(Genesis 26:34 - 27:40)
When Esau was 40 years old he took two wives, Judith, the daughter of Beri the Hethite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hethite, but these women incurred the strong displeasure of his parents Isaac and Rebecca.
When Isaac was old, his vision became so weak he could barely see. He summoned his older son Esau and called out, "My son?"
"Here I am," he answered.
His father told him "As you can see, I am now an old man. I'm not sure how much time I have left. --- Do me a favor. Take your arms, your bow and quiver of arrows, go out into the field, and kill some game for me. Prepare some tasty dish of meat --you know the way I like it -- and if you bring it to me to eat, I will bless you before I die."
Rebecca overheard what Isaac had said to Esau. And so when Esau was out hunting to satisfy his father's wishes, Rebecca took aside her son Jacob, "I heard your father talking with Esau, your brother, and telling him, 'Go hunt and bring back some game for me to eat and, in the sight of Jehovah, I will bless you before I die.' --- And so, my son, you must do exactly what I tell you. Go out to the flock and bring back a couple of plump goat kids so that I may prepare from their meat a dish your father will relish. You will then serve it to him and after he eats it, he will bless you before he dies."
But Jacob said to his mother Rebecca, "Esau is hairy and I have smooth skin. My father may touch me, think that I am trying to deceive him, and give me his curse rather than his blessing."
His mother scolded him, "The curse will only be upon me, my son. Just do what I told you and bring me what I asked."
Jacob did so and brought the goat kids to his mother, who prepared from them a dish of tasty meat. Rebecca found some of Esau's best clothes, which she had at home, and dressed her younger son Jacob in them. She wrapped skins from the goat kids around his hands and open neck. She delivered into his hands the meat and the bread she had prepared, and Jacob carried them in to his father.
"My father?" he asked.
"I hear you. But is it you, my son?" the old man responded.
Jacob answered, "Yes, it's me, Esau, your oldest son. I have done as you have commanded. Sit up, if you would, and dine on the venison, so that I may have your blessing."
Isaac queried his son, "How is it that you have gotten this ready so quickly, my son?"
Jacob explained, "It was the will of Jehovah that I found quickly what I was looking for."
"Come closer, my son" Isaac demanded, "that I may feel you and know for sure whether you are Esau or not."
So Jacob came to his father, who felt him and said "The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are those of Esau." (Not recognizing Jacob because his hands were hairy like his older brother's, Isaac blessed him.) “Are you indeed my son Esau?" he asked.
"I am," insisted Jacob.
"Well then, bring me the game meat and my soul will bless you." After he had been served and finished his meal, wine was brought in, and he drank.
Isaac then bid him "Draw near me, my son, and kiss me." When Jacob came near and kissed his father, Isaac noticed the scent of his clothes and blessed him, saying, "See, my son smells like the fecund fields blessed by Jehovah! Therefore, may Jehovah grant you gentle rains from heaven and the fertile soil of the earth, so you may have an abundance of grain and wine. May tribes serve you and nations pay you tribute. You will be the head of the family and may the children of your mother be subservient to you. May those who curse you be cursed. May those who bless you be full of blessings."
No sooner had Isaac finished his blessing and Jacob departed from his presence than his brother Esau came in from the hunt. He had also prepared a dish of tasty meat and brought it in to his father, saying "Let my father sit up and eat his venison, so that his soul may bless me."
Isaac, his father questioned, "Who are you!?"
Esau answered, "I am your son, your first-born son, Esau."
Isaac was incredulous and alarmed and trembled with agitation. "Who was is then that just brought me the venison he had prepared? I ate it before you came here. I gave him my blessing --- I can’t take it back!”
Hearing what his father said, Esau let out a loud groan of anguish and regret. "Surely, my father, you will give me a blessing, too?"
"Your brother used trickery, and has taken away the blessing meant for you," his father declared.
Esau observed, "He is rightly named "Jacob" [meaning usurper]. He has usurped my place twice. First he took away my birthright and now he has stolen my blessing." He then addressed his father, "Don't you have a blessing left over for me?"
Isaac answered him. "Look, I have already made him your master and the head of the family. I have bequeathed him my stores of grain and wine. After that, what is there left to give to you, my son?"
"Have you only one blessing, Father? Can't you bless me, too?" complained Esau, crying out and weeping aloud.
Feeling sorry for Esau, Isaac told him, “Your only blessing will be in fertile soil of the earth and the gentle rain from heaven, but you will have to sustain yourself by fighting. And you will serve your brother, until the time comes when you will grow restless and then break free from his domination."
Notes
1. Esau, in marrying two Hethite women, has gone against the express wishes of his parents, who despise their Canaanite neighbors. Esau, it seems, has insisted on being his own man and following his own counsel. Jacob, on the other hand, has not yet married and seems very much tied to his mother's apron's strings. Although he is man approaching middle age, he seems a docile juvenile cowed by his domineering mother Rebecca, who, it seems, will do anything to advance the interest of her fair-haired boy. (This may be the first, but not the last time the redhead gets the short end of the stick.) In this story of the twins is an implied moral: filial respect and conformity to custom supersedes personal initiative and individual will. The favored son is the complaisant, obedient one.
2. The conduct of Jacob in cheating Esau out of his inheritance is shamelessly defended in most Biblical commentaries. Even Saint Augustine believed his lie was only technical and venial. Such subjective distortion of moral values among the religious is truly appalling. Jacob's conduct was execrable and morally indefensible, one would think, by anyone's standards. He knew that Esau, being the eldest, was his father's heir. Instead of working to enrich himself by his own efforts as his father and grandfather had done, he conspires to steal what will belong to his brother. Although Esau's cavalier, dismissive attitude towards his birthrate is disreputable, it is more disreputable that Jacob chose to take advantage of it by tricking him out of it. No honest person could believe that trading a birthright, a wealthy inheritance for a pot of stew comprises an equal trade, and no honest person would go through with such a bargain. (It should also be pointed out that Esau's birthright was not really his to sell. A heir may refuse to accept his legacy, he may give away a legacy he has received, but prior to receiving the legacy he has no right to override the wishes of the legator by designating a substitute heir.) Jacob, who has shown himself to be devious and conniving, lacks the redeeming virtue of guts, of accepting responsibility for his actions and the punishment, if he is caught. When his mother devises the plan to have him impersonate his brother Esau to their vision-impaired father, Jacob is worried about being caught and will go ahead with the masquerade only when his mother offers to assume the guilt for it. Jacob, pretending to be his brother, is doing more than mere bold-faced lying, he is committing a fraud for personal gain. It is made more despicable by the fact that the victims of it are family members, his father and his twin brother. Deceiving your half-blind, dying father so that you can get his inheritance and cheat your brother out of his is about as low as one can go. How can there be any moral ambiguity here?
3. It doesn't seem to occur to Isaac that his blessing of Jacob was given under false pretenses, and, therefore, could and should be retracted. Perhaps the legal concept of the fraudulent contract being invalid did not exist at that time.
Showing posts with label Isaac. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isaac. Show all posts
Monday, April 29, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The History of Abraham, Part Nine
(Genesis 24:01 - 25:10)
Abraham was aged and infirm, but in all ways he had been blessed by Jehovah.
