The Dispersion of the Early Hebrew

 

       Map produced by Daniel Todd

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The Hebrew were widely dispersed before Abraham's time (c.2000 BC). They were in the region of Lake Chad, the Nile Valley, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Eurasia, and the Indus Valley.

Nekhen on the Nile is the oldest known site of Horite Hebrew worship. It is marked on the map by a star. Nekhen's sister city, Nekheb, sat on the opposite side to the Nile River. Both were shrine cities with Hebrew priests. A great deal is known about the Horite and Sethite mounds from texts dating to as early as 4200 years ago.

The historical Adam and Eve lived around 5000-4800 BC in a vast well-watered region called Eden. Genesis 2 describes Eden as a lush riverine region that extended from the sources of the Nile in Ethiopia and Uganda to the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia (C on the map). The early Hebrew lived throughout Eden.

The firstborn son of Adam and Eve was Cain (Gen. 4). He was sent away and established a settlement "east of Eden" (Gen. 4:16). He named that settlement for his son Enoch, a royal title. Cain's descendants, the Kenites, are found in the land of Kenan which is the land of Canaan כנען, pronounced kena'an.

Noah was one of the descendants of Adam and Eve. Different accounts of Noah are given in Genesis chapter 6-8. He probably ruled in the region of Lake Chad (A on the map). This is the only place on earth that the natives call Noah's homeland - Bornu (Borno/Benue), meaning "land of Noah." The local Kanuri people call Lake Chad Buhar Nuhu, meaning "Sea of Noah." When Noah lived the Sahara was wet and green. The Lake Chad Basin was prone to flooding. The oldest known canoe, the "Dufuna boat," was found in this region. This is a photograph of that 8000-year mahogany dugout.

One of Noah's descendants was Nimrod (Gen. 10), a son of Kush. Nimrod left Kush (modern day Sudan) and established his territory on the Euphrates River around 3500 BC (Gen. 10). He married a Sumerian princess, the daughter of King Asshur.

The practice of marrying high-status women to form political alliances and to become established in a new territory is illustrated by Nimrod’s marriage to a Sumerian princess. Nimrod was a Kushite kingdom builder and his marriage to Asshur’s daughter is evidence of the close connection between the rulers of the Nile Valley and the rulers of Mesopotamia, two early riverine civilizations.

Another of Noah's descendants was Heth (Gen. 10). The Hittites of Canaan and Anatolia (C on the map) are Heth's Hebrew descendants.

Abraham was one of Nimrod’s descendants. Around 2000 BC, Abraham controlled the water systems at Hebron and Beersheba and the wells that he dug in Gerar. His proper heir was Isaac and Isaac's proper heir was Esau. Jacob was sent to serve his maternal uncle, a common practice among the early Hebrew. The sending away of non-ascendant sons drove the Hebrew dispersion into many regions.

The clans of Joktan and Sheba were also Hebrew. They settled in southern Arabia. This map shows the Joktanite clans of Arabia.

The widely dispersed Hebrew ruler-priests controlled commerce on sections of the major water systems. They traded as far as Pakistan and the Indus River Civilization. By the time Nimrod married a daughter of Asshur, long-distance trade had become a source of wealth for the Mesopotamian lords and ladies. Ships coming from Bahrain (Sumerian "Dilmun") brought wool, gold, copper, lapis lazuli, and carnelian to the Sumerian cities of Ur, Nippur, and Uruk (Erech). Archaeologists discovered a 4,000-year-old boat at Uruk. The boat was constructed of organic materials, probably marsh reeds, and covered in bitumen, a tar-like substance used for waterproofing. This technique was used in the construction of Noah’s ark (Gen. 6:14).

As early as 7000 BC, the island of Bahrain (F on the map) served as a major trade depot with its own commercial seal. Ancient documents speak of Dilmun's trade in gold, silver, ivory, sesame oil, wool, carnelian beads, lapis lazuli, and copper. One document details a cargo of eighteen tons of refined copper purchased in Dilmun. Dilmun was a maritime connection between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.

Sumerian ships brought cargo to Dilmun and to port cities in the Indus Valley (G on the map). Ships sailed southeast on the Tigris or Euphrates to the Persian Gulf, making stops at the port of Dilmun, passing the Oman Peninsula, and entering the Arabian Sea. From there the ships sailed northeast on the Indus River to Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. Trade in lapis lazuli and carnelian beads ran between Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and Afghanistan as early as 4000 B.C. Indus seals with Harappan inscriptions have been found in Mesopotamia. Indus pottery and seals have been found along the maritime routes between the Indian subcontinent and Mesopotamia. Note the close resemblance of Indus Valley and Nilotic inscriptions found on pottery.

The early Hebrew rulers sent their merchants along ancient trade routes that ran from the Nile to Arabia and Canaan, and from Mesopotamia to modern Bahrain. Routes extended into the Indus Valley and as far north as China. There is considerable evidence that the religious beliefs of the early Hebrew influenced the populations among whom they lived. This explains the common religious practices and solar symbolism among the diverse populations of the Fertile Crescent and the Ancient Near East.

The term "Hebrew" is derived from the ancient Akkadian word for priest - abru. They were a ruler-priest caste that married only within their caste (caste endogamy). The caste structure of the early Hebrew meant that wherever they lived they were identifiable as Hebrew. It is possible to speak of Egyptian Hebrew, Canaanite Hebrew, Kushite Hebrew, and Mesopotamian Hebrew. The Hebrew living in the Nile Valley were kin to the Hebrew living in Canaan, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia.

The Hebrew priests were in the service of the early kingdom builder which are described in Genesis as the "mighty men of old" and "heroes of renown." As new territories were established and as older territories expanded, the Hebrew went where they were appointed to serve at royal temples and river shrines. Many Hebrew women ministered to women at the river shrines which were places of healing, purification, and prayer, especially for women struggling with infertility.

All this movement happened long before Judaism emerged as a world religion after about 580 BC. None of the people mentioned above were Jews. They were Hebrew, and there were many Hebrew clans.

Related reading: The Ministry of Hebrew Woman at the Sun Cities; Temple Women; Horite and Sethite Mounds; The Hebrew Rulers of Genesis; The Roots of the Gospel are in Africa

Royal Sons and Their Maternal Uncles

 

Nilotic populations with similar kingship stories and patterns.

Alice C. Linsley

In Genesis, Rebekah's favorite son is Jacob, and she pushes him to steal the right to rule from his (half-brother?) Esau. She arranges for Jacob to receive from Isaac the blessing due to Isaac's proper heir. This attempt fails, and Jacob is sent away to live with his maternal uncle Laban (avunculocal residence). 

Jacob's time with Laban is a mixed tale of hardship, efforts at advancement, and affirmation of kinship. He becomes an indentured servant until he is able to achieve sufficient wealth in livestock to become established in another location. This stirs the jealousy of Laban's sons who say, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.” (Gen. 31)

Jacob sees that Laban's attitude toward him is no longer favorable, and secretly he flees with his two wives and their households. When Laban discovers that Jacob has left with his daughters and his ancestor figurines (teraphim), he goes after him.

