The first book of Moses, called GENESIS
Genesis is a Greek word meaning "origin", "source","generation", or "beginning".
The Hebrew title "Bereshith" means "In the beginning"
This first book of the Bible records the beginning of Creation in which it details how God created the heavens and the Earth and all that is in them.
It also records the temptation of Adam and Eve by Satan and the fall of Man into sin, resulting in all of the pain and misery that mankind suffers today. But it also records the promise of God to put an end to Satan and his works by the coming of One who would defeat Satan and cleanse Man of sin forever.
Genesis carefully documents the destruction of the Earth by the Flood, and how Noah's descendants through his sons afterward spread over the Earth and created the races of Man that we have today.
It also details how God called Abraham and the promise that He would make a great nation (the future nation of Israel) from him, and that he would also be the father of many other nations as well. God prophesied that Israel would be strangers in Egypt for 430 years, but they would be brought out again to possess the land of Canaan.
The travels of Abraham are related, as well as the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by God because of their wickedness.
The life stories of Abraham's descendants are listed in graphic detail, culminating in the selling of Jacob's son Joseph into slavery in Egypt, and God's making Joseph second only to Pharaoh in power. Jacob moves his family to Egypt, beginning their 430 year stay as prophesied by God.
CHAPTER 1 - Creation Day 1 through Day 6
CHAPTER 2 - Creation Day 7; creation of Adam and his wife, Eve
CHAPTER 3 - Fall of Man; sin enters the world
CHAPTER 4 - Cain and Abel
CHAPTER 5 - Genealogy of Adam through Noah's sons
CHAPTER 6 - Warning of the Flood, Noah builds the Ark
CHAPTER 7 - The Flood, evidence supporting universal Flood
CHAPTER 8 - The Flood subsides, God's covenant with Man
CHAPTER 9 - God's commandments, Noah curses Ham's sons
CHAPTER 10 - Descendants of Shem, Japheth and Ham
CHAPTER 11 - Tower of Babel, descendants of Shem, God calls Abram
CHAPTER 12 - Abram's journeys and dealings with Pharaoh
CHAPTER 13 - Abram and Lot go their separate ways
CHAPTER 14 - Abram defeats 5 Amorite kings, meets Melchizedek
CHAPTER 15 - God prophesies of Israel's slavery in Egypt
CHAPTER 16 - Sarai gives Hagar to Abraham, Ishmael is born
CHAPTER 17 - God changes Abram's name, prophesies the birth of Isaac.
CHAPTER 18 - God foretells fate of Sodom and Gomorrah
CHAPTER 19 - Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
CHAPTER 20 - Abraham's treachery with Abimelech concerning Sarah
CHAPTER 21 - Isaac is born, covenant made with king Abimelech
CHAPTER 22 - Abraham commanded to sacrifice Isaac, God spares Isaac
CHAPTER 23 - Death of Sarah, Abraham buys burial plot
CHAPTER 24 - Abraham seeks a wife for Isaac
CHAPTER 25 - Abraham dies, birth of Esau and Jacob
CHAPTER 26 - Isaac deceives Abimelech concerning Rebekah
CHAPTER 27 - Jacob deceives Isaac, receives Esau's birthright blessing
CHAPTER 28 - Jacob flees in fear of Esau, sees "Jacob's ladder"
CHAPTER 29 - Laban tricks Jacob into marrying Leah instead of Rachel
CHAPTER 30 - Jacob's children are born by Leah and Rachel
CHAPTER 31 - Jacob and his family flee, and are pursued by Laban
CHAPTER 32 - Jacob prepares to meet Esau; Jacob wrestles with God
CHAPTER 33 - Joyous reunion between Jacob and Esau
CHAPTER 34 - Jacob's daughter raped, her brothers avenge her
CHAPTER 35 - Jacob's name changed to Israel; Rachael and Isaac die
CHAPTER 36 - Genealogy and lineage of Esau
CHAPTER 37 - Joseph has prophetic dreams, and is sold into slavery
CHAPTER 38 - Judah and Tamar; Tamar has sons by Judah
CHAPTER 39 - Joseph refuses Potiphar's wife, is cast into prison
CHAPTER 40 - Joseph interprets dreams of Pharaoh's butler and baker
CHAPTER 41 - Joseph interpret's Pharaoh's dreams, famine strikes
CHAPTER 42 - Jacob sons go to Egypt to buy grain, Joseph sees them
CHAPTER 43 - Joseph tests his brethren to see if they have changed
CHAPTER 44 - Joseph traps his brothers, they offer to become his slaves
CHAPTER 45 - Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, asks Jacob to come
CHAPTER 46 - Jacob comes to Egypt, sees Joseph; Jacob's family lineage
CHAPTER 47 - Jacob meets Pharaoh, dwells in Goshen with Joseph
CHAPTER 48 - Jacob adopts Joseph's sons, prepares for death
CHAPTER 49 - Jacob prophesies his sons's futures; death of Jacob
CHAPTER 50 - Jacob mourned and buried in Canaan; death of Joseph
GENESIS 1:1-2
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:1 is merely a statement of fact.
Some have assumed that millions or perhaps billions of years occurred between verses 1 and 2, however there is no Scriptural or geophysical evidence to support that assumption. Some also believe that the first war between God and Satan occurred during this time and that there was a first Earth which was destroyed as a result of that war, thereby becoming "formless".
Again that is an unfounded assumption, and there are no Scriptures to support it. Verse 2 merely states that the Earth, in this case dry ground, was completely under water after God created the planet, as we shall see shortly.
The above verses also show that the Earth was created as the very first thing out of all of God's Creation after the Big Bang. In a special act of Creation, he formed the Earth and the waters covering the Earth before he started the rest of His works to create the rest of the universe.
Note that verse 2 contains the first mention of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures!
GENESIS 1:3-5
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
Day 1 of Creation
God creates the first day. And note that while He creates light, no source of light is mentioned. I suspect that the light mentioned here is the glory of the Lord Himself.
Note also, that the Hebrew word for "day" is "yom" which refers to a literal sunset to sunset period of time, our 24 hour day, not an indefinite period of time as some believe.
It's funny that we believe that God is all-powerful, yet many Christians do not believe that He created the universe in 6 literal days. Is He all-powerful, or not?
GENESIS 1:6-8
6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Day 2 of Creation
The Hebrew word "Heaven" ("shameh") used in verse 8 refers to the atmosphere, not to Heaven itself.
The waters above the firmament would refer to clouds. In actuality in the pre-Flood era there was a canopy of water vapor which completely blocked out the destructive ultraviolet radiation from the sun which causes aging. This allowed the people of that time to live for hundreds of years, which science has confirmed could happen under such conditions (Methuselah lived for 969 years). This concept will be discussed more completely in the chapters concerning the Flood.
Note also that the clouds contain hundreds of thousands of tons of water suspended as vapor droplets. Therefore, the Scriptures speak truly that God separated the waters above from the waters below.
GENESIS 1:9-10
9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
So as we see, the "formless" Earth described in verse 2 took form when God brought the land up from under the waters.
As the dry land appears, it divides the waters into seas. It's believed, and there is geological evidence that seems to support this, that there were 2 single super-continents created in the beginning. The one in the northern hemisphere has been called "Gondwanaland" and the one in the southern hemisphere has been called is called "Pangea". Both were connected by a land bridge.
Therefore God truly spoke when He commanded the waters to be gathered into one place, namely the early seabed that He had created to contain the single ocean!
GENESIS 1:11-13
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.
Day 3 of Creation
There is no discrepancy in the fact that God created the trees and plants before He created the sun. Trees and plants can function for days without sunlight. And God has already created light in verse 5, so the trees and plants already had light, just not sunlight. And I'll bet the glory of God was far better than any sunlight they later received!
GENESIS 1:14-19
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;
15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the Earth”; and it was so.
16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.
17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the Earth,
18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Day 4 of Creation.
Some background information.
Science has proven almost exclusively that the "Big Bang" theory (in which the universe was once an incredibly hot, incredibly dense ball of plasma) is true, as far as we can measure and determine with our limited knowledge.
This plasma ball exploded and immediately began spreading and cooling, forming the familiar nuclear components (protons, electrons, neutrons) of matter that we know of today. The edges of the shockwave formed the boundaries of the universe as we know it.
Now, two things become prominent here.
If the ball of plasma had been dense enough to remain in a cohesive state (gravity forcing it to remain as a singular dense mass, similar to a black hole) then something or Someone forced it to explode, causing it to begin spreading and cooling in order to form the universe.
Or, if it had enough force to explode by itself, then something or Someone forced it to remain in it's initial dense state until the time came for the force keeping it compressed to be removed, allowing it to explode, spread and cool down.
But in either case, an external force acted on the plasma to bring about the desired effect.
For as Sir Isaac Newton observed, a system in an initial state will remain in that state unless acted upon by an outside force. In either case above, an outside force acted upon the "system", in this case the plasma ball, forcing it to perform a desired action.
Scientists have concurred that if the explosion had been a fraction less violent, the whole plasma mass would have collapsed in on itself again in a massive fireball. And if it had exploded a fraction more violently, the matter would have been scattered too fast and far to have formed the present stars that we see today.
But science has proven that the magnitude of the explosion was of incredible precision, just enough to keep the universe expanding forever at it's present rate, and causing just the right distribution of matter needed to form the stars and galaxies we see today.
And these same scientists (some albeit reluctantly) admit that it seems almost certain that an Intelligence with an incredible grasp and knowledge of physics, mechanics, and mathematics guided the whole process.
Note that it wasn't until Day 4 of Creation that God created the Sun and the stars. The Earth had already been created by Day 1, so therefore God created the Earth before he created the Sun and the stars.
And Day 4 is where God set the 24 hour clock in motion. In one day, He created the stars and Sun as we see them. The text suggests that the Moon had been already created at the same time as the Earth (which makes sense) , but there was no Sun yet to give it the reflected light it needed to become visible.
Many believe that God took millions or billions of years to do this, but if He is indeed God, why is it so hard to believe that He could do this in one day? Is He almighty God as He says, or not? Just because we don't understand how He did it, does that mean He cannot do it?
The prophet Jeremiah understood this when he said of the Lord;
JEREMIAH 32:17
17 ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
God in turn responded to him with the declaration;
JEREMIAH 32:26-27
26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,
27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?
Even Job of ancient history (circa 3,000 B.C.) knew and believed that the Earth hung in space at God's command, saying;
JOB 26:7
7 He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the Earth on nothing.
It seems that "primitive" man wasn't so primitive after all! In fact, it seems the ancients were smarter than we are sometimes, having understood 5,000 years ago that the Earth floated in space, something that "modern man" didn't understand until thousands of years later!
Astronomers and astrophysicists say that it takes the light of some stars billions of years to reach us because of their distance and the finite velocity of light, therefore the universe must be billions of years old. However, has anyone thought that if God put the stars that far away, could He not have caused their light to reach Earth as soon as he created them?
When Jesus healed the maimed, did he cause their missing parts to start out the size of an infants', and then have them grow over time into normal size? Of course not! He created them full-grown at once!
Therefore He, in His wisdom (and for our protection) put the stars many light-years away, and caused their light to reach us when they were created so that we might see them, and wonder at His works.
He also gave us the ability to study the Moon and other planets in our Solar System which are extremely hostile to life. The Moon is airless, waterless and heavily cratered, Mercury and Venus are scorching furnaces, Mars has a frigid, thin unbreathable atmosphere with virtually no oxygen or water, and the outer planets are cold frozen worlds with crushing gravities whose atmospheres consist of poisonous gases racing at hundreds and in some cases thousands of miles per hour across their surfaces.
And yet Earth has just the right conditions to support life as we know it.
The atmosphere "just happens" to block harmful hard ultraviolet radiation, but is transparent to visible light, radio waves and infrared (heat). It also "just happens" to have abundant oxygen and just the right combination of gases at just the right pressure required to support life. Earth also "just happens" to have abundant water, both fresh and salt which is required to sustain the diversity of life as we know it.
Earth "just happens" to be the right distance from the sun, orbits at just the right velocity, is just the right size to maintain just the right gravity, with a Moon at just the right distance to keep the seas and atmosphere stirring so they don't become stagnant.
We have a sun that "just happens" to be the right size, temperature and stability to sustain life, and we "just happen" to have massive magnetic belts surrounding the Earth called the Van Allen belts that protect the Earth from deadly radiation storms that are emitted from the sun as part of it's function as a nuclear furnace.
These are just a few of the things that "just happen" to be "just right" to sustain life as we know it.
If any of these variables were to be changed even slightly, life would cease to exist on Earth.
And the odds of all of these parameters happening "by chance" are so remote as to be insignificant, or are statistically virtually outside of the realm of possibility to all intents and purposes.
GENESIS 1:20-23
20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”
21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Day 5 of Creation
Biologists and paleontologists are coming more and more into agreement that life began exactly in the order that the Bible gives, namely with plants being the first things formed which use the nutrients of the ground as food, followed by animals and birds which consume such plants for food. And in each case, the fossil record shows a sudden an explosion of diverse life, in which the life forms suddenly appeared in abundance.
So as we see, God in His wisdom created all things in logical order.
And biologists and paleontologists are coming more and more into agreement that such life forms began suddenly, with no "transitions" between them just as the Bible states, despite the claims of evolution to the contrary. Not one transitional life form has ever been found.
And considering that evolution states that these animals evolved over millions of years, there should be massive numbers of fossils showing these animals in a transitional state, don't you think?
It seems incomprehensible to me that people can agree that there are many different species of dogs for example, and that variations within the genetic code can produce these different breeds, some which are quite different from others.
The same with Man - the different races we see are the result of variations within the genetic code which cause different skin, eye, and hair colors. Yet we are all built after the same humanoid pattern, we have the same color of blood, etc.
This being the case, why do evolutionists believe that we descended from apes? The genetic code of humans and apes is far different, so much that the resemblance between the two species is coincidental at best.
And yet people would rather believe that we "evolved" from a lower life-form than believe that a loving Creator created Man in His image. Which reminds me.... does God look like a Neanderthal? I doubt it.
So why would people rather believe in evolution when there is so much evidence against it? Because there is no accountability to a higher Being in the evolutionary theory. Man got where he is today by himself!
Ok, let's go on.
GENESIS 1:24-31
24 Then God said, “Let the Earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the Earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the Earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.
30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Day 6 of Creation
God created things in increasing complexity with each day. Cattle and the rest of the animals and insects were created on the 6th day. Note that He provided the herbs and trees for food, which is why He created them first.
And note that as such, Man was created last, as the most complex form of His Creation, and the only created thing granted the ability to understand His Creator, and the ability to communicate directly with Him.
And only Man is created with an immortal spirit which is created in God's image. For as God is an immortal Spirit, even so Man has an immortal spirit like that of God.
Also note carefully that in verse 26 the word "us" refers to communication within the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Angels being created beings themselves have no power to take part in Creation, for there is only one Creator, and the Scriptures say that Jesus Christ created all things through the authority of His Father.
JOHN 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
HEBREWS 1:1-2
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
Note that in verse 2 of Hebrews above, even back then the Jews understood that the planets existed, during a time in which most of the rest of mankind believed they were "gods" to be worshiped.
God gave dominion to Mankind over ALL living things that move on the Earth. Note that God also commanded Man to "subdue" the Earth.
Man needed only fruits and herbs for food because there was no need for spiritual warfare as sin had not yet entered the world.
Animals weren't yet carnivorous either. Biologists have stated that with only a small biological change carnivorous animals could be herbivores and would be perfectly healthy, which will indeed happen when Jesus returns. As Scripture says;
ISAIAH 11:1-10
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.
6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.”
GENESIS 2:1-2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
God has created no new thing since this time. As Scripture says;
EXODUS 20:11
11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Entropy (the law of physics explaining that everything is going from a more perfect state to a less perfect state) shows that the universe is running down. Nothing new is being created and God's natural laws have been corrupted by sin, therefore everything is becoming less perfect and goes to destruction.
Remember, God created everything from nothing. We "create" things, such as cars, art, etc. but we use materials that God has already created to make them. Therefore nothing new is being created, we are merely utilizing and changing the form and composition of God's original Creation to make these things.
There is an old joke in which Man through science felt that he had reached the point where he didn't need God anymore. So, Man called God, and offered a challenge, to prove that Man didn't need Him anymore.
God in His love and mercy accepted the challenge.
A chosen scientist stood before God, and God said, "If you don't need Me any more, let Me see you create life." The scientist agreed, and grabbed a handful of dirt to begin the process.
"Oh, no," said God, smiling gently. "You need to create your own dirt first......"
GENESIS 2:3-6
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
4 This is the history of the heavens and the Earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the Earth and the heavens,
5 before any plant of the field was in the Earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
Verse 4 again reminds the reader that God made the universe and the Earth before he created life.
Verses 5 and 6 state that there had been no rain yet upon the Earth, but a mist watered the ground, showing that the water table was quite close to the surface of the ground. This would ensure luxurious, healthy plant life and abundant drinking water.
GENESIS 2:7
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Here we see that Adam was literally hand-made by God, showing how important Man was to Him in His Creation. Man was the only creature in God's Creation to be literally hand-made by his Creator, as all other life forms were spoken into existence.
It is also interesting to note that Man has every element and mineral of the ground in his body, showing that God literally created man from the dust of the ground, as Genesis states.
And God Himself breathed life into Man, thereby separating Man from the animals, for He breathed His Spirit within man. God is the author of life and is the only being with authority and power to create life.
Therefore Man has an eternal spirit, made in God's image by His Spirit, where as animals do not, for only Man had God's Spirit breathed into him. Thus animals have a body and a soul, whereas Man has a body, a soul (which gives personality, and emotions), and an eternal spirit, created in God's image.
GENESIS 2:8
8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
God created Man before He created the garden of Eden. God created the garden of Eden for
Man, not Man for the garden of Eden.
GENESIS 2:9-12
9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.
11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
The Pishon river appears to be the Jordan River, if the Red Sea bed was dry at the time of Creation, which geological evidence seems to support. The great Rift Valley in Africa had not yet opened, creating the Red Sea bed that we see today, and an ancient riverbed exists at the bottom of the Red Sea, appearing to have been part of the Jordan river at one time.
Havilah refers to the west coast of Saudi Arabia, bordering the Red Sea. Metallurgists who have examined the ancient gold beds there have found the gold there to be of exceptional purity. This could be the location of legendary Ophir, which was renowned for its high quality gold.
I KINGS 9:28
28 And they went to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.
(420 talents equals 31,500 pounds (15.75 tons) of pure gold.)
And if the Jordan river is indeed the ancient legendary Pishon river, in pre-Flood times it would have skirted the western coast of present-day Saudi Arabia (ancient Havilah) down into what is now Africa. During the Flood when the continents were divided, the Rift Valley in Africa opened, allowing seawater to drown the Pishon river, and the present day Jordan river is the only remnant of that ancient river left to us.
GENESIS 2:13
13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush.
The Gihon river is the Nile river. Ancient geology shows that the Nile once flowed from north to south, the opposite of the direction it flows today. The reversal of direction more than likely came after the geological upheavals that caused the Flood, when the African highlands were elevated.
Ethiopia was called Cush and seems to refer to present day Ethiopia. The King James Version of the Bible calls it Ethiopia, the Hebrew Bible calls it Cush. (Cush means "burnt".) We'll see more about Cush when we get to the genealogy of Noah's sons.
In an interesting note, the "White Nile" (one of the two main branches of the river which join to form the Nile River we know today) flows around Ethiopia, but flows somewhat to the west in neighboring Sudan.
If the original borders of Ethiopia had been several miles to the west, (and this is indeed conceivable as Ethiopia in ancient times was a mighty nation) then the Scriptures are correct in that the Nile river is the ancient Gihon river.
GENESIS 2:14
14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
The name Hiddekel is Aramaic for the Tigris river. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the same rivers that exist today. The descriptions of the rivers that God gave Moses refer to post-Flood locations.
Considering the major geological changes that occurred during the Flood, and the locations of the ancient rivers that watered the garden, the possible pre-Flood location of the original garden of Eden comes suspiciously close to the mountains of Ararat in present-day Turkey where the Ark landed, or in the Mediterranean Sea basin close by to the west.
Could God in His wisdom have caused Man to spread again from the location of the original garden of Eden after the Flood? Interesting conjecture, is it not?
GENESIS 2:15-17
15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
God put this commandment upon Adam and Eve to protect them from what He knew would happen if they ate of the tree. As long as they obeyed His command they would remain innocent, free from sin and Satan would have no power over them.
But like Satan and the angels, He had also given them a free will. He had told them not to eat of the tree, and as long as they obeyed Him, they would live in harmony with Him. And as far as they were concerned, that was that. God had spoken, He apparently had good reason for this commandment, and it was good enough for them.
Satan however, in consummate jealousy had decided to try to usurp God's place with this new creation. If he could get Man to disobey God and follow his will, Man would be subject to him, and he, Satan, could take God's place in the life of Man.
Satan also knew that God had placed Man over all of His Creation, making Man second only to Himself in the order of things. This enraged Satan to no end, to have someone as innocent and as fragile as Man be greater than he, Satan!
So in order to deprive Man of God's blessing and protection, he had to get Man to disobey God, and sin as he did. Satan had already been judged and sentenced, and if God simply forgave Man and didn't punish him, he, Satan would demand that God forgive him and restore him to his former place in God's kingdom.
There is a fascinating bit of Scripture which I tend to label Satan's Temper Tantrum in the book of Job, in which a spirit appeared to one of Job's friends and spoke to him. And in these passages, I feel that Satan himself spoke to this man and revealed his thoughts in this matter.
Eliphaz the Temanite in speaking to Job, says;
JOB 4:12-21
12 "Now a word was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a whisper of it.
13 In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake.
15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair on my body stood up.
16 It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence; then I heard a voice saying:
17 'Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
18 He puts no trust in His servants, and if he charges His angels with error,
19 how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before a moth?
20 They are broken in pieces from morning till evening; they perish forever, with no one regarding.
21 Does not their own excellence go away? They die, even without wisdom.'
Note the phrasing in verse 18. "He charges His angels with error". The angels who remained true to God serve Him out of love and devotion, while those who sided with Satan were given Satan's sentence, namely to be cast into the Lake of Fire by Jesus Christ at the Great Judgment. As Jesus Christ Himself said;
MATTHEW 25:41
41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
In speaking to Eliphaz the Temanite above, Satan then begins to deride Man saying essentially, "God trusts no one, not even His angels. And if He considers me to be unrighteous, what chance do you have? You are weak, fragile, and are worth nothing. You die, and no one cares. You perish forever, and no one notices. Enjoy life while you can, because your 'greatness' will soon return to the dust."
Note the subtle lie in verse 20! "They perish forever, with no one regarding." God gave Man an eternal spirit, therefore Man will live forever even though the flesh will die. But where we spend eternity, is decided by our actions here on Earth.
GENESIS 2:18-24
18 And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."
19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said:"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
The woman was created as a mate for man. She was not created to be a servant, but was considered to be an equal companion to man.
Also God created woman to be man's mate, thus precluding homosexual relationships.
And in verse 24, Adam prophesied that a man would have intimate relations only after marriage and only with his wife.
And note the fact that Adam not only named every creature on Earth, he remembered their names! This shows a mind of incredible power!
GENESIS 2:25
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
They were not ashamed of their nakedness because they were still sinless and therefore innocent, just as babies are not ashamed of being naked, for they are innocent. And with the warm climate of the pre-Flood Earth, there was no need for clothing.
GENESIS 3:1
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
God had told Adam that if he ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he would die. Satan considered his options concerning Man, and carefully studied the woman that God had created. And he soon knew she would be the one he would have to deceive first.
Eve was not formed yet when Adam named all of the animals. The fact that Adam not only named all of the animals but remembered their names indicates a mind of incredible power! Try remembering the names of hundreds of species of animals, let alone thousands, as well as insects and birds!
But Satan knew that if he went to Adam and spoke through the serpent, Adam would immediately know something was different, because Adam knew the serpent couldn't speak.
Eve however, didn't know any better. Therefore he approached Eve, who had been created after the serpent and in her innocence didn't know the serpent could not speak. And the first thing Satan did was to question God's commandment, thereby introducing a seed of doubt and deception.
GENESIS 3:2-5
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Satan actually told Eve the truth in the fact that they would be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil. By this he implied that God was unrighteous and was holding something back from His children. This is a reflection of the cause of Satan's original rebellion in Heaven, in which he wanted to become God. As God sadly tells Satan;
ISAIAH 14:12-15
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Hell, to the lowest depths of the Pit.
Note the attitude in the verses above. Satan doesn't say "I would like to..."; instead he says in prideful arrogance, "I will...."
Satan was right when he told Eve that she would understand the difference between good and evil. What he didn't tell her was that she would lose her innocence and would then be responsible for her knowledge of good and evil, making her accountable for her disobedience to God's commandment even as Satan was for his rebellion.
Satan also told the truth when he told Eve that she would not die immediately. What he didn't tell her, was that she would immediately die spiritually! What he implied was that she would not die at all, therefore mixing a lie with the truth. One of Satan's most effective deceptions is to use a grain of truth mixed with lies.
And in a masterstroke of logic, Satan says that if she and Adam attain the knowledge of good and evil, they would be like God! And they wouldn't die if they ate of the tree! God was being selfish and keeping them from becoming gods too! (Note: Satan's first sins were rebellion against God, disobedience, and desire to be God himself. Note some similarities here?)
GENESIS 3:6
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Adam was with Eve when she ate, but the apparently the serpent wasn't there, or if he was, he was watching from the shadows where Adam couldn't see him.
And with that one act of disobedience, Satan became Man's master. Man had chosen the word of Satan over the word of God, and Satan was able to usurp Man's rightful possession and mastery of the Earth.
Even Jesus didn't dispute that fact when He was here on Earth. Scripture says;
LUKE 4:5-7
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7 "Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."
Again, Satan spoke the truth. Adam had given the world and everyone in it to Satan when he disobeyed God's commandment. But at His resurrection, Jesus would take that mastery of the Earth away from Satan.