Abraham addressed his senior servant, the steward who had charge of his affairs and household "Put your hand against my genitals and swear by the god of heaven and earth that you will not choose for my son a wife from among the womenfolk of the Canaanites, with whom I live, but that you will go back to my own country and to my own kin to find a wife for my son Isaac."
The steward asked "What if no woman is willing to come to this country, should I take your son back to his native land?”
"No, under no circumstances take my son back there! Jehovah, the god of heaven, led me out of my father's house and my homeland. He spoke to me and swore to me that my progeny would be granted possession of this land. Jehovah will send an agent ahead to help you find a wife for my son there. However, if the woman is not willing to come back with you, you are not bound by the oath. Only do not take my son back there."
The servant placed his hand against Abraham's genitals and swore the oath.
The steward took ten camels from Abraham's herd and departed, taking with him some of his master's treasure to be used as gifts. He journeyed to Mesopotamia, to the town of Abraham's brother Nachor. At an well outside the settlement, he had his camels kneel down to rest. It was evening, the time when women regularly came to draw water from the well. He prayed "Jehovah, god of my master, please bring me good fortune and favor my master Abraham. See me, I am standing here by the well where the maidens of the town come to draw water. Let it be that the girl to whom I say 'Please, set down your water jug and let me drink.' will reply 'Drink and I will give water to your camels as well.’ Let her be the one that you've chosen for your servant Isaac. Let that be a sign that you have favored my master."
Even before he had finished speaking, there came to the well, bearing a water jug on her shoulder, none other than Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel and the granddaughter of Milcah and Nahor, Abraham's brother. The young girl was quite beautiful and still a virginal maiden. She filled her jug at the well and was returning when Abraham's steward approached her.
"Could you please let me have some water from your jug?" he asked.
"Have a drink, sir," she answered, slipping the jug down from her shoulder and letting him take a drink from it. After he had finished drinking, she told him "I will draw some water for your camels, so that they can have their fill, too." She empty her jug in the water trough and then hurried back to the well to get more water for the camels.
Wondering about her and whether Jehovah had crowned his journey with success or not, the steward kept quiet. But after the camels had finished drinking, he brought out a gold nose ring weighing half a shekel and two bracelets of gold worth ten shekels and presented them to Rebecca. He asked the girl "Who are your parents? Is there room in your house for me and my men to lodge?"
She answered, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor and Milcah." She added "We have plenty of both straw and hay and enough room for lodging."
The steward prostrated himself and prayed "Blessed be Jehovah, the god of my master Abraham, who has not withheld his mercy and truth from my master and who has guided me unerringly to the house of my master's brother!”
Rebecca ran home and told everyone in the house what had transpired. She had a brother named Laban. When he saw the nose ring and the bracelets his sister was wearing and heard what the man told her, he rushed out to the well to greet the steward. He found the man standing by his camels at the well and said to him "Come on inside, you who are blessed by Jehovah. Why are you standing outside? I have prepared a room for you in the house and stabling for your camels."
Laban led the steward and his party to his home. Laban unsaddled his camels and gave them hay and straw. He also furnished water to wash the feet of the Abraham's steward and the men who had come with him.
A meal was laid out for the steward, but he said "I can't eat until I've revealed the purpose of my errand."
Tell us!” he was bid.
"I am a servant of Abraham. Jehovah has blessed my master wonderfully. He is wealthy in flocks of sheep and herds of oxen, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys. Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to him when she was quite old, and the son is his sole heir. My master made me swear, saying 'You will not choose for my son a wife from among the womenfolk of the Canaanites, with whom I live, but you will go back to my own country and to my own kin to find a wife for my son.' But I asked my master 'What if the woman won't come back with me?' 'Jehovah,' he told me 'whom I follow, will send an agent ahead to guide me. You will choose for a wife only a woman from my own people and my own family. But you are absolved from your oath if, finding my family, they won't furnish you with a willing bride.' And today I arrived at the well and prayed "Jehovah, god of my master, if you wish to favor my mission let it be that the girl to whom I say 'Please, set down your water jug and let me drink.' will reply 'Drink and I will give water to your camels as well'." Let her be the one that you've chosen for your servant Isaac, and that will be a sign that you have favored my master.' And while I was pondering that in my mind, lo and behold Rebecca appeared carrying a water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the well and drew water. I asked her "Could you give me a little to drink?" She quickly let the jug down from her shoulder and invited me 'Have a drink and I will give water to the camels' So I drank and she made the camels drink. And I asked of her 'Who are your parents?' And she said 'I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor and his wife Milcah.' And so I put the nose ring on her to adorn her face and fastened the bracelets to her wrists. And prostrating myself, I prayed, thanking Jehovah, the god of my master Abraham, who had led me straight to the daughter of my master's brother for his son's sake. If you would deal with my master honestly and truly, please let me know one way or the other how I should proceed."
Laban and Bethuel replied "This is ordained by Jehovah; we can say nothing to contradict it. Rebecca stands here before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as Jehovah wishes."
When Abraham's steward heard this, he fell to the ground and thanked Jehovah. He then produced vessels and jeweled ornaments of silver and gold and luxurious raiment and presented them to Rebecca, also proffering precious gifts to her brother and mother. To celebrate, a banquet was held, and the steward and the men with him stayed the night. When they rose in the morning he asked his hosts "I wish your permission to leave so I can return to my master!"
But the girl's brother and mother pleaded with him "Let the girl stay with us a few more days, ten at least. After that she will leave."
The steward replied "Please don't delay me, considering that I am on Jehovah's business. Let me leave so I can return at once to my master."
And they said "We will call the girl so that she may answer you personally." They called Rebecca and asked "Are you ready to go with this man now?" And she responded "Yes, I am!"
Thus they bid farewell to Rebecca and her nurse and to the steward and his party. They wished Rebecca well, saying "You are our sister, but you will be the mother of a multitude. May your posterity control the cities of their enemies!"
Rebecca and her maidservants mounted the camels and followed the steward as he returned posthaste to his master.
Meanwhile, Isaac was walking on the way to the well of Lahairoi [the living and the seeing] (for he lived in the south country), but he lingered at dusk to meditate in the field, for he had spent a busy day. He looked up and noticed a train of camels approaching from afar.
When Rebecca glimpsed Isaac, she dismounted her camel and asked of the steward "Who is that man walking in the field coming to greet us?"
"It's my master," the servant replied. Rebecca quickly grabbed her cloak and covered her face.
After the steward recounted to Isaac all that had occurred, Isaac brought Rebecca into the tent of his mother. He married her and loved her, and she comforted him for the loss of his mother.
Abraham himself married again, to a woman named Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan, and the sons of Dedan were the progenitors of the Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All of these were the descendants of Keturah. Abraham, however, willed his entire estate to Isaac. To the sons Abraham had fathered by his lesser wives he did give gifts, but, during his lifetime, they were sent away to live in the east country, separated from his son Isaac.
Abraham lived to be a 175 years old. He had spent many long, full years, but finally, in failing health, his spirit gave out and he died, joining his ancestors. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the double cave facing Mamre in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hethite, this being the cave that Abraham purchased from the Hethites. He was interred there next to his wife Sarah.
Notes:
1. A curious and uncomfortably intimate custom is recounted here, that of making a promise, swearing an oath to someone by placing your hand against his genitals. Most, if not all Biblical translations refer only to "thigh" but that is merely a euphemism. (It is ever the intention of this translation to be totally accurate, clear, and honest -- even when it is embarrassing.)
