OUR HEBREW

FATHERS

Lost Wells and Sold Birthright

IN THIS LECTURE:

1. Isaac and the Philistines

2. Selling the Birthright

3. Rebekah’s Secret Plan

Isaac and the

Philistines

The narrative describes in some detail how God prospered Isaac.

ל עד לך הלוך וגד גדל האיש וי ויי־לומאד׃ כי־גדל קנה־צאןויה מ

קנה בקר ועבדה רבה ויקנאו אתו ומים ׃פלשת

“And the man grew, and going he went, and he grew until he became very great. And he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great household; and the Philistines envied him.” (Gen. 26:13-14)

The ים פלשת (Pelishtim) “Philistines” were an ancient people group whose name was eventually adapted by the Romans to refer to much of the Land of Israel (as “Palestine”).

Modern Palestinians are not the same people as the ancient Philistines, but their name derives from the Biblical term. The Modern Hebrew word for “Palestinians” is ינים פלסט (Palestinim) is a transformed loan word from English (i.e. “Palestinian” with Hebrew plural ending -ים ).

Philistine Captives, Temple of Ramses III, Theban in Egypt.

In the Bible the ים פלשת(Pelishtim) “Philistines” never ruled the whole Land of Israel, and their name referred to a smaller area. The southwestern coastal area of the territory that would become Israel was called Philistia, while the central highlands constituted Canaan. Both the Canaanites and the Philistines disappeared as distinct peoples by the time of the Babylonian Captivity of Judea (586 B.C.E.), most likely assimilating with other people groups in the region. Wall relief of Philistine captives,

Temple of Ramses III, Theban in Egypt.

To return to the Biblical narrative: The Philistines feared Isaac’s prosperity and took measures to cut off his clan’s water supplies by filling up their wells with earth. It became clear that Isaac would need to leave Gerar. Abimelech told him, “Go away from us, for you have become far too big for us.”

Remember that the Book of Genesis was not written during the lifetime of Abraham and Isaac, but rather much later – perhaps soon after the Exodus from Egypt.

Stories such as this one would surely inspire Israelites in the wilderness, showing them how their struggles and wanderings resembled in many respects those of Abraham and Isaac.

Even though the Genesis events had occurred in a different period, history seemed to repeat itself. What happened to Abraham and Isaac resembled the new experience. The text thus suggests that the Israelites should rely on God’s faithfulness even as their forefathers Abraham and Isaac did.

Isaac moved away from the town Gerar and pitched his tents in the wadi of Gerar. There he dug again the very wells that his father Abraham had dug, before the Philistines of his day filled them up with the earth. Isaac restored the wells, giving them the exact same names (Gen. 26:17-18). He sought uncontested peace with his neighbors. When his newly-dug wells were claimed by the men from Gerar, he did not fight them but rather moved away, leaving the wells he had dug.

Digging wells required a very serious investment of time and financial resources. The task of finding water below the earth was no easy task. Isaac’s non-confrontational attitude came with a high cost.

The third well he dug went uncontested. Isaac named it Rechovot (Rehoboth), which today is the name of a modern Israeli city in that general vicinity.

שם ויחפר באר ק מ ויעתקרא אחרת ולא רבו עליה וישמה רחבות ויאמר כי־עתה

ינו יב יהוה לנו ופר רח הבארץ׃

“And he moved from there, and dug another well; and they did not quarrel over it. And he called its name Rehoboth. And he said: For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” (Gen. 26:22)

The Bible includes a vast number of personal and place names connected to some kind of event (like this one) or idea. We read that the men of Gerar “did not argue about” the third well that he dug – ולא רבו עליה (ve-lo ravu aleiha), Isaac called the place רחבות (Rechovot), with the reason

יב יהוה לנוכי־עתה רח ה (ki ata hirchivYHWH lanu). That literally means: “For here the LORD widened (יב רח (ה[it] for us / on our behalf.” In Modern Hebrew רחוב (rechov) means “street” (literally, a wide place). In Biblical Hebrew it could refer to the “city square,” as in Neh. 8:1.

