Tag: Genesis 32

Sheep and Goats

Posted on by jovial_cynic

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)

The Face of God

Posted on by jovial_cynic

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.

Jacob’s 11 Sons

Posted on by jovial_cynic

And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.
Genesis 32:22 (NKJV)

Normally, when the Hebrew language says “men” or “sons,” the collective noun can also mean “men and women” and “sons and daughters.” But when the collective noun has a numeric descriptor (ELEVEN sons), it is specifically addressing the sons and not the daughters.
Here, the rabbis note that this text has specifically EXCLUDED Dinah.

Where is she?

It’s unclear, but one view is that Jacob has hidden her in a basket so that Esau does not see her. If we are meant to view Esau as a symbol of wickedness and lustful cravings, it would make sense that Jacob would hide his daughter from his brother.

It’s an interesting perspective. A subsequent view takes it further and suggests that this may be a nod to the horror of Genesis 34. Jacob wanted to shield her, but the thing he feared happens anyway.

Do Not Eat

Posted on by jovial_cynic

עַל־כֵּ֡ן לֹֽא־יֹאכְל֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־גִּ֣יד הַנָּשֶׁ֗ה אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־כַּ֣ף הַיָּרֵ֔ךְ עַ֖ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֤י נָגַע֙ בְּכַף־יֶ֣רֶךְ יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּגִ֖יד הַנָּשֶֽׁה׃
That is why the children of Israel to this day do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the socket of the hip, since Jacob’s hip socket was wrenched at the thigh muscle.
Genesis 32:33(34) (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

Genesis 32 ends with this odd quip about the children of Israel not eating the thigh muscle (sinew) that’s on the hip socket after the angel wrenched Jacob’s leg out of place.

If you read through the rabbinical commentary, it seems quite clear nobody is certain about this one, other than “We just don’t do it. We don’t really understand why.” And to further amplify the confusion, they note that this is a description of a law… that’s never given.

What I mean by that is this “law” is given before Israel is given the whole law at Sinai, where dietary prohibitions are presented. In those very specific laws about what can and cannot be eaten, there’s never a call back to this verse or story. If you ONLY read the Sinai dietary prohibitions, there’s nothing about the hip socket. And yet the text here in Genesis says that the children of Israel do not eat that muscle.

It’s twice perplexing. I think it’s fascinating.

The Angel’s Name

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
Genesis 32:29

Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?”
He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.
Judges 13:17-18

There are two times in the Bible where people ask an unidentified angel for their names, and in both instances, the angel replies “why are you asking me about my name?” And then they don’t give their names.

Do they not have names? Are they hiding their names? Is this the SAME angel in both instances?

Another odd fact: the angel(s) are “detained” in both stories.

Very strange.

The Angel’s Blessing

Posted on by jovial_cynic

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שַׁלְּחֵ֔נִי כִּ֥י עָלָ֖ה הַשָּׁ֑חַר וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֲשַֽׁלֵּחֲךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־בֵּרַכְתָּֽנִי׃

Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”
Genesis 32:27 (28) (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

Why does Jacob demand a blessing from the angel in Genesis 32? There are many thoughts on this, but there may be a simple answer: Jacob can’t confirm that God has blessed him.

In Genesis 27, Isaac blesses Jacob but believes him to be Esau.
In Genesis 28, Isaac gives another blessing to Jacob and then SENDS HIM AWAY to his mother’s family. We already know that Isaac loves Esau and favors him over Jacob.
Later in Genesis 28, God meets him and says He will “bless the families of the earth” through him.
In Genesis 30 and 31, the only mentions of blessing are from Laban, who confirms that God has blessed LABAN because of Jacob, which goes back to the blessing of Genesis 28.

Perhaps Jacob is clinging to this angel and basically yelling to God, “WHAT ABOUT ME?!” Will you bless everyone around me, because of me, and not bless me as well?

And Jacob is about to face off with Esau and is afraid he’s going to die, and all he wants to know is whether or not God will love him enough to bless him.

In response, the angel changes Jacob’s name to Israel and says “this is because you have struggled against God and with men… and have won.”

And then he blesses him.

It’s quite lovely, really. I think the teaching is that when the world fails to love and bless you rightly, cling to the messengers of God and demand a blessing. In your broken-heartedness, perhaps you will experience God’s blessing.

(Important note: the angel does proceed to wrench Jacob’s leg out of socket from his hip! So, do with that what you will.)

Sell All You Have

Posted on by jovial_cynic

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
Genesis 32:24 (NIV)

When Jesus told the rich young ruler that he had to sell all he had and give it to the poor in order to obrtain eternal life, I wonder if the audience heard the echo from Genesis 32, where Jacob sent away his possessions in order to survive.

Depths of Wickedness

Posted on by jovial_cynic
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)

Two Camps

Posted on by jovial_cynic

When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”
In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape.”
Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps.
Genesis 32:6-10 (NIV)

This will only make sense if you have been following me from the very beginning of my Genesis journey.

The two camps of Genesis 32:6-10 is the splitting of ha’adam into Ish and Isha of Genesis 2-3.

This is an echo.

Worthy

Posted on by jovial_cynic

קָטֹ֜נְתִּי מִכֹּ֤ל הַחֲסָדִים֙ וּמִכׇּל־הָ֣אֱמֶ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתָ אֶת־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֣י בְמַקְלִ֗י עָבַ֙רְתִּי֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן הַזֶּ֔ה וְעַתָּ֥ה הָיִ֖יתִי לִשְׁנֵ֥י מַחֲנֽוֹת׃

I am unworthy of all the kindness that You have so steadfastly shown Your servant: with my staff alone I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.
Genesis 32:11 (12) (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

The very first time we encounter the religious concept of “I’m not worthy” in the Scriptures isn’t through a story of a man cowering before a powerful and fearful God.

No. The first time we see it is when Jacob declares that he has not earned God’s kindness. This word “kindness” is the Hebrew word “hesed,” which is God’s mercy and kindness and favor. This is Jacob’s realization that God LOVES him. Truly loves him. Not in a fleeting emotional way, but in a faithful committed way.