2. As perhaps the first recorded instance of racial prejudice, Abraham insists that his son only marry someone of his own ethnicity -- no Canaanite girl is going to marry my son! Abraham, though, is obligated by Jehovah to do so, since his god is only the god of the Hebrews and is not going to do any favors for other peoples. The line must be kept racially pure so that Jehovah can be held to the promises he has made to his Abraham's descendants. Also, Abraham probably does not wish to venture from what seems to be the early Hebrew tradition of incest and inbreeding. This would not be uncommon at the time. (Consider the long-held preference for brother-sister marriages by the Egyptian pharaohs.)
3. Abraham's steward makes the trip back to Mesopotamia by camel. This, as has been mentioned before, is egregiously anachronistic. Camels would not become a form of transportation in the Middle East for more than a thousand years after Abraham's age. Perhaps Rebecca giving water to donkeys would have made the tale less romantic.
4. There is a reference to Jehovah sending an agent to help the steward find Abraham's family, but the steward seems to be lucky and doesn't need any help. Or did the "divine" agent find some way to guide the steward's party to the correct destination? This is left unexplained.
5. It is curious that the narrator does not know the name of Abraham's steward, who is a prominent actor in the story (and has a great deal to say), yet is apprised of the exact monetary value of the nose ring and bracelets he gives to Rebecca!
6. Another point of interest is that Abraham seems obligated to present gifts and make at least an informal marriage settlement to the bride and the family of the bride. It seems fitting since in this case it is the man who is searching for a marriage partner. Later tradition will often dictate that it is the family of the bride who must fork over a dowry.
7. When Rebecca and Isaac meet, rather romantically (although the story seems cut off or abridged), the steward refers to Isaac as his master and not his master's son. The reader can only wonder whether this is a mistake or has some significance. Another interesting point in their meeting is that Rebecca is quick to cover her face with her cloak. She does not wish her future husband to view her unveiled, but with the steward and the other servants she has been bare-faced the whole time and had even allowed a stranger to bedeck her with jewels.
8. We are reminded at several points in the story how old a man Abraham is and how he is in his dotage, but then we are told he has married again, with the frisky old gent siring a slew of children. He lives to be 175, not quite antediluvian longevity, but an abnormally long life span nonetheless. There is, of course, no evidence that men of the 2nd millennium B.C. were endowed with such longevity, in fact, life expectancy of adults was probably less than 50 years, with an occasion strong, or fortunate man living to old age. In the legends of all peoples, it seems that patriarchs are almost always credited with a number of years matching their stature.
9. In Abraham's treatment of his sons, we see an early example of the tradition of primogeniture, in which the eldest son is the sole heir: he inherits everything and the younger sons, practically nothing. There is certainly no pretense of equal treatment among Abraham's children; the sons of the other wife are not even permitted to associate with Isaac. They are merely bought off and banished out of sight.
Abraham was aged and infirm, but in all ways he had been blessed by Jehovah.
Abraham addressed his senior servant, the steward who had charge of his affairs and household "Put your hand against my genitals and swear by the god of heaven and earth that you will not choose for my son a wife from among the womenfolk of the Canaanites, with whom I live, but that you will go back to my own country and to my own kin to find a wife for my son Isaac."
The steward asked "What if no woman is willing to come to this country, should I take your son back to his native land?”
"No, under no circumstances take my son back there! Jehovah, the god of heaven, led me out of my father's house and my homeland. He spoke to me and swore to me that my progeny would be granted possession of this land. Jehovah will send an agent ahead to help you find a wife for my son there. However, if the woman is not willing to come back with you, you are not bound by the oath. Only do not take my son back there."
The servant placed his hand against Abraham's genitals and swore the oath.
The steward took ten camels from Abraham's herd and departed, taking with him some of his master's treasure to be used as gifts. He journeyed to Mesopotamia, to the town of Abraham's brother Nachor. At an well outside the settlement, he had his camels kneel down to rest. It was evening, the time when women regularly came to draw water from the well. He prayed "Jehovah, god of my master, please bring me good fortune and favor my master Abraham. See me, I am standing here by the well where the maidens of the town come to draw water. Let it be that the girl to whom I say 'Please, set down your water jug and let me drink.' will reply 'Drink and I will give water to your camels as well.’ Let her be the one that you've chosen for your servant Isaac. Let that be a sign that you have favored my master."
Even before he had finished speaking, there came to the well, bearing a water jug on her shoulder, none other than Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel and the granddaughter of Milcah and Nahor, Abraham's brother. The young girl was quite beautiful and still a virginal maiden. She filled her jug at the well and was returning when Abraham's steward approached her.
"Could you please let me have some water from your jug?" he asked.
"Have a drink, sir," she answered, slipping the jug down from her shoulder and letting him take a drink from it. After he had finished drinking, she told him "I will draw some water for your camels, so that they can have their fill, too." She empty her jug in the water trough and then hurried back to the well to get more water for the camels.
Wondering about her and whether Jehovah had crowned his journey with success or not, the steward kept quiet. But after the camels had finished drinking, he brought out a gold nose ring weighing half a shekel and two bracelets of gold worth ten shekels and presented them to Rebecca. He asked the girl "Who are your parents? Is there room in your house for me and my men to lodge?"
She answered, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor and Milcah." She added "We have plenty of both straw and hay and enough room for lodging."
The steward prostrated himself and prayed "Blessed be Jehovah, the god of my master Abraham, who has not withheld his mercy and truth from my master and who has guided me unerringly to the house of my master's brother!”
Rebecca ran home and told everyone in the house what had transpired. She had a brother named Laban. When he saw the nose ring and the bracelets his sister was wearing and heard what the man told her, he rushed out to the well to greet the steward. He found the man standing by his camels at the well and said to him "Come on inside, you who are blessed by Jehovah. Why are you standing outside? I have prepared a room for you in the house and stabling for your camels."
Laban led the steward and his party to his home. Laban unsaddled his camels and gave them hay and straw. He also furnished water to wash the feet of the Abraham's steward and the men who had come with him.
A meal was laid out for the steward, but he said "I can't eat until I've revealed the purpose of my errand."
Tell us!” he was bid.
"I am a servant of Abraham. Jehovah has blessed my master wonderfully. He is wealthy in flocks of sheep and herds of oxen, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys. Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to him when she was quite old, and the son is his sole heir. My master made me swear, saying 'You will not choose for my son a wife from among the womenfolk of the Canaanites, with whom I live, but you will go back to my own country and to my own kin to find a wife for my son.' But I asked my master 'What if the woman won't come back with me?' 'Jehovah,' he told me 'whom I follow, will send an agent ahead to guide me. You will choose for a wife only a woman from my own people and my own family. But you are absolved from your oath if, finding my family, they won't furnish you with a willing bride.' And today I arrived at the well and prayed "Jehovah, god of my master, if you wish to favor my mission let it be that the girl to whom I say 'Please, set down your water jug and let me drink.' will reply 'Drink and I will give water to your camels as well'." Let her be the one that you've chosen for your servant Isaac, and that will be a sign that you have favored my master.' And while I was pondering that in my mind, lo and behold Rebecca appeared carrying a water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the well and drew water. I asked her "Could you give me a little to drink?" She quickly let the jug down from her shoulder and invited me 'Have a drink and I will give water to the camels' So I drank and she made the camels drink. And I asked of her 'Who are your parents?' And she said 'I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor and his wife Milcah.' And so I put the nose ring on her to adorn her face and fastened the bracelets to her wrists. And prostrating myself, I prayed, thanking Jehovah, the god of my master Abraham, who had led me straight to the daughter of my master's brother for his son's sake. If you would deal with my master honestly and truly, please let me know one way or the other how I should proceed."