GENESIS 3:7-10
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
Now the lies of Satan were revealed.
He had told the truth in saying that their eyes would be opened, and they now understood the difference between good and evil, and right and wrong just as God did.
But what he didn't tell them was that they would now be responsible for their knowledge. And since they had willfully disobeyed God, they were now sinners as Satan was, and no longer innocent. And they now knew it.
We consider babies and small children to be essentially sinless, because they have no knowledge as yet of right and wrong. But as soon as we tell them that some action is wrong, they are now responsible for that knowledge, and there is no more innocence in the matter.
Satan had also told a partial truth concerning death. They didn't die physically, at least not right away. However they immediately died spiritually. One of the results of their new-found knowledge was that they were no longer sinless before God. So, they tried to cover themselves and their sin by hiding, and creating clothes.
God knew immediately what had happened. He also knew exactly where Adam and Eve were hidden, and why they had hidden themselves. But He wanted them to confess to Him what they had done, so He called them, asking where they were. And when they responded, he asked them directly about their disobedience.
GENESIS 3:11-13
11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?"
12 Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."
13 And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
Note that the first thing Adam did was try to shift the blame to his wife! He was trying to duck his responsibility for their disobedience! She gave it to me! It's HER fault! And yet he ate of the fruit of the tree as she did, knowing full well what he was doing.
And note that Eve in turn pointed to the serpent, trying to shift the blame for her disobedience to it. Neither Adam nor Eve were willing to take responsibility for their actions. Sin had already begun it's deadly work.
God knew the terrible results of what they had done. He knew that sin and death would spread through all of His Creation. He also knew and felt the terrible suffering and destruction that would result from this single act of disobedience. We can't even begin to imagine the sorrow He must have felt, and still feels for us today.
GENESIS 3:14-15
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head,and you shall bruise His heel."
God condemns both the serpent and Satan in this passage. He condemns the serpent to slither for the rest of it's existence, and tells it that it and it's descendants will eat of the dust of the ground all of it's days. (It is interesting to note that snakes have the remnants of hip and leg bones, and they use their tongues to sample the environment they are in. Evolution? Hardly. God's curse!)
He also tells Satan through the serpent that a descendant of Eve would destroy him, but not without suffering Himself in the process. This is the first mention of God's salvation plan for fallen Man.
Note : God said that the descendant of the woman would be the one to destroy Satan, indicating that the descendant (Jesus) would have a human mother, but not a human Father. Just as Adam didn't have human father, neither would Jesus have a human Father, being the Son of God.
God knew that the serpent had been merely a pawn for Satan, therefore in his mercy he punished the serpent as He did instead of destroying it, letting it continue to exist as a constant reminder to us of Adam's sin. Satan however had already been judged, and God foretold of the instrument of his destruction, namely the advent of Jesus Christ, His Son.
GENESIS 3:16
16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
Eve's punishment was to be subject to her husband's authority (he was now the head of the household, thereby establishing the hierarchy of the family, namely God first; followed in order by husband; wife; children), and she would bring forth children in pain and sorrow. She would be cast out into a hostile world, and would see the results of sin which would be passed on to her descendants as a result of her disobedience.
GENESIS 3:17-19
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return."
With this passage, God holds Adam responsible for the entire matter. Adam knew better! But because he willfully listened to his wife and disobeyed God's commandment, the responsibility for the entire matter was laid on him, and the harshest judgement was reserved for him.
Even though angry, God still showed mercy, for instead of destroying Adam He instead cursed all of Earth for man's sake. Adam's descendants would live, but they would live on a cursed planet, and would work hard all of their days for their living until death overtook them, returning them to the dust from which they had been formed.
But God had still given man a hope of redemption, namely the promise of the One who would come that would free us from the curse of sin, namely Jesus Christ.
And note: animals are sinless and were not to blame for what happened in the garden of Eden. Yet they suffer just as we do. They grow old and die, are divided into prey and predator, etc.
When God cursed His creation, he cursed everything BUT Man. Man would suffer and die because of the curse of sin that he had brought upon himself, but Man also had an eternal spirit, something animals do not have. Man's spirit would live after the death of the flesh, whereas animals souls do not. When Man dies, he either goes to Heaven or Hell. Animals simply cease to exist. As king Solomon observed;
ECCLESIASTES 3:19-21
19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.
20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.
21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?
Yet God in His mercy made a provision that Man could once again live forever as Adam was originally destined to do. Man would not live forever in the flesh for the flesh was now corrupt because of sin, but after the destruction of the flesh, Man would live in the spirit which God would redeem when He took His own curse and punishment for sin on Himself through Jesus Christ at the cross.
Therefore while the flesh serves God's sentence of destruction because of sin and suffers aging, disease, pain, etc, the spirit can be redeemed, and will live forever. Thereby God's justice concerning sin is satisfied, and Satan's plan thwarted as God did indeed punish Man for his sin, just as He punished Satan.
The results of Adam's original rebellion are still with us today. Look around you at the behavior of people, watch the news reports. Millions of people suffer and die all of the time through war, famine, disease, murders, natural disasters, attacks by animals, etc. And yet Man still refuses to turn to God for salvation!
GENESIS 3:20-24
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever"
23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.
24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
"Eve" means "life; life-giving"
God knew that if Adam was left in the Garden, he would also eat of the Tree of Life, and would live forever. As such, he would still be alive, we would all be slaves under him, and this world would be a horror beyond imagination. So He drove them both out into a now hostile world to live out the rest of their days, and began to put His plan into motion for the redemption of mankind.
And as Scripture shows, in the greatest act of mercy and love ever known, Jesus Christ, God Himself, was born in the flesh as a man and willingly suffered our punishment for our sins, taking the full curse of sin upon Himself, freeing forever those who would believe in Him from the bondage of sin that Man had suffered under since Adam's rebellion.
Note: He didn't take upon Himself the curse He placed on His creation, but the curse of the sins of mankind. He freed us from the sentence given to Satan, namely that of being cast into the Lake of Fire, for in sinning as Satan did Mankind also would be sentenced to receive Satan's punishment.
In summary, because of Adam's disobedience we are subject to sin, disease, misery, pain, aging and death, living and dying in a cursed world. But God, because of His deep and eternal love for Mankind whom He had created, provided us a way to be free of the curse of sin, namely by sending His own Son, Jesus Christ, to the cross for us to redeem us from the curse of sin.
Death spread to all creation and to all of Mankind because of Adam, even though you and I weren't there when he sinned. But because Adam sold his descendants to Satan, we are subject to the ravages of sin all of our lives, with all of it's consequences.
Jesus Christ paid for our sins at the cross, and if we reject His gift of redemption, we have chosen to pay for our own sins, and have also chosen to follow Satan into his punishment.
We are still responsible for the knowledge of good and evil we inherited from Adam, but we also inherited his rebellion which has distorted this knowledge. Therefore God gave us His Scriptures so that we would understand what is right and wrong in His eyes, and it is from these Scriptures that we will be judged on the Day of Judgement, not by tradition, Magisterium (church authority), or any other man-made doctrine, but by God's Word alone!
Remember, after death it's too late to repent!
If you are still living in sin, and haven't asked Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord, do so now! Because after death, you have made your final choice. If you die in sin, you will be sent to Hell to await sentencing to the Lake of Fire for eternity along with your master, Satan.
And despite Catholic teachings, there is no Purgatory. You will go straight to Hell to await the sentence of eternal torment in the Lake of Fire. You will never make it to Heaven to be with Jesus. But if you repent of your sins, ask Jesus to be your Savior, and follow His commandments, He will cleanse your spirit of all sin and will grant you entrance to Heaven when you die.
It doesn't matter that we have to make a choice whether we like it or not. God and Satan are locked in a war to the finish for the souls of Mankind, and as in any war, you must choose sides whether you like it or not. And if you choose not to decide, you have made your decision already and will follow Satan to destruction. The outcome of the war has already been determined.
Who you will choose to serve has not.
God is perfect, and will not allow anyone who is imperfect to inherit His kingdom. We are ALL imperfect because of Adam, and as his descendants we are ALL under the curse of sin without exception, but through Jesus Christ we can be made perfect in Him after death if we choose to accept Him, and be obedient to Him. The choice is yours to make. Will it be eternal life in Heaven? Or eternal suffering in the Lake of Fire?
Choose carefully............
For more on the subject of the garden of Eden, and the fall of Man, please see the study on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in this Web site.
GENESIS 4:1-2
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD."
2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
The name Cain means "acquired; spear"
The name Abel means "a breath, vapor; shepherd"
Cain and Abel were probably twins, as there is only one conception mentioned, with Cain being the first born. Adam was given the knowledge by God to be the keeper of Eden (outside of the Garden) and the animals in it. His sons in turn went in each direction, with Cain becoming a farmer like his father, and Abel becoming a shepherd.
GENESIS 4:3-5
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
When Cain and Abel made their offering to God, Abel gave God the first and best of what he had while Cain gave to God but not the best he had to offer. God requires our best, not just the leftovers!!! God knew Cain's heart and thoughts and called him on it. Cain was angry that God knew he hadn't offered God the best of the fruit of the ground.
It is interesting that Abel knew of sacrifice to the Lord. This probably came from the fact that God had made skins as clothing for Adam and Eve before He cast them out of the garden of Eden, and may very well have killed lambs to make the skins for them. Scripture records;
GENESIS 3:21
21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
GENESIS 4:6-7
6 So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
God gave Cain a chance to repent. Reminding Cain that while sin is knocking at the door, Man can choose God and turn away from sin. The 1611 King James Version says in verse 7, "you will rule over it."
God was telling Cain that his offering would have been accepted if he had done what he knew to be right. God also warned Cain that willful disobedience would give sin an opportunity, but he could overrule sin if he chose what was right.
GENESIS 4:8
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
This was the first murder ever committed. Cain was jealous of God's acceptance of Abel's sacrifice, and took out his anger on Abel by killing him.
Satan's real reason for wanting Cain to kill Abel was to try and stop the ancestral line that he knew would eventually culminate in Jesus Christ.
Note that it took less than a generation for sin to make it's full presence and consequence known in Man.
GENESIS 4:9-11
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.
11 "So now you are cursed from the Earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
God knew what had happened, but was giving Cain a chance to confess and repent (just as He had done about Cain's offering). Cain had murdered Abel then had buried him to hide what he had done. Cain sinned further by trying to cover it up by lying about it! When caught, he used excuses to justify not taking responsibility for his sin, just as Adam had done.
GENESIS 4:12-15
12 "When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."
13 And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!
14 "Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the Earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me."
15 And the LORD said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
God's curse on Cain was that he would be a wanderer and fugitive all of his life. And while Cain argued with God that his punishment was too harsh, he still didn't repent!! His only concern was for his own welfare!
Note: The curse was ONLY on Cain, NOT on his descendants. We don't know what the "mark" of Cain was, but it was something that everyone who saw it would know he was protected by God and was not to be touched.
Some believe that the "mark of Cain" was black skin, however this is not stated anywhere in the Bible. The black peoples are descendants of Ham, Noah's second son, as we will see later.
GENESIS 4:16-17
16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.
17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch.
Cain took his wife (a sister) and moved to Nod which was east of the land of Eden. The "city" built by Cain was probably only an acre or so with a few huts. Cain's first born was named: Enoch (Hebrew "Chanoch") meaning "teacher".
GENESIS 4:18
18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
Irad "fleet"
Mehujael "God is combating"
Methushael "man of God"
Lamech "strong youth; overthrower"
GENESIS 4:19-22
19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
21 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.
22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
Lamech was the first man recorded as having 2 wives.
Adah "pleasure; beauty"
Jabal "moving" He became a nomad, like his father.
Jubal "playing; nomad" He became the first recorded musician and was also a nomad.
Zillah "protection; screen"
Tubal-Cain "Cain, the smith" He became the first metalsmith.
It's interesting to note that Tubal-Cain knew how to work bronze, which is an alloy of copper and tin. The resulting alloy is stronger than either metal separately. The ability to smelt and work iron was lost after the Flood and was not re-discovered for over 1,000 years.
GENESIS 4:23-24
23 Then Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me.
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."
The literal translation of "For I have killed" in verse 23 is "If I kill". Lamech is saying if he kills a man who first wounds him, and if anyone kills Lamech for the death of that man who wounded Lamech, Lamech should be avenged more than Cain. This means that Lamech
clearly understood the spiraling violence of a vendetta.
This was also a warning to anyone who might try to avenge the death of the man that Lamech had killed.
GENESIS 4:25-26
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed."
26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.
Seth means "compensation; sprout"
Seth was born to replace Abel so the lineage that would culminate in Jesus could continue. After Seth had a son (Enosh), men returned to calling on God.
Enosh means "mortal"
GENESIS 5:1-5
1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.
2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.
3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.
4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.
5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.
God had created Adam as a perfect being, and it took 930 years for sin to kill him. And during that time, he saw the terrible results that his one act of disobedience brought into the world, namely the changing of God's creation from perfection to the sinful world we see today.
He had seen Cain murder Abel, he labored in the fields daily for his food, and he no doubt felt the terrible weight of sin upon him the entire time and felt his strength draining as age began to destroy him.
It is curious to note that like with Cain, the Scriptures never say whether Adam repented of his sin. We won't know until Jesus returns whether he repented or not, but knowing what he had done to the world and everything in it, I hope that he did.
And note in the verses below, that the age at which Adam's descendants died began to decrease as sin took stronger hold in the world, with few exceptions.
Note also that the lineage of Adam in verse 3 above makes no mention of Cain, but starts with Seth.
GENESIS 5:6-24
6 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh.
7 After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters.
8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.
9 Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.
10 After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters.
11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died.
12 Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel.
13 After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters.
14 So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.
15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared.
16 After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters.
17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died.
18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch.
19 After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters.
20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died.
21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.
22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.
23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
This is a cryptic point of Scripture, for it indicates that Enoch was taken to Paradise by God, and never saw death. As verified by the book of Hebrews;
HEBREWS 11:5
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
By this we see that even in a sinful world, we can be righteous before God through faith in Him, and walking in obedience to His commandments.
GENESIS 5:25-27
25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech.
26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters.
27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.
Scripture records that Methuselah was the oldest man that ever lived. I find it interesting, that if you divide the ages of the early patriarchs by 10, you come up with ages that are about what we experience today.
How did people live so long? Scientists have speculated that before the Flood, the atmosphere contained a thick canopy of water vapor that blocked out ultraviolet light from the sun which is known to cause aging in humans.
This theory is supported by the Scriptures, as there was yet no rain upon the Earth, and rain is caused by condensation of water vapor in the atmosphere.
GENESIS 2:4-6
4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
Such a vapor canopy would have moderated the temperature to the point of where the average temperature of the Earth would have remained pretty well constant, which seems to be supported by fossil evidence.
I suspect that the collapse and condensation of the vapor canopy caused much of the rain described during the Flood.
There is also evidence that atmospheric pressure of the pre-Flood Earth was about twice what it is today, and that the oxygen content was higher also, thereby allowing the huge size of the dinosaurs, and dragonflies with 2-foot wingspans.
GENESIS 5:28-32
28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son.
29 And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed."
30 After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters.
31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died.
32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Cainan "acquired"
Mahalaleel "God is splendor"
Jared "descending"
Enoch "mortal"
Methuselah "man of the dart" (arrow)
Lamech "strong youth; over thrower"
Noah "rest"
Shem "name; renown"
Ham "hot"
Japheth "the extender, enlarged; fair"
These are the generations from Seth to Noah. (Note that Noah's sons were probably triplets as ALL three were recorded as being born when Noah was 500 years old. The first born of the three was Shem)
GENESIS 6:1-2
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
This is a hard passage, for the term "sons of God" seems to refer to angels, although in this case fallen angels (demons). A close look at the reference seems to support this, as it first speaks of men and their daughters, then the text speaks of "the sons of God" as a separate group, as if the author was trying to indicate a difference between the two.
Note also that the text in verse 2 carefully says that the "sons of God" saw the "daughters of men". If the "sons of God" had been men, it wouldn't have followed the description with "the daughters of men".
The book of Job reinforces this concept;
JOB 1:6-7
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
7 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the Earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
In the passage above, it speaks of the angels of God appearing before the Lord, and Satan coming with them to present himself before the Lord.
We know in this case that the "sons of God" cannot be redeemed humans, for humans could not yet enter Heaven because of sin. Jesus Christ had not yet paid for the sins of mankind, therefore they went to a "holding place" (the Pit) to await their redemption. As Jesus Himself said;
JOHN 3:13
13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
Jesus also related a story (note: He never said it was a parable) concerning life after death before His own death and resurrection.
LUKE 16:19-31
19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
20 "But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
21 "desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 "So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 "And being in torment in Hell, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'
25 "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
26 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'
27 "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house,
28 'for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'
29 "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'
30 "And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
31 "But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"
Note several things here.
First of all both the rich man and Lazarus went to the same place, but to different destinations. The unnamed rich man went to Hell, while Lazarus went to be with Abraham. Note also that the rich man could not only see Abraham, but knew who he was.
The righteous dead were not yet worthy to enter Heaven, for while the Law and their faith put them under obedience and righteousness, they were still sinners and the price of their redemption had not yet been paid, for Jesus had not yet died for their sins. Therefore they went to a place of rest to await their redemption.
And sadly enough, Abraham's words in verse 31 are still borne out, for Jesus rose from the dead, and there are many who are still not persuaded to worship God, or who reject the Messiah He sent into the world for the redemption of mankind from sin.
GENESIS 6:3
3 And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
God would no longer allow men to live for hundreds of years as He had allowed up to this point. And true to His word, after the Flood the ages of men rapidly decreased to be about 120 years. Even Moses, the greatest prophet after Jesus Christ, died when he was 120 years old.
GENESIS 6:4
4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
These were children of demons and human women, and this is probably where many legends and myths started. ("Giants" in Hebrew is Nephilim - literally translated as "fallen ones").
Again the author of Genesis (Moses) speaks of demons having children through human women. While we may not understand how or why this was allowed to happen, we understand that God punished them for what they did, as spoken by Jude in the New Testament;
JUDE 1:5-6
5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
Some versions translate "abode" as "first estate"; but the meaning is clear - angels left their proper place in the spiritual realm to dwell in the physical realm, and were punished with imprisonment, more than likely in Hell, to await the Great Judgment.
The fact that there is no further mention of demon/human interaction producing children from then on shows that the demons, including Satan, saw what happened to their compatriots and feared enough to ensure that such interaction never happened again lest they suffer the same punishment.
GENESIS 6:5-8
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the Earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the Earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7 So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the Earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Satan's corruption of Man through sin was nearly complete. God found no repentance in any man on Earth, except Noah. It has been estimated that at this time the population on Earth at that time was approximately the same as today!!! And again God reminds us that He created the Earth and all therein.
GENESIS 6:9-10
9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Noah was a man who feared and worshiped God with all his heart. Note that it doesn't say this of his entire family. But Noah, being a God-fearing man watched over the spiritual development of his family, and God honored that by sparing their lives during the Flood.
This is why it is so important for husbands to be the head of their household and have a solid foundation in Jesus Christ in their lives, as they are both the physical and spiritual guardians for their families. As the apostle Paul states;
I TIMOTHY 5:8
8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
The above admonishment applies to spiritual needs, as well as physical needs.
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The Earth also was corrupt before God, and the Earth was filled with violence.
12 So God looked upon the Earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the Earth.
13 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the Earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the Earth.
God could have destroyed the Earth by having the sun become a nova, but He chose to destroy the Earth in a fashion that would destroy all flesh, but still leave the possibility of recovery for the planet afterward. He had already determined to give Man another chance, through Noah. He would not allow Satan to destroy Man completely.
People have wondered if dinosaurs could have existed with Man during these times, and there is increasing evidence to indicate that this is true.
Paleontologists, paleobiologists, geologists and other science disciplines have speculated from data that they have collected that originally the Earth's atmosphere was twice as dense as it is today, and the oxygen content was higher than at present.
This being the case, there would have been enough barometric pressure for oxygen to reach the deep tissues of the great dinosaurs, and allow the flight of dragonflies with 4 foot (1.2 m) wingspans, as well as the featherless Pterodactyls and Pteranodons.
There is also a sheet of petrified clay from the Paluxy River valley near Glen Rose, Texas that shows clear 14-inch human footprints inside those of a tridactyl (three-toed) dinosaur. Both are in the same strata of the clay formation, and the human footprint was placed within the dinosaur print.
The Glen Rose formation has 203 dinosaur footprints, 57 human footprints, and prints from seven saber-tooth tigers, all in the same strata of clay. Similar findings have been found in Russia, Australia and Turkmenistan in the former Soviet union.
The early Earth must have been an interesting place!
People wonder why God created such animals as dinosaurs. But if you think about it, just as today, He had a purpose in what He created.
The herbivores (plant-eaters) kept the plant population from overrunning the Earth, and carnivores kept the herbivores from overpopulation in turn, thereby keeping a balance. Granted, they were in forms that are today considered terrifying, but their size and forms were suited to the environment in which they dwelt.
Both populations were perfectly suited for balance, just as herbivore and predator are today.
Genesis 6:14-15
14 "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.
15 "And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
Gopher wood (assumed by many scholars to be cypress wood) is very buoyant, with each cell of the wood being an individual compartment. Such wood is virtually unsinkable.
300 cubits x 50 cubits x 30 cubits = 450 feet x 75 feet x 45 feet (137.1 m x 22.86 m x 20.57 m).
These dimensions are the most stable ever found. Models of ships with these dimensions could have withstood tidal waves of up to 500 feet (152.4 m). Many modern ships from WW II on are built on these dimensional ratios, i.e., battle ships, cruise ships, etc.
These dimensions would give 1,518,750 cubic feet (462,915 cubic meters) of storage space! This could easily accommodate the animals and necessary supplies required.
GENESIS 6:16
16 "You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.
The window near the top of the ark was set so they could see out, but a roof overhanging it would allow very little water to enter the window. It had a single door set in the side ostensibly for loading animals and supplies. It was more than likely a flat bottomed boat with squared ends, similar to a barge, as there would be no need for a rudder and would make it easier to evenly distribute the weight.
GENESIS 6:17-18
17 "And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the Earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the Earth shall die.
18 "But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
This announcement from God must have stunned Noah. The entire planet would be destroyed, and only he and his family would survive! How many of us could handle such an announcement today?
GENESIS 6:19-21
19 "And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
20 "Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the Earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
21 "And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them."
Note that God ordered Noah to take aboard both male and female animals for reproduction in the new world. The animals would eat the same foods that Noah and his family would eat. In this case I believe that Noah and his family ate vegetables and fruits as meats would quickly spoil. Animals while not necessarily preferring this kind of diet could also survive.
GENESIS 6:22
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
Noah obeyed without question, believing that what God had told him would come to pass, an example that we would be well-served to emulate today! We don't have to understand how God will do something, we need to believe that it WILL happen!
GENESIS 7:1
1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
Again, God reiterates that only Noah was righteous in His sight of all the people on the Earth of his time, but for Noah's sake, He would spare his family also.
GENESIS 7:2-3
2 "You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female;
3 "also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the Earth.
The clean animals were taken in groups of 7 pairs. Note: the male and his female.
The unclean animals were taken in sets of 2 pairs. Note: the male and his female.
The birds were also taken in groups of 7 pairs.
More clean animals were needed because after the flood the clean animals would be needed for food for the people as well as for sacrifices to God.
GENESIS 7:4
4 "For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the Earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the Earth all living things that I have made."
God gave them a 1 week warning to get the food and animals settled into the ark.
GENESIS 7:5-6
5 And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood waters were on the Earth.
Remember, Noah was 500 years old when he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. His sons were already married when they went into the ark, so we can assume they were at least 25-30 years old when they married.
As God told Noah to take his sons and their wives aboard with him, if we assume an early date for building the ark, it would have taken 80 years to build, remembering that they had to cut, haul, and shape the wood themselves for the building of the ark, and perhaps had to invent the tools for the job as they progressed. Considering the state of the Earth at the time, it is doubtful that they had help from the local populace.
This is also a tremendous testimony of their faith in the fact that they built the ark on dry land, land where it had never rained. Remember, up to this point a mist would come up at night to water the Earth.
GENESIS 2:4-6
4 This is the history of the heavens and the Earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the Earth and the heavens,
5 before any plant of the field was in the Earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the Earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
6 but a mist went up from the Earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
GENESIS 7:7-12
7 So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the Earth,
9 two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the Earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was on the Earth forty days and forty nights.
Everything was in the ark on time. The date of the flood was on the 17th day of the month. Note: Many primitive cultures celebrate November 17th as the "Day of the Dead" in which many died in a great flood which covered the Earth. The American Indians have a legend of when the waters walked across the plains and destroyed all life on Earth. This shows how deeply the memory of the Flood was impressed on the survivors, and passed down through successive generations.
I strongly suspect this is why the legendary Tower of Babel was built, so that if God flooded the Earth again, Man could survive without God's help.
And here is where things get somewhat complex............
Scientists have speculated that there was originally a canopy of water vapor high in the atmosphere which blocked out ultraviolet radiation, thereby slowing the aging process, allowing men to live for hundreds of years.
When God brought the Flood on the Earth, this water vapor canopy collapsed, and created rain for the first time in Earth's history. But the amount of water in the canopy wouldn't have been sufficient to cover the Earth enough to destroy all life.
There is a fascinating (and I suspect accurate) theory that there were huge caverns containing water deep beneath the Earth. This water was under tremendous pressure because of the overlying strata and the heat from the core beneath.
Something caused the overlying rock to crack or shatter, and this water was suddenly allowed to expand, coming to the surface and fountaining up to 20 miles in height before coming back down. The erupting water forced more cracks to open until they girdled the globe, creating the "fountains of the great deep".