When Isaac moved on to Beersheva, the LORD appeared to him. YHWH confirmed that he was the God of his father Abraham and that Isaac must not fear, because God would be with him every step of the way. He also reminded Isaac of his promise to bless and increase in number his offspring because of his father’s proven faithfulness (Gen. 26:23-25). Just like Abraham and other upright men before him, Isaac built an altar here and invoked the name of the LORD (Gen. 26:25).

Immediately after this Isaac and his men pitched a tent and began the work of acquiring drinking water in Beersheva. Abimelech, with his chief advisor and army commander, arrived there in order to meet with Isaac. Isaac expressed bewilderment at their arrival, asking them why they would come to him now, given their hostile actions towards him in the not-so-distant past.

ינו כי־היה ויאמרו ראו ראי נא יהוה עמך ונאמר תהינך ינינו וב ינו ב ינות אלה ב

ית עמך׃ כרתה בר ונ

“And they said: We saw plainly that the LORD was with you; and we said: Let there now be an oath between us, even between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you.” (Gen. 26:28)

אם־תעשה עמנו רעה כאשר לא ינו עמך נגענוך וכאשר עש

רק־טוב ונשלחך בשלום אתה עתה ברוך יהוה׃ ויעש להם

שתו׃ שתה ויאכלו וי מ

“That you will not do us any harm, as we have not touched you, and as we have done to you only good, and have sent you away in peace. You are now blessed by the LORD. And he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. (Gen. 26:29-30)

“Abimelech and Abraham,” Philip De Vere, England.

On the following morning, both parties held a covenant-making ceremony. Then the delegation departed back to Gerar. On that same day Isaac’s men brought him a piece of excellent news. They had found water! He named the new well בעה ש (shivah) (Gen. 26:31-33).

This event parallels a previous covenant between Abraham and Abimelech (presumably the father of Isaac’s Abimelech), when Abraham told that king that a well he had dug had been confiscated by the ruler’s servants.

“Abimelech and Abraham,” Philip De Vere, England.

At that time Abraham took שבע(sheva) “seven” fully grown sheep and asked Abimelech, probably in a public ceremony, to accept them as proof of the king’s acknowledgement that Abraham had indeed dug that well – and thus it belonged to him. Abimelech agreed, and from this point on the place where Abraham dwelled for some time among the Philistines was called באר שבע (Beer Sheva) “the well of an oath [or: of seven]” (Gen. 21:25-34).

Hebrew שבועה (shevuah) “oath, curse” seems to share a root with the word שבע (sheva) “seven” and may have originated from the practice of using sets of seven in maledictions (cf. Lev. 26:18, 21, 24). Thus, the sense of swearing an oath may originally have been “to lay curses in sevens on someone” or “to be willing to accept seven curses upon oneself” should the oath be broken. In this way an oath could become a curse.

Selling the Birthright

In Gen. 26:34 we read that Esau’s marriage to Judith the Hittite was a source of bitterness for Isaac and Rebekah. While the text does not explain the point further, we can clearly see that Isaac’s life was certainly not a life of bliss or ease, but rather struggle, blessing, and victory.

Perhaps Isaac thought that being related to the locals would make it harder to preserve the strength of their clan. How would they take this land from them at some later generation?

We already noted the pattern of God favoring the younger son in Genesis. But Jacob was yet to realize that. Isaac loved hunting and favored Esau but Rebekah loved Jacob more.

Jacob was “stewing a stew” יד ויזד יעקב נז (va-yazedYaakov nazid) when Esau came in ף והוא עי (ve-hu ayef) “tired” and presumably famished from his hunting trip. Esau had spent an entire day tracking prey, seeking wild game and had little fight left in him.

ויאמר עשו אל־יעקב ני נא יט הלע

ן־האדם האדם הזה מף אנכי על־כן כי עי

קרא־שמו אדום׃

“And Esau said to Jacob: Give me some of that red stuff to gulp down, for I am exhausted; which is why he was named Edom. (Gen. 25:30)

“The Mess of Pottage” by James Tissot, ca. 1896-1902, the Jewish Museum, New York.

The Hebrew word used Esau used to command Jacob to “feed him” is ני הלעיט (hale’iteni) which some sources say means to “devour” or “gulp down,” or translated even more literally, “cause me to devour.” The Hebrew phrase that Esau used to describe the “stew” mentioned earlier as

ן־האדם האדם הזהמ (min ha-adom ha-adom ha-zeh) or literally “from this red-red [thing].”