Laban and Bethuel replied "This is ordained by Jehovah; we can say nothing to contradict it. Rebecca stands here before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as Jehovah wishes."
When Abraham's steward heard this, he fell to the ground and thanked Jehovah. He then produced vessels and jeweled ornaments of silver and gold and luxurious raiment and presented them to Rebecca, also proffering precious gifts to her brother and mother. To celebrate, a banquet was held, and the steward and the men with him stayed the night. When they rose in the morning he asked his hosts "I wish your permission to leave so I can return to my master!"
But the girl's brother and mother pleaded with him "Let the girl stay with us a few more days, ten at least. After that she will leave."
The steward replied "Please don't delay me, considering that I am on Jehovah's business. Let me leave so I can return at once to my master."
And they said "We will call the girl so that she may answer you personally." They called Rebecca and asked "Are you ready to go with this man now?" And she responded "Yes, I am!"
Thus they bid farewell to Rebecca and her nurse and to the steward and his party. They wished Rebecca well, saying "You are our sister, but you will be the mother of a multitude. May your posterity control the cities of their enemies!"
Rebecca and her maidservants mounted the camels and followed the steward as he returned posthaste to his master.
Meanwhile, Isaac was walking on the way to the well of Lahairoi [the living and the seeing] (for he lived in the south country), but he lingered at dusk to meditate in the field, for he had spent a busy day. He looked up and noticed a train of camels approaching from afar.
When Rebecca glimpsed Isaac, she dismounted her camel and asked of the steward "Who is that man walking in the field coming to greet us?"
"It's my master," the servant replied. Rebecca quickly grabbed her cloak and covered her face.
After the steward recounted to Isaac all that had occurred, Isaac brought Rebecca into the tent of his mother. He married her and loved her, and she comforted him for the loss of his mother.
Abraham himself married again, to a woman named Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan, and the sons of Dedan were the progenitors of the Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All of these were the descendants of Keturah. Abraham, however, willed his entire estate to Isaac. To the sons Abraham had fathered by his lesser wives he did give gifts, but, during his lifetime, they were sent away to live in the east country, separated from his son Isaac.
Abraham lived to be a 175 years old. He had spent many long, full years, but finally, in failing health, his spirit gave out and he died, joining his ancestors. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the double cave facing Mamre in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hethite, this being the cave that Abraham purchased from the Hethites. He was interred there next to his wife Sarah.
Notes:
1. A curious and uncomfortably intimate custom is recounted here, that of making a promise, swearing an oath to someone by placing your hand against his genitals. Most, if not all Biblical translations refer only to "thigh" but that is merely a euphemism. (It is ever the intention of this translation to be totally accurate, clear, and honest -- even when it is embarrassing.)
2. As perhaps the first recorded instance of racial prejudice, Abraham insists that his son only marry someone of his own ethnicity -- no Canaanite girl is going to marry my son! Abraham, though, is obligated by Jehovah to do so, since his god is only the god of the Hebrews and is not going to do any favors for other peoples. The line must be kept racially pure so that Jehovah can be held to the promises he has made to his Abraham's descendants. Also, Abraham probably does not wish to venture from what seems to be the early Hebrew tradition of incest and inbreeding. This would not be uncommon at the time. (Consider the long-held preference for brother-sister marriages by the Egyptian pharaohs.)
3. Abraham's steward makes the trip back to Mesopotamia by camel. This, as has been mentioned before, is egregiously anachronistic. Camels would not become a form of transportation in the Middle East for more than a thousand years after Abraham's age. Perhaps Rebecca giving water to donkeys would have made the tale less romantic.
4. There is a reference to Jehovah sending an agent to help the steward find Abraham's family, but the steward seems to be lucky and doesn't need any help. Or did the "divine" agent find some way to guide the steward's party to the correct destination? This is left unexplained.
5. It is curious that the narrator does not know the name of Abraham's steward, who is a prominent actor in the story (and has a great deal to say), yet is apprised of the exact monetary value of the nose ring and bracelets he gives to Rebecca!
6. Another point of interest is that Abraham seems obligated to present gifts and make at least an informal marriage settlement to the bride and the family of the bride. It seems fitting since in this case it is the man who is searching for a marriage partner. Later tradition will often dictate that it is the family of the bride who must fork over a dowry.
7. When Rebecca and Isaac meet, rather romantically (although the story seems cut off or abridged), the steward refers to Isaac as his master and not his master's son. The reader can only wonder whether this is a mistake or has some significance. Another interesting point in their meeting is that Rebecca is quick to cover her face with her cloak. She does not wish her future husband to view her unveiled, but with the steward and the other servants she has been bare-faced the whole time and had even allowed a stranger to bedeck her with jewels.
8. We are reminded at several points in the story how old a man Abraham is and how he is in his dotage, but then we are told he has married again, with the frisky old gent siring a slew of children. He lives to be 175, not quite antediluvian longevity, but an abnormally long life span nonetheless. There is, of course, no evidence that men of the 2nd millennium B.C. were endowed with such longevity, in fact, life expectancy of adults was probably less than 50 years, with an occasion strong, or fortunate man living to old age. In the legends of all peoples, it seems that patriarchs are almost always credited with a number of years matching their stature.
9. In Abraham's treatment of his sons, we see an early example of the tradition of primogeniture, in which the eldest son is the sole heir: he inherits everything and the younger sons, practically nothing. There is certainly no pretense of equal treatment among Abraham's children; the sons of the other wife are not even permitted to associate with Isaac. They are merely bought off and banished out of sight.
Monday, April 15, 2013
The History of Abraham, Part Seven
(Genesis 21:22 - 22:19)
At that time it happened that King Abimilech and his chief military commander Phichol spoke to Abraham "Since God is with you in all that you do, swear by Him here and now that you will have honest dealings with me and with my successors, that you will extend the same courtesy to me that I have extended to you as a foreign resident in my country."
"I do so swear," replied Abraham. But he complained to him about a water well of his that Abimilech's followers had taken by force.
Abimelech responded "I don't know who’s responsible. You never told me about this before and it’s the first I've heard of it."
Abraham presented Abimelech with some sheep and oxen, and they made a pact. Abraham also set aside seven female lambs from his flock.
"What is the meaning of these seven female lambs that you have set aside?" asked Abimelech.
"I hope who will accept them as an assurance that I was the one who dug that well."
The place was thereafter called Beersheba, for that was where both of them swore an oath and made a contract. Abilemech and his general Phichol then departed and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a grove of tamarisks at Beersheba and there worshipped Jehovah, the eternal god. And Abraham made his residence in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
After these events, Jehovah tested Abraham. He called out his name, "Abraham, Abraham!" And Abraham responded "Here I am." Jehovah then told him "Take your favored son, Isaac, whom you love, and journey with him into the land of Moriah [clear vision]. On a mountain that I will show you, you will offer him to be burned as a human sacrifice."