If you look at a map of the planet with the water removed, you will see a series of interconnecting seams surrounding the Earth which look much like the seams of a baseball. These are called "spreading ridges", for magma from the hot mantle beneath the Earth's crust rises and forces the ocean floor apart along these ridges forming new crust on the seabed. In the Atlantic Ocean, it's called the "Mid-Atlantic Ridge". Iceland straddles this ridge, and suffers much from volcanism and earthquakes.
These ridges create what is called "plate tectonics", in which giant "plates" of crust move about on the thick molten mantle. Sometimes these plates collide, creating mountain ranges, or one plate will dive beneath another creating "subduction zones". Usually there will be a line or arc of volcanoes within 100 miles of a subduction zone as the lighter crust material forced deep into the mantle melts and returns to the surface. These "subduction zones" are also the cause of many earthquakes as crustal material is forced deep into the mantle by overriding plates.
It is speculated that these "spreading centers" were the openings where the subterranean water forced it's way to the surface. The escaping water released the pressure on the magma below it, and when the water was forced to the surface, the magma followed and continues to this day.
What would cause the "fountains of the great deep" to be broken up? A good guess would be a massive asteroid strike on a place where the crust was thin enough so that the impact would crack the overlying strata, allowing the water to be released. The resulting deformation of the planetary crust as a result of the Flood would have long ago erased any evidence of such an impact.
It has been theorized that when the fountains erupted, the continents were broken up and forced away from each other at tremendous speeds of up to 40 MPH (64.37 km/h), riding on a film of water until friction slowed them down to the positions they are in today. This makes sense in a way, as the continents look like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle scattered over the surface of the Earth.
At the same time, the water plumes would have reached the stratosphere and would have dragged incredibly cold masses of air with them when they returned, creating the conditions for the flash-frozen mammoths that have been found, animals frozen so fast that they still were in the process of chewing plants when they died.
The "fountains of the great deep" later became the spreading ridges as magma from the mantle filled the cracks and God started the plate-tectonic process.
The erupting water would also have cooled the atmosphere, causing the water vapor canopy to condense and fall as rain. At the same time the returning water from the fountains would have come down as torrential rain. The sudden cooling of the atmosphere would have created storms of incredible ferocity which would have added to the destruction. And with the amount of water being forced into the atmosphere, 40 days and nights of rain would not be unusual.
GENESIS 7:13-16
13 On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark
14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the Earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.
15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life.
16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.
God shut and sealed the door, sealing Noah and is family in, and sealing the fate of all of the rest of Mankind.
GENESIS 7:17-22
17 Now the flood was on the Earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the Earth.
18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the Earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the Earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered.
20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.
21 And all flesh died that moved on the Earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the Earth, and every man.
22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died.
The waters of the Flood took 40 days to reach their maximum extent. Even the highest mountain tops were covered by 22 1/2 feet of water, ensuring that there was no dry land left for any thing, or anyone to flee to.
Mount Everest didn't exist back then, as the Flood waters would have had to rise over 29,000 feet to cover it. So we must assume perhaps that the general topography of the Earth was lower back then, with the highest mountain tops being 15,000 feet high or less.
It is interesting to note that animal bones have been found in caves high in mountains, bones of bison, wolves, camels, sheep, rabbits, etc. The carnivorous animals had not eaten the herbivores, which happens when the animals are threatened by a common danger. The bones were loose and jumbled together as if thrown together by water, and it is believed that the creatures sought shelter in the caves to flee the rising flood waters, and were drowned there.
It is also interesting to note than many mountains such as Ararat where the Ark came to rest has "pillow lava" on it. "Pillow lava" is formed when volcanoes erupt under great depths of water. The lava surface cools immediately upon eruption, forming shapes that look like pillows, hence the label "pillow lava".
Mount Ararat itself is presently almost 17,000 feet tall, and pillow lava has been found near its summit, showing that the Flood waters covered the mountain at one point, and eruptions which occurred during the Flood elevated it's summit to its present height.
GENESIS 7:23-24
23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the Earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.
24 And the waters prevailed on the Earth one hundred and fifty days.
Note that the waters remained at full flood stage for 150 days before they began to recede. Why 150 days? I have some conjectures;
With the Earth completely flooded with water, the amount of sunlight reflected back into space would have been greatly increased, thereby cooling the overall temperature of the Earth, setting the stage for the great Ice Ages.
God was burying the gigantic amounts of plant and animal matter which would later become the great oil and coal beds which Man would discover and mine thousands of years later.
The atmospheric pressure became approximately 1/2 of what it was, and I suspect that God caused this to happen slowly through chemical reactions, possibly forming the great limestone beds seen around the world today, and ensuring the extinction after the Flood of any dinosaurs that Noah may have taken on the Ark with him.
And speaking of dinosaurs.............
It was during the Flood that the fossils and fossil fuels (oil and coal) we find today were formed.
Oil and coal formation
To create oil and coal, you take animal and/or vegetable matter, deprive it of oxygen, subject it to tremendous heat and pressure, and within a short period of time coal and oil are formed. In one experiment, scientists converted several tons of garbage to oil in several hours by subjecting it to heat and pressure.
Consider the conditions of the Flood. Billions of tons of animal and vegetable matter were swept away by the rising Flood waters, and slammed into the mud and buried under thousands of feet of mud and silt.
Along with the weight of the mud and silt, they were subjected to the additional pressure of thousands of feet of water which would have deprived them of oxygen, and they had the heat of a planet gone berserk beneath them.
Just the right conditions for creation of oil and coal within several hundred years or less.
Geologists and petrochemical engineers agree that if the oil and coal beds were formed millions of years ago as the theory of evolution states, they long ago would have lost the gas pressure that these beds now have, as the gas would have gradually seeped away. Yet in oil wells there is natural gas under great pressure, and in coal mines methane gas is still a deadly hazard.
So if the oil and coal beds are about 10,000 years old or less, then it would explain the conditions we see today. (It's estimated that the Flood occurred about 6,000 B.C.)
In an interesting note, an iron crucible used for smelting metals, and a brass bell probably used for pagan rituals were each found encased in a block of coal. Metallurgists using a electron microscope to scan the brass bell determined that it could not have been made by modern methods.
An iron hammer was found in Cretaceous-era sandstone (75,000,000 years ago, according to conventional geological reckoning) and chemical analysis indicates that the iron was compounded with 2.6% chlorine, which is impossible in today's atmosphere.
It has been determined that all three of these items were pre-Flood technology.
Fossils
We are all familiar with fossils, and may even have some in a collection. Evolution states that these were formed when animals or plants died and their bones were encased in mud or sand, and through chemical action the flesh, bones, hair, feathers, etc. were replaced with minerals leaving a stone image of the original creature.
Paleontologists then date the fossils by dating the strata of the stone in which they were found. That sounds reasonable................
BUT...........
This also assumes that the rock strata were laid down at a fairly constant rate over millions of years.
Remember the chaos that reined during the Flood. Water swept over the Earth with incredible violence, continents were torn asunder and carried away, mountains were formed by crustal collisions and volcanic action.......... just a few of the titanic forces involved in the destruction of an entire planet...
The mud and silt created by the violence of the Flood would have gradually settled out as the waters began to recede. The retreating waters would have also scoured deep channels in the mud and rock as they began to collect into the new seabeds.
As David records, while speaking of God's works during the Flood;
PSALMS 104:5-9
5 You who laid the foundations of the Earth, so that it should not be moved forever,
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At Your rebuke they fled; at the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
8 They went up over the mountains; they went down into the valleys, to the place which You founded for them.
9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, that they may not return to cover the Earth.
It has been proven that mud and silt can undergo lithification (turning to stone) within a short period of time (several hundred years or less).Therefore riverbeds and formations like the Grand Canyon in the United States that evolution states took millions of years to form could have formed within hundreds of years, or less if the channels were carved into soft sediments before lithification set in.
In other words, we have no idea how old the sediments of the Earth are.
And just because a fossil is discovered in deeper layer of rock than another doesn't always indicate that the deeper fossil is older...... it means that one might have been buried by the Flood waters first with the other fossil following sometime later depending on the action of the water.
And with the gradual settling of the mud and silt as the waters receded, along with the metamorphosis and deformation of the rock strata caused by the forces that caused the Flood, the whole geological record is inaccurate.
I'll stop here, as I plan on creating a separate Bible study dedicated to the Flood if the Lord allows.
GENESIS 8:1-3
1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the Earth, and the waters subsided.
2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
3 And the waters receded continually from the Earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.
The wind that blew over the Earth helped in drying the waters. I suspect that it also provided the atmospheric moisture needed to create the great snow packs and ice that formed the glaciers which formed during what we call the "Ice Ages".
During this time with the dispersion of the continents, the great sea beds that we see today were formed. All of these things worked to reduce levels of the Flood waters.
And with thousands of cubic miles of water locked into the polar caps and the great ice sheets that covered much of the world during the "Ice Ages", "land bridges" between continents formed, allowing Man to spread to all continents after the Flood.
The American Indians have a legend that their ancestors walked to Alaska from Siberia across a land bridge, a land bridge which has indeed been discovered beneath the waters of the Bering Strait.
When the Ice Ages ended the sea levels rose, covering these land bridges and isolating the continents as we see them today.
GENESIS 8:4-5
4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
It took 2 months after the Flood waters began to recede for the ark to ground itself in the mountains of Ararat. It took another 2 1/2 months for the tops of the mountains to become visible. So it took 10 months before the first dry ground appeared, at least as far as Noah could see. Mount Everest and the rest of the Himalaya mountains had thrust up by this time, so they would have been visible earlier if the Ark had drifted near present-day Nepal.
GENESIS 8:6-9
6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the Ark which he had made.
7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the Earth.
8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground.
9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the Ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole Earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the Ark to himself.
Ravens are scavenger birds, so it probably ate whatever it could find and rested on any place it could land.
Doves however are more refined and the dove Noah sent out didn't find conditions to it's liking, so it returned to its refuge.
GENESIS 8:10-11
10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the Ark.
11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the Earth.
The dove returning with an olive leaf showed Noah that God had again replanted the Earth with vegetation, and that dry land existed.
GENESIS 8:12
12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.
When the dove didn't return, Noah knew the Earth was dry enough that even the delicate dove could survive.
GENESIS 8:13
13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the Earth; and Noah removed the covering of the Ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry.
Noah removed the roof to look outside in all directions, not only where the window was facing. I find it interesting that it says that the surface of the ground was dry, but Noah still remained within the Ark.
I suspect that even though the surface of the ground appeared dry, there was still much water in the soil which could have created massive quicksand beds and bottomless mud pits. Noah waited for God's permission to leave the Ark. I also suspect that God kept the door closed, to keep him in until the Earth was ready.
GENESIS 8:14-19
14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the Earth was dried.
15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying,
16 "Go out of the Ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you.
17 "Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the Earth, so that they may abound on the Earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the Earth."
18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him.
19 Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the Earth, according to their families, went out of the Ark.
One year and 10 days later, Noah, his family and all the animals were allowed to leave the Ark. They must have been awestruck and fearful, knowing that they were the only humans left on the face of the entire Earth!
Can you imagine the silence that must have abounded after all of the animals dispersed?
GENESIS 8:20
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
The first thing Noah did was to build an altar and sacrifice clean animals and birds to God in respect and thanksgiving for His mercy, and for keeping His promise to him and his family.
GENESIS 8:21-22
21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
22 "While the Earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease."
This is a tremendous promise from the Lord! The Earth today is at least as sinful and evil as the pre-Flood world if not more so, and yet God has promised to never destroy all flesh as He did during the Flood.
It is interesting to note that God says he will never again curse the ground for Man's sake. This means that the curse was fulfilled in the Flood, in which He destroyed the luxurious Earth that He had created, leaving the Earth we see today which is a mere shadow of what it used to be.
GENESIS 9:1-2
1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the Earth.
2 "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the Earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the Earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.
God once again establishes Man's dominion over the Earth and everything in it.
GENESIS 9:3
3 "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.
Note again that with sin in the world, man needs meat because of spiritual warfare. God knowing this, states that Man is not to be vegetarian only. We need both meat and vegetables to stay healthy.
GENESIS 9:4-5
4 "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
5 "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man.
God says it is a SIN to eat or drink blood! When an animal is killed for food you must first drain the blood, NEVER drink ANY of it. The punishment will be that your blood will be shed in turn either by an animal or by man.
GENESIS 9:6
6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.
God states that the punishment for committing murder is that you will be killed in return. This shows God's command concerning capital punishment (death penalty).
GENESIS 9:7
7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the Earth and multiply in it."
Just as with Adam and Eve, God commands them to populate the Earth, and replenish it.
GENESIS 9:8-17
8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying:
9 "And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you,
10 "and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the Earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the Earth.
11 "Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the Earth."
12 And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 "I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the Earth.
14 "It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the Earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud;
15 "and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 "The bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the Earth."
17 And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the Earth."
God established His covenant with ALL FLESH on the Earth. God will never again destroy the entire Earth by flood.
Before the Flood, there were no rainbows, as there had been no rain. So, God set his bow in the clouds as a perpetual reminder to Man of His covenant with all flesh for as long as the Earth shall last.
GENESIS 9:18-19
18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.
19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole Earth was populated.
The Earth was re-populated by Noah's three sons and their wives. Note the order that the three sons are listed in, with Shem being the oldest, Ham being the middle son, and Japheth being the youngest. This will become important in a bit!
GENESIS 9:20-23
20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.
21 Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
Ham showed dishonor and disrespect to his father by looking at Noah's naked body, not covering Noah up when he did see him and by telling his brothers, thus shaming Noah. Shem and Japheth showed honor and respect to their father by not looking on his shame and covering Noah.
GENESIS 9:24-27
24 So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.
25 Then he said: "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren."
26 And he said: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.
27 May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant."
Noah cursed Canaan (Ham's son), thereby cursing Ham's descendants for all time. His curse would be that they would be servants of Shem and Japheth forever.
I am including the King James verses below, as I feel they more correctly represent what Noah meant in his curse and blessing, with the use of the imperative word "shall" instead of "may".
GENESIS 9:24-27
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Noah's greatest blessing was for Shem as the eldest, by stating that salvation would come through Shem, the ancestor of the Hebrew and the Oriental peoples. Japheth's descendants (the Caucasian peoples) would be greater in number and would dwell together in Shem's tents, meaning that salvation would come to both races through Shem's descendants (the Jews). Ham and his descendants would serve Shem and Japheth and all of their descendants.
Please understand that this does not mean that the descendants of Ham and Japheth and the non-Hebrew descendants of Shem cannot receive salvation. Noah understood and prophesied that salvation would come from Shem's Hebrew lineage, starting with Abraham, and culminating with Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
GENESIS 9:28-29
28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
29 So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.
GENESIS 10:1
1 Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.
Noah "rest"
Shem "name; renown" Father of the Semitic and Asian peoples.
Ham "hot" Father of the African and the Egyptian peoples.
Japheth "the extender, enlarged; fair" Father of the Caucasian peoples.
GENESIS 10:2
2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
Sons of Japheth:
Gomer (meaning unknown) settled in the Taurus mountain area of central Turkey and became the Cimmerians.
Magog "covering; roof " Settled in the Caucasus mountains in central Russia. The word Caucasus is where we get the word "Caucasian".
Madai settled in Iran and became the ancient Medes.
Javan settled in the Greek isles.
Tubal settled in southern Turkey, just above Iraq.
Meshech "long; tall" his descendants settled in modern-day Russia in the area of present-day Moscow.
Tiras "longing"; his descendants became the Etruscans, a “flame-haired” (red haired) people of the northern Italian region of Tuscany.
GENESIS 10:3
3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
Sons of Gomer:
Ashkenaz "a fire that spreads" settled in the steppes of the Ukraine, between Magog and Tubal, becoming the savage Scythians, barbarian peoples of the Ukraine.
Riphath "spoken" settled in northern Turkey, along the southern shore of the Black Sea.
Togarmah settled along the southeastern shore of the Black Sea, between Tubal and Ashkenaz
GENESIS 10:4
4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
Sons of Javan:
Elishah "God is Savior" settled in the area of Cyprus. His descendants were known for producing expensive purple dye.
Tarshish "hard" settled in Lebanon and became the Phoenicians.
Kittim "knotty" settled on the Isle of Cyprus.
Dodanim settled on the Isle of Rhodes and became the Dodanites and Rodanites.
GENESIS 10:5
5 From these the coast land peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
The sons of Japheth became the Caucasians of Europe (commonly called the Gentiles). It is interesting to see that Noah's blessing on Japheth came to pass, as he greatly outnumbered the descendants of Shem. Yet Shem is accounted as greater, for it is from Shem's descendants that salvation has come to all men.
GENESIS 10:6
6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
Sons of Ham:
Cush "black, burnt" settled in Ethiopia and became the black peoples.
Mizraim settled in Egypt and became the Egyptians.
Put "bow" settled in Libya.
Canaan "low" Settled in Palestine (includes present day Israel) It is thought that the name Palestine came from the Romans, who named it after the Philistines who had been the Jews’ greatest enemies. Until the Romans renamed the area it was known as Canaan.
GENESIS 10:7-12
7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the Earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD."
10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,
12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).
Sons of Cush:
Seba "drunkard" settled in Ethiopia, along the southwestern shore of the Red Sea.
Havilah "sandy" settled in southwestern Saudi Arabia, along the southeastern shore of the Red Sea. The land of Havilah was renowned for the purity and high quality of it's gold.
GENESIS 2:10-12
10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.
11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
Sabtah "striking" settled in southern coast of Saudi Arabia, along the shore of the Indian Ocean.
Raamah "trembling" settled northeast of Sheba and northwest of Sabtah, toward north central Saudi Arabia.
Sabtechah "striking" settled in southern Saudi Arabia.
Nimrod "valiant; strong" Settled along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Known as a great hunter, also the first king ever mentioned. He established many of the great city-states that later became great empires.
Sons of Raamah:
Sheba "oath; covenant" Settled in southwestern Saudi Arabia, southeast of Havilah in present day Yemen.
Dedan settled northwest of Havilah and Sheba, along the eastern shore of the Red Sea.
GENESIS 10:13-14
13 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,
14 Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim).
Sons of Mizraim:u
Ludim became the father of the Libyans in western Africa bordering Egypt.
Anamin "rock man" settled in Egypt and became the Anamites.
Lehabim "flame; red" described in Egyptian records as Libyans.
Naphtuhim possibly Ethiopian in origin, scholars believe ruins in their territory may have belonged to queen Candace of the Ethiopians (Acts 8:27)
Pathrusim settled in Egypt and became the Pathrusites.
Casluhim "fortified" settled in northern Egypt and along the coast in Canaan becoming the Casluhites.
The Caphtorim (descendants of the Casluhim) settled in Crete and became the Minoans and Myceneans whose descendants would become the Philistines.
The Minoan and Mycaenean culture was almost completely destroyed in 1534 B.C. when the volcano Thera (Greek for "Fear") in the Aegean Sea erupted in the most violent volcanic explosion in recorded history. The eruption sent a vertical ash cloud 28 miles into the stratosphere (Krakatoa's ash cloud only reached about 18 miles), blew a crater over 5,000 feet deep into the ocean floor and sent tsunamis which reached a height of 300 feet on the isle of Crete 60 miles to the south, and up to 600 feet in inlets in Turkey to the east.
The destruction of Thera and the Minoan civilization created the legends of Atlantis that we know of today.
The remnant of the Minoans fled the area, and became the Philistines, the remnant of the people that fled Crete. As God spoke of them;
JEREMIAH 47:1-4
1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.
2 Thus says the Lord: “Behold, waters rise out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood; they shall overflow the land and all that is in it, the city and those who dwell within; then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.
3 At the noise of the stamping hooves of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers will not look back for their children, lacking courage,
4 Because of the day that comes to plunder all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper who remains; for the Lord shall plunder the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.
GENESIS 10:15-18
15 Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth;
16 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite;
17 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite;
18 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed.
Sons of Canaan:
Sidon "fortress" settled in Phoenicia (Lebanon) and became the Sidonions.
Heth settled in south western Canaan and became the Hittites. Abraham purchased Sarah's burial cave from the sons of Heth in the land of Canaan.
Jebusites settled around Jerusalem. Jerusalem was known as Jebus before David defeated the Jebusites and conquered the city. After conquering the city David renamed the city Jerusalem.
Amorites settled in eastern Canaan by the Dead Sea.
Girgashites settled in Canaan, exact whereabouts unknown.
Hivites settled in the southern half of Canaan.
Arkites settled in the northern Canaan, southern Lebanon area.
Sinites settled in the northern half of Canaan.
Arvadites settled in the northern half of Canaan.
Zemarites settled in the northern half of Canaan.
Hamathite settled in the northern half of Canaan.
These would be the Canaanites that Israel would destroy when they came out of Egypt.
GENESIS 10:19-21
19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
20 These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.
21 And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder.
The Jewish JPS Bible, verse 21 says... "the elder brother of Japheth,...." This means that Shem is the eldest son, and earlier Noah referred to Ham as his younger son (not youngest son), so Japheth must have been the youngest of the 3 brothers. We also know that the Hebrew people (and Jesus) came from the line of Eber, who is descended from Shem.
And when Noah blessed his sons, Shem, being the oldest, received the greatest blessing as was the practice at the time.
GENESIS 10:22
22 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
Sons of Shem:
Elam "highland" settled in southeastern Iran and became the Elamites.
Asshur "level plain" settled in northern Iraq and became the brutal Assyrians.
Arphaxad settled in the mountainous area north of Nineveh . He was the grandfather of Eber.
Lud settled in Lydia (western Turkey).
Aram "high; exalted" Settled in northeast Canaan, by the Sea of Galilee and became the Aramean peoples. Aramaic was the language commonly spoken in Jesus time.
GENESIS 10:23
23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
Sons of Aram:
Uz "counsel; firmness" settled the area of Edom. (Lamentations 4:21 and Job 1:1)
Hul "circle" became the Aramean tribe of Hulia.
Gether possible father of the Bactrians of Hindu-Kush (Iran /Afghanistan / Pakistan) region of the Middle East.
Mash "drawn out" settled in northern Mesopotamia.
GENESIS 10:24
24 Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber.
Salah "petition; sprout"; father of Eber.
Eber "the other side; across"; father of the Hebrews.
GENESIS 10:25
25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the Earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.
Sons of Eber:
Peleg "division" The division could refer to the forming of the Red Sea. The Jordan rift valley split open allowing the salt water to invade from the Indian ocean to form the Red Sea. This also caused the drowning of the southern Jordan riverbed (the Pishon river from Genesis 2:11 that flowed from the Garden of Eden).
Joktan settled in Saudi Arabia and became the Arabian tribes.
GENESIS 10:26-29
26 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
Sons of Joktan:
Almodad "the agitator" Settled in Saudi Arabia and became the Arabian tribes.
Sheleph "drawn out" settled in Saudi Arabia and became a Arabian people.
Hazarmaveth "court of death" settled in the Arabian peninsula and became the Arabian tribes.
Jerah "moon" settled in eastern Saudi Arabia and became the Arabian tribes.
Hadoram "Hadad is high" settled in Saudi Arabia and became the Arabian tribes.
Uzal "wandering" settled in southern Saudi Arabia, near Yemen and became the Arabian tribes.
Diklah "place of palms" settled in Saudi Arabian desert and became the Arabian tribes.
Obal "bare; naked" settled in Saudi Arabia and became the Arabian tribes.
Abimael "my father is God" settled in Saudi Arabia and became the Arabian tribes.
Sheba "oath; covenant" settled in southwestern Saudi Arabia, (present day Yemen) and became the savage Sabeans who were wealthy traders and they were the people who killed Job's children and took away his cattle.
Ophir "fruitful; rich" settled in western Saudi Arabia, along the Red Sea shore and became the Arabian tribes. The gold beds of Ophir were well known for their purity and quality.
Havilah "sandy" settled in south Saudi Arabia north of Sheba, along the Red Sea shore and became the Arabian tribes. The gold beds of Havilah were well known for their purity and quality.
Jobab settled in southwestern Saudi Arabia near Sheba and became the Arabian tribes.
GENESIS 10:30-32
30 And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.
31 These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.
32 These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the Earth after the Flood.
GENESIS 11:1-2
1 Now the whole Earth had one language and one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
The Jewish JPS Bible says...."journeyed east..." Not ....."from the east..."
The plain of Shinar is the plains area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and they are to the east of Canaan. Most of the ancient empire cities such as Akkad, Ebla, Uruk, Mari, Babylon, Ur, Catah, Calah, Asshur, Nineveh, etc. were located in this rich, fertile plain. These cities were part of the great ancient empires, including the Babylonian and Assyrian empires.
The area was watered by both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which carried rich silts from the mountains of Turkey to the north, creating an ideal place for civilization to develop and thrive.
GENESIS 11:3-4
3 Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.
4 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole Earth."
There was one language and they were of one mind so communication was not a problem. It also made it easier for Satan to corrupt mankind. Pride was the motivating factor of wanting "to make a name for ourselves"; and the desire to elevate themselves to be able to reach heaven from Earth and become like God. Instead of relying on God, they wanted to become God.
Sound familiar? Remember, Satan wanted to be as God, and he had promised Adam and Eve they too could be like God if they ate of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden.
I suspect that another reason for the tower was that even though God had promised never again to destroy the Earth with a Flood, the memory was still deeply impressed in men's consciences, and rather than believe God, they were taking no chances.
Of course considering the violence involved in the Flood, the Tower would have stood about as much chance as a sand castle against a tsunami, and probably would have lasted just about as long.
Staying in one place was also in direct disobedience to God's command to replenish the whole Earth. So again, within a few generations of the Flood, Man is again actively disobeying God.
The tower itself was a huge ziggurat (stepped pyramid), similar to the ones the Aztecs and Mayans built in the jungles of Mexico and South America. The builders used fired brick rather than mud brick, as fired brick would have been much harder and more durable. The heat of firing would have fused the sand and clay into a glass-like consistency which would have been able to support the great weight involved in the building of the tower.
Another reason for the use of fired brick was that the plain contained deep alluvial deposits (mud and clay) but little in the way of stone. Therefore most of the buildings in the area were made either from mud brick, or the harder glass-like burnt brick.
