After reading chapter 37:
*This chapter begins by telling us it is the account of Jacob. When we read it, we see it begins the story of Joseph, Jacob's son by his beloved wife Rachel.
* Joseph, the youngest son, is seventeen. He is tending the flocks with his brothers by Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's slave wives. He tattles.
*Joseph is Jacob's (The text can't decide whether to call him Jacob or Israel. This may be because it is a mash up of two different texts and traditions.) favorite son. Israel personally makes Joseph a fancy robe. The other sons are jealous because they know Joseph is their father's favorite child. They despise him and let him know it. Then Joseph has a dream which makes them hate him even more. His dream obviously means that he will rule over his brothers. Then, he has another similar dream. This time it includes his mother and father. (His mother died back in chapter 35!?) His father publicly rebukes him but privately wonders if there is any truth in it. His brothers become even more jealous.
*The brothers are grazing their father's flocks near Shechem, which should not exist any more because they destroyed it back in chapter 34. Israel sends Joseph from Hebron to check up on his brothers. When he gets to Shechem, a man tells him they have moved on to Dothan. He goes after them. His brothers see him coming and begin to plot to kill him. When you have killed a whole village of men, what's one more, even if it is your brother. Reuben, the oldest, convinces them just to throw him in a cistern. He plans to come back and rescue Joseph later.
*So they take off his fancy robe and throw him into the empty cistern. They see some Ishmaelite travelling merchants coming along on their way to Egypt. Judah convinces the rest of the brothers to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites. (They are also called Midianites in the next few verses. Ishmael and Midian were both sons of Abraham. That would make the traders their second cousins.) They sell him for twenty shekels of silver. Later, in Leviticus 27, we will see that God sets the value of a male between the ages of 5 and 20 at twenty shekels. Reuben was not present at the time. When he gets back he is in despair. What's he going to do now?
*The brothers kill a goat and paint Joseph's fancy coat with blood to make Jacob think he is dead. It works. Jacob goes into deep mourning. Joseph is sold to Potiphar, Pharoah's captain of the guard.
Showing posts with label Rachel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rachel. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Genesis chapter 35
After reading chapter 35:
*After the Dinah episode, God conveniently tells Jacob to move to Bethel. Before they leave, Jacob gathers up all the idols and earrings his household has and buries them under the oak at Shechem. Remember his household now contains all the women and children of Shechem as slaves. The tree is most likely one of the "great trees" that were found near each town. They were where the people of those places went to consult their gods.
*As they pass through the land, nobody bothers them because the "terror of God" was upon them. If this actually happened, it would be more likely they had heard about the massacre and were afraid they would be next. When they got to Bethel, Jacob built an altar. Then Deborah, Rebekah's nurse dies and is buried. What she is doing with them is anybody's guess.
* Verses 9-15 are weirdly redundant and don't seem to fit in the story. There is reiteration of Jacob being named Israel, the promise of the land of Canaan for his descendants, and Jacob naming the place where God talked to him Bethel.
*The storyline continues with verse 16. They are on the move from Bethel when Rachel gives birth to another son named Benjamin. The birth was difficult and Rachel died. She was buried and Jacob set up a pillar to mark her tomb. They moved on again and while they are in Migdal Eder, Reuben sleeps with his father's concubine Bilhah. Bilhah had been Rachel's slave and was the mother of two of Reuben's brothers, Dan and Naphtali. Here it says she was a concubine, before she was described as a wife.
*Jacob finally reaches his father in Hebron. Isaac had lived 180 years when he dies and Esau and Jacob bury him. The year would be about 1777 B.C.E. , if we attempt to follow biblical chronology.
*After the Dinah episode, God conveniently tells Jacob to move to Bethel. Before they leave, Jacob gathers up all the idols and earrings his household has and buries them under the oak at Shechem. Remember his household now contains all the women and children of Shechem as slaves. The tree is most likely one of the "great trees" that were found near each town. They were where the people of those places went to consult their gods.