Rising early, Abraham saddled his donkey and split some wood logs for the sacrifice. Accompanied by Isaac and two trusted man servants, he set out on his trek to the place designated by Jehovah. On the third day, Abraham surveyed the land above and located his destination still some distance away. Abraham bid his trusted servants “Rest here and stay with the donkey. My son and I are going to hike up there. After we hold worship, we will return.” Abraham collected the timber needed for the sacrifice and placed it on Isaac’s shoulders for him to tote, while he carried the sacrificial knife and a brazier of charcoal embers for the fire.
As they walked on together, Isaac turned to his father and asked "Father?"
"What do you want, my son?" Abraham replied.
"We have the fire and the wood, but where is the animal to burn as a sacrifice?" he asked.
"Jehovah himself will furnish the victim for the sacrifice" he replied. And they continued on.
When they came to the place that Jehovah had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the firewood upon it. He then bound up his son Isaac and laid his body on the altar atop the pile of wood. Abraham seized the knife and raised it to strike and kill his son.
At that moment, Jehovah, in his aerial vehicle, hailed him from the sky "Abraham, Abraham!”
"Here I am!" Abraham rejoined.
"Don’t strike that boy, or harm him in any way. For I am now assured that you are obedient to me, since you have not hesitated to sacrifice to me your son, your much-loved son."
Abraham looked up and noticed that behind him there was a ram caught in the briars, held fast by its horns. Abraham captured the sheep and used it for the burnt sacrifice instead of his son.
Abraham named this place Jehovajireh, (Jehovah sees), as it is called even today, for it is said “upon the mountain, Jehovah will be seen.”
Jehovah called down to Abraham from the sky a second time. And Jehovah proclaimed to him "I have promised myself that if you would go through with this act and not hesitate to sacrifice to me your favored son, I would bless you. Indeed, your progeny will be as abundant as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the beach. Your descendants will occupy the cities of your enemies. All the nations of the earth will thus be blessed, since you have obeyed my command."
Abraham returned to the trusted servants waiting for him, and together they went to Beersheba, where he made his residence.
Notes
1. Apparently Abraham dug a well and some of Abimelech people, unbeknownst to their king, took possession of it by force. Abraham's word that he was the one who dug it seemed insufficient, so he intended to convince Abimelech of the fact by giving him seven she-lambs. The gift/bribe was not refused. Abraham ended up buying the well that was already rightfully his. One can imagine he didn't want to press the case and perhaps disrupt the good relations he was having with Abimelech.
2. Abraham has all along been a faithful follower of Jehovah and continued to worship him as a god. For some reason, though, Jehovah, decides to test his fidelity and does so in the most extreme way imaginable, demanding that he kill his beloved son as a human sacrifice to him. It is hard to see this demand as anything but malicious, a desire on Jehovah's part to totally humiliate his follower and reduce him to absolute subservience. What is presented here is subjective morality. Whatever Jehovah desires, whatever he happens to like, is good. Obedience to him is the sole criterion for righteousness. If Jehovah demands some vile, despicable, obscene thing like human sacrifice, then it becomes good. Abraham and his followers do not seem to be required to conform to any abstract moral precepts, only to do Jehovah's bidding and abide by his wishes, whatever they might be. Jehovists are not expected to think or make moral judgments on their own. Abraham doesn't question Jehovah's command, but blindly obeys. This is reminiscent of cults and secret societies where absolute obedience is required and heinous acts are often demanded as a test of one's fidelity. --- It might be pointed out that this kind of unquestioning and fanatical devotion is surely the source of all the great evils in history. The lesser evils result from unbridled personal ambition, but all history shows that it is the collective adherence to some sort of -ism that produces the greater evils, the bloodiest wars, the severest persecutions, the harshest tyrannies.
3. The scene in which Isaac, walking with his father to the place where they will build the sacrificial altar, is out of a horror story. He asks where the animal for the sacrifice is. Does he suspect that he is to be the sacrifice, that his own father is going to cut him up and burn his body? Does he struggle when his father ties him up? Does he question his father's judgment or sanity? Or does he accept it all like the lamb led to slaughter that he is? At any rate, one suspects that the experience would have been traumatic for the boy, even though it all turns out well when his place on the altar is taken by some unlucky ram. One wonders what he subsequently thinks of his father, or if he has totally bought into the self-means-nothing worship of Jehovah.
4. In many translations, Isaac is referred to as Abraham's only son, which is, of course, incorrect. I have used “favored,” and “well-loved” which is a more accurate rendering. --- Also, the reference to coal used in many translations cannot be right, since ancient man did not mine and burn coal until a much, much later period, approximately the second century B.C. Charcoal seems more likely to have furnished the embers that Abraham carried in a brazier and used to start the fire for the sacrifice.
5. When Jehovah stops the sacrifice of Isaac just as Abraham has raised his knife to eviscerate the lad, it is like the end of a cruel joke. "Just kidding!" Jehovah seems to be saying. "I'll be merciful. You won't have to murder your son after all, since you have shown me that I can make you do anything. You are confirmed as my stooge, my sap, my slave. I will now reward you and throw you some scraps from my table” One wonders what would have ensued if Abraham, like a real man, had instead told Jehovah to go fly a kite, that he wasn't going to murder his son under any circumstances, let alone to satisfy a mere whim, and that Jehovah could keep his big promises about Abraham becoming the father of nations and kings. However, for those living at the time of the Bible's writing and, one supposes, contemporary devotees, Abraham represents an ideal of religious devotion.
6. An ‘angel” or “messenger” of Jehovah calls down to Abraham from the sky, but it is obviously the words of Jehovah that are spoken. The context does not indicate two persons calling down from the sky. In this case, as in many others, the “angel” should be interpreted not as another extraterrestrial being, but as a vessel, an aerial vehicle in which Jehovah is traveling and from which he can project his voice below.
At that time it happened that King Abimilech and his chief military commander Phichol spoke to Abraham "Since God is with you in all that you do, swear by Him here and now that you will have honest dealings with me and with my successors, that you will extend the same courtesy to me that I have extended to you as a foreign resident in my country."
"I do so swear," replied Abraham. But he complained to him about a water well of his that Abimilech's followers had taken by force.
Abimelech responded "I don't know who’s responsible. You never told me about this before and it’s the first I've heard of it."
Abraham presented Abimelech with some sheep and oxen, and they made a pact. Abraham also set aside seven female lambs from his flock.
"What is the meaning of these seven female lambs that you have set aside?" asked Abimelech.
"I hope who will accept them as an assurance that I was the one who dug that well."
The place was thereafter called Beersheba, for that was where both of them swore an oath and made a contract. Abilemech and his general Phichol then departed and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a grove of tamarisks at Beersheba and there worshipped Jehovah, the eternal god. And Abraham made his residence in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
After these events, Jehovah tested Abraham. He called out his name, "Abraham, Abraham!" And Abraham responded "Here I am." Jehovah then told him "Take your favored son, Isaac, whom you love, and journey with him into the land of Moriah [clear vision]. On a mountain that I will show you, you will offer him to be burned as a human sacrifice."