The remains of what the Bedouin call the Tower of Babel is located in Iraq, just outside the ancient ruins of the city of Babylon. Standing several hundred feet in height, the remains of a mighty ziggurat are badly eroded, but still stand to this day.
In an interesting note, the word "Babel" means "confusion", and we still use the word "babble" which is linguistically similar for a confusing noise or situation.
GENESIS 11:5-9
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
6 And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
7 "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the Earth, and they ceased building the city.
9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the Earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the Earth.
The "Us" the Lord refers to is communication within the Trinity. Remember, angels being created beings themselves, cannot in turn create, for there is only one Creator. Therefore God is speaking to personages equal to Himself, again supporting the concept of a Godhead consisting of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
By giving different languages to different groups God stopped the building of the tower, slowing down Satan's ability to corrupt man and forcing Man to spread out to replenish the Earth.
It's interesting to note that all languages can be linguistically traced to one unknown original root language older than Sanskrit, considered one of the oldest known languages.
GENESIS 11:10-11
10 This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.
11 After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
Shem "name; renown"
Father of the Semitic and Oriental peoples, who lived for 600 years. Note that after the Flood, the ages of the ancients began dropping rapidly, just as God promised when He said;
GENESIS 6:3
3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
GENESIS 11:12-13
12 Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah.
13 After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.
Arphaxad settled in the mountainous area north of Nineveh in ancient Assyria (present-day northern Iraq), living 438 years.
GENESIS 11:14-15
14 Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber.
15 After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.
Salah "petition; sprout”, lived 433 years.
GENESIS 11:16-17
16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg.
17 After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.
Eber "The other side; across", lived 464 years.
GENESIS 11:18-19
18 Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu.
19 After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.
Peleg "division" The division could refer to the forming of the Red Sea. Thousands of years ago, the Jordan Rift valley split open allowing salt water to invade from the Indian ocean to form the Red Sea. This also caused the drowning of the southern Jordan riverbed (the Pishon river from Genesis 2:11 that flowed from the Garden of Eden). Peleg lived 239 years.
GENESIS 11:20-21
20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug.
21 After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.
Reu "Friendship", lived 239 years.
GENESIS 11:22-23
22 Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor.
23 After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
Serug "Strength; firmness", lived 230 years.
GENESIS 11:24-25
24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah.
25 After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.
Nahor "piercer", lived 148 years. Note the rapid drop in life spans!
GENESIS 11:26-28
26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot.
28 And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
Terah "turning; duration" It's possible Abram, Nahor and Haran were triplets, with Abram the oldest, since they all seemed to be born when Terah was 70 years old. Terah lived 205 years.
Abram "the father is exalted"
Nahor "piercer"
Haran "strong; enlightened"
Lot "veiled" Haran's son, he became the head of Haran's family when his father died. (Abram and Nahor's nephew)
Notice that in the generations between Shem and Terah the life span has decreased greatly, in fulfillment of God's decree that man should have a life span of 120 years.
GENESIS 6:1-3
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the Earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
The following generations continued to decline in the number of years in a life span. Haran died while the family still lived in the city of Ur
GENESIS 11:29-30
29 Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.
30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
Sarai "Jehovah is prince" Abram had no children because Sarai was barren.
Milcah "counsel" Haran's daughter and Iscah's sister.
Iscah "Jehovah is looking" Haran's daughter and Milcah's sister.
GENESIS 11:31-32
31 And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there.
32 So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.
In an interesting note, it seems that the "Ur of the Chaldeans" may not be the Ur that many archaeologists believe that Abram came from, the Ur far south of Babylon along the Euphrates river.
There was another Ur in southern Turkey close to Haran, and this would make a better place for Abram and Haran to have traveled from to reach Haran, rather than the hundreds of miles it would have taken to reach Haran from the southern location.
Terah moved most of his family (Abram, Sarai and Lot) to the city of Haran in northern Canaan (Northern Iraq, just below Turkey). Note that Nahor, Milcah and Iscah didn't move with them. Terah died in the city of Haran. Abram was 135 years old when Terah died.
GENESIS 12:1-4
1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the Earth shall be blessed."
4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Terah was 145 years old when Abram left. Abram had to leave his father's house to be removed from his father's authority without being disrespectful to his father. At this point in time the lineage of the Messiah is focused down even further to this specific line from Shem. Abram took this first step of faith, and believing God's promise, left his father's house and the only way of life he had ever known and followed God's command.
God makes His first covenant with Abram to make him a great nation and make his descendants too numerous to count. He would also separate Abram's descendants from all other peoples in which they would be ruled by God alone. And He promised Abram and his descendants His protection by personally blessing those who bless them and cursing those who curse them.
GENESIS 12:5
5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
Abram took his wife Sarai and nephew Lot with him along with all their possessions and servants. This was a risky undertaking as they had a long way to travel and were a small group. Bandits and robbers frequented the area, and usually people traveled in large well-armed caravans.
GENESIS 12:6
6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
Sichem (Shechem) is just west of the Jordan river between Mt Ebal and Mt Gerizin (present day Nablus). The plain of Moreh is near the city of Sichem. The oak tree (terebinth) must have either been a stand-alone tree, or a tree of great stature to be mentioned as a distinct entity.
GENESIS 12:7-9
7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
Here was God's first promise of a specific land for the Hebrews, the future descendants of Abraham (Abram). Abram built an altar to honor the place where God had spoken to him. Abram, still not knowing where God wanted him to be continued moving south and lodged in the mountains between the cities of Bethel and Hai (Ai).
GENESIS 12:10
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
The famine was more than likely caused by a drought. Egypt usually didn't suffer too much from droughts because of the annual flooding of the Nile river which supplied abundant water for the area. The Egyptians would divert the waters of the Nile to irrigate their crops, and became the "breadbasket" for the Middle East during such times of drought.
God, knowing that such a drought would happen, caused Abram to go to Egypt for sustenance.
GENESIS 12:11-13
11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance.
12 "Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.
13 "Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you."
Sarai was probably in her 70's (she was 10 years younger than Abram) when they moved to Egypt. She must have been an extremely beautiful woman for Abram to worry about the Egyptians wanting to take her from him. Abram was afraid, and doubting God's promises used his own idea to try to save himself. Sarai was indeed his sister, but was his half-sister, having the same father but a different mother. But if Abram had relied on God he would have told the WHOLE truth, not just part of the truth.
GENESIS 12:14-16
14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.
15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house.
16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
Pharaoh saw how beautiful Sarai was and wanted her for his wife. Believing their half-truth about being brother and sister, he sent a dowry to Abram for Sarai. The size of the dowry shows how impressed he was with Sarai to have given Abram such a large endowment. Abram, still too afraid for his life, said nothing to Pharaoh concerning the truth.
GENESIS 12:17-20
17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
19 "Why did you say, 'She is my sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way."
20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
The plagues God sent to Pharaoh's house stopped Pharaoh from consummating his marriage to Sarai. God didn't destroy Pharaoh, because he knew that Pharaoh was innocent in the matter. It also showed that this particular Pharaoh was an honorable man, in that he returned Sarai to Abram, and didn't demand his dowry back.
When Pharaoh knew he had been deceived by Abram, he ordered Abram and his entire household to leave Egypt. He apparently commanded his men to leave them alone as they left, and probably had them escort him out of Egypt to be sure he left.
GENESIS 13:1-4
1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.
2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Abram took his household back to Bethel, in Canaan. Apparently the famine had passed by this time.
GENESIS 13:5-7
5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
Abram and Lot prospered so much that the land could no longer support both of their households and livestock. Lot gained his wealth from his association with Abram, God blessing Lot for Abram's sake. He also was learning to obey and follow God through Abram, seeing the blessings that God had bestowed upon Abram for his obedience.
GENESIS 13:8-13
8 So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
9 "Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left."
10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.
The fact that Abram was very generous and gave Lot the choice of where to move was unusual, seeing as Abram was the elder and had the right of first choice. But Abram cared for his nephew, and wanted him to prosper, therefore he gave lot the choicest of the land.
Lot chose the lush Jordan valley by the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram chose to stay in the foothills of the mountains.
It is interesting to note the difference between the ancient Jordan valley and the Jordan valley today. The ancient Jordan was well-watered, heavily forested and had lush pastures, while the present Jordan valley is dry, and in many places almost desert-like.
Climatologists and paleontologists have confirmed that these were the conditions of the ancient Jordan valley, but due to heavy deforestation and climactic changes the area became like we see it today.
I suspect that the earthquake and subsequent dropping of the southern Jordan valley that caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the formation of the Dead Sea had a lot to do with the changes that occurred.
GENESIS 13:14-18
14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
15 "for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.
16 "And I will make your descendants as the dust of the Earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the Earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.
17 "Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you."
18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.
God reminds Abram of His covenant, showing that even though Abram had acted treacherously with Pharaoh, God still keeps His promises. Also God waited for Lot to leave, so that Abram would know that the promise was to his descendants, not to his relatives, or to their descendants.
Abram moved to the plain near Hebron (just north of Mt. Carmel), and built another altar to honor God.
GENESIS 14:1
1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations,
Amraphel, Arioch, Chedorlaomer and Tidal ruled the entire Plain of Shinar, which was located in the Tigris-Euphrates valley.
Shinar was in northern Babylonia; Ellasar (also known as "Larsa") was in southern Babylonia. Elam was located in southeastern Babylonia (which would later become the Medo-Persian Empire); Nations was a catchall name for all other areas of the Plains of Shinar.
GENESIS 14:2
2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
Bera, Birsha, Shinab, Shemeber and the un-named king of Bela ruled the southern area of the Jordan Valley. A four city-state confederation in the Shinar valley decided to attack the five cities of the southern Jordan valley.
Sodom was located by the southeastern coast of the present Dead Sea; Gomorrah was located southwest of Sodom; Admah was on the southern coast of the Dead Sea; Zeboiim was on the southern coast of the Dead Sea; Bela (Zoar) was also on the southern coast of the Dead Sea. (This was before the Dead Sea was formed).
The locations of these cities are approximate, for while ruins have been found in these locations, archaeologists are still searching for solid proof that these are indeed the cities destroyed by God for their wickedness.
GENESIS 14:3
3 All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
The valley of Siddim is the southeastern coast of the Dead Sea (also called the Salt Sea). This valley has also been called "the valley of salt" in the Scriptures. The salt of this valley was mined, and was an important part of commerce in ancient Israel.
II SAMUEL 8:13
13 And David made himself a name when he returned from killing eighteen thousand Syrians in the Valley of Salt.
II KINGS 14:1-7
1 In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king.
2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
3 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done.
4 However the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
5 Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king.
6 But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the LORD commanded, saying, "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall be put to death for his own sin."
7 He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel to this day.
GENESIS 14:4
4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
Chedorlaomer, king of Elam was the head of the confederacy of the kings of the Plains of Shinar, the other three kings apparently being puppet kings under Chedorlaomer. The five cities of the southern Dead Sea area had stopped paying tribute to the king of Elam, apparently having been conquered by this confederacy twelve years earlier. The following year they refused to send the tribute, which probably included salt.
GENESIS 14:5-6
5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
6 and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness.
Ashteroth Karnaim "Ashtaroth of the 2 horns" was a town in Bashan (present day Jordan), about 20 miles east of the sea of Galilee. It was the center of worship of the goddess Ashtaroth.
Ham was located about 15 miles east of the Jordan River and about 20 miles southeast of the southern edge of the sea of Galilee.
Shaveh Kiriathaim "the plain of Kiriathaim" located about 10 miles east of the Dead Sea and just north of Moab.
Seir "tempest" located in the southeastern area of the Dead Sea , in the mountain range in Edom, the future possession of Esau, Jacob's brother.
El Paran "oak of Paran" located in the plains area between the gulf of Aquaba and the Dead Sea, bordering on Edom (Seir) and Midian.
The Rephaims, Zuzims, and Emims were known as the giant peoples of the plains, possibly ancestors of Goliath. The Horites were the people around mount Hor in Moab.
This description shows that Chedorlaomer and his puppet kings swept south in their attack against the five cities of the plains, destroying smaller cities in their path.
GENESIS 14:7
7 Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.
Kadesh is in present day Syria. After defeating and pillaging the Rephiams, Zuzims, Emims and Horites; the 4 kings turned back north to Kadesh, where they attacked and defeated the Amalekites and Amorites (who lived near the Amalekite border).
GENESIS 14:8-9
8 And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim
9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.
The five kings who had rebelled against Chedorlaomer, king of Elam and their armies met the four kings and their armies in the valley of Siddim. The kings of the south probably figured it would be an easy victory, because of the confederation having extended themselves greatly and having been in numerous battles already. They probably figured the northern armies, though hardened veterans, were battle-weary and would be easy to defeat.
GENESIS 14:10
10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains.
That there were asphalt pits in the Siddim valley was well-known. Even the Dead Sea occasionally has patches of asphalt that float to the surface to the point of where the Romans named it "Lake Asphaltitus" or Asphalt Lake.
Apparently some of the kings were killed there, and the armies of Sodom and Gomorrah fled to the mountains with their kings.
GENESIS 14:11-12
11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.
12 They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
The four kings plundered the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, taking even the food in the cities. They also took the inhabitants of the cities as prisoners including Lot and his entire household.
GENESIS 14:13
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram.
Abram was at peace with the Amorites and was well respected by them. The plain of Mamre was near Bethlehem. The man who escaped was more than likely one of Lot's servants, who ran to tell Abram what had happened.
It is also interesting that this is the first place in Scripture that Abraham is identified as a "Hebrew", the ancestor of the Hebrew, or Israeli people.
GENESIS 14:14
14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
Abram armed his trained servants, only those who were actually born in his household, not those who came into Abram's household as adults or children. This would assure their loyalty on the battle field. Abram and his men traveled on the west side of the Jordan river, north to Dan (southern Lebanon) to reach the four kings and their armies. The kings had traveled north on the east side of the Jordan river.
This shows Abram's faith and determination, in the fact that he was attacking an army of at least 10,000 men with only 318 people. The fact that he had trained his servants in warfare probably came about because of bandits who might try to attack him because of his great wealth.
He probably figured that the kings would be slowed down by their captives, therefore he plotted an intercept course to overtake them. He also probably figured that the army of the kings would let their guard down, being many and being flush from their victory, and therefore becoming lax.
GENESIS 14:15-16
15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
Abram was a shrewd strategist. He attacked them at night and by dividing his forces, attacked them from different directions, causing the army to believe that they were being attacked by superior forces, sowing confusion among the ranks. Many of the men of the army probably panicked and killed each other in the confusion.
He chased them to just north of Damascus, Syria (about 40 miles) and rescued Lot, all of his household and his goods. Abram also took all the spoils the kings had with them, as well as all of the captives they had taken from the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
GENESIS 14:17
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
Abram and his men had killed the kings and many of their men. Even though they were out numbered, God was on their side, preserving Abram.
GENESIS 14:18
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.
Melchizedek "King of righteousness", Salem "Perfect peace"
Melchizedek has always been a mysterious figure, and is listed as the king and high priest of Salem, and was the priest of God Most High. Many scholars believe that he was actually a pre-incarnate embodiment of Jesus Christ, for Scripture says;
HEBREWS 7:1-3
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,”
3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
We can only speculate who the person of Melchizedek was. Also, the city of Salem was apparently not Jerusalem, for Jerusalem was still called "Jebus" until the time of David, and Scripture gives no clue as to it's location.
Note the bread and wine Melchizedek brought are also the elements of the communion covenant.
GENESIS 14:19-20
19 And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and Earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all.
Melchizedek blessed Abram, showing that Melchizedek was greater than Abram. Abram also acknowledges Melchizedek's majesty by giving him ten percent of all that he had, an amount which would later become the tithe required by God from His people.
LEVITICUS 27:30-34
30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.
31 If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it.
32 And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.
33 He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.’ ”
34 These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.
GENESIS 14:21
21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself."
The king of Sodom told Abram: "Return my people and keep all the spoils for yourself, as a reward for your bravery". He must have been quite in awe of Abram in order to be willing to give up all of the treasures of the cities to Abram in exchange for getting his captured people back!
GENESIS 14:22-24
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and Earth,
23 "that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich'
24 "except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."
Abram had apparently made a vow to the Lord concerning the battle, saying that if God would help him win he would take nothing for himself of the spoils of war. Also believing in God's promise, he didn't want the riches from God to be credited to the king of Sodom. (I think he already knew of the reputation of the cities). He did accept spoils for the three friends and their men who had come with him to help save Lot.
GENESIS 15:1-6
1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."
2 But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!"
4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."
5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
Abram was worried, because he was old and had no children. Eliezer of Damascus, the firstborn servant born in his own house stood to inherit all of Abram's possessions if he died without children. Yet Abram believed God, and his faith (belief) was counted by God as righteousness, even though he wasn't circumcised yet.
This shows that circumcision was to be a visible symbol and reminder of the covenant of God's promise to Abram, with the rite of circumcision showing that God had separated Abram's descendants from the rest of the peoples of the Earth.
Thus Abram, through faith became the father of both the uncircumcised (Gentiles) and the circumcised (Jews). And note that God made the promise to Abram concerning his descendants before he was circumcised.
The Jewish descendants of Abram would be saved through their obedience to the commandments of God through the Law (Torah) as their obedience would be counted as righteousness before God, just as Abram's obedience would be counted as righteousness.
The sacrifices required by the Law would be a visible reminder of the covenant that God had made with His people through the Law, just as the circumcision was a visible reminder of His covenant with Abram.
The Gentiles in turn, not having the Law would be saved through the faith that Abram displayed in God, which faith was counted as righteousness.
God, foreseeing that there would be an end to the Law at first required that the Gentiles who sought to worship Him with His people follow the dictates of the Law;
EXODUS 12:48-49
48 And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
49 One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”
NUMBERS 9:14
14 'And if a stranger dwells among you, and would keep the LORD's Passover, he must do so according to the rite of the Passover and according to its ceremony; you shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and the native of the land.'
NUMBERS 15:14-16
14 'And if a stranger dwells with you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD, just as you do, so shall he do.
15 'One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.
16 'One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.'
The only restriction that God put upon the Gentiles, was that they could not offer incense before the Lord as the priests did or seek to perform priestly duties, for the priests and Levites were to be from the line of Aaron only. But in all other matters, if they followed the ordinances of the Law, they were to be treated as one born in the land.
For those Gentiles who instinctively sought God but didn't have the Law to follow, Man had received the instinctive knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, and would be judged as to how well he tried to follow this knowledge. Therefore God in His mercy provided a way for those who didn't have the Law to attain to righteousness, as Abram did. As the apostle Paul stated;
ROMANS 2:14-16
14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,
15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
However, the Law was insufficient for salvation as it didn't require faith, it required only that you do the works of the Law, therefore the Law wasn't perfect. God spoke of this to Israel when he said through the prophet Habakkuk;
HABAKKUK 2:4
4 "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.
This was further confirmed when God spoke through the apostle Paul, saying;
GALATIANS 3:11-12
11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."
Basically, anyone can follow the Torah and still not have faith in God. The author of Hebrews also understood this, when he said;
HEBREWS 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The sum of the issue is given in Romans;
ROMANS 4:1-22
1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin."
9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,
12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,
15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
17 (as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed, God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be."
19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.
20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
22 And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."
God looks at the spirit, the very heart of Man, not at the outward flesh. Circumcision was a reminder of the covenant given to Abram, a symbol, much as the communion covenant is a symbol, a reminder of a covenant made with God through the atoning death of His Son.
GENESIS 15:7-15
7 Then He said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it."
8 And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?"
9 So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.
11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.
13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
14 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
15 "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.
God prophesied that the Jews (Abram's descendants) would be slaves in Egypt for 400 years (four generations), after which they would be freed, and would come out with great riches. God would judge Egypt for it's wickedness and the Jews would return to the land God had promised to Abram.
(It is interesting to note that Egypt never again attained the glory, power and might it once had after the Jews left.)
God also promised Abram he would live to an old age and would die in peace.
GENESIS 15:16
16 "But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
God's mercy shows Him giving the Canaanites 400 years to turn away from their pagan idols and abominable practices before sentencing them to destruction. He would still give them further chances with all of the miracles He would perform in their sight when Israel invaded the Land.
GENESIS 15:17-21
17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.
18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates
19 "the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites,
20 "the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
21 "the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."
God in this covenant with Abram gives him all of the land between the Nile and the Euphrates rivers. This has not been fulfilled yet. The Jews have occupied parts of this land but never all of it. This will happen after Jesus Christ returns, during the 1,000 years that He will reign on Earth.
GENESIS 16:1-2
1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.
2 So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
BOTH Sarai and Abram doubted God's ability make it possible for them to have a baby together, by the fact that Abram listened to Sarai, and did what she said. (This was a custom of the times that when a wife was barren, she could give her maid to her husband, and any children born of that union would be considered as one born to the family).
GENESIS 16:3-4
3 Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.
4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.
Hagar became arrogant with her mistress Sarai, believing she was greater than Sarai because she carried Abram's child. She assumed that her child would inherit all of Abram's riches, apparently forgetting her place as a servant.
GENESIS 16:5-6
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between you and me."
6 So Abram said to Sarai, "Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please." And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.
I find it interesting that Sarai blamed Abram for Hagar's attitude, when she was the one who set up the situation in the first place. Abram wisely tells her to deal with Hagar as she saw fit, as a means to remind Hagar of her place as a servant. Sarai in turn takes her frustration and anger out on Hagar to the point of where Hagar ran away.
GENESIS 16:7-9
7 Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.
8 And He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai."
9 The Angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand."
Note that the Angel of the Lord calls her "Hagar, Sarai's maid", reminding her of her place in the household. He also tells her that she must return and obey her mistress as was her present place in life to do.
GENESIS 16:10-12
10 Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude."
11 And the Angel of the LORD said to her: "Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction.
12 He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
It is interesting to note that the Angel said "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly..." Angels cannot create, therefore this is God speaking to her, more than likely a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.
He also promises her that she and the baby will live, and that her son will be the father of many nations, just as God promised Abram.
I CHRONICLES 5:10
10 Now in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents throughout the entire area east of Gilead.
It is generally accepted that the Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael, and as history shows, their hand has been against all nations around them, just as God had prophesied.
Ishmael "God hears"
GENESIS 16:13-16
13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?"
14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
Hagar was astounded (and more than likely frightened) at seeing and hearing God. This fear would also enforce God's commandment for her to return to Sarai and Abram, as she would have understood that His promises to her hinged on her obedience.
Abram in turn must have believed her story, for he named her child Ishmael, as the Lord had commanded.
Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born.
"Beer Lahai Roi" means "The well of Him that lives and has seen me".
GENESIS 17:1-2
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
2 "And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."
Abram was 99, Sarai was 89 and Ishmael was 13 years old, when God reaffirmed His promise to multiply Abram greatly.
GENESIS 17:3-8
3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:
4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
5 "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
6 "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
8 "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
Abram "the father is exalted"
Abraham "father of multitudes" God will be the God for all of Abraham's descendants (Jews and believing Gentiles) forever.
God promises all the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants forever. Even though they have been kicked out over the years, the land still belongs to the descendants of Abraham.
Remembering that God had told Hagar that her son would be a wild man, whose hand would be against all men, it is more than likely true that Abraham understood that the line of Ishmael would not be the descendants that the Lord had promised him.
Ishmael, even though Abraham's legitimate son, was born out of unbelief, and was still the son of a servant, and God had previously told Abraham that a servant (in this case Eliezer his steward) would not be his heir.
Abraham more than likely also understood that if the land of Canaan were to be given to his descendants, it would not be given to Ishmael who was of Egyptian ancestry, which would give Egypt legal claim over Canaan.
God had also told Abraham;
GENESIS 15:13-14
13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Although Abraham more than likely didn't understand who the nation was that would afflict his descendants, this proves again that Ishmael would not be the heir of Canaan, as Ishmael was part Egyptian, and if Ishmael was to be in bondage in Egypt, he would be in bondage to his own people. Yet God had prophesied that Abraham's descendants would be "strangers in a land that was not theirs".
GENESIS 17:9-14
9 And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
10 "This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;
11 "and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 "He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.
13 "He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 "And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."
Jews today are still required to be circumcised. This is an EVERLASTING covenant, so that as long as there is still a physical descendant of Abraham, God's promise will remain.
Non-Jewish believers are required to be spiritually circumcised, in which the Lord separates the spirit from the flesh, giving the spirit dominance over the flesh to control it's sinful lusts.
Believing Gentiles are not physical but spiritual children of Abraham, adopted into God's family as are the Jews, so we are not accountable under this covenant. Therefore for believing Gentiles, circumcision is a choice, not a commandment. God will cut off from Himself any physical Jew not circumcised, for breaking this covenant.
It is fascinating to note that in male children, vitamin "K", the vitamin that causes clotting of blood reaches it's maximum in the bloodstream on the eighth day, therefore the eighth day is the best day for circumcision as clotting and healing would be at their peak on that day. Truly God knows His creations!
GENESIS 17:15-22
15 Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 "And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her."
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"
19 Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.
20 "And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
21 "But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year."
22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
Sarai "Jehovah is prince"
Sarah "Princess" She would be the mother of great nations.
Abraham must have been astounded to think that he and Sarah would still have a son at their advanced ages! His laughter was more from shock than disbelief I think. God also confirms that His promise would not be fulfilled through Egyptian Ishmael, son of a servant, but through Hebrew Isaac. Isaac (laughter) would bring joyous laughter to Abraham and Sarah in their old age.
I find it interesting that Ishmael would be the father of twelve tribes, just as Jacob would become the father of the twelve tribes of the Jews. And just as no Jew knows what tribe they are from today, neither can any Arab identify with any tribe that was descended from Ishmael, if they even still exist.
The ancient Middle East has been conquered by the Canaanites, Egyptians, Amorites, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Hittites, Midianites, kings of Mesopotamia and who knows who else, to the point of where the Arabic race is a vast mixture of many nations, and only the Lord knows who is descended from what original forefather.