*As they pass through the land, nobody bothers them because the "terror of God" was upon them. If this actually happened, it would be more likely they had heard about the massacre and were afraid they would be next. When they got to Bethel, Jacob built an altar. Then Deborah, Rebekah's nurse dies and is buried. What she is doing with them is anybody's guess.
* Verses 9-15 are weirdly redundant and don't seem to fit in the story. There is reiteration of Jacob being named Israel, the promise of the land of Canaan for his descendants, and Jacob naming the place where God talked to him Bethel.
*The storyline continues with verse 16. They are on the move from Bethel when Rachel gives birth to another son named Benjamin. The birth was difficult and Rachel died. She was buried and Jacob set up a pillar to mark her tomb. They moved on again and while they are in Migdal Eder, Reuben sleeps with his father's concubine Bilhah. Bilhah had been Rachel's slave and was the mother of two of Reuben's brothers, Dan and Naphtali. Here it says she was a concubine, before she was described as a wife.
*Jacob finally reaches his father in Hebron. Isaac had lived 180 years when he dies and Esau and Jacob bury him. The year would be about 1777 B.C.E. , if we attempt to follow biblical chronology.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Genesis chapter 31
After reading chapter 31:
*Laban's attitude toward Jacob began to change when he noticed Jacob was getting rich from him, go figure. Conveniently, Yahweh told Jacob it was time to go back to Canaan. So, Jacob tried to get his wives on his side by telling them some story about how Laban cheated him, but Yahweh was helping Jacob the whole time and was responsible for his newfound wealth. Can Jacob help it if a God likes him better?
*Jacob then told his wives about an obviously manufactured dream in which God sides with Jacob against Laban, and then tells Jacob to go back to his native land. Rachel and Leah were quite satisfied with the wealth Jacob had acquired at their father's expense and have no problem with leaving. So everyone and everything was loaded up on camels to go to Canaan. They left without telling Laban.
*Laban chased after them. When he reached their camp, he said he was miffed because he didn't get to throw a going away party. He thought about getting angry, but Jacob's God told him it wouldn't be a good idea. So, why did Jacob leave without saying good bye? And why did he take Laban's household idols? (Jacob didn't know Rachel had taken them. )
*Jacob said he left without notice because he was afraid Laban would try to keep his daughters from going. He said he didn't have a single thing that belonged to Laban. Jacob told Laban to search and volunteered to kill the person who was found with the idols, because stealing little statues is a crime worthy of death. So, Laban searched all the tents and found nothing. When he got to Rachel's tent she was sitting on a camel's saddle which had the idols hidden inside. She excused herself from standing because she was menstruating. Laban did not find anything that belonged to him.
* After the search, Jacob was mad. He told Laban off by reminding him of his twenty years of hard labor, 14 for his wives, 6 for his flock. He also reminded Laban that he had a god on his side. Laban said everything Jacob had belonged to him. In spite of that, he would make an agreement with Jacob. So they gathered a pile of rocks and ate next to it. The rock pile was a witness to their agreement never to harm each other and to stay on their own sides of the land. Their respective family gods were invoked and then Jacob had a barbecue (sacrifice) and invited everyone to the meal. The next morning everyone left with hugs and kisses all around.
*Laban's attitude toward Jacob began to change when he noticed Jacob was getting rich from him, go figure. Conveniently, Yahweh told Jacob it was time to go back to Canaan. So, Jacob tried to get his wives on his side by telling them some story about how Laban cheated him, but Yahweh was helping Jacob the whole time and was responsible for his newfound wealth. Can Jacob help it if a God likes him better?
*Jacob then told his wives about an obviously manufactured dream in which God sides with Jacob against Laban, and then tells Jacob to go back to his native land. Rachel and Leah were quite satisfied with the wealth Jacob had acquired at their father's expense and have no problem with leaving. So everyone and everything was loaded up on camels to go to Canaan. They left without telling Laban.