When Laban catches up to Jacob, he asserts his avuncular authority, saying: "It is in my power to do some evil to you, but last night the God of your father told me, 'Be careful what you say to Jacob whether good or evil." (Gen. 31:29)

Then Laban asks Jacob, "What did you do? You deceived me, carried off my daughters like you would war captives, ran away from me secretly, and stole from me by not keeping me informed. Otherwise, I could have sent you off with a party and singing, accompanied by a band playing tambourines and harps. As it is, you didn’t even allow me to kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye! You’ve acted foolishly." (Gen. 31:26-29)

Clearly, Jacob and his maternal uncle Laban have a paradoxical relationship characterized by hostility and hospitality, or competition and communion. This has parallels in the narratives of the Shilluk, the Anyuak, the Alur, and the Rwanda. In the social structure of these Nilotic peoples there is a centrally important royal clan, and each population has kingship narratives similar to the story of Jacob and Laban. 

In his paper "Nilotic Kings and Their Mothers’ Kin", Godfrey Lienhardt explains that "the approved pattern for the relations between a man and his maternal kin, especially his mother's brother, is based upon a theory that greater kindness and indulgence prevail between kin of these categories than between paternal kin." How then are we to explain royal narratives about hostility between the early kings and their maternal kin? 

The story of Jacob and Laban is instructive. As a sent-away son, Jacob poses a threat because sent-away sons seek territories of their own. Laban finally accepts Jacob's departure, assuming that Jacob is returning to his "father's house" (Gen. 31:30). However, Jacob does not remain for long in Esau's territory in ancient Edom. He eventually settles in Shechem where he buys land (Gen. 33:19).

Among Jacob's Hebrew people, royal wives resided in separate settlements. This is evident with Abraham's two wives. Sarah, the half-sister bride, resided in Hebron, and Keturah, the cousin bride, resided in Beersheba. When they came of age, the first-born sons of the cousin brides were sent-away to live among their maternal relatives. The pattern is evident with Rebekah, Isaac's cousin bride, and Jacob, who was sent-away to his maternal uncle.

Godfrey Lienhardt notes the pattern of sent-away sons in the paper cited above. These royal sons are described as "planted out" and "When they are grown, the princes are rivals for the kingship." (p. 30)

Among the Shilluk, the founder of the royal lineage is Dak. Like Esau, he is presented as strong and aggressive, and a mighty hunter of crocodiles. Like Jacob, Dak's half-brother Cal prefers the company of women in the settlement and is less interested in the kingship (op. cit, p. 32).

It appears that the marriage and ascendancy pattern of the biblical Hebrew resembles patterns found among Nilotic royal lineages, and yet it is also distinctive and unique.

Related reading: Sent-Away Sons; Nilotic Kings and Their Mothers' Kin on JSTOR; Jacob's Journeys; Sons Who Stayed Home; The Social Structure of the Biblical Hebrew; The Marriage and Ascendancy Pattern of Abraham's People

Jacob's Ninth Son

With the name Issachar we find layers of meaning.

Alice C. Linsley


God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. Then Leah said,“God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. (Gen. 30:17,18)

There is a mystery here surrounding the meaning of Jacob's ninth son. Leah's handmaid was Zilpah. When Leah ceased to have children, she gave Zilpah to Jacob. Zilpah conceived and bore a son.  Leah then conceived and bore another son. She regarded this son as a reward for having given Zilpah to Jacob.

Issachar is Leah's fifth son and Jacob's ninth son. The mystery of Jacob's ninth son involves the meaning of his name. Here are three theories:

1. Ish sacar means "man of hire" and may be a reference to Leah's mandrake plant which she gave to Rachel in exchange for Jacob's sexual attention.

The Mandrake (shown right), with parts resembling ovaries or testicles male, was regarded as a stimulate to sexual desire and fertility. This is why the infertile Rachel desired it.

The Mandrake usually grows in wheat fields. It was here that Reuben, Jacob's first born son, found the plants at the time of harvest and brought them to his mother Leah (Gen. 30:14). Anxious to conceive, Rachel bargained with Leah, saying that Jacob would sleep with Leah in exchange for the plant.
  
The Mandrake consists of several large dark green leaves that lie flat upon the ground forming a rosette. In winter, a cluster of purple flowers appears in the center of this rosette. The root of the mandrake can be several feet long and weigh several pounds. The ovary or testicle-shaped fruits, mentioned in Song of Songs, are produced in the early summer and have a fragrance like ripe cantaloupe. The fruits are green when they first appear and turn a deep gold color when mature.

2. Yesh sakar means "there is a reward/recompense" and refers to Leah's belief that Issachar's birth was a divine reward for giving her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob as a concubine. According to Genesis 46:18, Laban gave Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid when she was married to Jacob.

Perhaps Leah's reward comes from the service that Zilpah's sons Asher and Gad would render to Issachar. Issachar ranks higher than Asher and Gad in the socio-political structure.

Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab, his company as listed being 74,600. Those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, the chief of the people of Issachar being Nethanel the son of Zuar, his company as listed being 54,400. (Num. 2:3-6)

Leah's insecurity is recompensed through the elevation of her son.

This also sheds light on the relationship between Jacob's sons and the apportionment of land and settlements to their descendants. This is the situation described in Genesis 35:11 which speaks of "kings" among Jacob's posterity.

3. Ish Sokar means "man of Sokar" and Sokar is a reference to Horus. His totem is the falcon and he wear the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. In other words, Sokar/Horus unites the peoples.

Since Jacob was a Horite, this last meaning of the name Issachar is certainly possible. It would mean that Jacob's ninth son was dedicated to Horus or Sokar. Sokar refers to the work of Horus in bringing resurrection from the dead.

This theory is consistent with the number nine as a sacred number among the Horites, especially those associated with On (Heliopolis). The name On appears in Proto-Dravidian words for the number nine - tondu and onpadu. Du is a suffix in these words.

There is evidence that the ninth son, the ninth generation, and the ninth part was dedicated to the Deity so that words like Horus/Sokar, Asa/Asha/Azu, Yahu/Jah, or El/Al appear in their names. Ish Sokar or Issachar was Jacob's ninth son.

Joktan's ninth son according to Genesis 10:28 was Abima-el.

Five of David's "nine other sons" have names for God: Elishua, Elpelet, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet. (I Chronicles 3:6-8)

The ninth toledoth of Genesis introduces the Horite rulers of Edom: "These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs." (Gen. 36: 20-21)

Scholars agree that this phrase: "These are the generations [toledoth] of..." introduces colophons or king lists. The formula is used eleven times throughout the Book of Genesis. "Genesis" is the Greek version of the Hebrew toledoth, meaning generations.

In the listing of kings in Genesis 4 and 5 we find the name Lamech. Lamech the Elder had a daughter Naamah who married her patrilineal cousin Methusaleh and named their first born son Lamech after her father. Lamech the Younger, the son of Methuselah and the father of Noah, was the ninth of the pre-flood rulers listed in Genesis 5.

The Son/Seed of God died at the ninth hour.

Issachar's standing

The leaders of Issachar were "men who understood the times, and knew what Israel ought to do." (1 Chronicles 12:32)

The blessing of Jacob upon his ninth son is descriptive: "Issachar is a strong ass lying down between two burdens: and he saw that settled life was good, and the land was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute." (Gen. 49:14,15)

Jacob likens his ninth son to the hearty wild donkey which is well adapted to survival in difficult terrain. The territory of Issachar (red region on map) was between Manasseh and Manasseh. These much larger territories to the east and the west were Issachar's burdens.

Related reading: Grasping at Mandrakes; Two Named Esau, Lamech Segment Analysis; The Genesis King Lists

Hebrew, Israelite or Jew?

