Chapter 6
The Birth of a Nation: Isaac, Jacob, and Their Many Children (Genesis 25:19–50)
In This Chapter
Seeing how one generation’s sins affect the next
Discovering why God blesses liars, cheats, and thieves (but don’t try this with your own life)
Witnessing the births of the twelve tribes of Israel
Understanding the real story behind Joseph and his Technicolor dream tunic
D ysfunctional families in the ancient world were no different than their modern counterparts — and few families rivaled the dysfunction of ancient Israel’s ancestors. Whether it’s the poor parental practice of favoring one child over another or the equally destructive behavior of betraying one’s own sibling, the progenitors of the Israelites do it all. But for all their dysfunction, this clan of misfits eventually comes out on top due to divine intervention.
In this chapter, you trace the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s children, as you watch them overcome insurmountable odds to become a great nation.
The Birth of Nations: Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25:19–26)
Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah (see Chapter 5), and Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, have trouble conceiving a child. As this was before in-vitro fertilization, Isaac prays to God for a child, and Rebekah becomes pregnant. Rebekah, however, begins experiencing extreme discomfort during her pregnancy, and so she asks God what’s going on. God informs her that she’s having twins. That’s painful enough. The reason this particular pregnancy is producing such discomfort is that her twins represent “two nations.” As God puts it:
Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will come from your belly. One will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.
—Genesis 25:23
Although this information probably provided little physical relief, at least Rebekah now knows that her suffering is not in vain.
Eventually, the time comes for Rebekah to give birth to these “nations.” The first baby to come out is quite hairy, so hairy that Rebekah and Isaac name him “Hairy,” which the biblical author says in Hebrew is Esau. Yet, even before Esau is removed fully from the womb, his younger brother seizes his ankle, and is therefore given the name “Seizer,” which in Hebrew is Jacob. This name, as it turns out, is not only a fitting description of Jacob’s reflexes, but also of his “graspy” or rapacious nature.
As the little lads grow up, they pursue very different interests. Esau loves the open country and spends most of his time hunting, while Jacob prefers to stay “among the tents” and cut out recipes from his Cooking Heavy magazine. Because of their divergent interests, their parents soon pick favorites (never a good idea): Isaac favors Esau, while Rebekah favors Jacob.
Stew of Trouble: Esau Sells His Birthright (Genesis 25:27–34)
One day, while Jacob is at home trying out a new recipe, his brother bursts into the room: “Quick! Let me have some of that red stew! I’m starving!” Jacob, being the selfless brother that he is, responds, “First, sell me your birthright.” Say what?! What kind of a brother is this? And what is a birthright? Jacob, as we’ve already noted, is a heel . . . or at least a heel-grabber. Birthrights, however, are important for understanding what follows.
Esau declares, “What good is my birthright if I starve to death?” Thus, for some stew, Esau gives up his birthright. And because this particular bowl of stew is red, Esau is given the nickname “Red,” which, in Hebrew, is Edom.
Isaac and Rebekah’s “Wife-Sister Act” (Genesis 26)
Genesis 26 flashes back to before Esau and Jacob’s birth to show what’s at stake in their “battle for the birthright”: wealth and a peace treaty with a powerful kingdom.
During a severe famine, Isaac and Rebekah go in search of food. Eventually they end up at the doorstep of Abimelech, the king of Gerar. Because Isaac fears that Abimelech might kill him to take his beautiful wife, Isaac says that Rebekah is his sister. Surprisingly, Abimelech buys it, even though this seems to be the very same king Isaac’s parents, Abraham and Sarah, deceived years earlier with their wife-sister act when they were in need of food (see Genesis 20 and Chapter 5 in this book).
Things initially go well for Isaac and Rebekah until one day when Abimelech notices Isaac and Rebekah “playing together.” Although the exact nature of this play isn’t described, that it is not croquet is certain, because Abimelech realizes that Isaac and Rebekah are not brother and sister, but husband and wife! Yet, rather than punish Isaac for lying, Abimelech makes a treaty with him, giving Isaac international amnesty and permission to live anywhere in Abimelech’s domain Isaac chooses.
Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing (Genesis 27–28:9)
Eventually, Isaac becomes an old man — so old that “his eyes were weak and he could no longer see.” Realizing that he needed to get his affairs in order before dying, he calls Esau, his firstborn and favorite son, to his side:
I am now an old man and I do not know when I will die. Therefore, get your weapons — your quiver and your bow — and go out on the range, and hunt some wild game for me. Prepare for me the flavorful meal I like and bring it to me so that I can eat and so that I can bless you before I die.