Rising early, Abraham saddled his donkey and split some wood logs for the sacrifice. Accompanied by Isaac and two trusted man servants, he set out on his trek to the place designated by Jehovah. On the third day, Abraham surveyed the land above and located his destination still some distance away. Abraham bid his trusted servants “Rest here and stay with the donkey. My son and I are going to hike up there. After we hold worship, we will return.” Abraham collected the timber needed for the sacrifice and placed it on Isaac’s shoulders for him to tote, while he carried the sacrificial knife and a brazier of charcoal embers for the fire.
As they walked on together, Isaac turned to his father and asked "Father?"
"What do you want, my son?" Abraham replied.
"We have the fire and the wood, but where is the animal to burn as a sacrifice?" he asked.
"Jehovah himself will furnish the victim for the sacrifice" he replied. And they continued on.
When they came to the place that Jehovah had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the firewood upon it. He then bound up his son Isaac and laid his body on the altar atop the pile of wood. Abraham seized the knife and raised it to strike and kill his son.
At that moment, Jehovah, in his aerial vehicle, hailed him from the sky "Abraham, Abraham!”
"Here I am!" Abraham rejoined.
"Don’t strike that boy, or harm him in any way. For I am now assured that you are obedient to me, since you have not hesitated to sacrifice to me your son, your much-loved son."
Abraham looked up and noticed that behind him there was a ram caught in the briars, held fast by its horns. Abraham captured the sheep and used it for the burnt sacrifice instead of his son.
Abraham named this place Jehovajireh, (Jehovah sees), as it is called even today, for it is said “upon the mountain, Jehovah will be seen.”
Jehovah called down to Abraham from the sky a second time. And Jehovah proclaimed to him "I have promised myself that if you would go through with this act and not hesitate to sacrifice to me your favored son, I would bless you. Indeed, your progeny will be as abundant as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the beach. Your descendants will occupy the cities of your enemies. All the nations of the earth will thus be blessed, since you have obeyed my command."
Abraham returned to the trusted servants waiting for him, and together they went to Beersheba, where he made his residence.
Notes
1. Apparently Abraham dug a well and some of Abimelech people, unbeknownst to their king, took possession of it by force. Abraham's word that he was the one who dug it seemed insufficient, so he intended to convince Abimelech of the fact by giving him seven she-lambs. The gift/bribe was not refused. Abraham ended up buying the well that was already rightfully his. One can imagine he didn't want to press the case and perhaps disrupt the good relations he was having with Abimelech.
2. Abraham has all along been a faithful follower of Jehovah and continued to worship him as a god. For some reason, though, Jehovah, decides to test his fidelity and does so in the most extreme way imaginable, demanding that he kill his beloved son as a human sacrifice to him. It is hard to see this demand as anything but malicious, a desire on Jehovah's part to totally humiliate his follower and reduce him to absolute subservience. What is presented here is subjective morality. Whatever Jehovah desires, whatever he happens to like, is good. Obedience to him is the sole criterion for righteousness. If Jehovah demands some vile, despicable, obscene thing like human sacrifice, then it becomes good. Abraham and his followers do not seem to be required to conform to any abstract moral precepts, only to do Jehovah's bidding and abide by his wishes, whatever they might be. Jehovists are not expected to think or make moral judgments on their own. Abraham doesn't question Jehovah's command, but blindly obeys. This is reminiscent of cults and secret societies where absolute obedience is required and heinous acts are often demanded as a test of one's fidelity. --- It might be pointed out that this kind of unquestioning and fanatical devotion is surely the source of all the great evils in history. The lesser evils result from unbridled personal ambition, but all history shows that it is the collective adherence to some sort of -ism that produces the greater evils, the bloodiest wars, the severest persecutions, the harshest tyrannies.
3. The scene in which Isaac, walking with his father to the place where they will build the sacrificial altar, is out of a horror story. He asks where the animal for the sacrifice is. Does he suspect that he is to be the sacrifice, that his own father is going to cut him up and burn his body? Does he struggle when his father ties him up? Does he question his father's judgment or sanity? Or does he accept it all like the lamb led to slaughter that he is? At any rate, one suspects that the experience would have been traumatic for the boy, even though it all turns out well when his place on the altar is taken by some unlucky ram. One wonders what he subsequently thinks of his father, or if he has totally bought into the self-means-nothing worship of Jehovah.
4. In many translations, Isaac is referred to as Abraham's only son, which is, of course, incorrect. I have used “favored,” and “well-loved” which is a more accurate rendering. --- Also, the reference to coal used in many translations cannot be right, since ancient man did not mine and burn coal until a much, much later period, approximately the second century B.C. Charcoal seems more likely to have furnished the embers that Abraham carried in a brazier and used to start the fire for the sacrifice.
5. When Jehovah stops the sacrifice of Isaac just as Abraham has raised his knife to eviscerate the lad, it is like the end of a cruel joke. "Just kidding!" Jehovah seems to be saying. "I'll be merciful. You won't have to murder your son after all, since you have shown me that I can make you do anything. You are confirmed as my stooge, my sap, my slave. I will now reward you and throw you some scraps from my table” One wonders what would have ensued if Abraham, like a real man, had instead told Jehovah to go fly a kite, that he wasn't going to murder his son under any circumstances, let alone to satisfy a mere whim, and that Jehovah could keep his big promises about Abraham becoming the father of nations and kings. However, for those living at the time of the Bible's writing and, one supposes, contemporary devotees, Abraham represents an ideal of religious devotion.
6. An ‘angel” or “messenger” of Jehovah calls down to Abraham from the sky, but it is obviously the words of Jehovah that are spoken. The context does not indicate two persons calling down from the sky. In this case, as in many others, the “angel” should be interpreted not as another extraterrestrial being, but as a vessel, an aerial vehicle in which Jehovah is traveling and from which he can project his voice below.
Monday, April 8, 2013
The History of Abraham, Part Six
(Genesis 20:1 - 21:21)
Abraham journeyed south to the Negev and settled in between Kadesh and Shur. When he stopped for a time at Gerar, he presented his wife Sarah as his sister. Abimelech, the King of Gerar, had her sent for and brought her into his harem. In a dream Jehovah warned Abimelech "You are condemned to death, for the woman you have taken is another man's wife."
Abimelech, who had not yet touched Sarah, responded "Jehovah, will you exact retribution against a country that has committed no wrong save out of ignorance?. Did he not say to me 'She is my sister'? Even she said 'He is my brother'. I have acted only in good faith and with honorable intentions."
Jehovah, in the dream, said "Yes, I know you acted in good faith. It was I who restrained you from touching her, so that you would not commit a sin. Now you must restore her to her husband, for he is a prophet. If you do so, he will intervene for you and you shall live. But if you do not, you, your family, and your household will die."
Abimelech got up early in the morning and summoned members of his court to inform them of these developments. They were quite alarmed and distressed. He then sent for Abraham and inquired of him "What have you done to me? How have I so offended you that you inflict this wrong upon me and my kingdom? You have done to me what no man should do to another. What did you witness that caused you to do this?"
Abraham explained "It occurred to me that this might not be a God-fearing country and that I might be killed by someone desiring my wife. And the truth is, she really is my sister, my half sister. We have the same father, but different mothers, and we are husband and wife as well. After we departed our homeland to wander at Jehovah's behest, I asked her, as a favor to me, that where ever we might journey she should say of me 'He is my brother'."