Merneptah Stele

Alice C. Linsley


A reader of Just Genesis recently asked this question:

"Is there a clear-cut chronology when the inhabitants of Canaan/Palestine stopped being called Israelites, when they stopped being called Hebrews and started to be called Jews?"

Rabbi Stephen F. Wise, former Chief Rabbi of the United States, answers this question in part. He wrote: "The return from Babylon and the introduction of the Babylonian Talmud mark the end of Hebrewism and the beginning of Judaism.”

It is not possible to put exact dates on when each of the terms - Hebrew, Israelite and Jew - was introduced. However, anthropological studies reveal that the oldest of these terms is Hebrew. The Hebrew were widely dispersed before Abraham's time (c.2100 B.C.).

The word Hebrew is the English equivalent of the Akkadian Abru, meaning priest. (Akkadian is the oldest known Semitic language.) Other variants include 'Apiru, Ha-biru and Ha-piru. The word refers to priests who served at the temples of the ancient Sun cities. The Sun temple was called O-piru, meaning "house of the Sun."  The Habiru were already widely dispersed in the 14th-13th centuries B.C. Their dispersion was driven by a marriage and ascendancy pattern in which some sons were sent away to established their own territories.

The term "Israelite" appears on the Merneptah Stele, dated to c. 1219 B.C. This stele set up by Pharaoh Merneptah is the earliest extra-biblical record of a people called Israel. The stele was discovered by Flinders Petrie in 1896 at Thebes, and is now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The "people of Israel" refers to the clan of Jacob (Yacob) and their story takes shape under Moses, the Horite Hebrew ruler. Moses and his family had the same marriage and ascendancy pattern as Abraham the Hebrew and other Horite Hebrew figures such as Lamech the Elder (Genesis 4) and Elkanah, the father of the prophet Samuel .

Abraham's people were Horite Hebrew, that is, devotees of God the Father and God the Son. The son was called HR in ancient Egyptian (Horus in Greek)), meaning "the Most High One". Horite and Sethite Hebrew priests were widely dispersed in the service of high kings, the "mighty men of old" mentioned in Genesis 6 and 10. They were separate ritual groups (moieties) who maintained shrines along the Nile River as early as 2000 years before Abraham.

The oldest site of Horite Hebrew worship is Nekhen (Hierakonpolis) on the Nile (4000-3000 B.C.). Votive instruments at Nekhen were ten times larger than the mace heads and bowls found elsewhere, suggesting that this was a very prestigious shrine.  

Horite Hebrew priests built east-facing fire altars in the shape of a falcon. In Vedic tradition these are called uttaravedi. The falcon was the totem of Horus. These altars were erected in Pakistan and India from before 2000 B.C. The Shulba Sutras state that "he who desires heaven is to construct a fire-altar in the form of a falcon." Such altars have been discovered at the Harappan shrine cities of Kalibangan and Lothal. The Dravidian word Har-appa means "Hor is father."

The ethnonym "Israelite" comes after the time of Abraham's grandson Jacob/Yacob, and probably dates to a time no earlier than Joseph and his association with the Horite shrine at Heliopolis (biblical On).

Yacob came to be identified as Yisra'el. The word Yisra'el appears to be etymologically related to the word yashur, meaning “will look to,” and El, a very old reference to God. The dating must be between 1850 and 1200 B.C, as suggested by the Phoenician or early Semitic Y which represents the ruler of a territory or the head of a clan.

The rulers controlled the water ways and wells within their territories. The Y symbolized the crook/hook of the ruler, the tent peg of the ruler's dwelling, and the boat hook. In his book Egypt and the Mountains of the Moon, Frederick Wicker refers to the Y as a boat hook, as used in East Africa and Egypt, and notes that it is a symbol of royalty. Clearly, this letter represents a cluster of related ideas including:

the ruler himself
the ruler's authority
the ruler's territory
the ruler's clan or tribe
the ruler's resources, such as his flocks and water sources
the strangers/travelers who came under the ruler's protection

Travelers and caravans moved from settlement to settlement, or from water source to water source. That is to say that they went from Y to Y. Ancient water laws were generous to those who wa-ndered. Wells were neutral ground, but were fought over, as in the story of Moses driving away the intruders at the well of the ruler-priest (Exodus 2:16-19) It was common for the river, oasis, or well to have a shrine at which a priest presided. Moses' father-in-law was "priest of Midian."

The great chiefs of the early Hebrew were designated by the initial Y, a solar symbol indicating divine overshadowing or divine appointment. This is evident in the Hebrew forms. Consider the following:

Yared (meaning to descend)
Yishmael - Ishmael (Abraham's son by Hagar)
Yitzak - Issac (Abraham's son by Sarah)
Yaqtan - Joktan (Abraham's firstborn son by Keturah)
Yishbak - Yishbak (another son by Keturah; the name means sent-away)
Yacob - Jacob (who is later called Israel)
Yisra'el - Israel
Yeshua - Joshua/Jesus

With the renaming of Jacob, the scope of the biblical narrative is narrowed to his descendants. The other Hebrew clans are not mentioned. There is no mention of the offspring of Abraham's daughters who would have married their Hebrew half-brothers and patrilineal cousins, thus extending the narrative beyond Jacob's twelve clans.

The term Jew refers to the people who were taken as captives from Judah to Babylon. This is the beginning of Judaism. Rabbis admit that Judaism is not the faith of Abraham the Hebrew. Rabbi Stephen F. Wise, former Chief Rabbi of the United States, wrote: "The return from Babylon and the introduction of the Babylonian Talmud mark the end of Hebrewism and the beginning of Judaism.”

The term is applied only to people from Judah/Judea after 580-530 B.C, long after the time of Abraham and Jacob who lived during the time of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2160-1788 B.C.)

Related reading: The Hebrew Were a Caste, Horite and Sethite Mounds; The Substance of Abraham's Faith; The Ra-Horus-Hathor Narrative; The Genesis "Begats" Speak of Archaic Rulers; Astronomy of the Vedic Altars; Sent-Away Sons

Jacob Leaves Beersheba

Genesis 28:10-17

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the LORD stood beside him and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; , and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place-- and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

Alice C. Linsley

Beersheba was the southern boundary of Abraham's territory and the territory that Isaac received as his birthright.

When Abraham was approaching his death he arranged for Isaac to take a second wife from among Nahor's clan. Nahor was Abraham's older brother. Nahor ascended to the throne of their father Terah and ruled a territory between Ur and Haran. Abraham, as the younger son, was sent away. Sent away sons receive their territories through conquest or marriage. This is a feature of the Kushite marriage and ascendancy pattern and is reflected in the Zulu word Kushwa, which means one expelled from home, cast out, or sent away.

Isaac was Abraham's first born son by his half-sister wife Sarah. As the firstborn son of the sister wife, Isaac was to rule over the territory of his father Abraham. Abraham's territory extended from Beersheba in the south to Hebron in the north. Hebron is where Sarah lived. Beersheba is where Keturah lived. Keturah was Abraham's patrilineal cousin. Her firstborn son was Joktan (Yaqtan) who ruled over holdings in the territory of his maternal grandfather in southern Arabia.  Josephus calls the descendants of Abraham by Keturah "Horites" and, quoting an ancient historian, speaks of them as "conquerors of Egypt and founders of the Assyrian Empire."