*Laban chased after them. When he reached their camp, he said he was miffed because he didn't get to throw a going away party. He thought about getting angry, but Jacob's God told him it wouldn't be a good idea. So, why did Jacob leave without saying good bye? And why did he take Laban's household idols? (Jacob didn't know Rachel had taken them. )
*Jacob said he left without notice because he was afraid Laban would try to keep his daughters from going. He said he didn't have a single thing that belonged to Laban. Jacob told Laban to search and volunteered to kill the person who was found with the idols, because stealing little statues is a crime worthy of death. So, Laban searched all the tents and found nothing. When he got to Rachel's tent she was sitting on a camel's saddle which had the idols hidden inside. She excused herself from standing because she was menstruating. Laban did not find anything that belonged to him.
* After the search, Jacob was mad. He told Laban off by reminding him of his twenty years of hard labor, 14 for his wives, 6 for his flock. He also reminded Laban that he had a god on his side. Laban said everything Jacob had belonged to him. In spite of that, he would make an agreement with Jacob. So they gathered a pile of rocks and ate next to it. The rock pile was a witness to their agreement never to harm each other and to stay on their own sides of the land. Their respective family gods were invoked and then Jacob had a barbecue (sacrifice) and invited everyone to the meal. The next morning everyone left with hugs and kisses all around.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Genesis chapter 30, part 1
After reading chapter 30:
*Rachel, unable to have children, becomes jealous of her sister. Who saw that coming? She demands Jacob give her a child. To our modern eyes, Rachel is probably the one with the fertility problem, because Jacob is obviously doing his part to increase the population. Jacob says it's god's fault, not his. I'm sure this way of looking at the problem works better for everyone than blaming Rachel.
*Just like Sarah, Rachel gives her maidservant (read "Slave" here) Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Now Bilhah becomes a different kind of slave. Of course no one asks her if that's what she wants. Jacob has no problem with this and promptly proves again that he is not the one with fertility issues. Rachel claims Bilhah's child as her own and names him Dan. Bilhah has no right to her offspring. Jacob gets busy and Bilhah produces another child for Rachel to possess. He is named Naphtali. Rachel gloats that she is winning the baby contest with her sister.
*Meanwhile, Leah, whose body is taking a break from baby making, is worried about falling behind. So, she gives her servant (slave) Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. Of corse, Zilpah is not consulted. She bears Jacob two children, Gad and Asher. Leah considers them her own.
*Reuben, Leah's oldest son, was working in the fields and found some mandrakes which were thought to have the power to increase or produce fertility. Today we know better. Reuben brought the mandrakes to his mother, but Rachel wanted them. She sold Jacob's services to Leah for the night, in return for the mandrakes. That didn't work out so well for Rachel. Leah got pregnant and had a fifth son, Issachar. She had the nerve to say that it just showed God was pleased that she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob. Then she had a sixth son, Zebulun, and was sure this would make Jacob love her. After that she had a daughter, Dinah, who we will encounter later.
*Finally, Rachel gets pregnant and has a son, Joseph. She gives God all the credit for what her own body did, but she doesn't let him off the hook. She's already wanting another son.
*Rachel, unable to have children, becomes jealous of her sister. Who saw that coming? She demands Jacob give her a child. To our modern eyes, Rachel is probably the one with the fertility problem, because Jacob is obviously doing his part to increase the population. Jacob says it's god's fault, not his. I'm sure this way of looking at the problem works better for everyone than blaming Rachel.
*Just like Sarah, Rachel gives her maidservant (read "Slave" here) Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Now Bilhah becomes a different kind of slave. Of course no one asks her if that's what she wants. Jacob has no problem with this and promptly proves again that he is not the one with fertility issues. Rachel claims Bilhah's child as her own and names him Dan. Bilhah has no right to her offspring. Jacob gets busy and Bilhah produces another child for Rachel to possess. He is named Naphtali. Rachel gloats that she is winning the baby contest with her sister.
*Meanwhile, Leah, whose body is taking a break from baby making, is worried about falling behind. So, she gives her servant (slave) Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. Of corse, Zilpah is not consulted. She bears Jacob two children, Gad and Asher. Leah considers them her own.
