Beginnings

The Jacob Cycle - Part 2

Structure

The first part of the Jacob Cycle encompasses Genesis 25:19-34 and is divided into 4 sections.1

Sections

Section Description Verses
1 Introduction to the Jacob Cycle Genesis 25:19-20
2 Pregnancy and birth of Esau and Jacob Genesis 25:21-26
3 Esau and Jacob contrasted Genesis 25:27-28
4 Esau sells his birthright to Jacob Genesis 25:29-34

Also, it parallels the beginning of the Abraham Cycle, inviting comparison with it.2

Parallels with the Abraham Cycle

Parallel Abraham Cycle verse(s) Jacob Cycle verse(s)
“These are the generations” Genesis 11:27 Genesis 25:19
Child of promise begotten/fathered Genesis 11:27 Genesis 25:19
Child of promise marries Genesis 11:29 Genesis 25:20
Matriarch described as barren Genesis 11:30 Genesis 25:21
Journey toward land/oracle Genesis 11:31 Genesis 25:22
“And the LORD said” Genesis 12:1 Genesis 25:23
Predictions Genesis 12:1-3 Genesis 25:23
First fulfillment of predictions Genesis 12:4 Genesis 25:24-26
Age of patriarch given Genesis 12:4b Genesis 25:26b
Second fulfillment of predictions Genesis 12:5-9 Genesis 25:27-34

Introduction

The toledot of Isaac

19 [And] these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac…

–Genesis 25:19 (ESV)

As discussed in Part 1, the toledot (translated “generations” in the ESV) of Isaac is part of a larger chain starting with the toledot of Shem. This chain is concerned with the call of a specific family through whom God will work to rescue humanity.

A contrast is seen between the toledots of Isaac and Ishmael.

12 [And] these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.

–Genesis 25:12 (ESV)

In the toledot of Ishmael, it’s Hagar who bears Ishmael (to Abraham), while Abraham is said to bear/father Isaac. Abraham is distanced from Ishmael. This highlights Isaac as the chosen seed of the woman as foretold by God in Genesis 21:12. However, though Ishmael isn’t chosen by God to be the child of promise, he’s still blessed in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:20.3 This is important to remember for the Jacob story. Virtually all the characters operate under a scarcity mindset: if one person is blessed, that means others lose out. Part of the teaching of the Jacob Cycle is that God’s ability to bless isn’t constrained by human institutions or expectations.

Isaac’s age

20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah…

–Genesis 25:20a (ESV)

Isaac is said to be 40 when he married Rebekah. Numbers are used symbolically in the Bible. One can believe they’re literal or purely figurative (or not know) and still learn what the Bible is teaching through them.

That Genesis interacts with Mesopotamian (Sumerian, Babylonian, etc.) writings is undeniable (Enuma Elish and Atra-Hasis are notable examples.) This interaction can be viewed, in part, as a polemic (critical attack) against Babylon, which was located in southern Mesopotamia. Ages in Genesis follow a Mesopotamian model, as well.

The Sumerians and Babylonians used the sexagesimal (base 60) numeral system. A period of 5 years is significant in that system because 5 years represents 60 months.4 Often, ages reported in Genesis are multiples of 5 and additions of the number 7. When ages don’t fit that pattern, it’s at least sometimes for a narrative purpose.

So, Isaac being forty (5 x 8) when he marries Rebekah perhaps illustrates that this is a significant event in the fulfillment of God’s plan to protect the chosen line. (It also establishes a comparison with Esau who is 40 when he marries, later.) Abraham being 86 when Ishmael is born in Genesis 16:16 shows that event was incongruent with God’s plan.

The Arameans of Paddan-aram

20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.

–Genesis 25:20 (ESV)

In Genesis 24:10, Abraham’s servant goes to Haran (referred to as “the city of Nahor”) to find a wife for Isaac. Paddan-aram may be another name for Haran.5 So, we’re reminded of Isaac’s link with Laban and Haran/Padan-aram (perhaps “field of Aram,” see Hosea 12:12.) Jacob will later flee to Haran, meeting his match in trickery and deception in his uncle Laban.

