Author: jovial_cynic

Purchasing the Land

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וַיִּ֜קֶן אֶת־חֶלְקַ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָֽטָה־שָׁם֙ אׇהֳל֔וֹ מִיַּ֥ד בְּנֵֽי־חֲמ֖וֹר אֲבִ֣י שְׁכֶ֑ם בְּמֵאָ֖ה קְשִׂיטָֽה׃
The parcel of land where he pitched his tent he purchased from the kin of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred kesitahs.
Genesis 33:19 (Revised JPS, 2023)

Jacob buys a parcel of land from the kin of Hamor in Canaan and sets up an altar there, completing his vow to God.

Earlier, in Genesis 23, Abraham buys the cave at Machpelah from the Hittites in Canaan, and this is a place where he buries Sarah.

They do this, even though the land has been promised to them by God.

Jacob’s Vow

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וַיָּבֹא֩ יַעֲקֹ֨ב שָׁלֵ֜ם עִ֣יר שְׁכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן בְּבֹא֖וֹ מִפַּדַּ֣ן אֲרָ֑ם וַיִּ֖חַן אֶת־פְּנֵ֥י הָעִֽיר׃
Jacob arrived safe in the city of Shechem that is in the land of Canaan—having come thus from Paddan-aram—and he encamped before the city.
Genesis 33:18 (Revised JPS, 2023)

Genesis 33:18 makes a point to say that Jacob arrived “safe” (hebrew: “in peace”), and this is meant to link us back to Genesis 28:20-21, where Jacob makes a vow to God.

וַיִּדַּ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב נֶ֣דֶר לֵאמֹ֑ר אִם־יִהְיֶ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים עִמָּדִ֗י וּשְׁמָרַ֙נִי֙ בַּדֶּ֤רֶךְ הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָנֹכִ֣י הוֹלֵ֔ךְ וְנָֽתַן־לִ֥י לֶ֛חֶם לֶאֱכֹ֖ל וּבֶ֥גֶד לִלְבֹּֽשׁ׃
Jacob then made a vow, saying, “If God remains with me, protecting me on this journey that I am making, and giving me bread to eat and clothing to wear,
וְשַׁבְתִּ֥י בְשָׁל֖וֹם אֶל־בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑י וְהָיָ֧ה יְהֹוָ֛ה לִ֖י לֵאלֹהִֽים׃
and I return safe to my father’s house—the ETERNAL shall be my God.
Genesis 28:20-21 (Revised JPS, 2023)

The vow states that if Jacob returns to the land of his father (Canaan) “in peace,” then the Eternal shall be his God.

Here, the text is telling us that God has fullfilled his part. It is now Jacob’s turn to uphold his end of the vow.

וַיַּצֶּב־שָׁ֖ם מִזְבֵּ֑חַ וַיִּ֨קְרָא־ל֔וֹ אֵ֖ל אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ {ס}        
He set up an altar there, and called it El-elohe-yisrael.

In verse 20, Jacob does as he said he would. By this time, Jacob has been given the name “Israel.” In the building the alter to God, he names it, “El Elohe Yisrael,” or “El, God of Israel.”

Tabernacle

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וְיַעֲקֹב֙ נָסַ֣ע סֻכֹּ֔תָה וַיִּ֥בֶן ל֖וֹ בָּ֑יִת וּלְמִקְנֵ֙הוּ֙ עָשָׂ֣ה סֻכֹּ֔ת עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָרָ֥א שֵׁם־הַמָּק֖וֹם סֻכּֽוֹת׃ {ס}        
But Jacob journeyed on to Succoth, and built a house for himself and made stalls for his cattle; that is why the place was called Succoth.
Genesis 33:17 (Revised JPS, 2023)

“Stalls” or “booths” here is actually the first instance in Scripture of the word that we translate as Tabernacle.

A house for the benefit of Jacob. A tabernacle for the benefit of the livestock.

Mountains of Seir

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וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֗יו אֲדֹנִ֤י יֹדֵ֙עַ֙ כִּֽי־הַיְלָדִ֣ים רַכִּ֔ים וְהַצֹּ֥אן וְהַבָּקָ֖ר עָל֣וֹת עָלָ֑י וּדְפָקוּם֙ י֣וֹם אֶחָ֔ד וָמֵ֖תוּ כׇּל־הַצֹּֽאן׃
But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds, which are nursing, are a care to me; if they are driven hard a single day, all the flocks will die.

יַעֲבׇר־נָ֥א אֲדֹנִ֖י לִפְנֵ֣י עַבְדּ֑וֹ וַאֲנִ֞י אֶֽתְנָהֲלָ֣ה לְאִטִּ֗י לְרֶ֨גֶל הַמְּלָאכָ֤ה אֲשֶׁר־לְפָנַי֙ וּלְרֶ֣גֶל הַיְלָדִ֔ים עַ֛ד אֲשֶׁר־אָבֹ֥א אֶל־אֲדֹנִ֖י שֵׂעִֽירָה׃
Let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I travel slowly, at the pace of the cattle before me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”
Genesis 33:13-14 (Revised JPS, 2023)

When the text repeats itself, the writers want you to stop and contemplate the meaning. There’s something here about the children and the flock being delicate and precious and at risk of death… and it feels theologically important.