Isaac was living in Beersheba when Jacob was sent away.  Jacob was heading to the land of His mother's kin in Mesopotamia, to the "padan" of Aram in Haran. This story is laced with irony because we are told that Jacob was a "hogareño" who enjoyed staying home. He was not one who enjoyed hunting trips or other activities that took him away from his mother's settlement. We can imagine how insecure he must have felt as he crossed the Jabok into unfamiliar territory and an uncertain future.


Behold the pattern!

Jacob was returning to the homeland of his mother's people and was uncertain as to his reception. This also happened to his grandfather Abraham. Abraham left his father's territory to journey to the homeland of his mother in Canaan. Abraham’s mother was a daughter of Terah the Elder and likely the sister of Keturah’s mother. It appears that Terah the Elder and Joktan the Elder (Keturah's father) married sisters. This marriage pattern is typical of the Horite rulers. It is seen as early as Genesis 4 and 5 where we find that Cain and his brother Seth married sisters. They were the noble daughters of an African chief Nok.

The Babylonian Talmud names Abraham's maternal grandfather as Karnevo, an Akkadian form of Karnak. Karnak was a Horite temple along the Nile. Horite ruler-priests maintained shrines along all the major water systems in East Africa, Arabia, Canaan and Mesopotamia. Most of the women in Genesis are Horite wives and daughters. The Jews acknowledge their Horim or Horite ancestors.

In Haran Jacob found a cousin wife, Leah. Among the Horites, the cousin wife is the second wife, suggesting that Jacob may already have had a wife. Was Rachel is half-sister bride? In Canaan, Abraham found a second wife, Keturah, his cousin. Abraham's first wife Sarah came with him to Canaan. The manner in which Jacob came by his two wives appears to be unusual. It is blamed upon Laban's deception, but this is problematic since no kingdom is gained by deception.

On the way to his mother's people, Jacob had an encounter with God in a dream. On the way to his mother's people, Abraham had an encounter with God. Both received divine promises. God's promise to Abraham is "I shall give this country to your progeny" (Gen. 12:7) and God's promise to Jacob is "the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth."  The promise received by Jacob is essentially the same as that received by Abraham.  Abraham had 8 or 9 sons and an unknown number of daughters. His offspring became too numerous to count.  Jacob had even more sons and at least one daughter.  The offspring of both Patriarchs spread throughout the land.

At the time that Jacob received the promises in Genesis 28:10-17, he was in great need of a word from the Lord about his future. When his grandfather Abraham had been at a loss about his future, he consulted the moreh (prophet) at the great Oak between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east (Gen. 12:6). Notice that the west has priority in this list.  This cardinal direction represents the future. The promise made to Abraham is to be fulfilled in the future, west being listed first. Jacob had no prophet to consult, but instead was visited in a dream. He beheld a great ladder reaching to heaven. Above the ladder stood the Lord who said to him, "Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth and shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south." Again we note that priority is given to the west in the list of cardinal points.  Despite his attempt to deceive and usurp the birthright of his older brother Esau, Jacob would see the divine promise fulfilled in the future.

Your kingdom, O Lord, is an eternal kingdom. Your dominion endures through all the ages. Faithful is the Lord to his word and gracious in all His works. (Psalm 145:13)

Related reading: Genesis on the Ancient Kingdom Builders; Jacob's Journeys; Some Cousin Brides Were Nieces; Sent-Away Sons; Ishmael Was Not Abraham's First Born Son; Abraham's Nephews and Niece; The Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative; The Genesis Record of Horite Rule; Terah's Territory and Legacy; Reality is Cross Shaped

Dreams in Genesis

Dreams and their Theological Meaning in Genesis

by Simon Lien-yueh Wei

I. Introduction

Dream narratives in the Bible (the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament) abound in the Book of Genesis, which contains nearly one third of biblical dream narratives. Like other narratives, dream narratives are used by the biblical writer to convey theological messages or affirm theological beliefs.[1] Although dreams and their literal meanings in Genesis primarily serve the biblical stories, many profound theological meanings about dreams themselves can also be discovered from the dream narratives.

This paper is motivated by the fact that many biblical readers are fascinated by dream narratives of Genesis, but they neglect the theological meanings of dreams that those narratives may present. This paper attempts to manifest that the theological meanings of dreams revealed by those narratives include: 1) the dream world as a sacred space, 2) dreams as a divine language, 3) dreams as a mode of divine revelation, 4) dreams as a divine initiative intervening in human affairs for God's people, and 5) dreams as a divine-human encounter.

II. Dreams and their Theological Meanings in Genesis

1. The Dream World as a Sacred Space

The first theological meaning of dreams which can be revealed by dream narratives in Genesis is that the dream world is a sacred place. According to Mircea Eliade, space is not homogeneous; some parts of space are qualitatively different from others. When theophany takes place in some space, that space becomes sacred. The sacred space emphasizes not on the physical or geographical dimension, but on the religious and mysterious ones. The nostalgia of the religious is to inhibit the sacred space. They desire to situate themselves in that space and to open themselves to the divine.[2]

In all sacred space, the world of dreams may be the most private, exceptional, and mysterious one. When God comes to a dream, that dream becomes the sacred space. The dream narratives in the Hebrew Bible present this aspect clearly. As Robert Gnuse asserts, "Like their contemporaries in the ancient Near East, Israelites used the dream report in stereotypical fashion to respectfully describe a divine theophany."[3]

The view of dreams as the sacred space in which the theophany occurs can also be found in many dream narratives in Genesis. For instance, Gen 20:3 writes, "God came to Abimelech in a dream by night (NRSV)." Gen 31:24 tells us, "God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night."

This view is most explicitly shown in Jacob's dream at Bethel. The biblical text describes, "And he [Jacob] dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him" (Gen 28:12-13). Jacob awakened and concludes that the Lord actually appears at the site where the dream occurred. He then named the place Bethel (house of God). However, it may be wrong if we think that the place Bethel is more sacred than the space of the dream. This is because the divine appeared not at Bethel, but in Jacob's dream at Bethel. Therefore, if it is the dream that should be seen as the locus of divine self-manifestation, then the dream's space should be the sacred place.

Moreover, from the practical dimension, if dreams are the space theophany takes place, then the narrative in Ex 3:1-5 (God asked Moses to remove his sandals in order to stand on the sacred place where theophany occurred) seems to remind Christians that before sleep they should lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles them in order to prepare themselves to meet their God in dreams. If they encounter the divine in dreams, they may think of Jacob's dream at Bethel. Then, they should regard those dreams as the house of God and the gate of heaven, or as the holy place.

In this sense, the dreams of Genesis in which the divine appears could be understood as "a break (an opening by which passage from heaven to earth is made possible), the axis mundi (the place connects the earthly world and the divine world),"[4] or the sanctuary. From the Christian theological perspective, we may say that if a church is the collective sacred space for the community of faith, then a dream world is the private sacred space for an individual believer. Since both spaces are sacred, the attitude of Christians toward them should be equal.

Indeed, our attitude towards dreams should be religious and sacred, rather than profane. If we desire to see God while we are still living in this world, then every day we may expect and prepare ourselves to meet God in dreams, the sacred space. At the same time, God may be expecting us to slumber so that God can come to our dreams and to meet us.