Intriguing to note that the word translated as “stew” in the text (v. 29) is יד נז (nazid), which means something like “the boiled thing.” The verb related to this noun, other than “to boil” can sometimes mean “to presume” or even “to act proudly.” If we are meant to see this connection in the story, then perhaps the author seeks to align the reader’s sympathies not with Jacob, but with Esau.

Esau is a devoted family man; the son that his father can be really proud of. Jacob is the one seen cooking the stew. Perhaps the play on words hints that he did this with pride and with the heart full of presumption.

It appears as if the story tries to to evoke a sympathy for the one who will not to be chosen to continue the covenantal line of blessing. Though not chosen, Esau will be loved and personally protected by Israel’s God.

כרה כיום ויאמר יעקב מ לי׃את־בכרתך

“Jacob said: First sell me your birthright.” (Gen. 25:31)

“Jacob offers a dish of lentils to Esau,” Gioacchino Asseret, 17th c.,

Louvre, France.

The text is clear. Jacob, seeing his older brother’s distress, demands that Esau should כרה כיום מ

mikhra) ליאת־בכרתך kha-yom et bekhoratkha li) “sell me your right of firstborn this very day.” Jacob’s behavior with his brother at this moment, and later fooling of Isaac into thinking that he was Esau, will not be honored by God. But this is how the story plays out as his ambition leads him to this.

Later God will bless Jacob with the blessing originally intended for him. And he will prosper, but not because he stole a blessing from his older brother. Isaac had a covenantal blessing in store for the younger brother. But Jacob did not know this and did not understand his destiny at that moment.

“The Mess of Pottage” by James Tissot, ca. 1896-1902, the Jewish Museum, New York.

The concept of “birthright” and “firstborn” in Hebrew is בכר (bakhar). It refers to the state of “being first.” While Esau is portrayed as a hardworking man, he is also portrayed as someone who did not fully understand the spiritual significance of one’s birthright and being a “firstborn” בכרה (bekhorah). Perhaps to Esau being firstborn was the same as being blessed with a mighty “blessing” ברכה (berakhah).

“A Blessing,” William A. Foster Bible, 1891.

To his younger brother’s request, “First sell me your birthright,” Esau responded:

אנכי הולך למות ולמה־זה לי בכרה (anokhi holekh lamutve-lama zeh li bekhorah) “I am at the point of death, so of what use is my birthright to me?” True, Esau was tired and hungry. Still despite of his state, one who esteems his status as the firstborn highly would not give up this status for mere food. So Esau agreed and ate.

Rebekah’s Secret Plan

Sibling rivalry constitutes a recurring motif in the book of Genesis: Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Rachel and Leah, and then Joseph and his brothers. In general, sibling rivalry plays a central role in human conflict, and it begins with a very simple desire.

The desire is to have what your brother has, to gain preeminence, or even to be what your brother is. Such coveting and craving will be formally forbidden to Israelites. The prohibition of such wrong desires is even expressed in the Ten Commandments.

The story of the stolen blessing is well-known. The “elephant in the room” is that, while tricking his father Isaac was ethically wrong, God’s covenant nonetheless did continue through Jacob. We will take time to walk through this story in order to understand exactly what happened and how we can understand this foundational story of Genesis. The deceit of the aged and blind Isaac becomes a part of the origins of God’s covenant people Israel. These stories contain many ironies and unexpected twists, so we should be ready to be surprised.

The story begins by stating that Isaac was old, and his eyesight had become so poor that he was effectively blind. When Isaac began to think of his death (v. 2), he determined, without further delay, to give his blessing, as was traditionally done, to his firstborn (and favorite) son –Esau. Some of this narrative makes very little sense to many modern (Western) readers since we ascribe virtually no value to the paternal blessing of the firstborn son.

“A Blessing,” William A. Foster Bible, 1891.

This story, however, and naturally the characters in it, relate to the blessing very seriously. It can be stolen, just as anything of value can be taken away. This concept should challenge us to rethink our idea of blessing, and move away from seeing it as something conceptual to something real and, in fact, very tangible.