Therefore no one can say for certain whether the present day Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael or not. But if they are, the bloodlines have been so diluted as to be virtually indistinguishable from those of previous conquering nations. Even so, the point is irrelevant, as the promise of the inheritance of Canaan was given to the descendants of Abraham through Isaac, not Ishmael, as we shall soon see.
GENESIS 17:23-27
23 So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;
27 and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
Abraham circumcised ALL the males in his household, including himself, demonstrating his obedience to God.
GENESIS 18:1-8
1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,
3 and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.
4 "Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
5 "And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant." They said, "Do as you have said."
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes."
7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.
8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Abraham apparently knew that this was the Lord who had visited him. It was not unusual for travelers to seek hospitality at a campsite as they traveled. Bedouin law dictated that guests were to be treated courteously and their needs attended to, for at any time the one visited could require hospitality in the future, possibly from those he had previously entertained.
Normally preparations for feeding unexpected guests was performed by servants, unless the host was too poor to have servants. Yet Abraham, who had 318 servants born in his household and trained in warfare (not including his other acquired household servants), personally selected a fatted calf, ordered preparations made and personally served the three men who came to him, showing their importance to him as honored guests.
What is unusual however, was that Abraham ran (at 99 years of age!) and fetched a calf from his flock for the visitors to eat. Normally this would be reserved for honored guests, and casual visitors would have been served fruits, nuts and bread. So therefore it is highly probable that Abraham understood that it was the Lord who visited him.
Knowledge that one of the visitors was the Lord is reinforced by the fact that Abraham, as great as he was, “bowed himself to the ground”, a form of respect and obeisance normally given to royalty and deities.
The fact that he prepared a choice, fatted calf specifically for their meal also indicates the tremendous importance of the visitors in Abraham’s estimation.
GENESIS 18:9-15
9 Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" So he said, "Here, in the tent."
10 And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son." (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?'
14 "Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
15 But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh!"
Sarah laughed, just as Abraham had, at the thought of Abraham and she having a baby at their advanced ages. God caught Sarah in a lie, but apparently understood her motive, as He didn't rebuke her.
I find it interesting that God said He would return at the "time of life". I think He was referring to when animals, namely cattle and sheep gave birth, which is in the Spring. This would make sense, as for example, 9 months from August is April, the usual time for animals to give birth. And Scripture states that it was "in the heat of the day: when the Lord appeared to Abraham, so this could place the time frame in the July-August period. But this is only speculation.
GENESIS 18:16-22
16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
17 And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18 "since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed in him?
19 "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him."
20 And the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
21 "I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know."
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.
Abraham knew of the wickedness of Sodom and the cities of the plain, and understood that the Lord was about to do something terrible to the cities. He obviously feared for Lot, his nephew and was about to express his concern before the Lord.
God also honored Abraham by telling him what he was about to do, knowing that Abraham would relate the details to his descendants so that they in turn would fear the Lord, knowing what God had done to the cities for the evidence of the coming destruction would be seen and known for many generations to come.
GENESIS 18:23-26
23 And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
25 "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right?"
26 So the LORD said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes."
Abraham was not rebuking the Lord, he was speaking out of fear, remembering that Lot was still in the city. God understood this, and therefore allowed Abraham to bargain for the lives of Lot and his family. God already knew that there weren't fifty righteous men within all of the cities, but He was willing to show His mercy even in judgment by allowing Abraham to plead for the people of the cities for the sake of his nephew, and binding Himself to His promise.
GENESIS 18:27-33
27 Then Abraham answered and said, "Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:
28 "Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?" So He said, "If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it."
29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose there should be forty found there?" So He said, "I will not do it for the sake of forty."
30 Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."
31 And he said, "Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty."
32 Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten."
33 So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
I believe that Abraham deep in his heart knew there weren't ten righteous men collectively within the cities, but he feared to bargain any more with the Lord, knowing that the Lord had shown monumental mercy in allowing Abraham to bargain at all.
He probably still entertained a desperate hope that there would be ten righteous men found within the cities, and all he could do was wait and see what would happen.
GENESIS 19:1
1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
Sodom was about 60 miles from where Abraham was living. Lot apparently recognized that these people weren't from Sodom. He bowed down before them, showing them honor as guests of the city.
Men of a city would usually sit at the gate of the city because...
1. They could see who was entering and leaving the city.
2. They would discuss issues of the city (like a city council meeting).
3. They would judge legal cases and issues (there was no other court system at that time) at the gates. This is an early version of being judged by your peers.
GENESIS 19:2-3
2 And he said, "Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will spend the night in the open square."
3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
Lot wanted to keep the visitors safe from the men of Sodom, which indicates that he knew the reputation of the men of the cities.
GENESIS 19:4-5
4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.
5 And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally."
The others sitting in the city gate with Lot spread the word to the rest of the city about the strangers going into Lot's house. And while the men didn't know who the angels were, Satan certainly did! Therefore Satan gathered the men of the city to try to defile the angel visitors. Chances are also that the visitors, being angels, were also good-looking men which would have excited the lust of the men of the city.
GENESIS 19:6-11
6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him,
7 and said, "Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!
8 "See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof."
9 And they said, "Stand back!" Then they said, "This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them." So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.
10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
Lot apparently vividly understood the consequences of mistreating visitors new to a city. Kings of the offended visitors many times went to war against the offenders and destroyed all within the city just for this reason.
Lot wasn't being unrighteous by offering his daughters, the Bedouin code of hospitality was still deeply ingrained within him. We can't judge him by our standards of conduct today, as laws and customs were far different back then.
It is interesting to note that even after the angels blinded the men, they were so demon-driven that they still tried to find the door, even though they had been struck blind. This also indicates that the demons within them were also blinded so that they too couldn't see where the door was located.
GENESIS 19:12-14
12 Then the men said to Lot, "Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, take them out of this place!
13 "For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it."
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
God had determined to spare Lot, his wife, their daughters and their husbands from the destruction to come. However, the husbands of his married daughters didn't listen to Lot. It is interesting to note that Lot went to the husbands of his daughters, as they were the heads of their households.
And just like Noah, God was willing to spare Lot's family for Lot's sake, even though Lot may have been the only righteous one in the city. Remember, Lot's wife was more than likely from Sodom, and his daughters had married citizens of the accursed city.
If the Lord were to visit our cities today, how many righteous would He find in them?
Note also, that God in His righteousness waited for the men of the city to display their corruption and wickedness before he determined to destroy the city. He had given them their chance.
Had they listened, He would have spared the cities. Jonah had prophesied that Nineveh, the capital of Assyria would be destroyed. Yet when the people from the king to the lowest servant repented before the Lord, He spared the city. As Scripture states;
JONAH 3:1-10
1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,
2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you."
3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent.
4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.
6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.
7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water.
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?
10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
Jesus Himself also said;
MATTHEW 11:20-24
20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:
21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 "But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
23 "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hell; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 "But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."
GENESIS 19:15-17
15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city."
16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed."
The gates of fortified cities such as Sodom were closed at night as protection against bandits and marauders. Therefore the angels waited until the gates were opened, and then dragged Lot and his family out of the city.
GENESIS 19:18-23
18 Then Lot said to them, "Please, no, my lords!
19 "Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.
20 "See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live."
21 And he said to him, "See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.
22 "Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun had risen upon the Earth when Lot entered Zoar.
Lot shows his unbelief by lingering in Sodom and saying he couldn't make it to the mountains, even though the angels had said they would wait until he reached the mountains. He then pleaded to go to Zoar ("little") about 20 miles from Sodom. Lot really didn't want to leave his home and business behind. Truly the call of material things is strong!
I find it interesting that the angel said he could not do anything until Lot was safe. Apparently he had received a command from the Lord that Lot was to be spared.
GENESIS 19:24-25
24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
Recent archaeological excavations in the area of the Dead Sea have uncovered ancient ruins of five cities located by the mouths of long-dried streams, showing that the land was once well-watered as the Bible says.
GENESIS 13:10-11
10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
Archaeologists studying the ruins of the cities on the south and eastern sides of the Dead Sea discovered that the cities had been destroyed by a tremendous firestorm and that the fires had started on the rooftops and had burned their way downward into the dwellings, showing that the source of the fire had come from above the cities.
Much of the area contains sulfur and asphalt, mixed with marl (a form of clay) and salt deposits. Archaeologists and geologists speculate that the area suffered a tremendous earthquake, which in turn lit off sulfur deposits which literally rained fire over the entire valley.
They also have noted that the once-lush valley has been a barren, salt-blasted wasteland, virtually uninhabited ever since the ancient destruction occurred.
GENESIS 19:26
26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Salt carried from the explosion of the sulfur deposits of the magnitude of that which destroyed the cities of the plain would probably have been traveling at about the speed of sound (about 650 mph). If she had been standing next to a rock wall she could have been literally encased in salt, therefore becoming a "pillar of salt". But this is only speculation. What is known however, is that the hand of God was removed from her, therefore Lot and his daughters who were more than likely standing close by were spared the same fate.
GENESIS 19:27-29
27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.
29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.
Abraham no doubt heard the explosions, and understood what had happened. He could also see the smoke from 60 miles away!!! The mountains in the area that was destroyed are covered with salt crystals. In ancient times, covering the ground with salt was a sign of a curse. (The Romans sowed the ground of the entire city of Jerusalem with salt when they destroyed the Temple in 70 A. D. This poisons the ground so nothing will grow for many years to come.)
Therefore God left the ground seeded with salt as a reminder of His curse upon the destroyed cities so that even when the cities had been buried over time, the salt would be a reminder of what had happened there.
GENESIS 19:30
30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.
Lot went to the mountains after seeing the destruction around him, just as the Angels had told him to do. I suspect he was afraid to dwell in Zoar for fear that Zoar would be destroyed also and he might not escape this time.
GENESIS 19:31-35
31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man on the Earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the Earth.
32 "Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father."
33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, "Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father."
35 Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
From the mountains the destruction must have been incredible to see. Lot's daughters believed they might be the only people left alive, so they planned incest to keep mankind alive. We would condemn them today, but if we were in the same situation, what would we do?
But these incestuous relationships were to be the cause of much suffering to Israel in the future!
GENESIS 19:36-38
36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.
37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.
38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.
Both daughters had children by their father:
Moab "from my father" became the Moabites
Ben-Ammi "son of my people" became the Ammonites
Both peoples were bitter enemies of Israel, and caused much suffering before Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar destroyed them as nations.
However, it is interesting to note that Ruth (King David's great grandmother) was a Gentile, a Moabite.
GENESIS 20:1-2
1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar.
2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
Abimelech was a Philistine king, looking for a political alliance with Abraham who was very rich and powerful. If Abimelech married Abraham's sister he would have the alliance he wanted, and such an alliance would void God's promise to give Abraham all of Canaan as a possession for his descendants. Again, Abraham didn't have faith in God's ability to protect him and repeated his sin with Abimelech, as he did with Pharaoh.
GENESIS 20:3-7
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, "Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife."
4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, "Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also?
5 "Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she, even she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this."
6 And God said to him in a dream, "Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.
7 "Now therefore, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours."
This shows how much God hates adultery, and would have destroyed Abimelech and his people if he had touched Sarah. But Abimelech had taken Sarah in innocence, and God understood this, and in His mercy kept Abimelech from doing anything wrong. Although the Scriptures don't say as much, God must have been furious with Abraham for his treachery, especially after the incident with Pharaoh.
GENESIS 20:8-16
8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.
9 And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done."
10 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?"
11 And Abraham said, "Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.
12 "But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
13 "And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, 'This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'"
14 Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him.
15 And Abimelech said, "See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you."
16 Then to Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody." Thus she was rebuked.
Abimelech was a badly frightened man, and apparently thought Abraham sought to destroy him, and take his kingdom. And he was right, Abraham should never have sinned as he did, for while he told the truth about Sarah being his sister, he withheld the entire truth in the matter, therefore bringing sin upon an innocent Abimelech.
Abimelech as a ransom for his life and the life of his people gave Abraham a thousand pieces of silver, and sharply rebuked Sarah for her part in the deception. Abimelech, still afraid of Abraham and God who protected him, gave Abraham permission to dwell in his land wherever he wished.
GENESIS 20:17-18
17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children;
18 for the LORD had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
Abraham prayed to God (and no doubt repented of his sin) and God blessed Abimelech for his obedience and innocence. If he had consummated his marriage to Sarah, his line would have perished for God would have killed all of the males in his household, and would have kept his wife from having any more children, therefore ending his family line.
GENESIS 21:1-7
1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.
2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him whom Sarah bore to him Isaac.
4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me."
7 She also said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age."
In the ancient Middle East, if a woman didn't bear children, especially male children, she was despised in the eyes of society, for she was considered to be cursed, not bearing male children to perpetuate the nation. And the birth of a male child was a time of great rejoicing for the family, and friends of the family.
Therefore with the birth of Isaac, her reproach, either real or perceived, was taken away. Therefore she rejoiced, and laughed at his birth. And by this, they both knew that God had kept His promise to them.
GENESIS 21:8-10
8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.
10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."
God brought this about to separate Isaac from Ishmael, for if they had continued to live together, Ishmael would have either killed Isaac, or would have dominated him, being the eldest son. Sarah understood this, and took measures to protect her son.
GENESIS 21:11-13
11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.
12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.
13 "Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed."
Abraham apparently loved Ishmael, and didn't want to send him or Hagar away. But this was God's plan, so that Ishmael, who would become great in his own right, would not inherit the blessings given to Abraham as he was not the legitimate heir to Abraham's legacy.
GENESIS 21:14-21
14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.
15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs.
16 Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, "Let me not see the death of the boy." So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18 "Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation."
19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.
20 So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
21 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Beersheba "well of oaths"
Ishmael would live to have 12 sons from an Egyptian wife. The 12 tribes became the original Arabs, but they either died out centuries ago, or became so intermixed with later conquering nations that the bloodlines are virtually indistinguishable.
GENESIS 21:22-27
22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do.
23 "Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt."
24 And Abraham said, "I will swear."
25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech's servants had seized.
26 And Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today."
27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.
Again, Abimelech shows himself to be an honorable man in the fact that he swears to Abraham that he knew nothing of the incident of the well. He also had seen that the Lord had blessed Abraham in everything, and understood that Abraham's descendants would someday be more powerful than his own nation. Therefore he asked for an oath of peace between Abimelech's people and Abraham's people.
GENESIS 21:28-34
28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29 Then Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?"
30 And he said, "You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well."
31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.
32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.
Abraham shows Abimelech by an oath that he dug the well, so that Abimelech would command that the well be returned to Abraham. Abraham trusted that Abimelech would keep his word, especially in the presence of Phichol, the chief of Abimelech's army, who would enforce the commandments of Abimelech.
GENESIS 22:1
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
The Hebrew word “nissah” (tempt) here literally means "To put to the test". After Abraham's treachery to Pharaoh and Abimelech, God decides to test Abraham's faith to see if he has learned to trust God.
GENESIS 22:2
2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."
This must have hit Abraham like a baseball bat. God had given him a son in his old age, and now was asking him to sacrifice that only son as a burnt offering to God. Abraham must have been sick at heart, and we can only imagine his shock and anguish at God's commandment.
Tradition states that this is also the site upon which the two Temples have been built, and where the coming Third temple will be erected. It is interesting to note that inside the Dome of the Rock resides the stone upon which Abraham is said to have laid Isaac.
In this stone is a carved square depression which corresponds roughly to the dimensions of the Ark of the Covenant, and could very well have been where the Ark rested when Solomon brought the Ark into the First Temple.
GENESIS 22:3-5
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."
A day's walk was about 20 miles. They walked about 60 miles before they could even see the place where God wanted Abraham to go sacrifice. This allowed Abraham plenty of time to think about his commitment and to change his mind. I doubt that he got any sleep during those three nights. Jesus Himself said;
LUKE 14:26-35
26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
27 "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it
29 "lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
30 "saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'
31 "Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32 "Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.
33 "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
34 "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?
35 "It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
Jesus didn't mean to literally hate your wife, family or children, He was merely establishing priorities. He must be obeyed in all things, and our obedience and loyalty must be first to Him, as is right. We love and honor God, and His Son is to be honored and respected as we do the Father.
Remember His words to the Asian church of Laodicea, in what is today southern Turkey;
REVELATION 3:14-22
14 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
16 "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
17 "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,
18 "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
19 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
21 "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'"
Note that Jesus says that those who are "lukewarm" will be vomited from His mouth. It boils down to the fact that you are either for Him, or against Him. There is no neutral ground.
GENESIS 22:6-10
6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.
7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Here is the greatest test that a man could ever have to face. The horror of realization in Isaac's eyes, the tears of Abraham, the heartbreaking decision of having to sacrifice his only son to God without knowing why such a thing was required of him........ at his advanced age, it is a literal miracle that his heart didn't give out on him.
But it was also the ultimate test of his faith, in that he believed that God had a purpose in what He did, and that somehow God would be able to keep His promise to Abraham that Isaac would be the inheritor of the promise of God to his descendants.
GENESIS 22:11-12
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am."
12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
Abraham had passed the test. 3,000 years later, God Himself would be faced with the very same test, sending His only Son to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. But unlike Abraham, He in His love would give up His own Son to be tortured and killed in hideous fashion so that Man would be free of sin, and could inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and inherit eternal life.
GENESIS 22:13-19
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided."
15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,
16 and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son
17 "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18 "In your seed all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."
19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
Jehovah jireh "the Lord will provide" Note : God swore by Himself as there is no higher authority.
And note especially that the "Angel of the Lord" was God Himself, in this case the second person of the Godhead, namely Jesus Christ. An angel could not swear by himself as the highest authority in creation, only God can do that. And God would not give such authority to angels, as it would make them equal with God, and it is such authority that Satan covets.
Therefore the "Angel of the Lord" spoken of in Scripture is the second person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ who is equal with God, yet individually separate.
GENESIS 22:20-24
20 Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, "Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:
21 "Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 "Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel."
23 And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah.
Milcah (Abraham's niece by his brother Haran) married Nahor (Abraham's brother and Milcah's uncle). Milcah had 8 children.; Reumah (Nahor's concubine) had 4 children.
GENESIS 23:1-7
1 Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2 So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,
4 "I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight."
5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
6 "Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead."
7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.
The sons of Heth paid Abraham a great honor in offering their own sepulchers which they had cut into the rock at great expense for the burial of Sarah. It was a custom of the land to cut your own sepulcher and prepare it before you died so that you could be buried in a tomb without causing great expense to your family when you died. It would also already be prepared at your death, as in the Middle East climate, bodies decompose rather rapidly and time was of the essence in burial.
GENESIS 23:8-20
8 And he spoke with them, saying, "If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me,
9 "that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you."
10 Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,
11 "No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!"
12 Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land;
13 and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, "If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there."
14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
15 "My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead."
16 And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.
17 So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded
18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20 So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.
Ephron was willing to freely give the burial cave to Abraham. Abraham insisted on paying a fair price for it (400 shekels equals roughly 10 pounds of silver), for then it would belong to Abraham forever. The sons of Heth were witness to the deal and understood that the cave and the land surrounding it would belong to Abraham forever.
GENESIS 24:1-9
1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please, put your hand under my thigh,
3 "and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the Earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;
4 "but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac."
5 And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?"
6 But Abraham said to him, "Beware that you do not take my son back there.
7 "The LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I give this land,' He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
8 "And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there."
9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
The custom of the time (and still exists in many cultures today) was for the parents to choose spouses for their children. Many times such choices were made for political or economic reasons, rather than by a show of love between the two individuals.
Abraham was well aware of the spiritual implications of Isaac's marrying a Canaanite woman.
Which brings up an interesting point. Which city of Ur did Abraham come from?
While most scholars believe that Abraham came from the great royal city-state of Ur in southern Mesopotamia far to the south of Babylon in what would be today southern Iraq, there was also a northern city of Ur, just below the border of present-day Turkey.
This would better fit the location for the place where Abraham came from, for the northern city of Ur is mentioned frequently in documents from the ancient empire city-states of Mari, Ebla, and the Hittite capital of Hattusha. 18th century B.C. documents record that the northern city of Ur was ruled by an Amorite prince.
Abraham is recorded in Scripture as being a nomad, who wandered the land of Canaan with his flocks and herds, moving when pasture was used up in the location where he was residing. If he had been living in the royal city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia, it seems doubtful that he would have lived in such a lifestyle, for Ur was a thriving cosmopolitan city, geared more toward merchant commerce, than to shepherd/nomadic lifestyles.
However if Abraham had lived in the northern city of Ur which had a more rustic pastoral setting, he could have been a herdsman already, and the nomadic lifestyle would have come naturally to him.
Hold that thought for a moment.
GENESIS 24:10-15
10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
11 And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.
12 Then he said, "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13 "Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
14 "Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink, let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."
15 And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.
Note that the servant went to the city of Nahor, which although it's exact location is unknown, it is known that the city was in northern Mesopotamia, more than likely close to the northern city of Ur.
God had told Abram to leave his father's house, and to go to a land that He would show him. At the time, they lived in Haran in northen Mesopotamia, just south of present-day Turkey. It is highly unlikely that Terah, Abram's father would have traveled thousands of miles from southern Ur with his flocks north to Haran, as many of the animals would not have survived such a long journey. That, and robbers frequented the trade routes, and such a group would have presented a nearly irresistible target for them. Therefore I think it is more likely that Abram's family came from the northern city of Ur, to the northeast of Haran.
GENESIS 24:16-28
16 Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.
17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher."
18 So she said, "Drink, my lord." Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.
19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking."
20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
21 And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold,
23 and said, "Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father's house for us to lodge?"
24 So she said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah's son, whom she bore to Nahor."
25 Moreover she said to him, "We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge."
26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD.
27 And he said, "Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren."
28 So the young woman ran and told her mother's household these things.
This shows God's power and purpose in that He led Abram's servant directly to Abram's relatives in Haran, and had answered the servant's prayer. Isaac and Rebekah were actually second cousins. God confirmed the servant's request literally word for word regarding Isaac's future wife, so there would be no mistake as to whom she would be.
The servant although a Syrian (he was from Damascus) worshiped and thanked God for His answer, showing that God will accept all who worship Him from a sincere heart.
The nose ring and the golden bracelets were instruments of betrothal of that time, and the fact that they were made of solid gold showed the worth of the suitor requesting the young woman's hand.
GENESIS 24:29-52
29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well.
30 So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, "Thus the man spoke to me," that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well.
31 And he said, "Come in, O blessed of the LORD! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels."
32 Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
33 Food was set before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told about my errand." And he said, "Speak on."
34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant.
35 "The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
36 "And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has.
37 "Now my master made me swear, saying, 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell;
38 'but you shall go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.'
39 "And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.'
40 "But he said to me, 'The LORD, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house.
41 'You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.'
42 "And this day I came to the well and said, 'O LORD God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go,
43 'behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, "Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,"
44 'and she says to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,"let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master's son.'
45 "But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, 'Please let me drink.'
46 "And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.' So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.
47 "Then I asked her, and said, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
48 "And I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
49 "Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left."
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you either bad or good.
51 "Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the LORD has spoken."
52 And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
Bethuel, being Rebekah's father was the one who had to give permission for Rebekah to go with Abraham’s servant. The fact that the servant said that Abraham was his master, and recited all that had happened concerning Rebekah swayed Bethuel in the matter. And by the fact that Laban was living with Bethuel his father put him under Bethuel's authority, so he had no control over what was going on.
I find it interesting that they wouldn't say anything either good or bad in the matter, so we have no idea what they really thought.
Bethuel - house of God
Laban - "white"
GENESIS 24:53
53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.
It was a custom of the time for a suitor to bring a "dowry", a series of gifts or an amount of money to the father or the family of a woman who was getting married so as to compensate the family for the loss of the young lady. By "loss", it is meant that by her leaving her father's house, her normal duties would have to be done by other members of the household. Therefore the dowry was a gift of compensation.
GENESIS 24:54-61
54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, "Send me away to my master."
55 But her brother and her mother said, "Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go."
56 And he said to them, "Do not hinder me, since the LORD has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master."
57 So they said, "We will call the young woman and ask her personally."
58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go."
59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: "Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; and may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them."
61 Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
Rebekah apparently had no problem with leaving the house and going to meet her prospective husband! Note that the term "a few days" actually meant months! Bethuel and Laban wanted to keep Rebekah for about another year to get as much work from her as they could. Perhaps this is why she was so willing to leave, as she knew this?
GENESIS 24:62-67
62 Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South.
63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming.
64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;
65 for she had said to the servant, "Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." So she took a veil and covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Isaac was dwelling at the well (Beer Lahai-Roi) where God spoke to Hagar after she fled from Sarai. Note that she immediately covered herself when she saw her fiancé. Perhaps this is where we get the tradition of the "bridal veil" that brides wear at the wedding ceremony when they are about to be married to their future husband.
This brings up an interesting point. There has been much controversy over many years concerning the term "virgin" as used in the Scriptures, especially when referring to the prophecy of the virgin birth of the Messiah in Isaiah 7:14.
ISAIAH 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Jewish Rabbis and scholars vehemently state that the term translated as "virgin" strictly means "young woman" and does not refer to virgin status.
The term for "virgin" used in Isaiah is "'almah". Hold that thought for a moment.
In this chapter, there are two words used for virgin, namely "betheulah" (verse 16) and "'almah" (verse 43).
The question now arises as to why the servant would use two different expressions for "virgin" when referring to Rebekah?
The only thing that makes sense, is if "betheulah" actually refers to a young woman who is assumed to be a virgin, but not proven so.
This would be the case of Abraham's servant, for in meeting Rebekah he had no idea as to whether she had ever been engaged to a man, or had been married. Hence the addition of the expression of "no man had known her" in verse 16. If "betheulah" really meant "virgin", there would be no need for the added description.
In verse 43 the servant uses the term "'almah" in reference to Rebekah with no added descriptions, meaning that he knew she was indeed a virgin, and had not ever been engaged to any man. Therefore the term "almah" would indicate a young woman who is a proven virgin. This is the term used in Isaiah 7:14 above showing that the Messiah would be born of a proven virgin.