2. Dreams as a Divine Language Transmitting on Divine Messages

The second theological meaning of dreams in Genesis is that dreams can be regarded as a divine language transmitting on divine messages. In Genesis, the main purpose of the divine coming to human dreams is to deliver the message. Dreams are essentially used by the divine as a language to carry messages. The divine messages in dreams are significant not only for dreamers themselves but sometimes also for a tribe or a nation.

Many dream narratives in Genesis describe that God uses dreams as a language to transmit divine messages, such as God's commands, promises, encouragements, and directions for people.[5] For example, from the divine message in his dream, Abimelech not only learned the truth about the hidden relationship between Abraham and Sarah from God, but also received God's command to return Abraham's wife (Gen 20:3-7).

Through a dream, Jacob first received the divine covenant and promises directly from God about him and his offspring (Gen 28:13-15). In addition, when Jacob was frustrated with Laban's attitude toward him which was not what it had been, God instructed Jacob in a dream how to procure better yields from his flocks and commanded him to go back to his birth land (Gen 31:10-13). It was also through a dream that God sent a message to Laban and Pharaoh (Gen 31:24, 41:25-31).

In fact, every dream in Genesis can be seen as a divine language to communicate the divine message. The dreams in Genesis may be classified typologically as auditory message dreams (e.g. Gen 20:3, 28:12-15, 31:10-13, 24), in which the divine delivers auditory messages in plain language, and symbolic dreams (e.g. Gen 37:5-10, 40:5 ff, 41: 1 ff), in which the dreamers witness enigmatic visual images that, for most cases (except Joseph's dream), require an interpreter with the aid of god to decipher the hidden messages in the dreams. The auditory dreams may be more likely as a mode, rather than a language, for God to communicate with humanity. However, they are essentially a divine language, especially from the perspective of dreamers, because it is through dreams that dreamers heard or received divine messages (just like it is through our spoken language that we received auditory messages from other people in our daily lives). In this sense, dreams, like other vehicles which carry divine message (such as visions), should be viewed as a language of God.

Likewise, the symbolic dreams may not be a divine language seemingly because the dreamers themselves even did not know the divine messages or their meanings in the symbolic dreams at all. However, because the symbolic dreams still carry divine messages (which were eventually known by dreamers through an interpreter in the biblical story), only by a different way, they should be viewed as a language of God. In short, dreams in Genesis, whether they are formulated in comprehensible messages or in enigmatic symbols, can all be regarded as a divine language which transmits divine message.[6]

3. Dreams as a Way of Divine Revelation

The third theological meaning of dreams in Genesis is that dreams is a mode of divine revelation. The mode of revelation in the Hebrew Bible varies from external phenomena (e.g. voices and forces of nature) to internal phenomena (e.g. visions and dreams). In Genesis, dreams are one of the legitimate and common channels by which God reveals God's will and foreshadows future events.

For instance, God reveals God's will to Abimelech, Jacob, and Laban through dreams (Gen 20:3-7, 28:12-15, 31:11-16, 31:24). Gen 41:25b writes, "God had revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do." The biblical narrative describes Pharaoh's dream as a foreshadowing from God which shows the coming of great abundance and famine in Egypt (Gen 41:15-32). Therefore, Jean-Michel de Tarragon claims that ordinary prophecy could always benefit from revelation by dreams, such as the dream of Jacob at Bethel and the dreams that Joseph interpreted for his companions in captivity and for Pharaoh.[7]

Moreover, scholars have been able to deduce some theological agenda of the biblical writers concerning revelation from dream narratives in Genesis. For instance, Hermann Gunkel argues, "[E] prefers dreams and the call of the angel from heaven--the most invisible means of revelation.¨[8] A. Oppenheim and Robert Gnuse also observe that many narratives in Genesis as well as in the Hebrew Bible appear in the materials attributed to the Elohist. For Gnuse, the Elohist sees God as distant from creation while demanding fear and obedience as human responses. This aura of transcendence requires the Elohist to use more indirect forms of revelation than the anthropomorphic theophanies of the Yahwist.[9]

Gnuse also commends, "Israelites believed that reality encountered them in their dreams, whether it was from God or from somewhere else, the experience was to be respected. Thus, God might choose the dream as a mode of revelation."[10] Hence, dreams eventually became one of the best modes of revelation, either for God, for the Elohist, or for Israelites. In short, dreams in Genesis can be understood as a mode for God to reveal the divine will and to foreshadow future events.


4. Dreams as a Divine Initiative Intervening in Human Affairs for God's People

The fourth theological meaning of dreams in Genesis is that dreams is a divine initiative intervening in human affairs for God's people. In Genesis, people cannot force God into giving dreams for divine direction or revelation through the ancient practice of incubation (sleeping in a temple and praying for a dream from the divine).[11]

Although some scholars have claimed that Jacob's dream at Bethel results from the practice of incubation, Diana Lipton's argument may successfully invalidate this kind of idea. She argues that the text (Gen 28:10-22) never mentions about the practice of incubation or any action Jacob did concerning it at all. In addition, it is generally acknowledged prerequisite of dream incubation that the dreamer should be aware of the holiness of the place before falling asleep. Therefore, Jacob's failure to recognize holiness of the place proves that he was not involved in the practice.[12]

A. Oppenheim also points out that even if Jacob's dream at Bethel was involved in the practice of incubation, "this might be called a case of unintentional incubation."[13] Robert Gnuse even asserts that the Israelites disdained the practice of incubation.[14] Thus it is impossible to view Jacob's dream as a result of incubation. We may now conclude that all dreamers in Genesis received dreams passively and unexpectedly.[15] Every dream originates from God or serves for God's will concerning God's people.

The dream of Abimelech and Laban (Gen 20:3-7, 31:22-29) clearly show God's proactive action and protection through dreams for God's people. The divine action through dreams happened even when God's people did not know that they were in danger (Gen 31:29). For this reason, Scott Noegel proclaims that the dream of Abimelech illustrates "how Yahweh assumes an active role in saving the founding father of the Israelite religion."[16] Jacob's dream in Gen 31:10-13 also reveals that God has a proactive hand in the successes of God's people. Pharaoh's dream discloses God's intervention in the affair of Egypt not merely for Joseph but for the Israelites (Gen 41:25-41, 45:4-9).

Indeed, the dream narratives in Genesis present the close relationship between God and God's people. The divine action and voices surrounds them. The dreams witness the divine intention of intervening in human affairs in order to manifest the almighty God who guides God's people and directs the flow of history for them.[17]

God acts for God's people on God's own initiative without anyone else ordering, suggesting, or helping. It is only God who "speaks through dreams, either to make known His will or to announce future events."[18] In short, dreams in Genesis demonstrate the transcendence and initiative of God, who dominates and directs all things for God's people.


5. Dreams as a Divine-Human Encounter

The fifth theological meaning of dreams in Genesis is that dreams as a human-divine encounter. From Genesis we may find that it is difficult for humans to see God directly. People cannot meet God in the same way they meet others. Dreams, like visions, thus become an alternative way for the divine-human encounter. Moreover, the experience of encountering the divine in dreams is able to change people's attitudes toward God or their acts toward God's people.

The divine-human encounter is depicted in many dream narratives in Genesis (e.g. Gen 20:3-7, 28:10-15, 31:24). For instance, Gen 28:10-15 portrays that Jacob dreams a ladder which connects between the earth and heaven; then the divine appears to Jacob, and Jacob encounters with the divine. According to Frances Flannery-Daily, the ladder in this dream could be seen as "a symbol that bridges earth and heaven, signifying that the divine realm is accessible from earth" through dreams.[19] In this sense, this dream can be regarded as a kind of ladder which is able to make divinity and humanity connected. 