Jacob tells Esau that he’ll meet him in Seir. He never does. In fact, there is no record in scripture of Jacob’s lineage ever returning to Seir.

The rabbis point to Obadiah 1:21, where Seir is referred to as Mount Esau, and Obadiah’s vision states that the Exiles of the army of the Sons of Israel will one day overtake it.

Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.
Obadiah 1:21 (NKJV)

Again, this should be understood theologically, where the character of Esau (cravings of the flesh; tilting towards the perishing) is problematic.

Esau’s 400 Men

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וַיָּ֩שׇׁב֩ בַּיּ֨וֹם הַה֥וּא עֵשָׂ֛ו לְדַרְכּ֖וֹ שֵׂעִֽירָה׃
So Esau started back that day on his way to Seir.
Genesis 33:16 (Revised JPS, 2023)

When Jacob and Esau part ways, the text states that Esau heads to Seir. It doesn’t specifically state that he went alone, but the rabbis note that the previously mentioned “400 men” aren’t mentioned again.

Because Esau represents “a tilting towards the perishing,” it would be significant for the 400 men to part ways with him as well, and perhaps the text would say something about this.

The rabbis note that in 1 Samuel, there is an odd mention of David striking back against the Amalakites (descendents of Esau), and this strange inclusion of 400 men who escaped the slaughter.

Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives.
1 Samuel 30:17-18 (NKJV)

Yes, the event in 1 Samuel and the event in Genesis 33 are far removed from one another in time. If you know that Torah was written/compiled/edited during the Babylonian Empire, it starts to make more sense. The text is there to teach us something, not to record history.

There is a lesson here.

Parallel Journeys

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וַיֹּ֖אמֶר נִסְעָ֣ה וְנֵלֵ֑כָה וְאֵלְכָ֖ה לְנֶגְדֶּֽךָ׃
And [Esau] said, “Let us start on our journey, and I will proceed at your pace.”
Genesis 33:12 (Revised JPS, 2023)

There is a teaching among the rabbis that when Esau and Jacob separate here, Esau is saying something that should be understood theologically.

“I will proceed at your pace” can mean “I will travel parallel to you.” The Midrash speaks to a division of the world – a picture of this life and the hereafter.

I see it similarly, but within a slightly different framework.

My journey through Genesis has led me to believe strongly in this repeated theme of heaven and earth. Not the “future heaven” of the afterlife (that’s “resurrection”), but in the present spiritual reality of heaven, where God currently dwells. Genesis 1:1 speaks of God creating heaven and earth, and I think this describes “twin realities.” And here in this part of Genesis, we are shown a parallel path for Jacob and Esau. Twins.

The Jewish writings describe Esau as a sort of wickedness and evil incarnate, and point to repeated passages where God has rejected Esau. He appears irredeemable. But maybe the picture isn’t meant to be a picture of “good vs evil,” but rather “spirit vs flesh.” It is our flesh that craves the things of Esau. His stomach, his lust, his desire for blood. In the same way the Flood narrative specifically calls out an end to “all flesh,” I think the text is telling us that the corrupted flesh is dying, and that no flesh will survive. The spirit survives, and longs for a day of resurrection, where all flesh will be made new again.

Adam and Eve, too, are a story of flesh and spirit. Read the text carefully and see where death is assigned, and where life is assigned. It’s a repeated story.

So when Esau says “I will travel at your pace,” we’re being told a plain truth: our spirit and our flesh are twins. They are the same. And this is just like the way Adam and Eve came from the one body, cleaved in two, but are one.
Strangely, Jacob will INSIST on separating from Esau, and the next chapter is the tragedy at Shechem. I think this is related.

We are flesh AND spirit. We are not spirit that happens to inhabit a random body. We are not a body that happens to have a soul. They are linked as one. To try to separate this identity in the present life means to ignore the needs of the present life. The story of Dinah seems linked to a failure to see this.

The Blessing

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And Jacob said, “No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me. Please, take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” So he urged him, and he took it.
Genesis 33:10-11 (NKJV)

You know the story of Jacob taking the blessing that was meant for Esau, and how Esau wanted to murder his brother in response.

Keep that in mind when you read Jacob’s words. The text is very precise here. While Jacob cannot give away his spiritual blessing, there is something we are meant to to see here.