But why are Bethuel and Laban called Arameans here? And why is Haran called Paddan-aram?

The Arameans of the Bible could be the descendants of the Israelites taken into captivity by the Assyrians. If that is correct, the Jacob story might have an early echo of the hope of the re-integration of the Israelites who were deported to Assyria through Jacob’s later exile from the land to the “field of Aram” where “Laban the Aramean” lived. The prophets expressed hope that those captured by Assyria would return.6

10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

16 And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

–Isaiah 11:10-11, 16 (ESV)

Abraham could represent Judah, which was exiled to Babylon, providing depth as to why Terah took his family from Ur (in Babylon) to Haran.7

Exile is a central theme in the Jacob Cycle. It was suggested in Part 1 that the final form of the story as we have it in the Bible was arranged in the period of the Babylonian exile. Terminology is being used here that might have caused the original hearers or readers to consider the exile of the northern tribes to Assyria and of the southern tribes to Babylon. The hope of return to the land as established at Bethel (Genesis 28:15) would call to them from the past and give them hope. If you’re a Christian, that hope calls to you, as well, as you endure through the final exodus (Revelation 12) and wait for the ultimate reunification of heaven and earth (Revelation 22:10.)

Pregnancy and birth of Esau and Jacob

Rebekah’s barrenness

21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

–Genesis 25:21 (ESV)

As shown in Parallels with the Abraham Cycle, Genesis 25:19-34 closely parallels Genesis 11:27-12:9. The parallel verses to Genesis 25:21 in the Abraham Cycle are Genesis 11:29-30.

29 And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.

–Genesis 11:29-30 (ESV)

The barrenness of the matriarchs of the chosen line is a recurring theme that shows that it isn’t by human effort that the blessed seed of the woman will continue; it’s by God’s power. In the Abraham and Sarah story, it takes 9 chapters to resolve Sarah’s barrenness as they try to overcome it their own way. Although we learn that it’s 20 years after Isaac and Rebekah marry before Esau and Jacob are born, it only takes one verse for Rebekah’s barrenness to be resolved in the narrative.8

Sarai and Abram (Sarah and Abraham’s names before God changes them) try to resolve their fertility issues by having a slave woman, Hagar, act as a surrogate mother. The Bible makes it clear that this was contrary to God’s plan by linking it with Eve and Adam eating from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good an evil.

6 So when the woman [ishah] saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took [tiqqah] of its fruit and ate, and she also gave [titten] some to her husband [ish] who was with her, and he ate.

–Genesis 3:6 (ESV)

3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife [ishah], took [tiqqah] Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave [titten] her to Abram her husband [ish] as a wife.

–Genesis 16:3 (ESV)

The transliterated Hebrew for shared words between these two verses is given to show how the authors of the Bible purposely linked them together. Sarai and Abram taking matters into their own hands is linked to the fall story of Genesis 3. In both cases, human wills were out of alignment with God’s, leading to tragic consequences.

Rather than turn away from God, Isaac and Rebekah turn toward him, hoping that he will resolve their infertility.

21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

–Genesis 25:21 (ESV)

The structure of verse 21 in Hebrew illustrates that Isaac’s prayer results in God reversing Rebekah’s situation from barrenness to conception. A literal translation preserving the original language word order surfaces this.9

  And prayed (a) Isaac to Yahweh (b)
    for his wife (c) because barren (d) she was
  And granted his prayer (a’), Yahweh (b’)
    and conceived (d’) Rebekah, his wife (c’)

Isaac prays to Yahweh and that prayer is answered by Yahweh. The result is that his wife’s barrenness is reversed to conception. Even the word order of “wife” and her condition is reversed in its parallel line: wife (subject) > barren (condition) becomes conceived (condition) > wife (subject).