The term "'almah" also is translated as "private" or "veiled", again reinforcing the concept that Rebekah was a virgin, and that no man had "known" her. The fact that she immediately covered herself with a veil when she saw Isaac reinforces the term "veiled" also, much as a bride today wears a veil when she is about to be married to her future husband.
GENESIS 25:1-4
1 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
2 And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.
4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
Abraham must have been about 140 years old when he married Keturah! Not only that, but he had another 6 sons! However remember, it was through ISAAC that the promise was made concerning Abraham's descendants.
Keturah (Abraham's 2nd wife) "incense"
Sons by Keturah
Zimran "celebrated"
Jokshan "fowler"
Medan "judgement"
Midian "contention" Became the Midianites
Ishbak "Leaning; free" Became a north Arabian tribe.
Shuah "depression"
Sons of Jokshan:
Sheba "oath; covenant" Settled in present-day Yemen
Dedan "low" Settled in western Saudi Arabia, bordering the gulf of Aquaba
Sons of Dedan:
Asshurim "level plain" Possibly became the Assyrians
Letushim "hammered"
Leummim "nations"
Sons of Midian:
Ephah "obscurity"
Epher "calf; young deer"
Hanoch "dedicated"
Abida "father of knowledge"
Eldaah "whom God calls"
GENESIS 25:5-6
5 And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.
6 But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.
Abraham loved his other sons and gave gifts to them before he died. But he also knew all the inheritance and the land of Canaan would go to Isaac as God had commanded. He sent his other sons into Saudi Arabia, east of Canaan, to stop any strife between his other sons and Isaac.
GENESIS 25:7-11
7 This is the sum of the years of Abraham's life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years.
8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite,
10 the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.
11 And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi.
Abraham lived for 175 years! It is a sign of the honor and respect to Abraham that Isaac and Ishmael put aside their differences and both buried their father in the same burial cave as Sarah.
GENESIS 25:12-18
12 Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maidservant, bore to Abraham.
13 And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
15 Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16 These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations.
17 These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.
18 (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in the presence of all his brethren.
God fulfilled His promise to Ishmael and gave him 12 sons, all who lived on the western coast of Saudi Arabia. Ishmael lived 137 years, and died in the presence of his children, and the descendants of Abraham whom he had sent to western Saudi Arabia (his brethren).
Ishmael's 12 sons:
Nebajoth "husbandry"
Massa "Burden"
Kedar "powerful"
Hadar "thunderer"
Adbeel "languishing for God"
Tema "sun burnt"
Mibsam "sweet odor"
Jetur "encircled or enclosed"
Mishma "fame"
Naphish "numerous"
Dumah "silence"
Kedemah "eastward"
GENESIS 25:19-20
19 This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac.
20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.
Note carefully here that both Bethuel and Laban are called "the Syrian". Syria lies just below Turkey, and would have been the country in which the northern city of Ur was located. The southern city of Ur lies far to the south in present-day Iraq.
Therefore with Bethuel and Laban being called "the Syrian", this would make it almost 100% certain that the northern city of Ur was the location of Abraham's birth.
GENESIS 25:21-26
21 Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger."
24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.
26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. Twenty years later his twin sons, Esau and Jacob, were born.
Esau "hairy" became the Edomites. King Herod the Great, ruler of Judea when Jesus was born was an Edomite, of a branch that had converted to Judaism. (The Greeks called them Idumeans; therefore Herod is listed as an Idumean).
Jacob "supplanter" (heel catcher) He became "Israel" father of the tribes of Israelites.
GENESIS 25:27-34
27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.
28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.
30 And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom ("Red") .
31 But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day."
32 And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?"
33 Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Some think that Esau had red hair, but the Scripture calls him "Edom" (red) because of the stew for which he sold his birthright. Apparently he saw little use of a birthright for he was wrapped up in his own prowess as a hunter and gave little thought to the future.
However Jacob had apparently thought hard on the issue, and set up his brother to lose what Esau didn't consider to be important.
GENESIS 26:1-6
1 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.
2 Then the LORD appeared to him and said: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.
3 "Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
4 "And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed;
5 "because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws."
6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
Egypt had been long known as the breadbasket of the area, because even during times of famine. The Nile river usually provided enough irrigation water to produce crops enough to feed it's people. Even though there was a famine Isaac believed God would provide and stayed there in Gerar, as God had commanded.
GENESIS 26:7-11
7 And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, "She is my sister"; for he was afraid to say, "She is my wife," because he thought, "lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold."
8 Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife.
9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, "Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac said to him, "Because I said, 'Lest I die on account of her.'"
10 And Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us."
11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
Poor Abimelech........ first Abraham, then years later, Isaac does the same thing!
I'm certain that Abimelech remembered when God appeared to him in a dream, telling him he was a dead man because he had taken Sarah into his house with the intention of marrying her. Not knowing that she was Abraham's wife, Abimelech protested his innocence to the Lord, truthfully saying that Abraham had said that Sarah was only his sister. God revealed that He had not allowed Abimelech to touch her, because He knew Abimelech was guiltless in the matter.
GENESIS 26:12-14
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.
13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;
14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.
This shows the fulfillment of God's blessings to Isaac by causing him to reap a hundredfold in crops in the midst of a famine!
GENESIS 26:15-22
15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth.
16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we."
17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.
19 Also Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there.
20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours." So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him.
21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah.
22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, "For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."
Esek "Contention"
Sitnah "Strife"
Rehoboth "Broad places"
The Philistines broke the covenant Abraham made with them, which was to last for 3 generations. Fearful of Isaac's prosperity and political power they tried to sabotage Isaac by filling in the wells Abraham had dug. However, God kept his promise to take care of Isaac by providing for him wherever he went.
The well called "Esek" must have been a rare and much-prized "artesian" well, in which water under pressure fountains out of the ground, much like a spring. The Scriptural description specifically mentions "running water", unlike the other wells mentioned.
That would explain why the well was fought over by the Philistines, for such a well would not need a deep plastered shaft as most wells do, but it's waters could be drawn from the surface of the ground. (Well shafts were coated with plaster to keep the water from seeping through the sides, and being lost.)
GENESIS 26:23-25
23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba.
24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham's sake."
25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.
Isaac was tireless in his digging for wells, it seems! This also shows that the area he dwelt in had little running water, although it seems that the water table was fairly close to the surface. Note that the Scriptures don't mention Isaac complaining to the Lord about the actions of the Philistines.
GENESIS 26:26-31
26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army.
27 And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?"
28 But they said, "We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you,
29 'that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.'"
30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.
31 Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
I believe that Abimelech was afraid that Isaac would take revenge for what his people had done to Isaac and his people. Abimelech from his dream knew that God was real, and knew that God had blessed Abraham and Isaac.
Therefore out of fear of the Lord and Isaac he made a covenant with Isaac, even though his people had driven Isaac away and had stopped all of the wells that Abraham had dug. I think Isaac thought it would be better to make peace with the Philistine king, than to risk all on a costly regional war. Besides, Isaac seems to have been a man of peace.
GENESIS 26:32-35
32 It came to pass the same day that Isaac's servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water."
33 So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.
35 And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.
Beersheba "Well of the Oath"
Apparently Isaac called the well they dug the "Well of the Oath' as a pointed reminder to the Philistines of the oath they had made with him. Abimelech and his people had broken the oath made with Abraham concerning the wells Abraham had dug, and Isaac named the well to remind the Philistines of the reason for it's existence.
Esau rebelled and choose 2 Canaanite women (Hittites) as wives. Isaac and Rebekah were apparently aware of the spiritual implications and were not at all happy with the result. He had also chosen the women on his own, instead of having his father choose a wife for him from his own kindred.
GENESIS 27:1-4
1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." And he answered him, "Here I am."
2 Then he said, "Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.
3 "Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
4 "And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die."
Isaac knows his life is getting short and calls Esau to give him the birthright blessing reserved for the oldest child. From the sounds of it, Isaac had cataracts in his eyes.
GENESIS 27:5-29
5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.
6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,
7 'Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.'
8 "Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.
9 "Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.
10 "Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death."
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man.
12 "Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing."
13 But his mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me."
14 And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.
15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 So he went to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"
19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me."
20 But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" And he said, "Because the LORD your God brought it to me."
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."
22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.
24 Then he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am."
25 He said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son."
27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed.
28 Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the Earth, and plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!"
Rebekah apparently remembered the prophecy from the Lord that the elder child would serve the younger, and decided to personally make sure the prophecy happened. I suspect that she may have arranged the deception to get back at Esau for his choice of wives, and probably knew of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew.
Isaac may have remembered the prophecy also, which made him suspicious of the identity of Jacob. I don't think he knew about the selling of the birthright.
God would have arranged for Esau to serve Jacob in His own way, but Rebekah took that choice away from Him, preferring to ensure that it happened before Isaac's death. If we try to make God's prophecies come true ourselves, invariably we will make a mess of things, as Jacob will soon find out.
I think God may have allowed Jacob to deceive Isaac as a punishment for his treachery to Abimelech, but I am only guessing here.
GENESIS 27:30-35
30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, "Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that your soul may bless me."
32 And his father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" So he said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."
33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, "Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him and indeed he shall be blessed."
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, me also, O my father!"
35 But he said, "Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing."
Now the awful truth dawns on Esau. He will never attain the greatness of Isaac, for in selling his birthright, Jacob has inherited God's blessing to Abraham and Isaac.
GENESIS 27:36-40
36 And Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!" And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?"
37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?"
38 And Esau said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me, me also, O my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: "Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the Earth, and of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck."
Esau and Isaac discover the deception, but it is too late. Once the blessing is given, it can't be revoked. The blessing and the birthright are interwoven, in which the owner of the birthright inherits the 'lion's share' of the blessing. Isaac gave Esau the smaller of the blessings, saying that Esau will never settle down but will roam the Earth as a wandering hunter.
He will also be under Jacobs authority for a while, but one day he will break free and come into his own.
I note also Esau's "short memory" in which he blames Jacob for "taking away" his birthright. I seem to remember a different story.........
GENESIS 27:41-45
41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob."
42 And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, "Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.
43 "Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.
44 "And stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away,
45 "until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?"
Esau figured that by killing Jacob he will have revenge, and with the death of Jacob the blessing of Isaac will revert to him. Apparently a servant overheard Esau's muttered threat and reported back to Rebekah.
GENESIS 27:46
46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?"
Rebekah fashions an excuse for sending Jacob away for a while, saying that the Hittite wives of Esau were wearing her out.
Jacob was sent to his uncle's for:
1) Refuge from Esau's hatred and possible revenge.
2) To keep Jacob from marrying a Canaanite (as Esau had done).
GENESIS 28:1-5
1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.
2 "Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.
3 "May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples;
4 And give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham."
5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Padan Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
Isaac agrees with Rebekah about Jacob not marrying a Canaanite. He reaffirms his blessing and the blessing of God to Abraham and sends him to Laban his uncle.
"Laban" - "White" in the Syriac dialect
GENESIS 28:6-9
6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,"
7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram.
8 Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac.
9 So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.
Esau thought that if he married in the family his parents would be happier, so he married a daughter of Ishmael. He still hoped to receive some kind of grace from his father it seems.
GENESIS 28:10-22
10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.
11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.
12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the Earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
14 "Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the Earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the Earth shall be blessed.
15 "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."
17 And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"
18 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.
19 And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,
21 "so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God.
22 "And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."
God personally reaffirms to Jacob the promises to Abraham and Isaac, and promises to bring Jacob back to Canaan. Jacob marks the place and anoints it, calling it "Beth-El", meaning "House of God".
Jacob then promises a tithe to God, apparently remembering the story of Abraham giving a tenth of his riches to Melchizedek.
GENESIS 29:1-14
1 So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East.
2 And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well's mouth.
3 Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well's mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well's mouth.
4 And Jacob said to them, "My brethren, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from Haran."
5 Then he said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?" And they said, "We know him."
6 So he said to them, "Is he well?" And they said, "He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep."
7 Then he said, "Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."
8 But they said, "We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep."
9 Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.
12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebekah's son. So she ran and told her father.
13 Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things.
14 And Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." And he stayed with him for a month.
Jacob must have been quite stricken with Rachel! Apparently Bethuel's family had beautiful women in it, for Isaac had fallen for his daughter Rebekah, Rachel's aunt, and Jacob fell for Rachel, Bethuel's granddaughter.
GENESIS 29:15-30
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?"
16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance.
18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter."
19 And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."
20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."
22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast.
23 Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.
24 And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.
25 So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?"
26 And Laban said, "It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
27 "Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years."
28 Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.
29 And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid.
30 Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.
God repaid Jacob for his treachery to Esau by causing Laban to deceive him in return by giving Jacob Leah instead of Rachel as his wife. He had worked for seven years for her, but had not slept with either daughter to this point.
And Laban had acted quite shrewdly in the matter, as he knew Leah wasn't as beautiful as Rachel, and he would have difficulty marrying her to a man. So he got seven years of labor from Jacob, and married off Leah at the same time.
And after Jacob had fulfilled Leah's "week" (honeymoon of sorts), Laban also gave Rachel to him on the promise that Jacob would serve him another seven years.
GENESIS 29:31-35
31 When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
32 So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, "The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me."
33 Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon.
34 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi.
35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
Poor Leah.... She obviously knew that Jacob didn't love her nearly as much as Rachel, if at all. She depended on the desperate hope that Jacob would come to love her because she had given him strong sons.
God, knowing and caring, caused her to bear the children so she would not be ashamed, for being barren at that time was a mark of shame for a woman as she was deemed to be cursed by God.
Leah's sons:
Reuben "behold a son"
Simeon "hearing"
Levi "joined"
Judah "praise" This is the line through which both David and Jesus would come.
GENESIS 30:1-6
1 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die!"
2 And Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
3 So she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her."
4 Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.
5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
6 Then Rachel said, "God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.
Being barren in the culture that Jacob and Rachel lived in was considered to be a curse from God. Therefore barren women were looked down upon by society, as they were not considered to be contributing children to the nation.
Both must have been aware of the problems that developed when Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham as his wife. Either Rachel didn't learn from the story, or she might have thought "It worked for her, it will work for me!" Jealousy leads people to do things they wouldn't normally consider sometimes.
GENESIS 30:7-8
7 And Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 Then Rachel said, "With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed." So she called his name Naphtali.
Note that Rachel blames Leah for her problem of being barren, instead of enquiring of God in the matter.
Bilhah "tender"
Bilhah's sons:
Dan "judge"
Naphtali "wrestling"
GENESIS 30:9-13
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.
10 And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
11 Then Leah said, "A troop comes!" So she called his name Gad.
12 And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.
13 Then Leah said, "I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed." So she called his name Asher.
What a household! Jacob must have been driven to distraction by the jealous behavior of his wives! And yet none of them went to the Lord for counsel.
Zilpah "myrrh droppings" (Myrrh was a sweet, aromatic incense resin from a small tree)
Zilpah's sons:
Gad "fortune"
Asher "happy"
GENESIS 30:14-16
14 Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
15 But she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes."
16 When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes." And he lay with her that night.
Jacob should have put an end to the bickering of his wives at this point. It must have been a tremendous humiliation to come in from the field after a hard day's work, and learn that your wives had bargained with vegetables for your affections! But this may have been God's way of exacting punishment on Jacob for his causing Esau to bargain away his birthright.
GENESIS 30:17-21
17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.
18 Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband." So she called his name Issachar.
19 Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.
20 And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she called his name Zebulun.
21 Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
Leah's 5th and 6th sons and her only daughter:
Issachar "reward"
Zebulun "dwelling"
Dinah "justice"
GENESIS 30:22-24
22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach."
24 So she called his name Joseph, and said, "The LORD shall add to me another son."
Rachel's 1st son.
Joseph "increaser"
GENESIS 30:25-28
25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country.
26 "Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you."
27 And Laban said to him, "Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake."
28 Then he said, "Name me your wages, and I will give it."
Jacob's 14 years of service to Laban are finished, and he wants to leave to become the head of his own household. However Laban, ever greedy, knows that the blessings he has received have been for Jacob's sake, and is afraid if Jacob leaves, the blessings will depart with him.
GENESIS 30:29-36
29 So Jacob said to him, "You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me.
30 "For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the LORD has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?"
31 So he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks:
32 "Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages.
33 "So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me."
34 And Laban said, "Oh, that it were according to your word!"
35 So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
36 Then he put three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.
Jacob knows Laban and the treachery of which he is capable. Rather than accept money from Laban which would give Laban control over his wages, Jacob shrewdly agrees to take the seemingly worthless spotted and speckled sheep and goats of Laban's herds as his wages, and agrees to continue to work for Laban.
In this way, Jacob knows God will continue to bless him apart from Laban, and Jacob will have the start of his own flocks and herds.
GENESIS 30:37-40
37 Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods.
38 And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.
39 So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.
40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban's flock.
Jacob ensures that the spotted and streaked goats and sheep of Laban's flocks bred to produce more spotted and streaked livestock than the white ones, decreasing the value of Laban's flocks.
GENESIS 30:41-43
41 And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
42 But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's.
43 Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
Jacob does a little "selective breeding", ensuring that the stronger, healthier sheep and goats of his own flocks breed more often that those of Laban, basically repaying Laban in kind for his treacheries.
GENESIS 31:1-13
1 Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has acquired all this wealth."
2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before.
3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you."
4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock,
5 and said to them, "I see your father's countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.
6 "And you know that with all my might I have served your father.
7 "Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.
8 "If he said thus: 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: 'The streaked shall be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked.
9 "So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.
10 "And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted.
11 "Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here I am.'
12 "And He said, 'Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.
13 'I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.'"
Jacob knows that the time to depart has come, and he fears that if he stays, Laban and his sons may plan harm to him. Through the provenance of God he has siphoned Laban's flocks from him, in the fact that whenever Laban changed his mind as to the nature of Jacob's wages, (spotted, streaked, speckled animals), that is what the flocks bore.
God, also knowing Laban's heart, tells Jacob it is time to go.
GENESIS 31:14-21
14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
15 "Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money.
16 "For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children's; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it."
17 Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels.
18 And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father's.
20 And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee.
21 So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead.
Leah and Rachel knew that Laban had been treacherous in his dealings with Jacob. They also knew that even though Laban was their father and part of the inheritance of Bethuel was theirs, Laban had consumed it all and there was nothing left for them. Therefore they rightly believed that what God had given to Jacob of Laban's wealth belonged to them and their children as their inheritance.
However, Rachel had stolen their father's idols, which may seem insignificant. However, back then, whoever owned the family idols, was the master of the house. Therefore in stealing the idols, Rachel had made Jacob Laban's master.
GENESIS 31:22-24
22 And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.
23 Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days' journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.
24 But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, "Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad."
Laban obviously planned harm to Jacob, but God warns him to deal fairly with Jacob, to neither condemn him, or try to deceive him through flattery.
GENESIS 31:25-30
25 So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead.
26 And Laban said to Jacob: "What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword?
27 "Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp?
28 "And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing.
29 "It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.'
30 "And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?"
Laban speaks honestly to Jacob, venting his anger at Jacob's seeming betrayal. Note that he said, "I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp"... he said he might, not that he would have done so. Again, his treachery comes to the fore.
He also lets Jacob know that his original intention was to do harm to Jacob, and his only reason for refraining was because of the intervention of the Lord.
And I find it incredible that even though God Himself spoke to Laban, Laban is concerned about his household idols! He obeys God, yet still wants to serve idols. No man can serve God and Satan.
GENESIS 31:31-35
31 Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said, 'Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.'
32 "With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you." For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 And Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the two maids' tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent.
34 Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them.
35 And she said to her father, "Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me." And he searched but did not find the household idols.
Rachel comes up with an ingenious idea to keep Laban from finding the idols in her camel's saddle. She tells him it is "her time of the month", and is unclean, therefore Laban would not search her saddle.
GENESIS 31:36-42
36 Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me?
37 "Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both!
38 "These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.
39 "That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
40 "There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes.
41 "Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
42 "Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night."
Jacob blows his stack, and roundly chews out Laban, detailing all of Laban's treacherous dealings to Jacob and his family. And Jacob is careful to give the Lord credit for all of the blessings they had both received.
GENESIS 31:43-55
43 And Laban answered and said to Jacob, "These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?
44 "Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me."
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.
46 Then Jacob said to his brethren, "Gather stones." And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.
47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 And Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore its name was called Galeed,
49 also Mizpah, because he said, "May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another.
50 "If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us see, God is witness between you and me!"
51 Then Laban said to Jacob, "Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me.
52 "This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
53 "The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us." And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain.
55 And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.
Jegar Sahadutha - Aramean (a Syrian dialect) for "heap of testimony"
Galeed - Canaanite for "witness heap"
Mizpah - Canaanite for "Watchtower"
Laban tells Jacob that by virtue of the fact that Leah and Rachel are his daughters, and the children are of both sisters, as the head of his house they belong to him. Also the flocks came originally from Laban's herds, so they are all his also, and he can take it all by force should he choose to do so.
But he graciously states that he cannot hurt them, and gives them to Jacob. He is shrewd enough to realize that Jacob by virtue of God's blessing will soon become greater than he, and makes Jacob swear by the God of Abraham and Isaac to a covenant that he will not try to return to wreak vengeance on Laban or his household.
This accomplished, Laban returns home.
GENESIS 32:1-6
1 So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
2 When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's camp." And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
3 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, saying, "Speak thus to my lord Esau, 'Thus your servant Jacob says: "I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now.
5 "I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight."'"
6 Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him."
Jacob knew that he had to face his brother Esau whom he had betrayed when he returned to Canaan. I'm sure he was hoping that after 20 years had passed, Esau's anger was cooled, and the incident forgotten.
However, Esau decided to visit Jacob in person, and brought a few "friends" with him. I suspect it was Esau's way of getting a little gleeful vengeance on Jacob, knowing the fear that Jacob would feel when he heard of Esau's band coming to meet him!
Jacob also probably remembered Isaac's blessing on Esau, when he said to Esau;
GENESIS 27:39-40
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: "Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the Earth, and of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck."
Isaac had basically told Esau that everything he gained would be by his sword, be it by robbery or by war, and it sounded to Jacob that Esau was now the leader of a bandit gang. And I'm sure that Jacob realized that this would be a good opportunity for Esau to break Jacob's yoke of the stolen birthright from his neck, as Isaac had prophesied!
GENESIS 32:7-12
7 So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies.
8 And he said, "If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape."
9 Then Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you':
10 "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.
11 "Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children.
12 "For You said, 'I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'"
Note the great change in Jacob! He calls upon God and admits that he is not worthy of His mercies, and relies on God's great promises, rather than his own wit and works.
GENESIS 32:13-21
13 So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother:
14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
15 thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.
16 Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, "Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves."
17 And he commanded the first one, saying, "When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?'
18 "then you shall say, 'They are your servant Jacob's. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.'"
19 So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, "In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him;
20 "and also say, 'Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.'" For he said, "I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me."
21 So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.
Jacob is very afraid Esau will kill him for the double deceit of the stolen birthright and the blessing of inheritance that came with it! After hearing Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men, Jacob fears the worst, despite God's promises to him.
So he seeks to appease Esau and return some of the fruit of the blessings and of the birthright to Esau as a way of apologizing for what he had done. He is also brave enough to face whatever will happen, which shows exceptional change on his part.
GENESIS 32:22-32
22 And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.
23 He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.
24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
26 And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"
27 So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob."
28 And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."
29 Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there.
30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.
32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank.
Jacob sent his wives and children ahead because he needed time alone to talk with God. Jacob wrestled with "a Man", obviously God in human form, and received a blessing. The price he paid was the Man touching his thigh and shrinking the tendon, which pulled Jacobs' hip out of the socket. Jacob walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
Jacob obviously knew that this was no ordinary Man he has wrestled with, for he asked to be blessed, and the lesser is always blessed by the greater. Also he said that he had seen God face to face, and had lived. This points to another pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.
Peniel - "face of God"
GENESIS 33:1-4
1 Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants.
2 And he put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last.
3 Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.
One can only imagine the intense fear that Jacob felt when he saw Esau racing toward him! But taking his life in his hands, he crossed over the river alone, and submitted himself to whatever Esau had planned for him. Again, quite a change from the deceitful, scheming, conniving man that Esau remembered!
And one can only imagine the joy that they shared upon seeing each other for the first time in 20 years, a reunion with enough emotion to bring even hardened Esau to tears.
GENESIS 33:5-12
5 And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, "Who are these with you?" So he said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant."
6 Then the maidservants came near, they and their children, and bowed down.
7 And Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Joseph and Rachel came near, and they bowed down.
8 Then Esau said, "What do you mean by all this company which I met?" And he said, "These are to find favor in the sight of my lord."
9 But Esau said, "I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself."
10 And Jacob said, "No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me.
11 "Please, take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough." So he urged him, and he took it.
Esau has matured and realizes that God has indeed blessed him, in the fact that he already had all that he needed. Not rejecting Jacob's gifts, he graciously tells Jacob that he is not in need of anything. Jacob insists Esau take the gifts, perhaps because of the guilt he feels when he remembers that he cheated Esau much like Laban cheated Jacob. Also I'm sure Jacob felt a great sense of relief that Esau wasn't angry with him anymore.
GENESIS 33:12-20
12 Then Esau said, "Let us take our journey; let us go, and I will go before you."
13 But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die.
14 "Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir."
15 And Esau said, "Now let me leave with you some of the people who are with me." But he said, "What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord."
16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18 Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city.
19 And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for one hundred pieces of money.
20 Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel.
Esau offers to go before Jacob to ensure that no bandits bother him or his flocks. Jacob, well aware of the needs of the animals and the children, will follow more slowly, and will visit Esau at a later time.
Seir "rough, hairy" Land in southern present-day Jordan, once home of the ancient Edomites, Esau's descendants
Succoth literally "booths", stalls and temporary housing built for occupation
Shechem "ridge"
"El Elohe Israel" translates to "God the God of Israel"
GENESIS 34:1-17
1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her.
3 His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman.
4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get me this young woman as a wife."
5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came.
6 Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.
