Questions tagged [jacob]
Questions about Jacob (later known also as Israel), son of Isaac & grandson of Abraham. Jacob was the brother of Esau and father of the 12 tribes.
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Why did Jacob not immediately rebuke Rueben in Genesis 35:22?
KJV Genesis 35 : 22
And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
Having ...
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Who are the two families mentioned in Jeremiah 33:24?
Initial the text had spoken of the release from captivity of the two houses of Judah and Israel
KJV Jeremiah 33 : 7
And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and ...
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Why did Abraham insist that Isaac marry from his kinfolk in Genesis 24?
Genesis 24:37 NASB
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 live; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to ...
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Did Laban change his mind about giving Rachel to Jacob before he had completed the seven years in Genesis 29:30?
Initial Laban's plan was that Jacob must first serve seven years before he received his wife
Genesis 29:19 NASB
Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay ...
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Why does the YLT not mention 'sister' in Leviticus 18:18?
And a woman unto another thou dost not take, to be an adversary, to uncover her nakedness beside her, in her life. [Leviticus 18:18 YLT]
Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to ...
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Are the shepherds being curt in Genesis 29?
Genesis 29:4-8 (NIV)
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”
“We’re from Harran,” they replied.
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”
“Yes, we know him,” ...
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Why did Jacob prefer Joseph and give him a "coat of many colors" (Genesis 37)?
As the KJV has it (though others dispute the translation particularly of כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים, "coat of many colors"; see this question),
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, ...
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Why did Esau prosper before Israel (Genesis 36 and Deteronomy 2)?
Jacob was promised the land of Canaan for a possession; yet his brother Esau came into his own kingdom long before, according to Genesis 36 and Deuteronomy 2, despite the word given to Rebekah, "...
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Why did Esau move out of Canaan (Genesis 36:6-8)?
Esau had been murderously enraged at Jacob (Genesis 27:41-42) and, upon learning on his brother's return to Canaan, rushed to meet him with 400 men (32:6, 33:1), a move that could have been aggressive ...
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How and why does the Lord appear again to Jacob in Beth-el (Gen 35:9-13)?
In what form does the Lord appear to Jacob at Beth-el (Gen 35:9-13)? Was it similar to the form in which he appeared in Gen 32 (assuming the wrestler was, indeed, God)? Regardless, why does he appear ...
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Why was “the terror of God...upon the cities that were round about” Jacob's traveling family (Genesis 35:5)?
In order to perform a sacrifice, the Jacob and clan had to depart Shechem and travel to Beth-el. We read: "And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them,...
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For what purpose did Jacob prepare his entire family to sacrifice at Beth-el, and in the way he did (Genesis 35:2-4)?
In Genesis 35:2-4, we read (KJV):
Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us ...
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Why did the Lord command Jacob to go to Bethel (Genesis 35:1), and why to "dwell" there?
What exactly is going on in this verse in which God commands Jacob as follows (Genesis 35:1)? Why is God making this command: why Beth-el, and why just at that moment in the story?
Arise, go up to ...
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Is it fair to say that deceit is a trait of Abraham's family? Did the Lord ever approve of their lying? [closed]
Abram deceived Pharaoh and Abimelech about Sarai’s identity (claiming she was his sister: Gen 12 and 20). Isaac deceived the second Abimelech about Rebekah’s identity (Gen 26). Rebekah and Jacob ...
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Why do the sons of Jacob "deceitfully" agree to intermarry with the Hivites after circumcision (Genesis 34:13-17)?
The Israelites could have simply refused the Hivites' suggestion that the tribes be combined, demanded Dinah back, and made other plans to exact justice from the Hivite prince, Shechem. Why did they ...
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Why does Jacob defer to his sons in the incidents at Shechem (Genesis 34:5, etc.)?
When one thinks of the idea of a "patriarch," one thinks of a sort of family absolute monarch, whose wives and children all obey. Jacob does not act that way in the interaction with the ...
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How did Jacob rename Luz to Bethel, when it is "bethel" in Genesis 12?
Been reading through Genesis, and I am assuming it is something simple that I'm missing...
Genesis 28:19 says, "He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at first.&...
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What is the biblical significance of the "red hair" / "Scarlet thread" and the first born brother/twin?
I've been reading the stories about the births of twins in Genesis. Firstly about Isaacs sons Jakob and Esau (Gen 25) and secondly about Judahs sons Perez and Zerah (Gen 38).
The stories share many ...
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Why in the Genesis, it's strongly said that Jacob and Rachel were Cousins?
We read from the Torah, Bereishit 29:10:
וַיְהִ֡י כַּֽאֲשֶׁר֩ רָאָ֨ה יַֽעֲקֹ֜ב אֶת־רָחֵ֗ל בַּת־לָבָן֙ אֲחִ֣י
אִמּ֔וֹ וְאֶת־צֹ֥אן לָבָ֖ן אֲחִ֣י אִמּ֑וֹ וַיִּגַּ֣שׁ יַֽעֲקֹ֗ב
וַיָּ֤גֶל אֶת־הָאֶ֨בֶן֙ ...
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What is the significance of the "garment of hair with a leather belt around his waist" worn by both Elijah and John the Baptist
It is accepted in the NT that the prophet Elijah and John the Baptist are prophetically connected. (Mark 9:11 Matt 17:10)
I have noted that both are described as wearing the same very specific outfit. ...