This reversal grounds the beginning of the Jacob story in the creation/blessing stage of the Genesis cycle. Sarah’s story bridges the garden of Eden and Rebekah’s story in the first section of the Jacob Cycle.10

Eden story (Genesis 2-3) Sarah’s story (Genesis 12-21) Rebekah’s story (Genesis 25-28)
Barren land “Barrenness” (‘aqar, literally “without root”) “Barrenness” (‘aqar, literally “without root”)
God provides water and life God “visited” (paqad, looks like the Hebrew for “without root”) Sarah Isaac “prayed” (‘atar, looks like the Hebrew for “without root”)
Result: a garden in Eden (‘eden, root ‘dn) Result: the “pleasure” (‘ednah, root ‘dn) fertility and a son Result: two sons

The root of the Hebrew word translated “prayed” here is ‘tr. This is the first time a word with that root is used in the Bible, occurring 25 times in total. The more common word for “pray” (pll) occurs 172 times, so the usage of ‘tr here is interesting. The next time it’s used, and most often, is in Exodus when Moses asks God to remove the plagues.11 The Jacob Cycle will often allude to Israel’s time in Egypt, connecting it to Jacob’s exile in Haran. So, we have both an early connection to Israel’s enslavement in Egypt and Rebekah’s barrenness being addressed in the same way that Moses addresses the plagues on behalf of Pharaoh. Isaac asks God to remove a chaotic, pre-creation state to bring order, though it was God himself who allowed that chaos to manifest to reveal himself (Exodus 7:5).

Crushing in the womb

22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.

–Genesis 25:22 (ESV)

The Hebrew word translated “struggled” (yitrotsatsu) is an unusual verb which means “smash, crush.” It’s used figuratively in the Bible to describe the oppression of the poor, and literally to describe skulls smashing together or reeds being broken.12 This violent term could be an echo of God’s statement that he would place enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.13 It also foreshadows the hostility between Esau and Jacob and the nations that will come from them.14

Inquiring of the Lord

Literally, Rebekah’s response is an incomplete sentence: “if so, why then am I…” which can be interpreted to mean “why do I go on living?” or “why did I desire to become pregnant?”15 It was foretold by God that a consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin would be pain in conceiving children. Perhaps, a manifestation of that pain is seen in Rebekah’s difficult pregnancy and her reaction to it. The root word used in Genesis 3:16, translated “childbearing” (ESV,) is the same root word used in Genesis 25:21, translated “conceived” (ESV): hrh.

16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing [root hrh]; in pain you shall bring forth children.”

–Genesis 3:16a (ESV)

21 … And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived [root hrh].

–Genesis 25:21b (ESV)

Rebekah “inquires of the Lord” because of what’s happening to her. Commentators note that this would typically involve going to a prophet or sacred space. Conjectures include:

  • Beer-lahai-roi, where God spoke to Hagar.16
  • Abraham, although it’s unlikely.17 Abraham may not actually be alive at this time despite the fact that if Biblical ages are taken literally, he would be (Abraham would be 160 when Isaac is 60, 35 years before Abraham’s death.) Abraham is conspicuously absent in Genesis 24:62-67, implying that he died before his servant returned to Isaac with Rebekah.18

Regardless, the Bible doesn’t dwell on how Rebekah inquired of the Lord, stating only that she does and that God answers. Isaac turned to God as a response to Rebekah’s barrenness; Rebekah turns to God in response to her difficult pregnancy.

Oracle

23 And the LORD said to her,

  “Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
  the one shall be stronger than the other,
    the older shall serve the younger.”

–Genesis 25:23 (ESV)

This verse is parallel to God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3.

1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

–Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV)

God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 establishes the mission for his family and the Israelite nation that will come from it.19 Rebekah’s oracle, being compared to the promise given to Abraham, invites the question: how will the conflict foretold result in a nation of blessing?

God’s answer to Rebekah’s inquiry is presented in the form of a poem. As is typical in biblical poetry, it’s in pairs of lines with the second line in each pair developing and intensifying the first.20

“Two nations are in your womb”

The first line is a confirmation of the promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations.

“and two peoples from within you shall be divided”

The second line develops the first with a negative aspect: the peoples of the two nations will be divided. The root Hebrew word for “divided” (prd) is the same root word used for the nations descended from Noah’s children with their own languages (the Babel story explains how they ended up with different languages,) and the separation of Abraham and Lot in Genesis 13:14.