7 And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, a thing which ought not to be done.
8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.
9 "And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves.
10 "So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it."
11 Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give.
12 "Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife."
13 But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.
14 And they said to them, "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us.
15 "But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised,
16 "then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
17 "But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone."
This was a complicated issue. Shechem had raped Dinah, and had subsequently fallen in love with her. He wanted to correct his evil actions by marrying the young woman. Hamor, Shechem's father, appalled at what his son had done wanted to make peace, asking Jacob to give his sons to the daughters of the city, and become as the people of the land.
Two problems arise from this, in the fact that Jacob knew he was not to give his children in marriage to the local people, and if he did, eventually Hamor's people would possess the riches of Jacob and his sons.
GENESIS 34:18-29
18 And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son.
19 So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob's daughter. He was more honorable than all the household of his father.
20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying:
21 "These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters.
22 "Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.
23 "Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us."
24 And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
25 Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males.
26 And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out.
27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled.
28 They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field,
29 and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.
Truly Shechem's love for Dinah was great, in that Shechem and his father convinced ALL the males in the entire city to get circumcised!
Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi waited until the third day after the circumcisions when the pain, fever and physical limitations are the greatest, and went into the city killed every man there. After the slaughter, their brothers join them in looting the city and taking captive all the women and children, thereby wreaking vengeance on the innocent as well as the guilty.
GENESIS 34:30-31
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I."
31 But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a harlot?"
When Jacob found out what the two brothers had done, he was very angry and afraid the surrounding peoples could take revenge and destroy his entire family. The brothers, speaking with the immature wisdom of impetuous youth try to justify themselves by saying they were saving their sisters honor, a poor excuse at best. Note that they didn't even consider Jacob's words concerning the fact that the Canaanites might slaughter them all in vengeance for what they had done.
GENESIS 35:1-8
1 Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother."
2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.
3 "Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone."
4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.
5 And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.
7 And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.
God tells Jacob to move to Bethel which means "House of God", the same place where Jacob had dreamed about the ladder going into heaven. He also protected Jacob from the sin of his sons by putting terror on the inhabitants of the land so they would not attack him for what was done at Shechem.
GENESIS 35:9-15
9 Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him.
10 And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel.
11 Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.
12 "The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."
13 Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him.
14 So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it.
15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.
God changes Jacob's name from Jacob "supplanter", to Israel "God strives". God reaffirms His promises to Jacob, and affirms that Jacob had indeed wrestled with God by confirming his name change. Note: unlike Abraham and Sarah, even though God changes Jacob's name both the names of Jacob and Israel are still used throughout Scripture.
GENESIS 35:16-20
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor.
17 Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, "Do not fear; you will have this son also."
18 And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
20 And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.
Rachel died (probably from hemorrhaging) after delivering her second child. She wanted to name her son Ben-Oni "son of my sorrows", but Jacob overruled her and named him Benjamin "Son of the right hand". The right side was considered to be honorable (honored guests were always seated at the right hand of the host at feasts), therefore Jacob was showing his love for Rachel by giving her son a name of honor.
GENESIS 35:21-22
21 Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
22 And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard about it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
Reuben dishonors Jacob and challenges his father's place as the head of the family by sleeping with Jacob's concubine. This is a terrible insult to Jacob in the eyes of all who heard of it, as Reuben was telling all that he was greater than his father.
GENESIS 35:23-26
23 the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun;
24 the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin;
25 the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali;
26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram.
Reuben "behold a son"
Simeon "hearing"
Levi "joined"
Judah "praise"
Issachar "reward"
Zebulun "dwelling"
Joseph "increaser"
Benjamin "Son of the right hand"
Dan "judge"
Naphtali "wrestling"
Gad "fortune"
Asher "happy"
GENESIS 35:27-29
27 Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt.
28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.
29 So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
GENESIS 36:1-3
1 Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom.
2 Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;
3 and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth.
The descendants of Esau became the Edomites, who would be enemies of Israel for centuries. They helped king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroy the nation of Judah in 586 B.C. Later the Edomites helped the Romans in the final destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., after which they disappeared from history. (King Herod the Great, ruler of Judea was of Idumean (Edomite) descent).
Note also that Esau in defiance to Isaac and Rebekah married the daughter of Ishmael whom God had sworn would not be heir to the promises given to Isaac. Perhaps this is why the blessings given to Isaac passed to Jacob, rather than to Esau.
Wives of Esau:
Adah "pleasure; beauty"
Aholibamah "them of the high place"
Basemath "fragrant"
GENESIS 36:4-5
4 Now Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel.
5 And Aholibamah bore Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
Adah's son: Eliphaz "God is dispenser"
Basemath's son: Reuel "God is his friend"
Aholibamah's sons: Jeush "collector", Jaalam "hidden", Korah "baldness"
GENESIS 36:6-8
6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob.
7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock.
8 So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.
The brothers parted as friends, but the land couldn't support both of them, much as Abraham and Lot had parted for the same reasons. Esau moved south to Seir (present-day south Jordan) which would become Edom.
GENESIS 36:9-19
9 And this is the genealogy of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir.
10 These were the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.
11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
12 Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.
13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
14 These were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau's wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon. And she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah.
15 These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn son of Esau, were Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz,
16 Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the sons of Adah.
17 These were the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
18 And these were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau's wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs who descended from Aholibamah, Esau's wife, the daughter of Anah.
19 These were the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these were their chiefs.
Esau and his sons took on the traditions of the Horites who dwelt in Seir, by calling his sons "Chiefs" (Dukes). Each "chief " was a patriarch for his family, and ruled over that family and it's property. There was one "head chief " or Patriarch who ruled over them all, which would have been Easu in the beginning.
Adah's son: Eliphaz "God is dispenser"
Eliphaz's sons (by his wife):
Teman "sunburnt"
Omar "speaker"
Zepho "watch"
Gatam "burnt valley"
Kenaz "side"
Korah "baldness"
Eliphaz's son (by Timna, his concubine): Amalek "warlike; dweller in the vale"
Note that Amalek was the father of the Amalekites, bitter and vicious enemies of Israel. They were so wicked and cruel that God swore that He would blot the remembrance of them from under Heaven.
DEUTERONOMY 25:17-19
17 "Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt,
18 "how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.
19 "Therefore it shall be, when the LORD your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.
Basemath's son: Reuel "God is his friend
Reuel's sons:
Nahath "lowness"
Zerah "sprout"
Shammah "fame; renown"
Mizzah "terror; joy"
Aholibamah's sons:
Jeush "collector"
Jaalam "hidden"
Korah "baldness"
GENESIS 36:20-30
20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite who inhabited the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.
22 And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan's sister was Timna.
23 These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
24 These were the sons of Zibeon: both Ajah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the water in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon.
25 These were the children of Anah: Dishon and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.
26 These were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
27 These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
28 These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
29 These were the chiefs of the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah,
30 Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, and Chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.
This is apparently the lineage of Seir, the original patriarch of the land of Seir before Esau arrived.
GENESIS 36:31-43
31 Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel:
32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
33 And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.
34 When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
35 And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith.
36 When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.
37 And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place.
38 When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
39 And when Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadar reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
40 And these were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their places, by their names: Chief Timnah, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth,
41 Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon,
42 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar,
43 Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession. Esau was the father of the Edomites.
These are the families that lived in Sier when Esau moved there. These were family of Esau's wife Aholibamah.
I find it interesting that none of the sons of the previous ruler seemed to reign in Seir after their father died, but it seemed that the rulers came from different cities. Perhaps there were wars of succession to determine who would be the next king.
GENESIS 37:1-4
1 Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
2 This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.
4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
Joseph reported to his father that his brothers were not doing a good job of tending the flocks, more than likely because Jacob trusted him to give accurate reports, rather than from being a "tattle-tale". Besides, they had already shown their nature in the incident with Dinah. Jacob also tended to show favoritism to Joseph (he was Rachel's son and he missed the love of his life), which made his other sons jealous and they blamed Joseph for their troubles, rather than looking at their own actions.
"coat of many colors" literally means "coat of many pieces", probably a coat made from different pieces of embroidered cloth.
GENESIS 37:5-8
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.
6 So he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
7 "There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf."
8 And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
In ancient times dreams were considered to be prophetic, and were attributed to God sending a message. Joseph was an honest lad, and was probably wondering what his dream meant. His brothers, (all older and already disliking him) immediately took the worst interpretation, and hated Joseph even more. Once kindled, it doesn't take much fuel to increase hatred's fire.
GENESIS 37:9-11
9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me."
10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the Earth before you?"
11 And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Even Jacob is somewhat irritated with Joseph's newest dream, but understanding that such dreams many times are prophecies and warnings from God, doesn't discount the dreams, but decides to think about them, watching to see what they mean.
GENESIS 37:12-14
12 Then his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
13 And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." So he said to him, "Here I am."
14 Then he said to him, "Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me." So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
This shows that Jacob apparently sent Joseph often to check on the welfare of the brethren and the flocks, as many times good pasture was found several days from the camp, and robbers frequented the area. So Jacob wanted to ensure that his sons were all right, and that the flocks had found good pasture.
GENESIS 37:15-17
15 Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, "What are you seeking?"
16 So he said, "I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks."
17 And the man said, "They have departed from here, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
Another reason for Jacob to send Joseph concerning the welfare of the brothers, shepherds sometimes needed to move when the pasture in one area became exhausted, and this way Jacob could keep track of where his sons were in case they were needed. Apparently the brothers were well-known in the area, for the man didn't even ask who Joseph's brothers were, but told Joseph where they had gone.
GENESIS 37:18-24
18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.
19 Then they said to one another, "Look, this dreamer is coming!
20 "Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, 'Some wild beast has devoured him.' We shall see what will become of his dreams!"
21 But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, "Let us not kill him."
22 And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him" that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.
23 So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him.
24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
Reuben may seem more honorable than his brethren by stopping them from killing Joseph, but the difference is merely that of magnitude. Being the eldest, it was within Reuben's power to stop what his brothers were conspiring to do, but he consented to terrorizing Joseph just the same.
GENESIS 37:25-30
25 And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt.
26 So Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27 "Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers listened.
28 Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
29 Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
30 And he returned to his brothers and said, "The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?"
Reuben is apparently away for some reason, so Judah comes up with the idea to sell Joseph to merchants headed to Egypt for 20 pieces of silver. Reuben, not knowing what had happened, later went to the pit hoping to rescue Joseph, but not finding him there was very afraid of what Jacob might do to him.
The rest of the brothers, blinded by their hatred, thought that by selling Joseph to the Midianites as a slave, they would be free of his blood. This also shows that they had no respect or fear of God, or they would have known that as God remembered Jacob's sins and punished him for them, He would also see and avenge Joseph upon them.
Reuben finally understood the full weight of being the eldest, as he knew he would be held responsible by his father for what had happened to Joseph. If he had stopped his brothers from harming Joseph in the first place, none of this would have happened.
GENESIS 37:31-35
31 So they took Joseph's tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
32 Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, "We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son's tunic or not?"
33 And he recognized it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces."
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
35 And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning." Thus his father wept for him.
The brothers tried to cover their sin by putting the blood of a goat on the coat and tearing the coat to pieces, and letting their father think that an animal had killed Joseph.
Note carefully their words, "Do you know whether it is your son's tunic or not?" Note that they said "your son's tunic", not "our brother's tunic"...
And they said "We have found this...", carefully not volunteering any information, but letting Jacob come to the conclusion that a wild beast, more than likely a lion, had killed Joseph. Essentially the brothers lied by omission.
Unfortunately they didn't have the forensic science we have today, or Jacob would have quickly known that it was animal's blood on the coat, not human blood.
Still, poor Jacob was shattered. His firstborn son by his beloved Rachel was gone, and only Benjamin was left to remind him of her.
GENESIS 37:36
36 Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Potiphar was the "Captain of the Guard" which literally translates to "Chief of the slaughter men" (executioners). A precarious position for poor Joseph to be put into!
GENESIS 38:1-5
1 It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.
2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her.
3 So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.
4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.
5 And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.
Judah goes to visit a friend named Hirah and sees the daughter of Shua, a Canaanite. Even though she is a Canaanite woman, he marries her and they have 3 sons. Note also that the woman's name is never mentioned, either.
Judah's sons:
Er "watcher"
Onan "vigorous"
Shelah "peace"
GENESIS 38:6-11
6 Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him.
8 And Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother."
9 But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also.
11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house till my son Shelah is grown." For he said, "Lest he also die like his brothers." And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.
Judah chose Tamar for Er's wife. Er was wicked and God killed him before he and Tamar had a child. The custom of that time was that if your husband died having no children his widow would marry his brother and their firstborn son would be raised as the son of the first husband. Any other children would be considered the current husband's children.
Judah then gave Onan, Er's younger brother to Tamar for a husband. Onan was selfish and didn't want to have a son that would belong to his brother (including inheritances), so he withdrew prematurely. God killed him for his disobedience, selfishness and rebellion.
Judah, afraid his youngest would also be killed, sent Tamar back to her father's house to live there until Shelah was older. The implication being that when Shelah got older Judah would call for Tamar to come and marry Shelah.
GENESIS 38:12-23
12 Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah's wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
13 And it was told Tamar, saying, "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."
14 So she took off her widow's garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face.
16 Then he turned to her by the way, and said, "Please let me come in to you"; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"
17 And he said, "I will send a young goat from the flock." So she said, "Will you give me a pledge till you send it?"
18 Then he said, "What pledge shall I give you?" So she said, "Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand." Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him.
19 So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand, but he did not find her.
21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, "Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?" And they said, "There was no harlot in this place."
22 So he returned to Judah and said, "I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place."
23 Then Judah said, "Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her."
Tamar realized Judah wasn't going to give her Shelah for a husband as he had promised. This dishonored Tamar, to be widowed twice and have no children. She heard Judah would be traveling and went ahead of him to the place and presented herself as a harlot. At least if she got pregnant it would be the seed of her husband’s family. She knew it was risky so she got Judah to give her the things which could only belong to Judah.
GENESIS 38:24-26
24 And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry." So Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned!"
25 When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man to whom these belong, I am with child." And she said, "Please determine whose these are the signet and cord, and staff."
26 So Judah acknowledged them and said, "She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son." And he never knew her again.
Judah assumed that Tamar had committed whoredom and the punishment was death. When she showed Judah his things, he acknowledged that he had not kept his word concerning Shelah and that the child was his.
GENESIS 38:27-30
27 Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb.
28 And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."
29 Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, "How did you break through? This breach be upon you!" Therefore his name was called Perez.
30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.
Tamar's twin sons (by Judah):
Perez "bursting through" (This is the line from which Jesus would come)
Zerah "sprout"
GENESIS 39:1-6
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.
5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
God blessed Joseph and as a result Potiphar's house was also blessed. Joseph served him faithfully, not trying to escape, but accepted what God had caused to happen, and trusted God to protect him. Therefore Potiphar made Joseph overseer of his entire house and didn't check on Joseph's stewardship, but trusted Joseph with everything he had.
GENESIS 39:7-20
7 And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."
8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.
9 "There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"
10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside,
12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.
13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,
14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
15 "And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside."
16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.
17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me;
18 "so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside."
19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his anger was aroused.
20 Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
Potiphar's wife tried to get Joseph to have an affair with her and he refused. Then as the woman scorned she set her sights on revenge. After she accused Joseph of attacking her, Potiphar put Joseph in prison. As Pharaoh's chief executioner, he could have had Joseph killed, but perhaps he was worried about what Joseph's God would do to him or maybe wasn't too sure if his wife was telling the truth.
GENESIS 39:21-23
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.
23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
God, knowing Joseph's innocence, blessed him in prison by giving him favor with the warden who made him a "trusty" (A convict to whom special privileges are given). Joseph was put in charge of the daily affairs of the prison, and like Potiphar, the jailor didn't bother to check on his work.
GENESIS 40:1-15
1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.
3 So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.
4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.
5 Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man's dream in one night and each man's dream with its own interpretation.
6 And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad.
7 So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the custody of his lord's house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?"
8 And they said to him, "We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it." So Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please."
9 Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "Behold, in my dream a vine was before me,
10 "and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.
11 "Then Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand."
12 And Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.
13 "Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.
14 "But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.
15 "For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon."
Again, a dream is seen as an "omen" a message from God. However, God reserves the interpretation for Joseph, to honor Joseph and prepare the way for his release from prison.
GENESIS 40:16-23
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, "I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head.
17 "In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head."
18 So Joseph answered and said, "This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days.
19 "Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you."
20 Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
21 Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.
22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
Just as Joseph had said, Pharaoh released the butler and killed the baker. But the butler broke his promise and didn't mention Joseph to Pharaoh. Nice guy!
GENESIS 41:1-8
1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.
2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.
4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.
5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good.
6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.
7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.
8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
Joseph spends two more years in prison. We don't know exactly how many years he was in prison, but he never lost his faith. In verse 6, it speaks of the East wind. This wind usually came howling from the desert in the summer months, and was a hot, dry wind (called the Khamsin) that scorched crops and created sandstorms.
GENESIS 41:9-14
9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: "I remember my faults this day.
10 "When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker,
11 "we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.
12 "Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.
13 "And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him."
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.
The butler remembered Joseph and admits his guilt in forgetting him. It took a lot of courage to suggest to Pharaoh, supposedly a living god, that a mere captive Hebrew slave could interpret something that Pharaoh, his magicians and “wise men” could not.
GENESIS 41:15-32
15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it."
16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace."
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river.
18 "Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
19 "Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt.
20 "And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.
21 "When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke.
22 "Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good.
23 "Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.
24 "And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:
26 "The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one.
27 "And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.
28 "This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29 "Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt;
30 "but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.
31 "So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.
32 "And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
Joseph immediately gives God all the credit for the interpretation of the dreams, and claims no credit for himself. Joseph also took a great risk, for Pharaoh was considered a living god, and to suggest that there was a God greater than he could result in his death. Note that the coming famine would be severe enough that the previous seven years of plenty would be forgotten.
GENESIS 41:33-36
33 "Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 "Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.
35 "And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
36 "Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine."
Joseph's idea was very shrewd. By storing the extra food under Pharaoh's authority, when the famine came the provincial nobles would come to Pharaoh to sell him their lands for food for their people. This meant by the end of the famine Pharaoh would own all the land in Egypt, giving Pharaoh spiritual and physical control of all of Egypt.
Joseph is 30 years old (9 years before he is reunited with his family) and the Pharaoh is believed to be Amenemhet II (1901 - 1866 B.C.). Archeologists agree that Joseph was born in 1915 B.C. adding 30 years it would be 1885 B.C.
GENESIS 41:37-49
37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?"
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
40 "You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you."
41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, "Bow the knee!" So he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."
45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly.
48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them.
49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.
Pharaoh made Joseph second only to himself, this was an incredible honor for anyone but especially for a foreigner, and a slave at that! Note that Pharaoh gave Joseph the "second chariot", so that when Pharaoh rode about his kingdom, Joseph rode in the next chariot, as his place as second in command only to Pharaoh. Religion being of great importance in Egypt, Pharaoh also chose a wife for Joseph, the daughter of the reigning priest, solidifying Joseph's political position.
GENESIS 41:50-52
50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: "For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house."
52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: "For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction."
Joseph's sons:
Manasseh "causing forgetfulness"
Ephraim "doubly fruitful"
GENESIS 41:53-57
53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended,
54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do."
56 The famine was over all the face of the Earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.
57 So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.
When the prophesied seven years of famine came, Egypt was the only one prepared with stores of grain. People from every country came to Egypt for food to survive, enriching Pharaoh's coffers, and spreading his fame over all the Middle East.
GENESIS 42:1-5
1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?"
2 And he said, "Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die."
3 So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.
4 But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "Lest some calamity befall him."
5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
Jacob chastised his sons for sitting around and staring at each other, instead of doing something to provide for the family during the famine. Ordering them to go to Egypt, he keeps Benjamin behind, his only son left from Rachel, apparently still deeply grieving for Joseph who was lost.
Note that the brothers joined a caravan that was going to Egypt as protection against robbers who were prevalent during that time.
GENESIS 42:6-9
6 Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the Earth.
7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, "Where do you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food."
8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!"
Joseph had been just a boy when he was taken to Egypt. His brothers however had been older and probably had already grown beards, so they would have looked much the same when Joseph saw them.
Joseph on the other hand, was clean-shaven (except for Pharaoh, the Egyptians never wore beards) and had grown and matured since they had last seen him. Dressed as he was in the attire of a high Egyptian official they would not have recognized him, thinking him an Egyptian or a highly-placed eunuch in Pharaoh's court.
Joseph must have been stunned when he remembered the dreams he'd had concerning his family bowing down before him and realized that the dreams were prophetic.
Joseph then decides to test his brothers, not out of spite, but to see what was in their hearts, accusing them of being spies, a crime punishable by death.
GENESIS 42:10-17
10 And they said to him, "No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.
11 "We are all one man's sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies."
12 But he said to them, "No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land."
13 And they said, "Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more."
14 But Joseph said to them, "It is as I spoke to you, saying, 'You are spies!'
15 "In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16 "Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!"
17 So he put them all together in prison three days.
In those days, if the ruler of a country took a dislike to you, he (or she) was free to do with you as they wished. There was no "Foreign Embassy" so to speak to whom you could appeal. If you were important enough, a ransom was usually demanded for your release. If that was not an option you either languished in prison or were even executed. A simple accusation from a highly placed official was enough to send you to prison.
Joseph thus gave his brothers a taste of what he endured for several years.
GENESIS 42:18-24
18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, "Do this and live, for I fear God:
19 "If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses.
20 "And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they did so.
21 Then they said to one another, "We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us."
22 And Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not speak to you, saying, 'Do not sin against the boy' and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us."
23 But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.
24 And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
Fear has a wonderful way of stimulating the thought processes, and Joseph had given them three days in which to contemplate what was happening to them. Note that Joseph's brothers immediately figured out that the price of Joseph's being sold into slavery was being exacted upon them by God.
Joseph wept I suspect, because they had admitted their guilt and were upset because it seemed that punishment had come because of their selling Joseph into slavery, but they hadn't admitted to repenting of the deed.
Joseph also wanted to ensure that Benjamin was still alive and hadn't been badly treated by his brothers as Joseph had been. And by keeping one brother hostage he was ensuring they would return one way or another.
GENESIS 42:25-35
25 Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man's money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them.
26 So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there.
27 But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack.
28 So he said to his brothers, "My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!" Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, "What is this that God has done to us?"
29 Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying:
30 "The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
31 "But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies.
32 'We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.'
33 "Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone.
34 'And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.'"
35 Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
Joseph returned their money to show kindness to his father who probably needed the money, and to further test the hearts of his brothers. If they fled Egypt and didn't return for Simeon then he would know that they hadn't changed.
And if they did return for Simeon without Benjamin, he would know that something had happened to Benjamin and that they were lying.
And if they returned to Egypt with Benjamin he would know that Benjamin was all right, and that they had perhaps changed for the better after all. And although he hated to do this to his father, it left Jacob with two choices - send Benjamin, or lose Simeon. Joseph was banking that Jacob would send Benjamin.
GENESIS 42:36-38
36 And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me."
37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you."
38 But he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave."
Jacob's heart must have been torn greatly, as Benjamin and Joseph were his only sons by his beloved Rachel. Joseph was lost, and it seemed as though Benjamin would possibly be lost also.
Reuben, as the eldest, offers to be responsible for Benjamin, saying that if Jacob lost Benjamin as he had Joseph, he could destroy Reuben's two sons in vengeance. We may think that silly, or irresponsible, but Reuben was vowing to Jacob that he would protect Benjamin with his life if it came to that.
GENESIS 43:1-2
1 Now the famine was severe in the land.
2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, "Go back, buy us a little food."
Joseph's commandment had put Jacob and his sons in quite a quandary. Jacob probably figured that Simeon would be safe in Egypt even though in prison as Joseph said Simeon would be returned to them safely when they returned with Benjamin.
Finally, he had to make a decision as their food had again become low and the only food available was in Egypt.
GENESIS 43:3-10
3 But Judah spoke to him, saying, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'
4 "If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.
5 "But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you."'
6 And Israel said, "Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?"
7 But they said, "The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"
8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.
9 "I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.
10 "For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time."
Judah, like Reuben, is offering to be a guarantee of Benjamin's safety. This shows that the brothers had matured and deeply cared about their brethren, and probably still keenly felt their guilt concerning Joseph.
He also gives Jacob a subtle rebuke in that they had delayed returning to Egypt until it was necessary to return, knowing that Simeon was still imprisoned in Egypt.
But note again, the brothers still hadn't told their father what had really happened to Joseph.
GENESIS 43:11-14
11 And their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
12 "Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.
13 "Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man.
14 "And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!"
Jacob finally bows to the inevitable, and places the situation in God's hands. He hopes that by sending gifts and double the money required for food that the brothers might find favor in the Egyptian official's eyes and obtain the release of Simeon and the safe return of Benjamin.
GENESIS 43:15-23
15 So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon."
17 Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.
18 Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, "It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys."
19 When they drew near to the steward of Joseph's house, they talked with him at the door of the house,
20 and said, "O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food;
21 "but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand.
22 "And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks."
23 But he said, "Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.
The brothers were frightened by this turn of events, figuring that Joseph had set an elaborate trap for them, and would use the opportunity to make all of them slaves in Egypt for the rest of their lives. If that happened, they would not only be slaves, but their father Jacob would soon perish from bereavement and heartbreak and their own families would be destitute and would perhaps starve as well.
I have often wondered why Joseph chose Simeon to be the one imprisoned, and I suspect that perhaps Simeon had been the harshest critic and persecutor of Joseph.
The answer given them by the steward of Joseph's house must have puzzled them greatly also, leaving them fearful and confused, much as Joseph had been when he had been sold as a slave.
Note that the steward said "your God and the God of your father". He knew of God but didn't worship Him.
GENESIS 43:24-29
24 So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.
25 Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the Earth.
27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?"
28 And they answered, "Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.
29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son."
Washing of the feet was a courtesy afforded in every house in the Middle East. Remember, most people walked wherever they went, and washing of the feet cooled their aching feet and cleansed them of the dust and dirt that had accumulated on their feet as they walked. It was also a way to honor a guest in the house and make them feel welcome.