“Isaac called his oldest son Esau” קרא את־עשו בנו הגדל וי (va-yikrah et Esav, beno ha-gadol). Esau answered him with the נני ה(hineni) “Here I am” refrain. It is likely that the text here recalls a similar triple refrain of the binding of Isaac by Abraham (Gen. 22:1, 7, 11), where it was Isaac who answered with these very words to his father Abraham. This indicator marks one of many that we will see in which the narrator seeks to align the ancient readers’ and hearers’ sympathy with Esau, rather than with Jacob.

Isaac told Esau that he had been considering his own passing, not knowing when he would die.

כליך תליך וקשתך וצא שא־נאועתה ים ועשה־לילי צידה וצודההשדה מטעמ

י והביאה לי ואכלה בעבור כאשר אהבתי בטרם אמות תברכך נפש

“Take your gear, your quiver and bow, and go out into the open and hunt me some game. Then prepare a dish for me such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” (Gen. 27:3-4)

Isaac chooses the timing of bestowing the firstborn blessing very carefully. This does not seem to be a spur-of-the-moment decision. The text indicates that Isaac had a special fondness for Esau “because he had a taste for wild game” or, perhaps more literally, “for hunted game was in his mouth” (Gen. 25:28).

“Esau Going for Venison,” Holman Bible, 1890.

Thus Isaac sends Esau out to hunt and to bring back the food he desires. Isaac and Esau are anticipating a tender moment: the son is feeding the father; the father is blessing the son. Isaac implies that he wants the blessing to be full, heartfelt and thorough.

“Esau Going for Venison,” Holman Bible, 1890.

This idea can be seen behind the Hebrew phrase י תברכך נפש(tevarekhekha nafshi),which means something like “my innermost being will bless you.” Here, in v. 5, we see that Isaac and Esau’s plan comes undone. Rebekah, eavesdropping on their conversation, was convinced that she needed to act quickly so that Jacob could intercept the blessing.

Why did Rebekah decide to do this? Perhaps her actions were rooted in God’s words she remembered when she was still pregnant with twins:

ך עי מ ים מ טנך ושני לאמ ים בב שני גילאם יאמץ ורב יעבד דו ולאם מ פר י

צעיר׃

“Two nations are in your womb, two peoples from your body shall be separated; one people shall be mightier than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” (Gen. 25:23)

We previously discussed the ambiguity of the phrase ורביעבד צעיר (ve-rav yaavod tsair)“the great will serve the young.” It appears she believed that Jacob, the younger twin, should receive the better blessing, the blessing of the firstborn, or maybe she was simply closer to Jacob. The consequences of her actions are by no means ambiguous. Two schools of thought have formed around the question of whether Rebekah did something good or evil.

Some see her actions as holy zeal, thus forcing history to go “God’s way.” Another view believes that what she (and Jacob) did was actually evil, subsequently causing much pain and suffering to all involved. We don’t even read that Jacob saw his mother alive again. Indeed, Rebekah invoked upon herself the curse that Jacob thought would befall the guilty party as a result of such questionable action (Gen. 27:13). “Jacob and Rebekkah,” Providence

Lithograph Company, 1906.

If Rebekah was right in what she did, then her actions could be compared to Zipporah’s. In a later story, Moses’ wife saved his life when she circumcised their son, thereby averting God’s severe judgement (Exod. 4:25). However, if one accepts the view that Rebekah was wrong, then her actions could be compared to those of Sarah when she encouraged Abraham to lay with Hagar, her maidservant, in order to ensure that God’s promise would not become void.

But here again the narrator of the story does not not concern himself with pointing out right or wrong actions. Genesis focuses on God’s promises to a particular family and the real story of how these promises came to pass.

As Esau went to his hunt, Rebekah quickly sprang into action, telling Jacob about Isaac’s intention to bless Esau. “Jacob and Rebekkah,” Providence Lithograph

Company, 1906.

She instructed Jacob to go to the flock and to bring her two choice young lambs, promising that she would then prepare and cook them exactly as Isaac liked. “Once that is accomplished, you will take it to your father and he will bless you before he dies,” said Rebekah to Jacob (Gen. 27:5-10). Thus a plan to steal the blessing is set in motion.