“the one shall be stronger than the other”

In the third line, God reveals that one nation will be stronger than the other.

“the older shall serve the younger”

The last line gives us the twist: the nation descended from the older shall serve the younger. However, it doesn’t suggest that the younger child is therefore more favored by God or to be more favored by Isaac and Rebekah; it’s about the nations that descend from them.21 The words “sons” or “children” are absent from the oracle.

This line is more ambiguous in Hebrew. The word translated “older” (rav) is never translated that way elsewhere in the ESV, and a different word is used to describe Esau as the older son later in the Jacob story (gadol, see Genesis 27:1, for example) which is interestingly the same word used in God’s promise to make Abraham into a “great” (gadol) nation. Perhaps gadol is purposefully avoided in the oracle? Similarly, the word translated “younger” (sa’ir) has a connotation of “little, insignificant,” not only young. As with godol and Esau, sa’ir is not used later to describe Jacob as the younger son (qatan is used instead, see Genesis 27:15.)

While we know who is the older/greater and who is the younger/lesser, as did the original audience of the story, in the narrative, Isaac and Rebekah do not, so the oracle represents a test for them. They aren’t given instruction about how to raise their children. Their biases and action or inaction are their own choices. Will they “see and take” or patiently trust God?

The oracle develops the established theme in Genesis of a younger or lesser son be chosen over the firstborn. Abel, Seth, and Isaac weren’t firstborn sons.22 The story of the Bible is showing us that being chosen by God is an act of grace, not a natural right. Also, the Bible often shows us how the firstborn children choose to become the seed of the serpent rather than the seed of the woman. We’ll see this with Esau.

Birth

24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

–Genesis 25:24-26 (ESV)

Rebekah indeed has twins. In contrast to Genesis 21:5 where Isaac is described as being born “to him (Abraham,)” Esau and Jacob aren’t described as being born “to Isaac.” As discussed in the The toledot of Isaac, Abraham was disconnected from Ishmael in the narrative by not stating that Abraham fathered him. Here, Isaac isn’t said to have fathered Esau and Jacob, either, only that Rebekah bore them. So, Isaac is distanced from his sons. Why? One reason could be that by de-emphasizing Isaac, God’s role in the children’s birth is being accented. Another could be that the ambiguity of the oracle is being maintained. If one son was stated to be fathered by Isaac and the other wasn’t, the tension would be prematurely relieved.

Her children are described with wordplay that alludes to their personalities and future.

Esau

Esau is “red” and “hairy.” “Red” is admoni in Hebrew, which starts with the same three letters as Edom, the nation that will descend from him. The similarity between the words is more apparent with Hebrew letters (note that Hebrew is read right to left.)

Hebrew Transliteration
אַדְמוֹנִי admoni
אֱדוֹם edom

“Hairy” is se‘ar in Hebrew, a play on the region within Edom that Esau will settle.23

Jacob

Jacob is born grasping Esau’s heel. “Jacob” in Hebrew is ya‘aqov, a play on “heel” in Hebrew: ‘aqev. This explanation of Jacob’s name establishes his behavioral pattern for the rest of the story. He’ll consistently grasp for what he wants on his own terms.

ya‘aqov is also a shortened form of the name ya‘aqov-el, which means “may God protect.”24 A double meaning could be intended. Despite Jacob’s schemes, God protects him.

Parallels with the Epic of Gilgamesh

Esau and Jacob share similarities with Enkidu and Gilgamesh, respectively, from the ancient Mesopotamian epic poem Epic of Gilgamesh. These parallels are strongest in the wrestling scene in Genesis 32:22-32, but there are notable examples here, also, that strengthen the connections to the poem in Genesis 32.25

Most historians agree that Gilgamesh was a historical king of the Sumerian city-state Uruk who was poetically elevated to part-god status after his death. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, he’s described as two-thirds god and one-third human. His mother was the goddess Ninsun and his father was Lugalbanda, a king of Uruk.

In the beginning of the ancient poem, Gilgamesh is portrayed as a tyrant who takes what isn’t his: he sleeps with new brides on their wedding nights. The people of Uruk petition the gods for help. The gods respond by creating Enkidu as a rival to Gilgamesh.