Moreover, in Genesis, after people wake from the dreams in which they encounter the divine, their attitudes toward God or their acts towards God's people are altered. Supporting by Niditch's argument, Flannery-Daily states that biblical dreams "speak directly to the idea that contact with the divine has a profound effect on the dreamer."[20] Lipton also asserts that each dream in Genesis is received during a period of anxiety or danger, either for the dreamer or the person for whom the dream is actually intended; but each dream signals a change in status for the dreamer or the person, or for both.[21]

This is evident in the reactions of Abimelech, Jacob, and Laban to their dreams (Gen 20:3-18, 28:10-22, 31:10-21, 24-29). After waking from their dreams, Abimelech returned Abraham's wife, and Laban bewared of attempting anything with Jacob, good or bad. Jacob¡¦s dream at Bethel also leads to the change of his attitude toward God. The first time that Jacob spoke of God is in Gen 27:20. At that time, he called the Lord not as his God, but as Isaac's God. But when he encountered the Lord in the dream at Bethel, not only did he practice (this is the first time he practiced) some religious rites for God (e.g. set the stone up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it; name that site as Bethel, house of God) but also he made a vow that he will regard the Lord as his God and set aside a tithe for God if he sees further evidences. In addition, after encountering with the Lord in another dream, Jacob followed God's direction: left the land of Laban and returned to his birth land, the land of Canaan (Gen 31:10-21).

All these examples demonstrate the fact that many dreams in Genesis are the events of divine-human encounter. Those dreams force people to make critical decisions or take significant actions as reactions to their dreams. Their encounters with the divine in dreams require their active and immediate responses to God or God's people in waking lives.

III. Conclusion

One third of biblical dream narratives are presented in Genesis. For many readers, dream narratives are one of the most fascinating narratives in the entire Bible. Dreams in Genesis may primarily serve the biblical stories. But dreams themselves can also reveal many significant theological meanings, which have been neglected by many biblical readers.

After deeply exploring the dream narratives in Genesis, we may discover that the theological meanings of dreams include: the dream world as a sacred space, dreams as a divine language transmitting divine messages, dreams as a common mode of divine revelation, dreams as a divine initiative intervening in human affairs for God's people, and dreams as a divine-human encounter, which is able to change the dreamer's attitude toward God or God's people.

Bibliography


Blau, Ludwig. "Dreams." in Isidore Singer, ed. The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. IV. NY: Funk and Wagnalls, 1901.

Eliade, Mircea, The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion. Trans. by Willard R. Trask. FL: Harcourt, 1959.

Flannery-Dailey, Frances. Dreamers, Scribes, and Priests: Jewish Dreams in the Hellenistic and Roman Eras. Boston: Brill, 2004.

Gnuse, Robert Karl, Dreams and Dreams Reports in the Writings of Josephus: A Traditio-Historical Analysis. NY: E. J. Brill, 1996.

"Dreams and their Theological Significance in the Biblical Tradition." in the Journal Currents in Theology and Mission. 8 Jan, 1981. ATLA Religion Database.

Husser, Jean-Marie, Dreams and Dream Narratives in the Biblical World. UK: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999.

Lipton, Diana. Revisions of Night: Politics and Promises in the Patriarchal Dreams of Genesis. UK: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999.

Mendelsohn, I. "Dreams." in George A. Buttrick, ed. The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible. Vol. I. TN: Abingdon, 1962.

Noegel, Scott. "Dreams and Dream Interpretations in Mesopotamia and in the Hebrew Bible." in Bulkeley, Kelly. ed. Dreams: A Reader on Religious, Cultural, and Psychological Dimensions of Dreaming. NY: Palgrave, 2001.

Oppenheim, A. Leo. The Interpretation of Dreams in the Near Ancient East. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1956.

de Tarragon, Jean-Michel , "Witchcraft, Magic, and Divination in Canaan and Ancient Israel." in Jack. M. Sasson, ed. Civilization of the Near East. Vol. III. NY: Charles Scribner's Son, 1995.

No Kingdom by Deception

An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed. (Proverbs 20:21)

Alice C. Linsley


According to Genesis 25, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob in exchange for something to eat. This was Jacob's first attempt to supplant Esau, Isaac's proper heir. The narrative makes good sermon material with the moral that we should value the inheritance of the Father above our stomachs. Afterall, it was our stomachs that got us into trouble in the Garden when Eve took the fruit and gave it to Adam, and they ate contrary to God's command. 

This preaches well as an object lesson for those who aspire to be children of God, but is this a proper application of this passage? Let's look closely at the text.

²⁹ Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 

³⁰ He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)

³¹ Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

³² “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

³³ But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright (cf. Hebrews 12:16)

The English word "birthright" is b'khora in Hebrew. It is composed of the words barak and khora.  Barak means "blessing" in Hebrew, Arabic and Ancient Egyptian, and khora refers to the Horite Hebrew priesthood. Jacob attempted to gain something that pertained rightfully to Isaac's proper heir, Esau. This was bound to fail unless Jacob also received the blessing of the first-born. This he latter attempted with his mother's help.

One of Moses' brothers was named Korah. It refers to a priest who has shaved his body in preparation for service in the temple. Korah was a direct descendant of the Seir the Horite ruler (Genesis 36).

The birthright in this story pertained to the Horite Hebrew ruler-priests which was passed from father to the first-born son of the ruler's first wife who was usually his half-sister (as was Sarah to Abraham). We note that Rebeccah was not Isaac's half-sister. She was his second wife, a patrilineal cousin (as was Keturah to Abraham). This means that Jacob would serve in the territory of his maternal grandfather which was in Padan Aram. Indeed, that is what Jacob did. His first attempt to take control of Isaac's territory failed. The kingdom that he attempted to gain by deception slipped away from him. 

In the marriage and ascendency pattern of the early Hebrew, the first-born son of the cousin bride belonged to the household of his maternal grandfather in whose territory he would serve. After Jacob's attempt to pass himself off as hairy Esau (his second attempt at deception) Jacob was sent to the territory of Rebeccah's clan. Jacob became a sent-away son.

In Padan Aram Jacob married two wives. After serving at least 14 years, Jacob decided to leave. Now there is a third attempt to deceive. Rachel stole the teraphim in an attempt to claim her father's inheritance for Jacob according to Horite law. His mother attempted to make Jacob Isaac's heir, but this failed. His wife attempted to make Jacob the heir to her father's wealth, and this also failed.

Jacob would not succeed in becoming a ruler by deception. His ascendancy would be by God's grace alone. Such was the case also for his grandfather Abraham and for Jacob's descendants Moses and David.

Related reading: Royal Sons and Their Maternal Uncles; Issac's Sons; Who Were the Horites?; Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives; Abraham's Complaint; The Deceiving Worm; Two Named Esau

Twins in Genesis

Alice C. Linsley


Genesis 25:22-26: The children struggled together within her. She said, “If it be so, why do I live?” She went to inquire of Yahweh.

Yahweh said to her, “Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger.”

When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

The first came out red all over, like a hairy garment. They named him Esau.

After that, his brother came out, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel. He was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.