—Genesis 27:2–4
Esau, having already given up his birthright, is anxious to secure his father’s blessing. Therefore, he quickly puts his hunting skills into motion, and sets out to capture a meal.
Rebekah, who overhears Isaac and Esau’s conversation, tells Jacob to retrieve two goats so that she can prepare them as a meal for Isaac. Jacob, pretending to be Esau, will then bring the meal to his father, and thereby receive his father’s blessing. Jacob, who is a skilled liar, immediately perceives a flaw in his mother’s plan: Esau is hairy, while he is smooth. When his father touches him, Isaac will uncover their deception and curse Jacob instead of bless him. Rebekah, in an act of maternal self-sacrifice, tells her son, “Let the curse fall on me.” Jacob, a man who puts the needs of others — especially his mother — above his own, says, “Okay.” And off he goes to get the meat.
To complete the deception, Rebekah takes the skin from one of the goats and places it on the arms and neck of Jacob, so that he will feel hairy like his brother (Esau must have been one hairy dude!). In addition, Jacob puts on Esau’s coat so that he will smell like his brother (as a hairy man who spends a lot of time outdoors, we don’t need to tell you what he must have smelled like).
When Jacob enters with a meal, Isaac is baffled: “How is it that you were able to find the game so quickly, my son?” Jacob’s reply shows how low he will go in order to get what he wants: “The LORD your God gave me success.”
After Isaac finishes the meal, he blesses Jacob, thinking him to be Esau. Thus, Jacob succeeds in stealing both his brother’s birthright and blessing.
Heading Out of Dodge: Jacob Flees for His Life (Genesis 28:10–22)
After getting over the initial shock of having lost both his birthright and his blessing to his conniving brother, Esau swears revenge. After dad is gone, he determines, brother is a goner. Rebekah, perceiving Esau’s intentions, convinces Isaac to allow Jacob to go to their ancestral homeland and find a wife from their kin, as Rebekah could not bear the thought of her son marrying a local Canaanite girl. Isaac agrees, and sends Jacob on his way.
Climbing Jacob’s ladder to success
Jacob quickly leaves Beersheba, which is in the far southern part of the Promised Land, and heads north to his ancestral homeland of Paddan Aram, in what is today northeastern Syria. While on his way, Jacob stops to catch up on some much needed rest. While sleeping, Jacob has a dream in which he sees a stairway (or ladder, as some translations render it — giving us the phrase “Jacob’s ladder”) extending from heaven to earth, and all along this stairway Jacob sees angels “ascending and descending between heaven and earth.” About midway up this “stairway to heaven,” Jacob sees Led Zeppelin; and, at the very top, Jacob sees God, who declares:
I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and will spread out to the west and east, north and south. All peoples on the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
—Genesis 28:13–15
Jacob’s bargain with God
When Jacob wakes up, he realizes that he’s on no ordinary plot of real estate. In recognition of this fact, he takes the rock that he used as a pillow the night before and sets it up as a pillar. Then he anoints the rock with oil.
Jacob, not one to throw his allegiances around lightly, makes a deal with God:
If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking, and give me food to eat and clothes to wear, and if I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God, and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be a house of God, and I will give to Him a tenth of all I have.
—Genesis 28:20–22
In essence, Jacob says that God must fulfill three criteria before Jacob will allow Him to be “his God” (talk about nerve): protection, provision, and a peaceful return.
Believe it or not, God will honor this “deal.” The question is, will Jacob?
Love at First Sight: Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 29:1–30)
When Jacob arrives in Paddan Aram, the land of his ancestors, he comes to a well, where he notices a strikingly beautiful shepherdess named “Lamby” (which in Hebrew is Rachel). After some small talk, Rachel takes Jacob home to introduce him to her father, Laban, who, as we soon find out, is a man of comparable character to Jacob. Jacob also meets Rachel’s older sister, Leah, who “had weak eyes,” the meaning of which is not entirely clear, but seems to mean that she was less attractive than her younger sister (she wore Coke-bottle glasses?).
Jacob, always one to appreciate a person’s inner qualities, falls in love with Rachel and offers Laban seven years of work in exchange for her hand in marriage. Laban agrees, and in one of the Bible’s more romantic moments, we read that “Jacob served Laban seven years, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for Rachel” (Genesis 29:20). Now that’s love.