The goddess Aruru, she washed her hands,
  took a pinch of play, threw it down in the wild.
In the wild she created Enkidu, the hero,
  offspring of silence, knit strong by Ninurta.
All his body is matted with hair,
  he bears long tresses like those of a woman:
the hair of his head head grows thickly as barley,
  he knows not a people, nor even a country.
Coated in hair like the god of the animals,
  with the gazelles he grazes on grasses,
joining the throng with the game at the water-hole,
  his heart delighting with the beasts in the water.

–The Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet I, lines 101-112)26

Note the similar hairy descriptions of Esau and Enkidu. Also, we’ll see that Esau’s domain is away away from camp with the animals, and will demonstrate animalistic behaviors.

In contrast to Enkidu, Gilgamesh is portrayed as fair, civilized, wise, and a recipient of dream- visions. Gilgamesh is described to Enkidu as follows.

‘He is fair in manhood, dignified in bearing,
  graced with charm in his whole person.
He has a strength more mighty than yours,
  unsleeping as he is by day and by night.
The gods Anu, Enlil and Ea have broadened his wisdom.

‘Before you even came from the uplands,
  Gilgamesh in Uruk was seeing you in dreams:’

–The Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet I, lines 236-239, 242-244)27

Parallels can be seen between Gilgamesh and Jacob.

Gilgamesh Jacob
Fair “Smooth”
Charming, wise Crafty, deceptive
Given visions by the gods Given visions by Yahweh

As mentioned, overall parallels between the two stories are strongest in the later wrestling scene. Nevertheless, here, the more subtle parallels could be reinforcing the idea of Esau and Jacob as rivals beside setting up future links between the two stories.

Esau and Jacob contrasted

27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

–Genesis 25:27 (ESV)

Esau is a “skillful hunter, a man of the field.” He doesn’t spend his time at camp, but rather in the field hunting animals. Jacob is a “quiet man, dwelling in tents.” The Hebrew word translated “quiet” is tam, and has been difficult to translate. Elsewhere in the Bible, it’s used to describe someone with high moral character (Job 1:1, Psalm 15:2, Proverbs 10:9) This doesn’t fit the Jacob we see in the Biblical story. It could be used here as a puzzle intended to cause us to reflect on the complicated nature of Jacob.28 Or, it could mean “bent on one purpose”.29 It could also invite comparison between Abimelech in Genesis 20:5 which will be explored later.

Isaac and Rebekah’s favoritism develops the differences between their sons and points to division and future conflict. Isaac loves Esau because he “ate of his game.” Later, Isaac is described as loving his favorite food three times, so this love of food is emphasized and it’s made clear that he has preference for Esau because of the food he’s able to provide him. The reason for Rebekah’s preference for Jacob isn’t explicitly given, but the story may hint at the reason as it progresses.

Esau sells his birthright to Jacob

Cultural significance of the birthright

The predominance of the firstborn son is well documented in the region and time of ancient Israel (Sumeria, Mari, Nuzi, and Middle Assyrian laws.) He was second in rank only to the family patriarch and would become his successor.30 He would also receive a double share of the inheritance.31

Birthright in Hebrew, bekorah, is an anagram of blessing, berakah, a major theme in Genesis.32 In the early arcs of the Jacob Cycle, we see Jacob seizing both authority and blessing from Esau.

The sale of the birthright

29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “[Please] let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” 34 So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

–Genesis 25:29-34 (ESV)

The scene opens with Jacob cooking stew. The kind of stew isn’t revealed to make the scene more tragic at its end. Esau comes in from the field exhausted. In the ancient Near East, one would more likely be exhausted from exertion or thirst rather than hunger. When the object is a person, most instances of the Hebrew word translated “exhausted” (‘ayeph) in the Bible refer to someone who is thirsty, so perhaps what Esau really needed was rest and water.33 Nevertheless, it’s possible he’s truly extremely weary.34