A Nigerian reader has this to say: “Yorubas have the highest twinning rates in the world and the second child (named Kehinde) to be delivered is always regarded as the senior while the first (named Taiye or Taiwo) is regarded as second in seniority. Twins and multiple births in general have long been revered by the Yorubas as recorded in the Ifa literary corpus. Ifa literature says a lot about the first becoming last and vice versa.”

Yemi Tom’s explanation about twins and Yoruba custom is very interesting and helpful. Here again we find evidence for an African context behind the Genesis material. I personally don't take issue with the idea that Jacob and Esau were the twin sons of Isaac. That is what the text indicates. That said, it is important to investigate other the possible explanations.


Possibility One:  Heteropaternal superfecundation

The Hebrew word for twins is תְאוֹמִים, te-o-mim. There are two sets of twins in the Bible, both mentioned in Genesis. They are Jacob and Esau (born to Rebecca) and Perez and Zerah (born to Tamar of Timna).  Both Rebecca and Tamar were the daughters of rulers and they grew up around the Horite shrines maintained by the fathers. Their similar status and environment is suggestive of certain practices which were later condemned by the prophets. Rebecca's father's title was Bethuel, which is related to the Hebrew Bethulah, which means a virgin. Tamar's father ruled over a territory in Timna which was a prosperous metal working region dedicated to Hathor, the virgin mother of Hor who was called "son of God."

Tamar means date nut palm and was a symbol of fertility. Honoring this ancestor, Solomon made her hometown in Edom one of his seven fortified cities. Tamar is to Edom what Anath is to Egypt. Both were daughters of ruler-priests and the younger of their sons received seniority. In the case of Perez and Zerah we again find the reversal of seniority that YT mentions as a feature of Yoruba twin lore.

Rebecca's twin sons may be a case of heteropaternal superfecundation, that is half-brothers in the womb. This would mean that Rebecca was impregnated by two different men and would explain the extreme differences in the boys' appearances and temperaments.

There are half a dozen cases of heteropaternal superfecundation in the medical literature, many of which involve twins of different colors. The first case was documented by the American physician John Archer in 1810 and appears in the 1980 edition of the medical textbook Williams Obstetrics. In Archer's report a white woman had relationships with a black man and a white man only a few days apart.  Another similar case from 1982 appears in the most recent edition of Williams Obstetrics. In 1978, Paul Terasaki of the UCLA School of Medicine reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that he and his colleagues had conclusively established a case of superfecundation using a procedure called tissue or HLA (human leukocyte antigen) testing.

IVF conceived fraternal twin half-brothers born to Dutch couple in 1993

Possibility Two:  Intentional Ambiguity

It is possible that the author of Genesis didn't know whether Jacob and Esau were twins or firstborn sons of two different wives. He may be hedging when he speaks of "twins" and "two nations." It is certainly possible that Jacob and Esau were twin sons of Isaac, but the part about "two nations" suggests other possibilities. It is more likely that Isaac had two wives, as his his father, grandfather and great grandfather. Isaac's first wife would have been a half-sister, a daughter of Abraham's second wife Keturah. She would have been living in the region of Beersheba, which is the region to which Abraham's servant brings Rebekah to meet Isaac for the first time. Isaac's second marriage would have been to Rebekah.


Possibility Three:  Twins as a Celestial Pattern

Twins are often half-brothers in ancient literature and mythology.  This being the case, Jacob and Esau might be the firstborn sons of two wives but cast as twins after the celestial twins Castor and Pollux. In the case of these twin stars, we also find that one is weaker than the other. This is true also with the twin stars Sirius A and B.


Possibility Four:  Firstborn Sons by Two Wives

It is likely that Jacob and Esau were Isaac's firstborn sons by two different wives.  It was the custom of the Horite rulers to have two wives living in separate households on a north-south axis. This was the case with the rulers listed in Genesis 4 and 5 and with Abraham's grandfather and father, even Abraham himself. Sarah resided in Hebron and Keturah to the south in Beersheba. Sarah was Abraham's half-sister and the bride of his youth. Keturah was Abraham's cousin or niece bride and the wife of his later years.

The firstborn sons of the two wives ruled over different peoples.  The firstborn son of the half-sister wife ruled over the territory of his biological father.  So Isaac ruled over Abraham's territory between Hebron and Beersheba.  The firstborn son of the cousin/niece wife ruled over the territory of his maternal grandfather, after whom he was named.  So Lamech the Younger, Methuselah's firstborn son by his cousin wife Naamah, ruled after Lamech the Elder. 

This same pattern is evident with Abraham's cousin/niece wife Keturah who bore Abraham six sons.  The firstborn was Joktan, named after Keturah's father. The Joktanite clans still live in the region of southern Arabia.

Analysis of the marriage and ascendency pattern of Abraham's Horite caste reveals that only the cousin/niece bride named her firstborn son after her father.  This cousin bride's naming prerogative makes it possible to trace Jesus' ancestry back to Genesis 4 and 5.

The diagram below presents the genealogical data for Seir the Horite and his contemporary Esau (Issa) the Elder. This information is found in Genesis 36.

Esau the Younger was Jacob's brother, either a twin or a half-brother. Ths diagram supports the view that he was a half-brother, named by Issac's cousin/niece wife after her father, Esau the Elder. Since Rebecca was Isaac's cousin wife, we assume that Esau was her firstborn son as indicated in the text. Her father is called "Bethuel," probably a priestly title.  Maybe his name was Esau. This would connect the Aramean Horites to the Edomite Horites.

Genesis 25:26 tells us that Isaac was sixty years old when Rebecca gave birth. This is consistent with the Horite marriage pattern where heir apparent take the cousin wife later in life. It also suggests that Issac had another wife, the wife of his youth. She would have been his half-sister and resided in the region of the Negev. This would be in keeping with the pattern of Isaac's Horite forefathers. I see no reason why Isaac would have only one wife when the rulers of Genesis 4 and 5, Abraham, Terah, Nahor and even Amram (Moses' father) had two wives.  We must at least entertain the possibility that Jacob was the firstborn son of Issac's half-sister wife and Esau was the firstborn son of his cousin wife.  If this is true, they did indeed represent two distinct but related peoples.


Related reading:  The Biblical Theme of Two Sons; Edom and the Horites; Isaac's Sons; Sons Who Stayed Home; Twins, Sent-Away Sons, and Heirs to the Throne

Jacob's Journeys

Alice C. Linsley


The biblical record of Jacob's journeys to and from Haran (Padan-aram) reveal a fascinating parallelism that suggests that these accounts have been carefully crafted. For example, both departures represent reactions to the anger of brothers. Jacob flees from Canaan for fear of his brother Esau and he later flees from Padan-aram for fear of his wives' brothers (Gen. 31:1, 2). Consider the following:

Departure from Canaan

• Departure is precipitated by threat of violence from Jacob's brother
• Jacob's mother and father deliberate with him about the best course of action
• Departure is urgent, but well provisioned. In Genesis 32, Jacob says that he left Canaan with only his staff, but this is clearly hyperbole because in Genesis 28 we find that he has oil to anoint the pillar that he set up at Beth-el. His mother would have made sure that her favorite son was well provisioned before his journey. 
• Another motive for Jacob's departure to Haran is marriage.  A proper marriage would be to a half-sister and/or a patrilineal cousin or niece. Rachel and Leah fit the requirement.
• Isaac prays that God would make Jacob to become a "company of peoples" (Gen. 29:3 NAS).
• On the way to Padan-aram Jacob covenants with God and sets up a stone pillar which he anoints with oil (Gen. 28:18).
• Jacob is fearful of his reception in Padan-aram, but he arrives safely and is well received at the well where he meets Rachel, his future wife (Gen. 29:2-11).

Departure from Padan-aram

• Departure is precipitated by the animosity of Rachel and Leah's brothers and Laban's change of attitude toward Jacob (Gen. 31:1, 2)
• Jacob deliberated with his wives about the best course of action
• Departure is urgent, but well provisioned. Jacob and his wives made sure that they had sufficient provisions for both wives' households/companies before the journey.
• Another motive for Jacob's return to Canaan is his desire to keep his 2 wives (Gen. 31:31).
• Jacob returns to Canaan with 2 companies or 2 households (Hebrew: mahanaim), the camp of Rachel and the camp of Leah.
• On the way to Canaan Jacob and Laban form a covenant and set up stone pillars (Gen. 31:44-46).
• Jacob is fearful of his reception in Canaan, but he and his 2 companies arrrive safely and are well received by his brother Esau.

The parallelism between Jacob's journeys is striking and invites us to further explore a possible parallel between the two events that don't appear to be connected: Jacob's dream of the ladder and Rachel's confiscation of the Teraphim.  We will now turn to the intriguing question of whether these represent parallel cosmological views.

Teraphim were ancestor statues that belonged to the great Afro-Asiatic kingdom builder Terah. Terah was the father of Haran, Nahor and Abraham. Ancestor statues or figurines are still used in traditional African religions. The ancestor figurines were are not worshiped, but were venerated as they represented great ruler-priests who were expected to intercede for their people after death. This is like the veneration shown by Christians to saints and martyrs to whom they turn for intercessions.[1]

The word Teraphim is usually rendered "images" or "idols" but the word actually means the things pertaining to Terah. The confusion is due to the appearance of the word in 1 Samuel 19:13 where we read that "Michal took the Teraphim and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with clothes." She was attempting to make a decoy for David's sleeping body, so it is clear that this reference is not speaking of a small ancestor figurine such as Rachel was able to hide in a saddle.

The Teraphim and the ladder in Jacob's dream speak of a henotheistic worldview, that is, belief in a creator God supreme over all things who is assisted by lesser powers (baals), dieties, spirits or angels. These lesser powers do not act independently of God's sovereign will. In this view when good or evil comes upon a person it is because God has allowed it. This explains why there is often lack of precision about identifying angels and the spirits of the righteous (deified) dead in the Bible.[2] Both were seen as messengers or agents who could move between Heaven and Earth. 

So it appears that Jacob's ladder and Rachel's teraphim are part of the carefully crafted journey narratives and that Jacob's going to Haran and his return to Canaan are perfectly parallel.


NOTES
1. There is a darker side to ancestor veneration, observed today in Africa and experienced by St. Paul in Philippi (Acts 16:16-18), where demons are invoked and false prophets declare through demon possession.

2.  In Acts 12, Peter is delivered from prison by an angel.  He knocks at the door where the faithful are gathered and Rhoda tells the gathered that Peter is at the door, but they say that she must have seen Peter's angel.

Why Rachel Didn't Trust Laban

Alice C. Linsley

Rachel had the misfortune of having a father who few people trusted. Even Leah, Laban's other daughter, didn't trust him.  When Jacob proposed a plan to escape from servitude to Laban, his two wives were quick to support him, saying: "Are we still likely to inherit anything form our father's estate?  Does he not think of us as outsiders now? For not only has he sold us, but he has completely swallowed up the money he got for us." (Gen. 31:14,15, NJB)

Rachel and Leah had seen how Laban treated Jacob. As Jacob explained, "You yourselves know that I have worked for your father with all my might, and that your father has tricked me, changing my wages ten times over..." (31:6, NJB)

As Rachel and Leah were Jacob's cousin brides, one of them should have named their first born son after Laban.  The fact that neither did this suggests the possibility that neither son was in line to inherit Laban's territory. It is also possible that they declined their prerogative of naming their first-born sons after their father because by doing so they designated the sons as Laban's possession.[1]

Jacob and his wives were aware that Laban didn't plan to honor any agreements that might strengthen Jacob's position as a ruler.  Laban had other sons and they were jealous of Jacob's successes. These sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything that belonging to our father; it is at our father's expense that he has acquired all this wealth." (31:1, NJB)  Rachel and Leah's brothers were watching for the right moment to deal with Jacob, for Jacob had to make plans with his wives out in the fields where he kept his flocks (31:4).  That way they wouldn't be overheard.

The plan involved leaving Paddan-Aram while Laban was away shearing sheep. Laban formed a war party with his brothers and went after Jacob.  When he located him, Laban pitched his tents on Mount Gilead from which he has a view of Jacob's tents on the hills below.  Laban was extremely angry because he felt that Jacob had stolen his daughters and the ancestor figurines which he had inherited from Terah, called Teraphim.  His thoughts were murderous, but the Lord cautioned Laban in a dream not to cause trouble with Jacob (31:24). For all his faults, Laban apparently feared God enough to seek a non-violent resolution.

According to Hurrian records, ancestor figurines [2] were passed to the son who would be heir to the father's territory. Laban intended that the Teraphim would go to one of his first-born sons. [3]  Jacob would never rule over Laban's territory, but there was still the threat of Leah's first-born who was named for the great Afro-Asiatic ruler Reu, son of Peleg in whose time the tribes became geographically separated.  At some point after Peleg, the Arameans became jealous of their control in the north while their brother Horites controlled the southern territories. The time of division began about 5 generations before Abraham, and involved a geographical separation, not a change in the marriage pattern of these ruling houses.

By taking the ancestor figurines, Rachel hoped to gain legal leverage for her first-born son in the southern territories. Rachel's first-born son was Joseph. Might this have given Joseph's brothers greater motivation to get rid of him?

This explains why Jacob named Rachel's second son Ben-Jamin, which means "son of the south." It was in the south, in Judah, that the promise of Genesis 3:15 would be fulfilled [4]. See diagram below.

This also explains why, according to Judges 1:21, the men of Benjamin did not force out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem.  The Jebusites and the Dedanites were southern kin to Benjamin.

NOTES

1. The famed Cultural Anthropologist Claude Levi-Stauss observed in 1949 that mother and son do not belong to the same clan in a patrilineal system of descent. The bride belongs to the house of her husband, but the first-born son of the couin or niece bride belongs to the house of the bride's father.  Example from the Genesis 4 and 5 King Lists: While Lamech's daughter belonged to the house of her husband, Methuselah, her first-born son belonged to her father's house. That was indicated by naming the son Lamech after his maternal grandfather.

2. The ancient Sao culture of Chad and Cameroon produced elaborate human figure sculptures, representing deified ancestors. Carbon-14 dates for the Sao figurines range from the 5th century BC to the 18th century AD. The Sao are the ancestors of the Sara who make up to 30% of Chad's population. About a sixth of them are Christians.  The Sara (meaning to laugh) have a 3-tribe confederation like that of Abraham's African ancestors.

3.  Afro-Asiatic chiefs had two wives and therefore almost always had two first-born sons.

4. Gen. 3:15 is the first divine promise made in the Bible. It involves the promise made to "the Woman' that she would bring forth a Son who would crush the head of the Serpent.