When Jacob’s seven years of service are over, Laban holds a giant wedding feast. After the ceremonies and celebrations are complete, Jacob and his bride retire to their honeymoon suite (read: tent). The next morning, Jacob awakes and, leaning over to kiss his beautiful new bride, discovers that the woman next to him is wearing Coke-bottle glasses! Understandably angry, Jacob confronts his father-in-law, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, and you have deceived me by giving me Leah!”
Laban, who graduated a class or two ahead of Jacob in the “University of Deception,” informs him, “It is not our custom to give away the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn” (Genesis 29:26). Now, most translations obscure what is going on here by rendering the Hebrew word for “firstborn” as “the older” to make it parallel with Laban’s earlier reference to “the younger.” This is a mistake.
Jacob makes a new deal with Laban, saying that he will serve him for another seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage. Laban agrees. Now, you may be saying, “Wait a minute here! What’s with the two wives? Doesn’t the Bible teach against polygamy?” Well, yes and no.
Sibling Rivalry: The Birth of Jacob’s Children (Genesis 29:31–30:24)
In addition to giving Jacob two wives, Laban gives his daughters two maidservants. Rachel’s maidservant is Bilhah, and Leah’s is Zilpah. These names, though bordering on the unattractive, are not mere Bible trivia, for they play an important role in the birthing of the Israelite nation.
Initially, Rachel is unable to bear children, while Leah has little difficulty becoming pregnant and eventually gives birth to four boys: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Leah’s fertility, in fact, is attributed to an act of God, because “He saw that she was unloved by her husband.” In other words, God cares for those who have been rejected or forgotten by others.
Rachel, in a desperate move to secure children of her own, offers Jacob her maidservant, Bilhah. Jacob, however, isn’t one to compromise on his convictions, and he stands his moral ground — for a few seconds anyway — and soon Bilhah has two sons: Dan and Naphtali.
For reasons that aren’t explained, Leah is unable to become pregnant again, and so she offers Jacob her maidservant, Zilpah. However, Jacob will only go so far, which, as we soon find out, is “all the way,” and Zilpah bears two boys: Gad and Asher. Leah, too, is able to conceive again and bears three more children: Issachar, Zebulun, and Jacob’s only daughter, Dinah.
In the midst of all this competition, God sees that Jacob has been neglecting Rachel (granted, he’s been a busy man). In response, God enables Rachel to become pregnant, and she bears a son, whom she names Joseph. (Rachel will also have another son, Benjamin. See the section, “Jacob Embraces God and Loses His Father and Wife,” later in this chapter.)
When the smoke clears, Jacob has twelve sons and one daughter. Since Jacob’s twelve sons will go on to become the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel, and since birth order is important for understanding each tribes’ future (see the section, “Once and Again: Jacob and Joseph Reunite,” later in this chapter), Table 6-1 provides a breakdown for quick reference. ( Note: Because only Jacob’s male children result in tribes of Israel, Dinah is not numbered.)
Jacob Strikes It Rich and Steals Away (Genesis 30:25–31:55)
Jacob, despite having a big family, has no personal wealth. Therefore, he makes a deal with Laban. He suggests that he serve Laban for another six years in exchange for livestock. Laban agrees.
Partly due to his own ingenuity and partly because of divine intervention, Jacob soon becomes a very rich man. Laban and his sons become extremely jealous, especially because they feel that Jacob’s wealth came at their expense. Jacob, always the perceptive one, realizes that it’s time for him to leave. Con-firming this, God tells Jacob that it’s time for him to go back home.
Jacob on the lam . . . again
While Laban and his sons are busy elsewhere, Jacob and his family sneak away and begin the long trek back to the Promised Land. Laban, however, soon finds out about their departure, and makes quick pursuit, eventually catching up with Jacob and his family. Angry with Jacob for his deception, Laban confronts him, asking why he had left without letting him say goodbye to his daughters and grandchildren. Now, before you start feeling too sorry for “Grandpa Labby,” he actually intended to force Jacob and his family to return to Paddan Aram (or worse, to kill Jacob), but God appeared to Laban the night before and warned him against such action.
