Tag: children

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.

The Ones who Bowed

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וַתִּגַּ֧שְׁןָ הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת הֵ֥נָּה וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ׃
Then the maids, with their children, came forward and bowed low;
וַתִּגַּ֧שׁ גַּם־לֵאָ֛ה וִילָדֶ֖יהָ וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֑וּ וְאַחַ֗ר נִגַּ֥שׁ יוֹסֵ֛ף וְרָחֵ֖ל וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֽוּ׃
next Leah, with her children, came forward and bowed low; and last, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed low.
Genesis 33:6-7 (Revised JPS, 2023)

This is impossible to catch in the English, but in the Hebrew, there’s something that happens here that seems rather important.

In English:
the maidservants and their children bowed low
Leah and her children bowed low
Joseph and Rachel bowed low

It looks like everyone bowed low. But this is not the case.

With the maidservants, “they bowed” is a feminine plural (וַתִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶיןָ). Grammatically, this CANNOT include males.

With Rachel and Leah, “they bowed” is a masculine plural (וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ) , which can include males and females.

Therefore, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher) did not bow in this text.

At least one commentator suggests that being children of a maidservant made them… lesser, and not worth bowing. Whatever the reason, the text seems very keen to point this out.

Esau’s Wandering Eye

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וַיִּשָּׂ֣א אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּ֤רְא אֶת־הַנָּשִׁים֙ וְאֶת־הַיְלָדִ֔ים וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־אֵ֣לֶּה לָּ֑ךְ וַיֹּאמַ֕ר הַיְלָדִ֕ים אֲשֶׁר־חָנַ֥ן אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃
Looking about, he saw the women and the children. “Who,” he asked, “are these with you?” He answered, “The children with whom God has favored your servant.”
Genesis 33:5 (Revised JPS, 2023)

There are so many little hints regarding how Jacob feels about Esau regarding women. It appears that Jacob believes Esau is unsafe around them. First, the text hides Dinah back in the previous chapter. Here, Jacob evades Esau’s question about the women and only answers regarding the children.

It’s fascinating.

Joseph Protecting Rachel

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וַתִּגַּ֧שְׁןָ הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת הֵ֥נָּה וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ׃
Then the maids, with their children, came forward and bowed low;
וַתִּגַּ֧שׁ גַּם־לֵאָ֛ה וִילָדֶ֖יהָ וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֑וּ וְאַחַ֗ר נִגַּ֥שׁ יוֹסֵ֛ף וְרָחֵ֖ל וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֽוּ׃
next Leah, with her children, came forward and bowed low; and last, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed low.
Genesis 33:6-7 (Revised JPS, 2023)

The order of things is always a clue about the meaning of the text. Something is hidden here: it’s the maidservants and THEN their children; it’s Leah and THEN her children. But it’s Joseph, the child FIRST, and then his mother Rachel.

The rabbis suggest that this continues to tell us that Esau is wicked, and even Joseph is aware of it and seeks to protect his mother from Esau’s hungry gaze.

Depths of Wickedness

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Genesis 32:11 is showing us the depth of wickedness. These verses are all saying the same thing.

Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children.
Genesis 32:11 (NIV)

“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
Exodus 34:26 (NIV)

Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.
Leviticus 22:28 (NIV)

If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young.
Deuteronomy 32:6 (NIV)

Priorities of the Righteous

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Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels…
Genesis 31:17 (NIV)

Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household…
Genesis 36:6 (NIV)

I’m so enthralled by the Jewish studies and interpretations of the Torah.

Look closely at Genesis 31:17 and Genesis 36:6. The rabbis note that Jacob’s priorities were his children, and then his wives, whereas Esau’s priorities were his wives, and then his children. This was written this way intentionally, to teach us something.

What do you suppose it means?

Now, I am a little influenced by some of the Jewish writings on this, so my answer isn’t entirely my own, but I do have my own spin on it.

I think that the Children of Israel are a picture of a promise, and this promise is about the future. They are the hope. The wives, on the other hand, are a symbol of *right now.*

Jacob is thinking on the promise; Esau is thinking on his current and ever-present appetite. Food, sex, and violence.