The ESV doesn’t translate the word, but Esau says “please” (Hebrew na‘) in verse 30, in contrast to the demanding way Jacob speaks to him later. Nevertheless, Esau’s speech is animalistic. The Hebrew word translated “eat” is halite, which is a verb used for the feeding of animals. A translation capturing the essence of Esau’s request could be “let me cram my maw with that red-red.” 35

Literally, Esau asks to for some of “the red, the red.” The repetition of “red” might suggest a deep red stew. An explanation is given for Esau being called Edom, the nation that would come from him. Here, “red” is adom, the root word for admoni seen in verse 25 (see Esau.) adom also sounds like the Hebrew word for “blood,” dam. There’s wordplay between Edom and dam later in the Bible (Joel 3:19;) perhaps Esau thought that “the red, the red” was blood broth, believed to be life essence, or meat stew.36

Jacob, cold and calculating, demands that Esau immediately sell him his birthright. Esau, thinking that he’ll die without the food, agrees. He’s too much a slave of the moment to consider the great ramifications of the transaction.37 To ensure that he gets what he wants, Jacob tells Esau to swear to him. In the ancient Near East, such an oath may have been considered irrevocable.38

It’s revealed that the stew is only lentils, not blood broth or meat, intensifying the inequity of the arrangement. We get four verbs in quick succession (“he ate and drank and rose and went”) with no more dialogue, which is chilling considering what just happened.39 Esau satisfied his appetite and left without further comment.

The Bible doesn’t often directly comment on whether something that happened is good or bad, so the statement “Thus Esau despised his birthright” is unusual and significant.40 We’re being shown why Esau is disqualified from being the chosen child of promise. By treating the birthright, something of great value in his time and place, so flippantly, he’s shown as one who gives in to hardship instead of persevering. Hebrews comments on Esau’s behavior.

15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 16 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

–Hebrews 12:15-17 (NIV)

In context, the author of Hebrews is encouraging his audience to persevere in their faith through difficulty. To “fall short” of God’s grace is to abandon faith in the face of difficulty. “Bitter root” is a metaphor for the result of serving other gods in Deuteronony 29:18. Esau would have exposed himself to the worship of other gods when he married Hittite women in Genesis 28:34, which is the sexual immorality and godlessness to which the Hebrews author refers, and he gave up his birthright, something of great value in his culture, to appease momentary hunger. He’s portrayed as one who didn’t persevere and gave his allegiance to other gods. While there’s a reversal of Esau’s misfortunes in the Jacob Cycle, here in Hebrews, the point where Esau changed his mind is set up as the future final judgment. He was too late; the “race” of Hebrews 12:1 was finished. Literally, he wasn’t able to find a “place for repentance.” As we’ll see later, Jacob’s place of repentance is at Peniel where he wrestles with God.41

At this point, however, Jacob doesn’t present himself as a much better option for the seed of the woman. There’s still more to reflect on as the story progresses. Still, it’s perhaps significant that Jacob appreciates the cultural value of the birthright. 42 While Jacob isn’t loyal to God at this point, his heart is somewhat oriented towards the commission given to humanity in the beginning.

Esau is following the lead of Adam and Eve in the garden. Esau called Edom, which sounds like Adam, trades his birthright, which included authority, for food he thought was more substantial than it turned out to be because he thought he was going to die. Adam and Eve traded their right to rule for food they thought would make them like gods (elohim,) being promised that they wouldn’t die. But, Jacob is the the deceiver in this story. The literary design of the section even has Jacob encircling Esau.43 Perhaps like a coiling serpent?

  Said Jacob: sell me your birthright
    Said Esau: I leave, I die; of what use is a birthright to me?
  Said Jacob: swear to me first; so he swore and sold it

This section doesn’t explicitly say that Jacob bought the birthright, only that Esau sold it. Other transactions in the Bible (Abraham’s purchase of a burial cave, David’s purchase of a threshing floor) follow a formula that states that the purchaser actually bought what was sold to them. It’s left out here to distance Jacob’s eventual authority from the means he used to get it.44 That is, Jacob’s actions aren’t what establish him as the chosen seed of the woman.

