Tag: flock

Mountains of Seir

Posted on by jovial_cynic

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.

Rolling Away the Stone

Posted on by jovial_cynic

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר לָהֶ֖ם הֲשָׁל֣וֹם ל֑וֹ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ שָׁל֔וֹם וְהִנֵּה֙ רָחֵ֣ל בִּתּ֔וֹ בָּאָ֖ה עִם־הַצֹּֽאן׃
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֵ֥ן עוֹד֙ הַיּ֣וֹם גָּד֔וֹל לֹא־עֵ֖ת הֵאָסֵ֣ף הַמִּקְנֶ֑ה הַשְׁק֥וּ הַצֹּ֖אן וּלְכ֥וּ רְעֽוּ׃

He continued, “Is he well?” They answered, “Yes, he is; and there is his daughter Rachel, coming with the flock.”
He said, “It is still broad daylight, too early to round up the animals; water the flock and take them to pasture.”
Genesis 29:6-7 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

When Rachel is introduced, we read that she is tending Laban’s flock. She is presented to us in contrast to the hired hand shepherds whom Jacob rebukes for the way they are managing the sheep.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ֮ לֹ֣א נוּכַל֒ עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ כׇּל־הָ֣עֲדָרִ֔ים וְגָֽלְלוּ֙ אֶת־הָאֶ֔בֶן מֵעַ֖ל פִּ֣י הַבְּאֵ֑ר וְהִשְׁקִ֖ינוּ הַצֹּֽאן׃

But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are rounded up; then the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well and we water the sheep.”
Genesis 29:8 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

The hired hands tell Jacob that they actually cannot water the sheep. According to the rabbis, the stone over the well is too heavy, and requires more people to move it. They must wait for more people to arrive to help.

וַיְהִ֡י כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ רָאָ֨ה יַעֲקֹ֜ב אֶת־רָחֵ֗ל בַּת־לָבָן֙ אֲחִ֣י אִמּ֔וֹ וְאֶת־צֹ֥אן לָבָ֖ן אֲחִ֣י אִמּ֑וֹ וַיִּגַּ֣שׁ יַעֲקֹ֗ב וַיָּ֤גֶל אֶת־הָאֶ֙בֶן֙ מֵעַל֙ פִּ֣י הַבְּאֵ֔ר וַיַּ֕שְׁקְ אֶת־צֹ֥אן לָבָ֖ן אֲחִ֥י אִמּֽוֹ׃

And when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, and the flock of his uncle Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of his uncle Laban.
Genesis 29:10 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

Rachel, being a young woman, would be of little help, so what we see in v10 might be viewed as a miraculous “rolling away of the stone.” Jacob is motivated by a need to tend to the sheep and to demonstrate strength to Rachel.

Jacob heaving this heavy stone away from the well is the same act as Rebekah watering all of Eliezer’s camels earlier in Genesis.

Genesis 29:10 is an echo of Genesis 24:19.

This is an image of righteousness. Perhaps, the Empty Tomb of the Gospels can be called a Well of Living Water.