Thus Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham and made gifts to him of sheep and oxen, maids and manservants. He told him "My land is at your disposal. You may settle where you wish."
To Sarah Abimelech said "I have given your husband a thousand pieces of silver. This will compensate you for any injury I may have done to you and will demonstrate to your people that you have been guilty of no wrong."
Abraham prayed to Jehovah to allow Abimelech and his wife and his female servants to be able to have children again, for, because of Sarah, Jehovah had made all the women in Abimelech's household temporarily barren.
True to his word, Jehovah visited Sarah and fulfilled the promise he had made to her. As was foretold by him, Sarah conceived and gave birth to a child at an advanced age. Abraham named the child that she bore Isaac [meaning "he laughs"]. According to Jehovah's instructions, Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day. (Abraham was a hundred years old at the time that Isaac was born.)
Sarah said "Jehovah has made me laugh because of this and all who will hear of it will laugh, too. Who would have said to Abraham that his wife Sarah would be nursing a child born to her in her old age?"
The child grew and on the day he was weaned, Abraham gave a big party to celebrate it. But when Sarah noticed Ishmael, Abraham's son by the servant Hagar the Egyptian, teasing her own son, she demanded of Abraham “Get rid of this serving woman and her child! This son of a slave will not share your inheritance with my son!"
Abraham was dismayed by this for the sake of his son Ishmael. Jehovah advised Abraham "Don't be distressed on account of your servant and her son. Listen to Sarah and follow her wishes, for it is through her son Isaac that your legacy will be fulfilled. But because he is still your offspring I will make the servant's son the father of a nation."
Abraham got up early in the morning and gave Hagar a loaf of bread and strapped a waterskin over her shoulder before he sent her and her son away. Hagar and Ishmael departed and aimlessly wandered in the desert of Beersheba until they were lost. After all the water was consumed, Hagar had her son lay down underneath one of the bushes. She left him there and moved a good distance away, saying "I don't want to see my child die." As she sat there, she wailed and wept.
Jehovah heard the cries of the boy, and his emissary called down to Hagar from the sky "What's the matter with you, Hagar? ... Don't worry. Jehovah has heard your boy cry out from where he lies." Jehovah spoke to her "Rise, pick up the boy, take him by the hand, for I will make him a great nation."
Jehovah opened her eyes and directed her to a well. She reached it and filled her waterskin, giving a drink to her son.
Jehovah guided Ishmael as he grew to manhood in the wilderness and became an archer and hunter. He lived in the desert of Paran, but his mother found a wife for him in Egypt.
Notes
1. During his wanderings Abraham again tells everybody that Sarah is not his wife, but only his sister. Didn't he learn his lesson in Egypt? Apparently not. It is quite remarkable that he would persist in this error, also remarkable that Jehovah would not rebuke Abraham for his repeated dishonesty. Another curious aspect of this is the necessity for this subterfuge. Sarah is now in her nineties, aged, and, by her own admission, well past it. Why would she still be the object of men's lusts and why would a hundred-year old man fear that lascivious men are going to kill him to take possession of his old hag of a wife? It makes no sense, unless this story is out of place chronologically and occurred when Abraham and Sarah were still relatively young.
2. It almost seems as if Abraham is practicing a con game. He comes to town with his fetching wife, whom he claims is only his sister. He waits for the local potentate to hear of her beauty and then says and does nothing when she is inducted into the potentate's harem. When the error is discovered, the potentate apologizes, restores Abraham's wife, and then showers Abraham with rich gifts in compensation. Abraham, contrary to what an honorable man would do, does not refuse the gifts, in this case, a thousand pieces of silver (25 pounds). Abraham falls back on the excuse that the woman really is his sister, as well as his wife. (The reader first learns this here. Why didn't the writers inform us of this incest earlier when telling us of Sarah and the Pharaoh?) No matter what Abraham does, however cowardly, unjust, or duplicitous he may be, Jehovah will not only take his side, championing is patently unworthy favorite, but will use all the power at his disposal to punish his enemies. (Abraham continually feels fear for what may happen to him, inexplicably heedless of the promises of Jehovah, who has promised to protecting him.)
3. Jehovah makes it clear that taking another man's wife for your own is wrong. He expresses no such disapproval of a husband concealing his marriage or failing to defend his wife's honor. And as we have seen in the past, Jehovah has no qualms about punishing the innocent, even when, as in this case, he acknowledges that Abimelech has acted honorably and has sinned unwittingly. And his punishments always seem far too harsh for the crimes committed.
4. We find here and elsewhere that Jehovah has the power, not only to communicate with humans telepathically and, to some extent, read their minds, but to enter their dreams and speak to them in visions. Also, here we find him and his emissary speaking to Hagar from the sky, as if, one might imagine, through a loudspeaker on some aerial vehicle.
5. At the weaning party for Isaac, Sarah again reveals what a total bitch she is. She can't abide Hagar's son Ishmael (who is about 14 years old) playing with her son -- rather like a snobbish, prejudiced modern mother not wanting her child to play with the poor kid or the brown-skinned kid. Ishmael is, however, Abraham's son, whom he loves, and her husband's union with Hagar was sanctioned by Sarah herself. Hagar seems to epitomize the unhappy fate that so often befalls low-status women who consort with high-status men.
6. Instead of asking her husband to discipline Ishmael, if he was really out of line, Sarah insists that Hagar and her son must go -- kick them out, banish them to perish in the desert! Hen-pecked Abraham is reluctant to accede to his wife's wishes, but, lo and behold, Jehovah inserts himself into the family feud and takes Sarah's side. Abraham makes no provision at all for Hagar, like selling her to a neighboring nomad or arranging for her to live some place else, or even helping her to plan her journey. At least he has the grace to give Hagar some bread and water before booting her out of camp, even though he should have foreseen that the provisions would prove inadequate. Sarah obviously doesn't give a hoot if her former servant and her husband’s son die or not.
7. It seems inconsistent that Jehovah urged Abraham to get rid of the servant Hagar and her son and then rescues them when they are dying of thirst in the desert. Apparently the not-at-all-omniscient Jehovah was not very closely monitoring the situation. He seems surprised to find Hagar lost and forsaken. Why didn't he advise Abraham more specifically about what to do about Hagar, since he was committed to make Ishmael the father of a great nation?
8. The town of Gerar, near Beersheba in the northern Negev, was a Philistine town founded about 1200 B.C., hundreds of years after Abraham’s time. The Desert of Paran is probably located in the southern Sinai.
Abraham journeyed south to the Negev and settled in between Kadesh and Shur. When he stopped for a time at Gerar, he presented his wife Sarah as his sister. Abimelech, the King of Gerar, had her sent for and brought her into his harem. In a dream Jehovah warned Abimelech "You are condemned to death, for the woman you have taken is another man's wife."
Abimelech, who had not yet touched Sarah, responded "Jehovah, will you exact retribution against a country that has committed no wrong save out of ignorance?. Did he not say to me 'She is my sister'? Even she said 'He is my brother'. I have acted only in good faith and with honorable intentions."