Conclusion

The beginning of the Jacob Cycle sets the trajectory for the rest of the story. Through God’s oracle, it’s revealed that he will chose the one to carry on the blessing given to Abraham. Human traditions and expectations won’t be the determining factors. Paul comments on this in Romans.45

10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—”

Romans 9:10-11 (ESV)

At this point, Jacob doesn’t understand or trust that God’s grace will grant him authority and blessing, so he instead grasps for it as he did Esau’s heel. Nevertheless, the story will show that despite selfish human machinations, his plan to save humanity won’t be thwarted.

Bibliography

Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Narrative, E-book ed. Basic Books, 2011.

Asumang, Annang. “Strive for peace and holiness: the intertextual journey of the Jacob traditions from Genesis to Hebrews, via the prophets.” Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary 17, no. 3 (2014): 1-52.

Cassuto, Umberto. A Commentary on the Book of Genesis: From Noah to Abraham. Translated by Israel Abrams. E-book ed. Varda Books, 2012.

Fokkelman, J.P. Narrative Art in Genesis. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2004.

George, Andrew. The Epic of Gilgamesh. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2000.

Hamori, Esther J. “Echoes of Gilgamesh in the Jacob Story,” Journal of Biblical Literature 130, no. 4 (2011): 625-642.

Mackie, Tim. “Session 4: The Birth of Esau and Jacob,” The BibleProject Classroom: Jacob. Published 2021. https://bibleproject.com/classroom/jacob/notebook/teacher-notes.

Na’aman, Nadav, “The Jacob Story and the Formation of Biblical Israel,” Tel Aviv 41, no. 1 (2014): 95-125.

Sailhamer, John H. Genesis. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. E-book ed. Zondervan Academic, 2017.

Sarna, Nahum M. Genesis. The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989.

Walton, Johm H. Genesis. The NIV Application Commentary. E-book ed. Zondervan, 2014.

Wenham, Gordon John. Genesis 16-50, Volume 2. World Biblical Commentary. E-book ed. Zondervan Academic, 2017.

  1. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 172. ↩

  2. Ibid. ↩

  3. Sailhamer, Genesis, 423. ↩

  4. Cassuto, Genesis, 259. ↩

  5. Na’aman, “The Jacob Story,” 105. ↩

  6. Ibid. ↩

  7. Sailhamer, Genesis, 281. ↩

  8. Walton, Genesis, 555. ↩

  9. Fokkelman, Narrative Art, 88. ↩

  10. Mackie, “The Birth of Esau and Jacob,” see section “From Barrenness to Birth”. ↩

  11. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 174. ↩

  12. Ibid. ↩

  13. Sailhamer, Genesis, 426. ↩

  14. Sarna, Genesis, 179. ↩

  15. Ibid. ↩

  16. Ibid, 176. ↩

  17. Walton, Genesis, 547. ↩

  18. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 151. ↩

  19. Ibid, 173. ↩

  20. Ibid, 175. ↩

  21. Walton, Genesis, 549. ↩

  22. Sailhamer, Genesis, 427. ↩

  23. Ibid, 425. ↩

  24. Sarna, Genesis, 180. ↩

  25. Hamori, “Echoes of Gilgamesh,” 633. ↩

  26. George, Gilgamesh, 5. ↩

  27. Ibid, 9-10. ↩

  28. Alter, Art of Biblical Narrative, 49. ↩

  29. Fokkelman, Narrative Art, 91. ↩

  30. Sarna, Genesis, 181. ↩

  31. Walton, Genesis, 549. ↩

  32. Wenham, Genesis, 31. ↩

  33. Ibid, 176. ↩

  34. Walton, Genesis, 551. ↩

  35. Alter, Art of Biblical Narrative, 49. ↩

  36. Sarna, Genesis, 182. ↩

  37. Alter, Art of Biblical Narrative, 51. ↩

  38. Sarna, Genesis, 182. ↩

  39. Wenham, Genesis 177. ↩

  40. Ibid. ↩

  41. Asumang, “Strive for Peace and Holiness,” 42. ↩

  42. Sailhamer, Genesis, 427. ↩

  43. Fokkelman, Narrative Art, 95. ↩

  44. Sarna, Genesis, 182. ↩

  45. Wenham, Genesis 179. ↩

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