Sheep and Goats

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וַיָּ֥לֶן שָׁ֖ם בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַה֑וּא וַיִּקַּ֞ח מִן־הַבָּ֧א בְיָד֛וֹ מִנְחָ֖ה לְעֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִֽיו׃
After spending the night there, he selected from what was at hand these presents for his brother Esau:
עִזִּ֣ים מָאתַ֔יִם וּתְיָשִׁ֖ים עֶשְׂרִ֑ים רְחֵלִ֥ים מָאתַ֖יִם וְאֵילִ֥ים עֶשְׂרִֽים׃
200 she-goats and 20 he-goats; 200 ewes and 20 rams;
גְּמַלִּ֧ים מֵינִיק֛וֹת וּבְנֵיהֶ֖ם שְׁלֹשִׁ֑ים פָּר֤וֹת אַרְבָּעִים֙ וּפָרִ֣ים עֲשָׂרָ֔ה אֲתֹנֹ֣ת עֶשְׂרִ֔ים וַעְיָרִ֖ם עֲשָׂרָֽה׃
30 milch camels with their colts; 40 cows and 10 bulls; 20 jennies and 10 jackasses.
Genesis 32:14-16 (Revised JPS, 2023)

The “gift” that Jacob gives Esau and that Esau reluctantly accepts is outlined in Genesis 32. It’s a collection of animals, and the first to be listed among them is…. the goats. As in, the very animal that Jacob covered himself in to make himself look like Esau when he swiped the blessing from his older brother.

And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,
Genesis 4:3-4 (NKJV)

The word “present” or “gift” (מִנְחָתִי) here is first mentioned back in Genesis 4. It’s the word used to describe what Cain and Abel gave to God. It is an offering. Or, given the nature of kingdoms, it is a TRIBUTE.
God did not accept Cain’s gift. Esau initially rejects Jacob’s gift. It’s an interesting parallel.

Another important note: the offering starts out with GOATS and Sheep. Goats are listed first.

This pairing has a meaning to Christians: it’s the “whatever you’ve done for the least of these, you’ve done to me” passage. And while it seems very good for “the least of these,” the story appears quite damning for those who fail to care for the poor and weak. Those poor goats!

But maybe this link to Jacob and Esau is a clue.

The Jewish teachings about Esau is that he represents wickedness in all his ways. He appears irredeemable – even his “kiss” of Jacob is viewed with derision, with some teachings suggesting that his intent was to BITE his brother, not kiss him. He is a character of murder, wrath, impatience, and an insatiable appetite for lust. Later, we see him as a nation that strives against the people of God.
In the Matthew 25:31-46 passage, the text tells us who the sheep and goats are.

They are not individuals. They are not people who will be redeemed or damned. They are nations. They are systems of humanity, and what Jesus is telling us plainly is that a system of oppression is Edom. It is the legacy of Esau, and God simply will not accept it. It is the entire rejection of the call to love God and to love your neighbor, and it is THAT which is damned in the story.

“But on Mount Zion there shall be [h]deliverance,
And there shall be holiness;
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau shall be stubble;
They shall kindle them and devour them,
And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,”
For the Lord has spoken.
Obadiah 1:17-18 (NKJV)

Rab and Kol

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וַיֹּ֥אמֶר עֵשָׂ֖ו יֶשׁ־לִ֣י רָ֑ב אָחִ֕י יְהִ֥י לְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁר־לָֽךְ׃
Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let what you have remain yours.”

קַח־נָ֤א אֶת־בִּרְכָתִי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֻבָ֣את לָ֔ךְ כִּֽי־חַנַּ֥נִי אֱלֹהִ֖ים וְכִ֣י יֶשׁ־לִי־כֹ֑ל וַיִּפְצַר־בּ֖וֹ וַיִּקָּֽח׃
Please accept my present that has been brought to you, for God has favored me and I have plenty.” And when he urged him, he accepted.
Genesis 33:11 (Revised JPS, 2023)

When Jacob tries to offer his blessings of abundance to Esau in Genesis 33, the english doesn’t capture the theological importance of what is being said.

In verse 9, Esau says “I have rab.” In Hebrew, this words means “much,” or “an exceeding amount.” This is what Esau has amassed for himself.

In verse 11, Jacob says “I have kol.” In Hebrew, this word means “everything.” This is the favor of God.

To give from rab, you lose.

To give from kol, both you and the receiver gain.

The Face of God

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So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
Genesis 32:30 (NKJV)

I do not believe that the angel with whom Jacob wrestles represents a theophany (pre-incarnate Jesus), or that the writers/editors were trying to get the readers to understand that God personally came down and wrestled with Jacob.

There is a deeper story here, and it has to do with the relationship between the brothers. Look closely at what Jacob says to Esau. This is written VERY intentionally.

And Jacob said, “No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me.
Genesis 33:10 (NKJV)

And then remember that Jacob and Esau are twins.

There’s a saying among the rabbis: Torah is not man’s book about God. It is God’s book about man.

I think we often get hung up looking for the ways God reveals himself to us in the text (maybe this is God! maybe that is God!), but perhaps the text is laying bare our own wrestlings and fears and assumptions about God, and about what it means to be a righteous person.