Jehovah, in the dream, said "Yes, I know you acted in good faith. It was I who restrained you from touching her, so that you would not commit a sin. Now you must restore her to her husband, for he is a prophet. If you do so, he will intervene for you and you shall live. But if you do not, you, your family, and your household will die."
Abimelech got up early in the morning and summoned members of his court to inform them of these developments. They were quite alarmed and distressed. He then sent for Abraham and inquired of him "What have you done to me? How have I so offended you that you inflict this wrong upon me and my kingdom? You have done to me what no man should do to another. What did you witness that caused you to do this?"
Abraham explained "It occurred to me that this might not be a God-fearing country and that I might be killed by someone desiring my wife. And the truth is, she really is my sister, my half sister. We have the same father, but different mothers, and we are husband and wife as well. After we departed our homeland to wander at Jehovah's behest, I asked her, as a favor to me, that where ever we might journey she should say of me 'He is my brother'."
Thus Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham and made gifts to him of sheep and oxen, maids and manservants. He told him "My land is at your disposal. You may settle where you wish."
To Sarah Abimelech said "I have given your husband a thousand pieces of silver. This will compensate you for any injury I may have done to you and will demonstrate to your people that you have been guilty of no wrong."
Abraham prayed to Jehovah to allow Abimelech and his wife and his female servants to be able to have children again, for, because of Sarah, Jehovah had made all the women in Abimelech's household temporarily barren.
True to his word, Jehovah visited Sarah and fulfilled the promise he had made to her. As was foretold by him, Sarah conceived and gave birth to a child at an advanced age. Abraham named the child that she bore Isaac [meaning "he laughs"]. According to Jehovah's instructions, Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day. (Abraham was a hundred years old at the time that Isaac was born.)
Sarah said "Jehovah has made me laugh because of this and all who will hear of it will laugh, too. Who would have said to Abraham that his wife Sarah would be nursing a child born to her in her old age?"
The child grew and on the day he was weaned, Abraham gave a big party to celebrate it. But when Sarah noticed Ishmael, Abraham's son by the servant Hagar the Egyptian, teasing her own son, she demanded of Abraham “Get rid of this serving woman and her child! This son of a slave will not share your inheritance with my son!"
Abraham was dismayed by this for the sake of his son Ishmael. Jehovah advised Abraham "Don't be distressed on account of your servant and her son. Listen to Sarah and follow her wishes, for it is through her son Isaac that your legacy will be fulfilled. But because he is still your offspring I will make the servant's son the father of a nation."
Abraham got up early in the morning and gave Hagar a loaf of bread and strapped a waterskin over her shoulder before he sent her and her son away. Hagar and Ishmael departed and aimlessly wandered in the desert of Beersheba until they were lost. After all the water was consumed, Hagar had her son lay down underneath one of the bushes. She left him there and moved a good distance away, saying "I don't want to see my child die." As she sat there, she wailed and wept.
Jehovah heard the cries of the boy, and his emissary called down to Hagar from the sky "What's the matter with you, Hagar? ... Don't worry. Jehovah has heard your boy cry out from where he lies." Jehovah spoke to her "Rise, pick up the boy, take him by the hand, for I will make him a great nation."
Jehovah opened her eyes and directed her to a well. She reached it and filled her waterskin, giving a drink to her son.
Jehovah guided Ishmael as he grew to manhood in the wilderness and became an archer and hunter. He lived in the desert of Paran, but his mother found a wife for him in Egypt.
Notes
1. During his wanderings Abraham again tells everybody that Sarah is not his wife, but only his sister. Didn't he learn his lesson in Egypt? Apparently not. It is quite remarkable that he would persist in this error, also remarkable that Jehovah would not rebuke Abraham for his repeated dishonesty. Another curious aspect of this is the necessity for this subterfuge. Sarah is now in her nineties, aged, and, by her own admission, well past it. Why would she still be the object of men's lusts and why would a hundred-year old man fear that lascivious men are going to kill him to take possession of his old hag of a wife? It makes no sense, unless this story is out of place chronologically and occurred when Abraham and Sarah were still relatively young.
2. It almost seems as if Abraham is practicing a con game. He comes to town with his fetching wife, whom he claims is only his sister. He waits for the local potentate to hear of her beauty and then says and does nothing when she is inducted into the potentate's harem. When the error is discovered, the potentate apologizes, restores Abraham's wife, and then showers Abraham with rich gifts in compensation. Abraham, contrary to what an honorable man would do, does not refuse the gifts, in this case, a thousand pieces of silver (25 pounds). Abraham falls back on the excuse that the woman really is his sister, as well as his wife. (The reader first learns this here. Why didn't the writers inform us of this incest earlier when telling us of Sarah and the Pharaoh?) No matter what Abraham does, however cowardly, unjust, or duplicitous he may be, Jehovah will not only take his side, championing is patently unworthy favorite, but will use all the power at his disposal to punish his enemies. (Abraham continually feels fear for what may happen to him, inexplicably heedless of the promises of Jehovah, who has promised to protecting him.)
3. Jehovah makes it clear that taking another man's wife for your own is wrong. He expresses no such disapproval of a husband concealing his marriage or failing to defend his wife's honor. And as we have seen in the past, Jehovah has no qualms about punishing the innocent, even when, as in this case, he acknowledges that Abimelech has acted honorably and has sinned unwittingly. And his punishments always seem far too harsh for the crimes committed.
4. We find here and elsewhere that Jehovah has the power, not only to communicate with humans telepathically and, to some extent, read their minds, but to enter their dreams and speak to them in visions. Also, here we find him and his emissary speaking to Hagar from the sky, as if, one might imagine, through a loudspeaker on some aerial vehicle.
5. At the weaning party for Isaac, Sarah again reveals what a total bitch she is. She can't abide Hagar's son Ishmael (who is about 14 years old) playing with her son -- rather like a snobbish, prejudiced modern mother not wanting her child to play with the poor kid or the brown-skinned kid. Ishmael is, however, Abraham's son, whom he loves, and her husband's union with Hagar was sanctioned by Sarah herself. Hagar seems to epitomize the unhappy fate that so often befalls low-status women who consort with high-status men.
6. Instead of asking her husband to discipline Ishmael, if he was really out of line, Sarah insists that Hagar and her son must go -- kick them out, banish them to perish in the desert! Hen-pecked Abraham is reluctant to accede to his wife's wishes, but, lo and behold, Jehovah inserts himself into the family feud and takes Sarah's side. Abraham makes no provision at all for Hagar, like selling her to a neighboring nomad or arranging for her to live some place else, or even helping her to plan her journey. At least he has the grace to give Hagar some bread and water before booting her out of camp, even though he should have foreseen that the provisions would prove inadequate. Sarah obviously doesn't give a hoot if her former servant and her husband’s son die or not.
7. It seems inconsistent that Jehovah urged Abraham to get rid of the servant Hagar and her son and then rescues them when they are dying of thirst in the desert. Apparently the not-at-all-omniscient Jehovah was not very closely monitoring the situation. He seems surprised to find Hagar lost and forsaken. Why didn't he advise Abraham more specifically about what to do about Hagar, since he was committed to make Ishmael the father of a great nation?
8. The town of Gerar, near Beersheba in the northern Negev, was a Philistine town founded about 1200 B.C., hundreds of years after Abraham’s time. The Desert of Paran is probably located in the southern Sinai.
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