Laban begins searching for his missing idols, coming last to Rachel’s tent (the Bible is good at drama). Rachel, as a last-ditch effort not to be caught with the stolen goods, places the idols underneath her saddlebag and then sits on it. As her father searches her tent, Rachel realizes that her posture might raise suspicions and says, “Forgive me father for not standing up, but the way of women is upon me.” Now, “the way of women” is a Hebrew euphemism for, well, “the way of women” that happens monthly. Laban, having raised two daughters, knows all too well not to mess with “the way of women,” and quickly scurries out of the tent, without finding his stolen teraphim.
May God watch between us: Jacob’s and Laban’s peace treaty
When Laban comes back to Jacob empty-handed, Jacob is livid, both because Laban had mistreated him for the past 20 years and because he had falsely accused him of stealing his idols. After rebuking Laban for his unjust ways, Jacob and Laban make a covenant with one another, agreeing that they will not enter into one another’s land to harm the other. As a memorial to their agreement, they erect a pile of stones, and Laban declares, “This heap of stones is a witness between you and me today. May the LORD watch between us while we are apart.” Because the Hebrew word for “a witness heap” is gal-ed, Jacob names this place Galeed or, as it is later called, Gilead.
Settling an Old Score: Jacob Meets Esau . . . and God (Genesis 32–33:17)
From his covenant ceremony with Laban, Jacob continues toward his homeland. While still a way off, Jacob receives notice that his brother, Esau, is approaching with 400 armed men! This is real trouble. The last time Jacob saw Esau, Esau was plotting Jacob’s murder. In order to soften his brother’s wrath, Jacob sends his wealth and family ahead of him. Jacob then decides to stay on the other side of the Jabbok River, where he will spend the night before his fateful meeting the next day.
Wrestling with God: Jacob’s name change
That night, just before going to sleep, Jacob wrestles, not with his thoughts or the guilt of his past, but with a mysterious man who shows up out of nowhere. In fact, Jacob and this stranger fight all night, and when the stranger realizes that he can’t overpower Jacob, he gives Jacob a Spock-like Vulcan grip on the hip, popping it out of its socket. Although injured, Jacob doesn’t give up. When Jacob’s opponent asks Jacob to cease and desist, Jacob replies, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” In response, the stranger declares, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and man and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:28). Then the stranger leaves, leaving us to wonder: Who is this mysterious man, and what’s going on here?
As in the case of Abraham’s mysterious visitors (see Chapter 5), this stranger has been identified with an angel, God, and, in Christian tradition, even Jesus. The new name this stranger gives Jacob may provide at least one clue to his identity. Israel is said to mean “he will struggle with God.” Because Jacob can identify the men he has struggled with during his life (Esau and Laban), he identifies this stranger as God Himself. As Jacob puts it, “I have seen God face to face and have lived.” He then names the place “face of God,” which in Hebrew is Peniel. For Jacob, then, he has just encountered God.
Letting bygones be bygones
When Jacob and Esau finally meet the next day, their encounter is described in dramatic detail (if you’re squeamish, we suggest you close your eyes). The Hebrew literally says:
Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming at him with 400 men . . . and Esau ran toward Jacob to engage him, and [Esau] reached out his arms and seized Jacob, and he wrapped his arms around his neck and he . . . and he . . . [are you looking — we thought so] . . . and he kissed him.
—Genesis 33:1, 4
That’s right. Esau gives Jacob a big wet one, and then they weep together. It is a very touching scene. In addition, the Bible once again demonstrates its literary artistry by leading the reader to believe up until the last moment that Esau is approaching Jacob to strangle him. Instead, it is the “strangling” embrace of brotherly love. Esau has forgiven Jacob for everything. Moreover, God has blessed Esau with a large family and plenty of possessions. Even though their descendants, the nations of Israel and Edom, will one day fight with one another, there is hope that they, too, will be reconciled, just as their ancestors, Jacob and Esau, eventually embraced each other as brothers.
Jacob Finds God and Loses His Father and Wife (Genesis 33:18–20; 35)
After his encounter with Esau, Jacob makes his way safely back to his homeland. If you recall (see the section, “Jacob bargains with God,” earlier in this chapter), this is the last of the three conditions Jacob established with God at Bethel before leaving for Paddan Aram.
Jacob said that he would embrace God as “his God” if God
Protected him: God certainly protected Jacob, delivering him from his father-in-law and from the potential vengeance of his brother.
Provided for him: God provided for Jacob, who left home with nothing, but returned with a large family and considerable wealth.
Peaceful return: God has now brought Jacob back to his homeland.
Now it’s Jacob’s turn to live up to his end of the bargain. Yet, how he does this is often missed by readers, as it is quite subtle, but unmistakable.
Upon returning safely to his homeland, Jacob builds an altar, which he names El Elohe-Israel. In English this literally means, “God is the God of Israel.” Jacob is Israel, as he just received a name change during his wrestling match with God. Therefore, the name of this monument means, in effect, “God is now my God.” The God of Abraham and Isaac has proven Himself worthy of Jacob’s devotion, and Jacob builds an altar acknowledging this.
Not long after Jacob’s return, Rachel dies while giving birth to their last son: Benjamin. Shortly after this, Jacob experiences another painful loss: the death of his father, Isaac. Esau joins Jacob in burying their father in the cave at Machpelah, where Abraham and Sarah are also buried.
The action in the remaining chapters of Genesis shifts from Jacob’s life to the life of his children — and it’s not very pretty.
The rape of Dinah
Amidst the Jacob narratives is a very disturbing story about his only daughter, Dinah, who is sexually accosted by a Canaanite man named Shechem (Genesis 34). In revenge, Dinah’s brothers trick Shechem and the inhabitants of his city (also called Shechem) by saying that Shechem can marry Dinah if he and his fellow Shechemites are circumcised. When the Shechemites are incapacitated by their surgery, two of Dinah’s brothers — Simeon and Levi — kill them and, with the other brothers, loot the city. When Jacob finds out what his sons have done, he is outraged, saying that when word gets out that they mercilessly killed the men of Shechem that the surrounding cities will kill them. The sons, however, are unmoved by this logic: “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?” And with this question the story ends. No response from Jacob, no final resolution, no moral to tie it altogether. So what is this story about?
The ambivalence of the story’s ending seems to be precisely what this story is about. The only innocent person in this narrative is Dinah. Shechem is guilty of forcing himself upon Dinah. The Shechemites are guilty of wanting to take Jacob’s wealth once Shechem marries Dinah. Jacob’s sons are wrong for exacting more judgment than the Shechemites deserve. And even Jacob seems at fault for not confronting Shechem for his actions toward his daughter. Thus, the moral of the story is that life is complicated, and oftentimes there is no clear-cut “good guy” or “bad guy.” If this is all we learn from this story, then we have learned a great deal.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Tunic (Genesis 37)
Joseph, Jacob’s first son by Rachel, becomes his favorite. In recognition of this fact, Jacob gives Joseph a special tunic or coat that is described by a Hebrew word whose meaning we do not know. Most translations render the Hebrew as “multicolored,” and, more recently, the renowned biblical scholars Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice have rendered it as “technicolor,” which is as good a guess as any.
Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph stirs the ire of Joseph’s ten older brothers. Compounding their hatred, Joseph has a couple of dreams that suggest that they’ll one day bow before their younger sibling. (As a matter of principle, it isn’t a good idea to tell your siblings that they’ll one day bow before you.) The death knell for any hopes of reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers occurs when Joseph reports to their father that he saw them goofing off when they were supposed to be watching their father’s flocks. Therefore, it should not surprise us that the next time Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers, they plot to kill “this dreamer.” Reuben, the oldest brother, however, convinces them not to shed their own brother’s blood but rather to throw him into a nearby cistern where he would die of “natural” causes. The brothers agree, and when Joseph arrives, they seize him, remove his technicolor tunic, and throw him into a well.
Reuben, as it turns out, had proposed this alternative not to kill Joseph, but to rescue him. His plan backfires, however, when Judah, who also wants to save Joseph’s life, convinces the brothers to sell him as a slave to a passing caravan of traders. The brothers agree, and Joseph is sold into slavery.
The brothers, now realizing that they need to cover up their wrongdoing, take Joseph’s multicolored dream coat, tear it, and cover it with the blood of a slaughtered goat. Bringing his coat to their father, the brothers simply say, “Recognize this.” Jacob did, and he assumes that Joseph met his end by being torn to pieces by wild animals.
A Righteous Ruse: Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38)
Imbedded in the Joseph narrative is a peculiar but important story involving Jacob’s fourth son, Judah. Judah has three sons, two of whom die while married to the same woman (at different times, of course), whose name is Tamar. Feeling that Tamar may be responsible for his sons’ deaths, Judah sends her back to her father’s house, telling her that he will “call her” when his youngest comes of age.
Judah, however, has no intention of giving his last son in marriage to Tamar, which she soon realizes. Posing as a prostitute, Tamar positions herself along a road she knows Judah will travel. When Judah sees this prostitute, he says, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” Say what? Is this the Bible? It is.
Judah, not realizing he has just slept with (and impregnated) his daughter-in-law, continues on his way to shear his sheep.
When Judah later finds out that his daughter-in-law is pregnant, he is outraged and insists that she be executed for sleeping around. While Tamar is en route to the executioner, she sends Judah some items she had been given from the man by whom she became pregnant: Judah’s seal, cord, and staff (ancient credit cards). Judah, realizing he has been caught at his own game, declares, “She is more righteous than I, since I would not give her my son Selah in marriage” (Genesis 38:26). We have to hand it to Judah, for all his faults he is at least willing to admit when he is wrong — and bettered.
Rising to the Top: Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 39–41)
Joseph is sold into slavery to a man named Potiphar, who is an important official of the pharaoh (or Egyptian king). Despite Joseph’s difficult circumstances, the Bible says several times, “the LORD was with Joseph” and “in everything Joseph did he prospered.” Joseph’s golden touch soon comes to Potiphar’s attention, and he puts Joseph in charge of his entire household.
Unfortunately, Joseph also comes to the attention of Potiphar’s wife, as Joseph is “well built and handsome.” As a result, Potiphar’s wife beckons Joseph, “Come to bed with me.” Joseph, being a pillar of virtue and a man of uncompromising morals, actually refuses! (Yes, there are some upstanding people in the Bible, in case you were beginning to wonder).
Joseph’s resolve to do what’s right is matched only by Mrs. Potiphar’s resolve to have her man. One day, when no one is at home, she approaches Joseph and invites him to take advantage of the situation. Joseph again refuses, and flees the scene, but not before Potiphar’s wife grabs his cloak and tears it off — and Joseph loses yet another coat.
Potiphar’s wife, seeing that she has Joseph’s coat, decides to feign that Joseph tried to accost her. Believing his wife, Potiphar sends Joseph to jail. However, even in jail, the biblical author reminds us, “the LORD was with Joseph.” Soon Joseph finds himself second-in-command of the “country clinker.”
Jailhouse blues: Joseph goes to jail
Joseph isn’t the only fallen official in prison. With him are Pharaoh’s butler, baker, and candlestick maker (actually that last guy isn’t there, but we couldn’t resist). That both the butler (or “cupbearer”) and baker are in prison suggests that Pharaoh came down with an acute case of indigestion, or worse, food poisoning.
To make matters worse, the cupbearer and baker have been having nightmares in jail (wouldn’t we all?). Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams is about to serve him well.
The cupbearer has a recurring dream where he sees a vine with three branches bearing grapes. In his dream, he takes the grapes, squeezes them into a cup, and then presents that cup to Pharaoh. Joseph informs the cupbearer that the three branches represent three days, at which time he will once again be in the service of Pharaoh. Joseph, realizing that the cupbearer will soon have an audience with the king of Egypt, asks the cupbearer to mention his gift of interpreting dreams to Pharaoh.
The baker, optimistic that he, too, will get a positive interpretation, tells Joseph his dream. Three baskets of food are on his head. As he is carrying them to Pharaoh, birds descend and eat from them. Joseph informs the baker that the three baskets are also three days, at which time he will be hanged, and birds will feed on his flesh (of all the luck). Joseph doesn’t bother asking him to mention his gift to Pharaoh.
Three days later, which, as we find out, is Pharaoh’s birthday, the baker and cupbearer are summoned from jail. The baker is sent to the gallows to be hung, and the cupbearer is sent to the Gallo’s to purchase wine for Pharaoh’s party. However, the cupbearer fails to mention anything to Pharaoh about Joseph, and Joseph remains in jail.
Get out of jail free! Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams
Two years later, Pharaoh has some nightmares of his own. Seeing Pharaoh’s duress (and no doubt thankful that it’s not indigestion), the cupbearer tells Pharaoh that he knows someone who can help. Joseph is summoned from jail and, after a shower, shave, and shine, is brought into Pharaoh’s presence. Pharaoh asks Joseph if it’s true that he can interpret dreams. Joseph replies, “No, but God can.” With this, Pharaoh tells him his dreams:
In the first dream, seven healthy cows are standing by the Nile River. Suddenly, seven sickly cows come out of the river and eat the healthy cows.
In the second dream, seven healthy heads of grain grow strong and tall. Suddenly, seven withered heads emerge from the ground and consume them.
Struggling not to lose his lunch, Joseph gives the following interpretations.
The seven healthy cows and seven heads of grain refer to the same thing: seven years of plenty.
The seven sickly cows and seven withered heads of grain signify the same thing: seven years of famine.
Joseph advises Pharaoh to appoint an official to oversee food storage during the seven years of plenty so that, during the seven years of famine, Pharaoh and his people will have enough food. Now, one doesn’t become pharaoh by not being able to read the writing on the wall (especially since the writing is all over the walls in Egypt — in a script called hieroglyphs or “holy writing”). For Pharaoh, the choice is obvious. He appoints Joseph as second ruler over all of Egypt (yes, there was a “glass ceiling” in Egypt, too).
Spies Like Us: Joseph’s Brothers Come to Egypt (Genesis 42–45)
Soon, the seven years of plenty pass, and the seven years of famine set in — hard. The famine is so widespread, in fact, that those living outside Egypt are forced to come to Egypt to buy food. Such famines are well-attested in the ancient record, as are migrations by people from Canaan (later Israel) to Egypt for food and trade. The regular inundations of the Nile River, which allowed for farming even during periods of drought, made Egypt the “breadbasket” of the ancient world.
Among those who come to Egypt are Joseph’s ten older brothers. When Joseph sees his brothers, he recognizes them immediately; but they don’t recognize him. Several factors account for this. First, Joseph was about 17 years old when he was sold into slavery, and now, he’s at least 37 years old. Second, Joseph “walks like an Egyptian,” being dressed in Egyptian garb and even having an Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah. Third, Joseph “talks like an Egyptian,” even using an interpreter when speaking with his brothers. Pretty clever.
Figure 6-1 shows part of a painting found on a tomb in Egypt. The painting shows Semitic people coming to Egypt for trade around 1900 B.C.E. This painting gives you a good idea of what Jacob and his family may have looked like, especially in comparison to Egyptians (the clean-cut individual on the far right).
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Figure 6-1: A painting of Semitic people and an Egyptian (far right) found on a tomb in Egypt. |
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©Erich Lessing/Art Resource, N.Y.
Joseph’s dreams come true
When Joseph’s brothers first meet the second-greatest man in all of Egypt, they bow, and you, the reader, are reminded of Joseph’s dreams, where Joseph saw a day when his brothers would bow before him. Then, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear (revenge? a test?), Joseph not only hides his identity but accuses his brothers of spying. They assure him that they are not spies. As proof, they tell Joseph, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and the other one is no more.” No more indeed! Perhaps because they just reopened an old wound, or perhaps because Joseph sees they still have not admitted their guilt in his being “no more,” Joseph puts them in prison.
Three days later, Joseph decides that he wants them to prove their claim of not being spies by producing this “youngest brother,” but insists that one of the brothers — Simeon — remain in jail to ensure their return.
The brothers return to their father, who is extremely upset to hear that Simeon is in jail. However, he refuses to allow Benjamin out of his sight, for fear that he may lose him just as he lost Joseph twenty years earlier. Yet, soon, the food they purchased runs out, and Jacob realizes that he has no other choice but to let them return to Egypt with Benjamin.
When Joseph sees his only full brother, Benjamin, he becomes deeply moved and quickly leaves the room to find a solitary place to weep. After washing his face, he reenters the room and bids his guests to join him for a banquet. The brothers are baffled when Joseph seats them according to birth order. Moreover, Joseph gives Benjamin five times as much food as the others.
After the banquet, Joseph realizes that he has no other reason to detain his brothers in Egypt. Unwilling to let them go, however, Joseph secretly places one of his cherished cups into the bag of Benjamin and then later accuses the brothers of stealing it. The brothers protest, saying that whoever has stolen the cup will die, and the rest will become Joseph’s slaves.
When the cup is found in Benjamin’s bag, Joseph demands that Benjamin be made his slave. Judah, however, protests, making a counteroffer that he be made his slave, saying that their father would die if he lost his favorite son. Joseph, seeing that one of his brothers is now willing to sacrifice himself, even for a favored son, is overcome by emotion. Commanding the Egyptians to leave the room, Joseph embraces his brothers and, weeping, says, “I am Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! Don’t be distressed or angry with yourselves. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives” (Genesis 45:5).
Getting permission to leave: Jacob says farewell to Canaan
When Jacob’s sons tell him that Joseph is alive, he, too, is overcome by emotion, and he immediately sets out for Egypt. While on his way, Jacob stops at Beersheba, where both his grandfather and father built an altar to God. This will be the last time he will see the Promised Land, and, in fitting style, he offers a sacrifice on the altar of his ancestors. That night, God speaks to Jacob in a night vision:
I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.
—Genesis 46:3–4
With this assurance, Jacob leaves for Egypt.
Once and Again: Jacob and Joseph Reunite (Genesis 46–49)
Upon arriving in Egypt, Jacob has a joyous reunion with Joseph. In addition, Jacob has opportunity to meet Joseph’s employer, Pharaoh, whose first question to Jacob shows how little tact guys who think they’re gods can have: “How old are you!?!” Apparently, Pharaoh wants to know his secret (death and the afterlife were a major preoccupation of the Egyptian pharaohs, as the pyramids attest). Jacob’s answer to Pharaoh’s question borders on the comical: “The years of my sojourning are 130. My years have been few and difficult, but they do not compare with the years of my fathers’ sojourning.” (Having a father and grandfather who lived to be 180 and 175, respectively, can give someone such an inferiority complex!)
Jacob blesses his grandsons
Jacob’s move to Egypt allows him to meet his grandsons by Joseph. Yes, Joseph married while in Egypt — to the daughter of an Egyptian priest, no less. When Joseph brings his two sons to Jacob for his blessing, Joseph is careful to bring his eldest son, Manasseh, up to Jacob’s right hand, and his youngest son, Ephraim, to Jacob’s left-hand, as it was thought that the right hand dispensed the greater blessing. Jacob, however, crosses his arms, thus giving the greater blessing to the younger son. Joseph protests, but to no avail, as Jacob clearly has a thing for the younger son getting the blessing.
Jacob blesses his sons
Before his death, Jacob blesses all 12 of his sons. Because Jacob’s 12 sons will go on to become the twelve tribes of Israel, his blessings provide a glimpse into the future of those tribes.
Reuben is the first to be blessed, and because he is the eldest son, we expect he will be given the most promising blessing and inheritance. As Jacob says, “You are my firstborn, my strength, and the first demonstration of my virility.” But, surprisingly, listen to what Jacob says next, “but you will not excel, because you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch, and defiled it.” Say what!?! What is Jacob talking about? Jacob is referring to an obscure episode back in Genesis 35:22. There you find out that Reuben slept with Jacob’s concubine, Bilhah. For this he loses the blessing of the firstborn.
Simeon and Levi are the next two sons according to birth order. These two are also denied Jacob’s blessing. It seems that their acts of violence against Shechem were not forgotten by their father (see the sidebar, “The rape of Dinah” earlier in this chapter). As a result, Jacob declares:
Simeon and Levi are brothers, their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter into their counsel, let me not join their assembly, for they killed many in their anger, and hamstrung oxen in their wrath. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their wrath, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.
—Genesis 49:5–7
The elimination of Jacob’s first three sons from the line of blessing means that the rights and privileges of the firstborn should fall to the fourth son, Judah. And, despite his “indiscretion” with Tamar (see “A righteous ruse: Judah and Tamar,” earlier in this chapter), they do.
So Long, Farewell: Jacob and Joseph Die (Genesis 50)
Just prior to his death, Jacob instructs his sons not to entomb him in Egypt, but to bury him in the cave of Machpelah in the land of Canaan that he may be beside his grandfather and grandmother, his father and mother, and his one wife, Leah. With this parting instruction, Jacob dies. In fulfillment of Jacob’s words, Joseph has the priests of Egypt mummify his father, and then he takes his father’s body to Canaan where he is buried with his ancestors.
Then, at the close of the Book of Genesis, Joseph also dies, but not before giving his brothers departing instructions:
God will surely come to your aid and take you out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob . . . When He does, then you must carry my bones up from this place.
—Genesis 50:25
With this promise of future deliverance, Joseph dies at the ripe old age of 110, and he, too, is mummified and then buried in Egypt.
Joseph’s parting words — that God one day will fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — remind you that, although the drama is far from over, all the major players and plot tensions have been introduced, and that what awaits you in the remaining books of the Bible is the resolution of these tensions.