*Reuben, Leah's oldest son, was working in the fields and found some mandrakes which were thought to have the power to increase or produce fertility. Today we know better. Reuben brought the mandrakes to his mother, but Rachel wanted them. She sold Jacob's services to Leah for the night, in return for the mandrakes. That didn't work out so well for Rachel. Leah got pregnant and had a fifth son, Issachar. She had the nerve to say that it just showed God was pleased that she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob. Then she had a sixth son, Zebulun, and was sure this would make Jacob love her. After that she had a daughter, Dinah, who we will encounter later.
*Finally, Rachel gets pregnant and has a son, Joseph. She gives God all the credit for what her own body did, but she doesn't let him off the hook. She's already wanting another son.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Genesis chapter 29:
After reading chapter 29:
*Jacob continues on his journey to Haran, where Rebekah's brother Laban lives. He gets to a well and asks some shepherds if they know Laban. They do. As a matter of fact, here comes his daughter Rachel with Laban's sheep. Jacob helps her water the sheep, then he kisses her and begins to cry, after he tells her who he is. She runs home to tell her father. Laban welcomes him with open arms.
*After Jacob was there for a month, Laban offered to pay him for his work. Jacob said he would work for Laban seven more years, if he would let him marry Rachel. Laban agreed. The seven years went by quickly because Jacob was so much in love with Rachel. I would have thought it would have seemed like seven years of torture, but I guess people back then had things to do to keep their minds off what they couldn't have.
*At the end of seven years Jacob was so ready to get married. By this time he would have been around 50 years old. So Laban gave a wedding feast. When evening came, Laban slipped Leah, his oldest daughter with weak eyes, into Rachel's place. The marriage was consummated and Jacob didn't figure out who he had slept with til the next morning! The deceiver had been deceived.
*One wonders how Leah and Rachel felt about this whole arrangement, but of course their opinions wouldn't have mattered. Laban tells Jacob that in that land the oldest girl marries first, but Jacob can still have Rachel if he agrees to work another seven years. Jacob agrees. He finishes the bridal week with Leah, then gets to have Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
*The bible tells us Leah was not loved, but she apparently got enough attention from Jacob to have four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. God gets all the credit though, for "opening her womb." Whatever that means. Rachel, on the other hand was barren. The barrenness theme tells us to watch out. Any children Rachel manages to have will be special.
*Jacob continues on his journey to Haran, where Rebekah's brother Laban lives. He gets to a well and asks some shepherds if they know Laban. They do. As a matter of fact, here comes his daughter Rachel with Laban's sheep. Jacob helps her water the sheep, then he kisses her and begins to cry, after he tells her who he is. She runs home to tell her father. Laban welcomes him with open arms.
*After Jacob was there for a month, Laban offered to pay him for his work. Jacob said he would work for Laban seven more years, if he would let him marry Rachel. Laban agreed. The seven years went by quickly because Jacob was so much in love with Rachel. I would have thought it would have seemed like seven years of torture, but I guess people back then had things to do to keep their minds off what they couldn't have.
*At the end of seven years Jacob was so ready to get married. By this time he would have been around 50 years old. So Laban gave a wedding feast. When evening came, Laban slipped Leah, his oldest daughter with weak eyes, into Rachel's place. The marriage was consummated and Jacob didn't figure out who he had slept with til the next morning! The deceiver had been deceived.
*One wonders how Leah and Rachel felt about this whole arrangement, but of course their opinions wouldn't have mattered. Laban tells Jacob that in that land the oldest girl marries first, but Jacob can still have Rachel if he agrees to work another seven years. Jacob agrees. He finishes the bridal week with Leah, then gets to have Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
*The bible tells us Leah was not loved, but she apparently got enough attention from Jacob to have four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. God gets all the credit though, for "opening her womb." Whatever that means. Rachel, on the other hand was barren. The barrenness theme tells us to watch out. Any children Rachel manages to have will be special.
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