Jacob
Jacob, the second and more prominent son of Isaac, is one of three aptly named Patriarchs of the Hebrew Bible. Much like his father and grandfather, Jacob earns the right to be known as one of God’s chosen men by being one whose “descendants shall be as the dust of the earth“ (Gen 28:14). Despite this, Jacob is a truly a flawed human being. While he is able to overcome these flaws to become the patriarch of the Israelite people, and receive a portion of the covenant God had promised to his grandfather, Abraham, his sins in life negatively affected future generations of Israelites in the form of slavery in Egypt.
When examining the original text, it becomes clear that Jacob’s flaws are a very important part of his overall disposition. His flaws are much more apparent in his early life; as evidenced by his various sins during the first part of his appearance Genesis. First, in Gen. 25:30-34, Jacob essentially steals his brother Esau’s birthright. Esau is “famished,” and asks his brother for food. Jacob agrees to feed his brother, but only if Esau is willing to “sell me [Jacob] your birthright,” which Esau agrees to do (Gen. 25:30-34 NJPS). This method of receiving the birthright points to two attributes that are very important Jacob’s personality: first, this episode illustrates Jacob’s Machiavellian tendencies, and second his proper application of intelligence. This characteristics are displayed again two chapters later in Genesis, when Jacob and his mother, Rebekah, trick his ailing father into giving him the blessing intended for Esau by dressing in Esau’s clothes and putting the skins of slaughtered goats on his hands and neck to simulate Esau’s hairiness. While Isaac is at first skeptical, he believes that Jacob ...
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...eward from God, Jacob’s descendants are punished by God in the form of slavery in Egypt. By the end of Genesis, it is not uncommon for collective punishment to be used; all living things are destroyed by the Flood in Gen. 6-9, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are annihilated in Gen. 19. By this reckoning, it is not at all a stretch to believe that sins of the Patriarchs, and in particular Jacob‘s sins, are the direct cause of for hundred years of slavery in Egypt.
Works Cited
Berlin, Adele, and Marc Z. Brettler, eds. Jewish study Bible [featuring the Jewish Publication Society Tanakh translation]. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2004.
Tullock, John, and Mark McEntire. Old Testament Story, The (8th Edition). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2009.
Zakovitch, Yair. Why Were the Israelites Enslaved in Egypt. "And You Shall Tell Your Sons..." Jerusalem: Magnes P, 1992.
Slavery in the Bible is a difficult topic to discuss because our paradigm or idea of slavery is influenced for the most part by the enslavement of Africans in the 17th-19th centuries. This, however, is not the type of slavery that is mentioned in the Bible. Slaves in recent history were more than likely tricked/kidnapped and forced to work. They received no pay and they had no human rights—they were the property of another person, no different than an animal or tool.
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
It is in human nature to want to be recognized and receive what one think he or she may deserve. In the Bible, one of many themes is the quest for something greater than what the seeker currently has, in terms of stature or wealth. One of many examples is the theft of Esau's birthright by Jacob. In Genesis 25: 27-34, Esau Sells His Rights as the First-Born Son, Jacob wanted more than his proper inheritance, he wanted the rights as the first born son. His brother Esau was hungry and asked for some soup that Jacob was cooking. Jacob answered, “I will give it to you if you give me your rights as the first-born son.” Jacob could not be content with what he already had. He wanted a larger portion of the inheritance entitled to the one who is the first-born as well as the title.
Jacob's name means "deceiver" and he lives up to his name. His deceitfulness began with stealing his brother's birthright. One day, Esau came in from the fields famished and found Jacob cooking a meal. Jacob offered his half-starved brother, "Give me the birthright and I'll give you some soup." Esau being starved, sold his birthright to Jacob. (Genesis 25: 29-34). Sometime later when Isaac thought he was going to die, he called Esau into his tent and told him to kill an animal and make him some soup. Isaac's wife overheard this and connived a plan with Jacob to deceive Isaac. Jacob disguised himself as Esau and obtained his blind and dying father's blessing (Genesis 27).
Hindson, E. E., & Yates, G. E. (2012). The Essence of the Old Testament: A survey. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Academic.
The aim of this paper will be to point out some crucial factors which ultimately shaped the understanding of slavery in the lives of Jacob
...d labor, had made herself a comfortable home, was obliged to sacrifice her furniture, bid a hurried farewell to friends, and seek her fortune among strangers in Canada. Many a wife discovered a secret she never known before-that her husband was a fugitive, and must leave her to insure his own safety. Worse still, many a husband discovered that his wife had fled from slavery years ago, and as “the child follows the condition of its mother,” the children of his love were liable to be seized and carried into slavery” (155) Extremely pity, sorrow, and shame is projected throughout Jacob’s book which covers not only her life, but also the common misfortune of many victims of slavery. Undoubtedly the women slaves were repeatedly abused, discriminated, and harassed not only by the society but also by the sadistic masters becoming the most mistreated of a slavery society.
Gender was a main concern that did not make Jacob’s a free woman, in comparison to Equiano. The facts from the bible that does not permit women to own nor to buy land also played a role in gaining her freedom. Christianity hypocrisy or support on slavery had a role in lives of slaves as slaves were supported by Christianity. Jacob’s narrative was definitely written for the same audience as of Equiano’s, her main point while telling her story was to show people what was really going on in the lives of slaves, how they struggled to live a happy life. Strategies that were used by both of the slaves were somewhat different, because gender played a huge role becoming free women in comparison to Equiano. It was truly sad to see these people struggle to live a happy life like every other person, but I liked Jacob’s narrative much more than Equiano’s.
The bible, also, condemns many aspects of our current day society and allows for slavery. Rather than taking the bible literally, one should consider the historical context and then adjust to today’s norms.
In chapter thirty-nine of Genesis, Joseph was taken, by a group of Ishmaelites, to Egypt to be sold as a slave. He was bought by a guard captain named Potiphar. Potiphar saw that Joseph was blessed, by God, so he made him the head servant of the house. Berlin and Brettler suggest in “The Jewish Study Bible” that like Potiphar, Joseph’s father’s preference of Joseph may have been an unconscious manifestation of God’s favor toward him. Now, Potiphar had a wife who was very attracted to Joseph. She frequently asked him to lie with her. Joseph always refused. It would have been a betrayal of his master, but more importantly a sin against God...
During the era of Jacob’s life, women are seen as moral superior beings, being deemed pure, pious, and caring and representing a God like figure. With these moral expectations in mind, women find the most fulfillment in life by caring for their home and their children. For black women in this era, they are deprived from these fulfillments in life due to their lack of human rights and legal protection. This deprivation can be seen clearly in the psychological suffering from sexual abuse.
Harris, Stephen. Understanding The Bible. 6 ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2002. Print.
Collins, John J. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007.
Works Cited Chisholm, Robert B., Jr. Interpreting The Minor Prophets. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990. Brown, William P. Westminster Bible Companion: Obadiah Through Malachi. Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. Holy Bible New Living Translation. Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 1996. Meyers, Carol L., and Eric M. Meyers. The Anchor Bible: Zechariah 9-14.New York: Doubleday. 1993.
LaSor, W., Hubbard, D., Bush, F., & Allen, L. (1996). Old Testament survey: The message, form, and background of the Old Testament (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans