinah's marriage. However, the sons showed treachery and cruelty, setting a condition: in that case, she would become Shechem’s wife if the entire city performed the rite of circumcision, which they themselves performed. And when they were sick, two sons Simeon and Levi came with swords and struck down all the men of this city, avenging their dishonored sister Dinah. This violent cruelty outraged Jacob, he reproached his sons and expressed fear that cruel retribution might follow.
Subsequently, Jacob and his family were forced to leave Bethel, because they began to experience the very strong influence of idolatry. Moreover, Jacob commands all the families of his tribe to gather foreign gods in one place and buries them under an oak tree near Shechem, i.e., he destroys idolatry. In Bethel he built an altar, and there the Lord appeared to him again, who confirmed all the previous promises and the one that he said to Abraham: “all the tribes of the earth will be blessed in you.” At Bethel, Rebekah's old nurse Deborah dies, and she is also buried under an oak tree. And Rachel gives birth to the long-awaited second child. But while giving birth, she felt that she was dying, and gave him the name Benoni, which means “son of my sorrow.” But Jacob called him Benjamin, which means “son of the right hand”; this was a double name.
Jacob grieved deeply over the loss of his wife. He buried her on the way to Bethlehem and placed a monument to her on the coffin, which still stands today. Unfortunately, the grief that Jacob experienced after losing his wife was aggravated by the fact that his eldest son Reuben desecrated his father’s bed, for which he was deprived of his birthright.
Jacob comes to where his elderly father Isaac lives. This place was also chosen by Abraham - near the oak of Mamre, near Hebron. It was with him that the elderly patriarch died (he was 180 years old). Isaac
“And he was gathered unto his people, being old and full of life; and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him."
(Genesis 35:29). This happened after the events with the son Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, whom the brothers sold to Egypt, approximately 10 years before the resettlement of Israel to Egypt. This concludes the story of Jacob.
From the book The Holy Biblical History of the Old Testament author Pushkar Boris (Bep Veniamin) NikolaevichIsaac and his sons. Life 25The first years of Isaac's family life passed during the life of his elderly father, Abraham. Isaac was the only heir to all the promises of God given to his father. But he, like Abraham, had to be tested in his faith. Isaac,
From the book 100 Great Biblical Characters author Ryzhov Konstantin VladislavovichIsaac One day the Lord called to Abraham and said to him: “Abraham!” He answered: “Here I am!” And the Lord commanded: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, go to the land of Moriah, and there sacrifice him on one of the mountains that I will show you.” Abraham stood up
From the book The Explanatory Bible. Volume 1 author Lopukhin Alexander66. The servant told Isaac everything that he had done. 67. And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted in his sorrow for (Sarah) his mother “And Isaac brought her into the tent... and she became his wife, and he loved her...” Behold
From the book The Wisdom of the Pentateuch of Moses author Mikhalitsyn Pavel Evgenievich9. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is opposite Mamre, 10. in the field (and in the cave) which Abraham acquired from the children of Heth. Abraham and Sarah his wife were buried there. 11. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac,
From the book The Explanatory Bible. Old Testament and New Testament author Lopukhin Alexander Pavlovich17 And Isaac departed from there, and pitched tents in the valley of Gerapah, and dwelt there. 18. And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, and which the Philistines had filled up after the death of Abraham (his father); and called them by the same names with which
From the author's book1. When Isaac grew old and the sight of his eyes became dull, he called his eldest son Esau and said to him: my son! He said to him: here I am. 2. (Isaac) said: Behold, I am old; I don’t know the day of my death; Isaac's loss of sight is spoken of because it was Isaac's blindness
From the author's book20. And Isaac said to his son, “What have you found so quickly, my son?” He said: Because the Lord your God has sent to meet me. 21. And Isaac said to Jacob: Come (to me), I will feel you, my son, are you my son Esau or not? 22. Jacob came to Isaac his father, and he felt him and
From the author's book13. And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with wickedness; and they said this because he dishonored Dina, their sister; 14. And they said to them (Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dinah, sons of Leah): We cannot do this, to marry our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for this
From the author's book23. The sons of Leah: Jacob's firstborn Reuben, after him Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. 24. Sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant: Dan and Naphtali. 26. The sons of Zilpah, Lihina's maidservant: Gad and Asher. These sons of Jacob, born to him in Mesopotamia
From the author's book27. And Jacob came to his father Isaac (for he was still alive) in Mamre, in Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (in the land of Canaan), where Abraham and Isaac were sojourning. 28. And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29. And Isaac gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered to his people when he was old.
From the author's book13. And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath and Zerah, Shammah and Miza. These are the sons of Bashemath, Esau's wife. 14. And these were the sons of Olivemah, the daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon, the wife of Esau: she bore Esau Jehus, Jeglomah and Korah. The nearest descendants of Esau by two other wives are listed: 4 generations from
From the author's book15. These are the elders of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau: Elder Teman, Elder Omar, Elder Zepho, Elder Kenaz, 16. Elder Korah, Elder Gatham, Elder Amalek. These were the elders of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah. 17. These sons
From the author's book20. These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who dwelt in that land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21. Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the elders of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom. 22. The sons of Lotan were: Hori and Heman; and Lotan has a sister: Tamna. 23. These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. 24. Sii
From the author's book12. And the sons of Jacob did unto him as he commanded them; 13. And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in a cave in the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field as a property for burial from Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre The precision with which Joseph
From the author's bookChapter 10. Isaac and his sons The first years of Isaac's family life passed during the life of his elderly father, the patriarch. He was the sole heir of all the promises of Abraham, but he, like his father, had to be tested in his faith. His wife Rebekah
From the author's bookIX Isaac and his sons The first years of Isaac's family life passed during the life of his elderly patriarch father. He was the sole heir of all the promises of Abraham, but he, like his father, had to be tested in his faith. His wife Rebekah was
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