Joseph's dreams are now fulfilled, in that all of his brothers have prostrated themselves before him, and Jacob in a sense as well, for he obeyed Joseph's command to bring Benjamin to Egypt.
One can only imagine the pain and joy in Joseph's heart as he saw Benjamin for the first time since he was a lad!
GENESIS 43:30-34
30 Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.
31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, "Serve the bread."
32 So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.
33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.
34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.
Poor Joseph could not contain himself any longer and went into a private room to vent his emotions. The Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews, as shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians, therefore the brethren were seated by themselves, and Joseph ate by himself as was his place as a high official in Pharaoh's court.
The brothers must have been astounded at their correct seating by age, for they were close enough in age that it was probably hard to tell the correct order of birth by looking at them, with the possible exception of Benjamin.
It was customary for an honored guest to receive more at the table than anyone else except the head of the household. Therefore Joseph honored Benjamin above the others by the serving given to him. The brothers were glad as by now they knew that Joseph meant them no harm.
GENESIS 44:1-3
1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack.
2 "Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money." So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.
Joseph isn't finished with the brothers yet. He still doesn't know their hearts yet and has set one final test for them.
GENESIS 44:4-13
4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, "Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?
5 'Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.'"
6 So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.
7 And they said to him, "Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing.
8 "Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?
9 "With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves."
10 And he said, "Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless."
11 Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.
12 So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.
This must have terrified the brothers no end! They had rashly stated that they would be Joseph's slaves if the cup was found with them, and the cup was indeed found. Note carefully that the steward said that only the guilty one would be a slave, and the others could go free. Yet they all returned to Egypt with Benjamin when they could have fled, leaving him behind.
GENESIS 44:14-16
14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.
15 And Joseph said to them, "What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?"
16 Then Judah said, "What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found."
Judah begins to show the leadership his descendants were later to have, taking the initiative and speaking for his brethren stating that they would all be slaves for what had happened, showing their care and loyalty to Benjamin.
GENESIS 44:17-34
17 But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father."
18 Then Judah came near to him and said: "O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.
19 "My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?'
20 "And we said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.'
21 "Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.'
22 "And we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'
23 "But you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.'
24 "So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord.
25 "And our father said, 'Go back and buy us a little food.'
26 "But we said, 'We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'
27 "Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons;
28 'and the one went out from me, and I said, "Surely he is torn to pieces"; and I have not seen him since.
29 'But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.'
30 "Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life,
31 "it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
32 "For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.'
33 "Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.
34 "For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?"
At last the circle is complete. Remember that Judah was the one who came up with the idea to sell Joseph as a slave to the Ishmaelites, and here Judah is offering himself as a slave to Joseph in the place of Benjamin so that Benjamin can go home to his father.
By this, Joseph knows finally that the brethren have indeed matured in their hearts and have learned to protect and care for each other, and their father. Their care and loyalty also evident in that they are willing to be slaves to Joseph if Benjamin is allowed to go home to Jacob.
GENESIS 45:1-4
1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Make everyone go out from me!" So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.
3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph; does my father still live?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence.
4 And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
Poor Joseph could contain himself no longer. He orders the Egyptians to leave, which must have worried the brothers, as there were now no witnesses to whatever was going to happen.
I can't begin to fathom the shock, astonishment and horror they must have felt when Joseph finally reveals his identity to them! Suddenly all that had happened finally made sense, and they must have been in an extremity of terror, realizing that Joseph was now in a position to wreak a terrible vengeance upon them for what they had done to him! They probably also remembered his dreams, and the way that they had persecuted him because of them.
GENESIS 45:5-8
5 "But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
6 "For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
7 "And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the Earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 "So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Here the heart of Joseph is truly revealed, in that he not only does not hold any vengeance in his heart against his brothers, he gives God the glory for what happened. Would we have done the same, I wonder?
GENESIS 45:9-15
9 "Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph: "God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry.
10 "You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.
11 "There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine."'
12 "And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
13 "So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here."
14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.
15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.
The depth and intensity of the emotions here are hard to imagine; Benjamin seeing the brother he thought had been long dead; Joseph seeing his brothers and especially Benjamin after so many years; the shock, excitement, wonder, and fear in the other brothers must have been almost too much to bear.
GENESIS 45:16-20
16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, "Joseph's brothers have come." So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.
17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan.
18 'Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.
19 'Now you are commanded, do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come.
20 'Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'"
This shows depth of the gratitude of Pharaoh toward Joseph, and it is a chance for Pharaoh to show kindness to Joseph for Joseph's faithful service and for the saving of his people during this terrible time of famine. And by inviting Joseph's father and relatives to come to Egypt, he can honor the entire family.
GENESIS 45:21-25
21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.
22 He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.
23 And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.
24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, "See that you do not become troubled along the way."
25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.
Giving changes of clothing may not seem like much of a gift, but clothing was quite expensive during those times as all cloth was hand-woven and most people could afford only one set of clothes to wear and each set had to last for years at a time.
I imagine that they must have set a land speed record coming back to Canaan to tell Jacob the good news! I can imagine all of them trying to outrace each other as they drew near, excitedly shouting to their father.
GENESIS 45:26-28
26 And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them.
27 But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.
28 Then Israel said, "It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."
I can't imagine the shock that Jacob must have felt upon hearing that Joseph was alive and well in Egypt. Nowadays, he would have sent the brothers to be tested for drugs! But the joy he felt at seeing all that they had brought back as proof of their words must have lifted his heart beyond comprehension. His son was not only alive, but was master of all of Egypt!
I imagine that he then remembered the dreams that Joseph had told him, and finally realized their true meaning and the fulfillment of God's plans for him and his sons.
GENESIS 46:1-4
1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am."
3 So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.
4 "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."
God promises Jacob that He will go with him to Egypt, and will care for his family and descendants and will fulfill his promise to Abraham through Jacob. He also tells Jacob that Joseph will be with him when his time of death came, and that Joseph would be the one to close his eyes after death. God also promises to bring Jacob's body back out of Egypt to be buried.
GENESIS 46:5-7
5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
6 So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.
7 His sons and his sons' sons, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.
In obedience to Pharaoh and Joseph, Jacob packs everything, lock, stock, and barrel and heads for Egypt. I imagine that he wished the donkeys had wings so they could travel faster!
GENESIS 46:8-9
8 Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob's firstborn.
9 The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
Sons of Reuben:
Hanoch "dedicated" Founder of the Hanochite clan
Phallu "distinguished"
Hezron "blooming"
Carmi "fruitful, noble"
GENESIS 46:10
10 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
Son's of Simeon:
Jemuel "God is light" (AKA: Nemuel "God is Speaking" in Numbers 26:12; I Chronicles 4:24)
Jamin "right hand"
Ohad "strength"
Jachin "He will establish"
Zohar "nobility"
Shaul "asked" The son of a Canaanite woman.
GENESIS 46:11
11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Son's of Levi:
Gershon "exiled"
Kohath "assembly"
Merari "bitter"
GENESIS 46:12
12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
Son's of Judah:
Er "watcher"
Onan "vigorous"
Shelah "peace"
Perez "bursting through" This is the line from which Jesus would come.
Zerah "sprout"
Sons of Perez:
Hezron "blooming" This is the line from which Jesus would come.
Hamul "pity"
GENESIS 46:13
13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.
Sons of Issachar:
Tola "warm; crimson"
Phuvah "utterance"
Job "persecuted; hated" (AKA: Jashub in Numbers 26:24; I Chronicles 7:1)
Shimron "watch"
GENESIS 46:14
14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
Sons of Zebulun:
Sered "escape; deliverance"
Elon "strong; oak"
Jahleel "wait for God"
GENESIS 46:15
15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.
GENESIS 46:16
16 The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
Son's of Gad:
Ziphion "dark; serpent"
Haggi "festive"
Shuni "fortunate"
Ezbon "bright" (AKA: Ozni "Jehovah hears" in Numbers 26:16)
Eri "watcher"
Arodi "descent; posterity" Father of the tribe of Arodi
Areli "God's Earth; valiant"
GENESIS 46:17
17 The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.
Son's of Asher:
Jimnah "lugging"
Ishuah "He will level"
Isui "equal"
Beriah "unfortunate"
Daughter of Asher:
Serah "extension"
Son's of Beriah:
Heber "companion"
Malchiel "God is king"
GENESIS 46:18
18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.
GENESIS 46:19-20
19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.
20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
Sons of Joseph:
Manasseh "causing forgetfulness"
Ephriam "doubly fruitful"
GENESIS 46:21
21 The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
Joseph was 30 years old when he became governor of Egypt,(Genesis 41:46), and seven years later God sent a famine in the Middle East, making Joseph 37 years old. Benjamin could have been in his mid-thirties when the famine started. And as two years of famine had passed when Jacob arrived in Egypt, Benjamin could have been in his mid 30's as by then he had 10 sons.
Sons of Benjamin:
Belah "consumption"
Becher "youth"
Ashbel "man of Baal" (Baal means "Master or Lord", thus his name means "Lord of men")
Gera "emnity"
Naaman "pleasantness"
Ehi "my brother is exalted"
Rosh "head"
Muppim "obscurities"
Huppim "coastal inhabitants"
Ard "descent"
GENESIS 46:22
22 These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.
GENESIS 46:23
23 The son of Dan was Hushim.
Son of Dan:
Hushim "haster"
GENESIS 46:24
24 The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
Son's of Naphtali:
Jahzeel "God Apportions"
Guni "protected"
Jezer "formation"
Shillem "recompenser"
GENESIS 46:25
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.
GENESIS 46:26-27
26 All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all.
27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.
The total of Jacob's descendants when they went to Egypt was 70 persons in all.
GENESIS 46:28-30
28 Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.
29 So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.
30 And Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive."
Again, Judah shows his leadership in that Jacob chose him to be sent ahead to Joseph. Also, Reuben had dishonored Jacob by sleeping with his concubine, essentially publicly declaring that he was greater then his father; Simeon and Levi, his second and third sons had murdered every man in the village of Shechem by deceit. This left Judah as the next in line.
Jacob and Joseph finally see each other again for the first time in 22 years. Joseph is now 39 years old and hasn't seen his father since he was 17. The tears that flowed between them must have been many, as two broken hearts were healed. I imagine that Joseph's brothers were in tears also, seeing the heartache, grief and pain they had caused both Jacob and Joseph by their treachery and jealousy.
GENESIS 46:31-34
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and those of my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
32 'And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.'
33 "So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?'
34 "that you shall say, 'Your servants' occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."
This is fascinating, in that shepherds are an abomination to the Egyptians, yet they kept their flocks and herds in Goshen, the richest part of Egypt. That way their cattle could grow fat and provide the nation with meat and wool but the Egyptians wouldn't have to deal with the care and feeding of the herds.
By having Jacob and his sons dwell in Goshen, Israel and Egypt as a whole would benefit for Jacob and his family would have a rich province to live in, and Pharaoh would have skilled, trained shepherds to care for Egypt's cattle. Truly God is an awesome God to have provided for these things!
GENESIS 47:1-6
1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen."
2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.
3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers."
4 And they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen."
5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you.
6 "The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock."
Pharaoh sees the wisdom of putting Jacob's sons over his personal livestock, for in repayment of Pharaoh's generosity of allowing them to live in Goshen, they in turn would provide for Pharaoh and all of Egypt with their services as shepherds.
GENESIS 47:7-10
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How old are you?"
9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage."
10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
Living to an age beyond 70 years was rare in those times, due to disease, hardship and the like. Yet Jacob, which must have impressed Pharaoh, was 130 years old, and told Pharaoh that his fathers had lived even longer during their times.
GENESIS 47:11-12
11 And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
12 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number in their families.
Ancient Rameses is located at Tell el-Dab'a in the eastern Nile Delta region, approximately 85 miles northeast of Cairo. In antiquity, the Pelusiac branch of the Nile flowed past the site, giving access to the Mediterranean. The silt deposited by this branch of the Nile would have made the area a rich farmland. In addition, the town lay on the land route to Canaan, the famous Horus Road. Thus, it was an important commercial and military center.
The earliest evidence for Asiatics at Rowaty occurs the first time, found in the late 12th Dynasty. At the time the Israelite presence was a rural settlement in Egypt. It was unfortified, and was the most likely place for keeping animals. The living quarters consisted of rectangular huts built of sand bricks. It is highly possible that this is the first material evidence of Israelites in Egypt. It was the right culture in the right place at the right time.
Not all residents of the first Asiatic settlement at Tell el-Dab'a lived in huts. One of them, evidently an important official, lived in a small villa. The Bible tells us that Joseph became a high official after he correctly interpreted Pharaoh's dreams (Genesis 41:39-45). We are not told where Joseph lived while serving in the Egyptian bureaucracy. It seems logical to assume, however, that after discharging his duties associated with the famine, he would have moved to Rameses to be near his father and brothers.
The villa was 10 x 12 meters (32.5 x 34 feet) in size, situated on one side of an enclosure measuring 12 x 19 meters (34 x 62.4 feet). It consisted of six rooms laid out in horseshoe fashion around an open courtyard. The most striking aspect of the house is that the floor plan is identical to the Israelite "four-room house" of the later Iron Age in Palestine.
In this type of house two side rooms and a back room were arranged around a central space, or courtyard. Nearby, arranged in a semi-circle around the villa, were poorer two-roomed homes, approximately 6 x 8 meters (19.6 x 27.8 feet) in size. If the villa was the home of Joseph, then the surrounding huts might have been those of Joseph's father and brothers. Approximately 20% of the pottery found in the settlement debris was of Israelite Middle Bronze Age type.
GENESIS 47:13-17
13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.
14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed."
16 Then Joseph said, "Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone."
17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.
The famine is growing more severe, and has reached the point of where all of the money in Canaan and Egypt had been given to Pharaoh to buy food. The money was gone and the people had no food for themselves or their cattle.
So, Joseph has them sell their cattle to Pharaoh for food, increasing Pharaoh's wealth and power in the land.
GENESIS 47:18-26
18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.
19 "Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate."
20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's.
21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.
22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, "Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.
24 "And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones."
25 So they said, "You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants."
26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh's.
The famine was nearing it's end, but there was still no rain. The people were desperate for food, so they had no choice but to sell their lands to Pharaoh, and themselves as his servants, after which they would care for the land they once owned, as "sharecroppers". They would keep 4/5 of the produce for themselves, but 1/5 of the produce and all of the land on which it grew would belong to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh was also careful not to take the land of the priests of the gods of Egypt, as they were powerful enough that they could overthrow Pharaoh though a popular revolt if they wanted to. So Pharaoh wisely kept them fed and happy, and didn't take anything from them.
GENESIS 47:27-31
27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years.
29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt,
30 "but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place." And he said, "I will do as you have said."
31 Then he said, "Swear to me." And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
Joseph was 56 years old when it became time for his father Israel to die. The year would be about 1859 B.C. and Sesostris III (1862-1843) would be the ruling Pharaoh. (His father Sesostris II, Pharaoh from 1868-1862, was probably ruling while Joseph and his family lived in Egypt)
As God promised him, Jacob would be buried in Canaan with his fathers.
GENESIS 48:1-6
1 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, "Indeed your father is sick"; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And Jacob was told, "Look, your son Joseph is coming to you"; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.
3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,
4 "and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.'
5 "And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6 "Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
Jacob adopts Joseph's children, Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons. Any other children Joseph has will be Joseph's, but these two are Jacob's. By doing this, when Jacob allocates his inheritance to his children, Joseph through his children will receive a double portion of the inheritance. Note also that he puts Ephraim before Manasseh even though Manasseh is the eldest, meaning that the younger would be greater than the elder, even as Jacob and Esau.
GENESIS 48:7
7 "But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."
Rachel was buried in Bethlehem Ephrath, the same city where king David and Jesus would be born.
GENESIS 48:8-22
8 Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, "Who are these?"
9 And Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place." And he said, "Please bring them to me, and I will bless them."
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
11 And Israel said to Joseph, "I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!"
12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the Earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him.
14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; let my name be named upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the Earth."
17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
18 And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."
19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations."
20 So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!'" And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
22 "Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow."
Israel blesses Ephraim and Manasseh, but gives the younger (Ephraim) the greater blessing. When Joseph sees this he thinks his father made a mistake, but Israel tells him he knows what he is doing. Israel gives Joseph a double portion blessing, one for Joseph through Manasseh and one for Ephraim.
GENESIS 49:1-2
1 And Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
2 "Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.
Knowing that death is near, Jacob calls all of his sons to bless them and to prophesy concerning their futures.
GENESIS 49:3-4
3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.
4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it, he went up to my couch.
Reuben "Behold a son"
He will never amount to anything, because of his sin against Jacob when he slept with his father's concubine.
GENESIS 49:5-7
5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.
6 Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
Hamstringing an ox symbolizes the killing of a prince.
Simeon "Hearing"
Simeon was allotted the southernmost sector of Canaan, and was later absorbed by the tribe of Judah.
Levi "Joined"
True to the prophecy, Levi eventually inherited the priesthood, and with the priesthood having no inheritance in the Land, the tribe was scattered throughout Israel.
GENESIS 49:8-12
8 "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
Judah "Praise"
The Messiah and all of the kings of Israel (and later the kings of Judah after the splitting of the kingdom of Israel after Solomon's death) would come from the line of Judah. The best of everything would come to his people. He would wear the royal purple (washing his clothes in wine, the blood of grapes) and the scepter of kingship would not depart from his descendants until the Messiah came.
The first king of Israel (chosen by the people, not by God) was Saul of the tribe of Benjamin. God took the kingdom away from Saul wiped out all of Saul's descendants because of Saul's sins. God then gave the throne to David, a direct descendant of Judah and Judah's descendants ruled the land of Judah until 586 B.C.
The last king of the line of Judah to rule until the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem was Zedekiah who ruled until about 586 B.C. when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, Solomon's temple was burned to the ground, and the kingdom of Judah was put to an end for 70 years.
When the Israelites returned to the Land 70 years later, Judah was ruled by governors until the time of Alexander the Great, after which puppet kings not of the line of Judah ruled Israel. This continued until 70 A.D. when the kingdom of Judah was destroyed once and for all by the Romans after Jesus' death.
GENESIS 49:13
13 "Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall adjoin Sidon.
Zebulun "Dwelling"
Zebulun's people joined with Asher to become sailors and seamen. Zebulun's descendants were guilty of not completely driving out the Canaanites from their land. They lived among the Canaanites near the border of Lebanon and eventually fell into idolatry.
GENESIS 49:14-15
14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens;
15 He saw that rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; he bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a band of slaves.
Issachar "Reward"
The tribe of Issachar didn't drive out the Canaanites from their allotted territory (the valley of Jezreel, between two "burdens" or hills of the mountains of Galilee and Gilboa). They lived with and among the Canaanites and eventually fell into idolatry.
GENESIS 49:16-18
16 "Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider shall fall backward.
18 I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!
Dan "Judge"
His people were a bad influence on the tribes of Israel and led them into trouble and backsliding away from God. Dan's battles against Israel's enemies were most visible in the exploits of Samson who was from the tribe of Dan. (Judges 13:2) Samson was a Judge in Israel, fulfilling this prophecy.
Dan's descendants couldn't hold the original land given to them and they eventually moved north to a small section of Israel in the northeast sector of Manasseh and Naphtali. There they fell into idolatry and began the golden calf worship in northern Israel that caused most of Israel to fall into idol worship. The tribe of Dan eventually disappeared from history and the Scriptures are silent regarding the cause.
GENESIS 49:19
19 "Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, but he shall triumph at last.
Gad "Fortune"
Gad's people were fierce warriors. They stayed east of the Jordan river and were constantly fighting the Ammonites to defend their land. Tiglath-Pileser (the Assyrian king that destroyed part of Israel) took the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half of the tribe of Manasseh who stayed east of the Jordan river into captivity, but a remnant of each of the tribes eventually returned.
(I Chronicles 5:26).
GENESIS 49:20
20 "Bread from Asher shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties.
Asher "Happy"
Asher would be a bread basket for Israel. They would be a very strong and powerful tribe.
GENESIS 49:21
21 "Naphtali is a deer let loose; he uses beautiful words.
Naphtali "Wrestling"
He will be a psalm writer and counselor.
GENESIS 49:22-26
22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; his branches run over the wall.
23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him.
24 But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel),
25 By the God of your father who will help you, and by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
Joseph "Increaser"
Israel gives Joseph blessings to exceed all the blessings of his forefathers! Israel gives the best of all the blessings to Joseph partly as recompense for their separation for so many years.
Because of the double blessing by Jacob, Joseph had a double portion in the promised land, as both the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh would prosper greatly, but Ephraim would be greater than Manasseh.
Half of the tribe of Manasseh settled in the area that had belonged to the Amorites, east of the Jordan while the other half moved into the Promised Land. When the Kingdom of Israel split into the separate kingdoms of Judah and Israel after the death of Solomon, God always referred to the 10 northern tribes (Israel) as Ephraim, not Israel. Even though Ephraim was smaller than Manasseh it was Ephraim that received the greater recognition from the Lord.
GENESIS 49:27
27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil."
Benjamin "Son of the right hand"
They would be strong, but vicious. They were almost destroyed because of the wickedness of some of their people (Judges 19:1-30).
Oddly enough, though the name meant "Son of the right hand", they were renowned left handed stone slingers. Israel's first king, Saul, was of the tribe of Benjamin, as was the apostle Paul.
Benjamin was completely surrounded by six of the other tribes and could dwell in complete safety from foreign invaders and attacks. The tribe was absorbed into Judah shortly after the splitting of the nation of Israel after the death of Solomon into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah in 931 B.C.
GENESIS 49:28-33
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.
29 Then he charged them and said to them: "I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 "in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place.
31 "There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.
32 "The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth."
33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.
Before he dies, Israel tells his sons exactly where he wants to be buried. Note: His grandparents (Abraham and Sarah), parents (Isaac and Rebekah) and his first wife (Leah) are buried there, but not his second wife Rachel or any of his concubines.
GENESIS 50:1-3
1 Then Joseph fell on his father's face, and wept over him, and kissed him.
2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.
3 Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
The fact that Jacob was embalmed shows his high status in Egypt, for only the very rich or noble were embalmed. Also the fact that Egypt mourned for 70 days for him is a high tribute to him
GENESIS 50:4-14
4 Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,
5 'My father made me swear, saying, "Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me." Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.'"
6 And Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear."
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8 as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen.
9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.
10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father.
11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians." Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
12 So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them.
13 For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place.
14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.
Pharaoh allows Joseph to go and bury his father, noting that Joseph carefully said that he would return. And in honor of Jacob, a huge procession was sent with him where they mourned just east of the Jordan river, before crossing into Canaan to the burial site.
GENESIS 50:15-18
15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him."
16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, "Before your father died he commanded, saying,
17 'Thus you shall say to Joseph: "I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you."' Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, "Behold, we are your servants."
Joseph knew his brothers were lying, and it deeply saddened him to think that they were still in fear of retribution at his hands.
GENESIS 50:19-21
19 Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?
20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
21 "Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Joseph reiterates that God turned their evil intentions into a blessing and salvation for many people. He also points out that as God has already judged and punished them for their wickedness, he has no right or desire to judge and punish them further.
GENESIS 50:22-26
22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.
23 Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph's knees.
24 And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."
25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here."
26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Joseph lived until 1805 B.C. (54 years after Israel died). When Joseph died the ruling Pharaoh would probably have been Amenemhet III (1843-1798 BC). Joseph like his father, made the Israelites promise to take his bones with them when they left Egypt and bury him in Canaan.
The tombs surrounding the housing structure previously mentioned were constructed of mud bricks in Egyptian fashion, but the contents were strictly Asiatic. Although they had been thoroughly plundered, 50% of the male burials still had weapons of Asian Middle Bronze Age type in them. Typically, the deceased males were equipped with two javelins, battle-axes and daggers. Tomb 8 contained a fine example of a duckbill-ax and an embossed belt of bronze.
One of the tombs, however, was totally unique and unlike anything ever found in Egypt.
At the southwest end of the burial area, some 83 meters (270 feet) from the villa compound, was a monumental tomb, Tomb 1. It was composed of a nearly square superstructure containing the main burial chamber, and a chapel annex. In a robbers' pit sunk into the chapel, excavators found fragments of a colossal statue depicting an Asiatic dignitary. The likeness was of a life size seated official. It was made of limestone and exhibited excellent workmanship. The skin was yellow, the traditional color of Asiatics in Egyptian art. It had a mushroom-shaped hairstyle, painted red, typical of that shown in Egyptian artwork for Asiatics. A throw stick, the Egyptian hieroglyph for a foreigner, was held against the right shoulder. The statue had been intentionally smashed and defaced.
In his book Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest, David Rohl suggests that this is the tomb of Joseph himself. The evidence seems to support this hypothesis. We must assume that Tomb 1 was that of the occupant of the villa, and thus possibly of Joseph himself. The Bible is very specific as to what became of Joseph's body. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him during the Exodus because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath to that effect.
Inside the burial chamber excavators found fragments of an inscribed limestone sarcophagus and a few bone fragments, but no intact skeleton as in the other tombs in the cemetery. Sometime after the burial, a pit was dug at the end of the chapel and a tunnel dug into the burial chamber. The "coffin" (sarcophagus) was then broken and the remains of the deceased removed by these "tomb robbers". It was common for tombs to be broken into in antiquity and the valuables removed, but to have the body taken is highly unusual.
Archaeology cannot tell us the answer; we can only speculate. It is likely that the statue was broken during a time of political turmoil, possibly when the Hyksos took over rule of the region. It appears most likely that the "new king, who did not know Joseph" (Exodus 1:8) was the first Hyksos king who came to power ca. 1663 BC. At that time, the Israelites came under intense oppression. Perhaps the Hyksos destroyed the statue when they overthrew local Egyptian authority. Since the remains in the tomb would also have been in danger, faithful Israelites may have removed them for safekeeping.
Questions? Comments? E-mail: watchmen_777@yahoo.com