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How does the prophet say they are daughters of one mother in Ezekiel 23:2?
Ezekiel 23:1-2 NASB
The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, 2 “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother;
It is clear in the above text that the prophet is referring to ...
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Did Jacob continue wrestling all night to receive a blessing to save he and his family from Esau, or something else (Gen. 32:24-29)?
In the Book of Genesis (32:24ff), I get the impression that Jacob was at his wits end. He was alone in the wilderness, having sent all that he had in the world away from him. He felt his brother Esau ...
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Time span between Genesis 15:13 and Genesis 46:6
Is it possible, on the basis of the text, to establish the approximate time span between God's prophesy to Abraham about his descendants' being mistreated in Egypt:
"And he said unto Abram, Know ...
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How old was Jacob when he first saw Rachel?
Jacob is born in Genesis 25:26
After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.
Isaac bids ...
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Was Benjamin born before or after Joseph was sold into slavery?
Genesis 35:16-18 NIV
16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty ...
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Did Isaac die before Joseph was sold to the Midianites?
Genesis 35:27-29 NIV
27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 29 Then he ...
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Does this Hebrew verb in Genesis 28:22 indicate frequency?
The verb asar עָשַׂר(to take the tenth of, tithe, Strongs 6237) is used nine times in the OT, seven times in the Piel and two times in the Qal. My question is whether or not the use of this word in ...
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Is there a correlation between Genesis 35:4 and Genesis 35:8? If so, what is the spiritual meaning behind it?
And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. (Genesis 35:4 KJV)
But ...
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Why didn't Esau try to kill Jacob?
This is a question about the intention/actions of Esau in Genesis 33.
We know Esau wanted to kill Jacob. See How did Rebekah know that Esau was planning to kill his brother in Genesis 27:42?
Some ...
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Is Jacob demonstrating a lack of trust in God?
Genesis 32:9-21 Jacob prayed and asked God to remember His promise; but then Jacob sends gifts saying he would win Esau over with the gifts, as we can see in Genesis 32:20 (NLT)
(...) Jacob thought, “...
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What is a blessing?
In Genesis 47 (KJV) we read
7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
And a while after
10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before ...
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Reason for using 66 and then 70
In Genesis 46:26 (NASB)
All the people belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob’s sons, were sixty-six persons in all,
The next verse, Genesis ...
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Isaac blessing Jacob twice
In Genesis 27:23 (NASB)
And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.
In Genesis 27:25 (NASB)
So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will ...
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Did Genesis 36 happen before Genesis 32?
In Genesis 36:6-8 (NASB)
6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all his household, and his livestock and all his cattle, and all his property which he had acquired in the land of ...
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Oak near Shechem vs Oak of Moreh
In Genesis 35:4
So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.
Is this tree the referenced in ...
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Jacob's household had idols
In Genesis 35:2-3
2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Remove the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; 3 and let’s arise and go ...
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Is "journeyed on" meaning a "short trip with intention to come back"?
In Genesis 35:1 (NASB)
Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
Then in Genesis 35:...
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Did Jacob have more than one daughter?
I thought Jacob had 13 children, being Benjamin the last one. By
Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Essachar, Zebulun and Dinah
Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin
Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali
Zilpah: Gad and ...
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Link(s) between Jesus' Prodigal Son parable and Esau & Jacob's reunion story?
In Genesis 33:4 (NKJV):
"But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept."
In Luke 15:20 (NKJV):
"But when he was still a great way off, ...
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Jacob's "eleven children"?
In Genesis 32:22 (NASB)
Now he got up that same night and took his two wives, his two female
slaves, and his eleven children, and crossed the shallow place of the
Jabbok.
By stating "his eleven ...
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Is the blessing of the father included in the birthright?
In Genesis 25:29-34 we read that Esau sold his birthright to Jacob. Later, in Genesis 27, we see that Jacob has to plot with Rebekah in order to get that blessing. So, it appears as if Jacob was aware ...
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Was Isaac aware that Jacob was fleeing Esau?
It seems only the mother was aware of the threat that Esau had issued
Genesis 27:42 NIV
42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent
for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “...
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What and/or where is the smooth part of the neck?
“And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.”
Genesis 27:16
Where is this smooth or sometimes translated slippery חלקת part of the neck?
Some ...
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What is the significance of the parallels between Jacob and Moses?
Both have to flee their homes after they do something wrong and have people who want to kill them - see Genesis 27 & Exodus 2
Both then end up at wells in foreign lands, and help women when ...
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Was Jacob's dream an answer to prayer? Genesis 35:3
How can Jacob's claim that God answered him (Gen 35:3) when there is no record of Jacob petitioning or praying to God in Genesis 28?
Genesis 35:3 "Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will ...
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Who are the archers in Genesis 49:23?
In Genesis 49 when Jacob blesses his sons it is said of Joseph that the archers bitterly attacked and shot at him
Genesis 49:23 NASB
“The archers bitterly attacked him,
And shot at him and harassed ...
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What does the phrase 'she may bear on my knees' mean in Genesis 30:3?
Genesis 30:3 NASB
3 She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that [b]through her I too may have children.”
What does this phrase mean?
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Did Leah have a physical defect in Genesis 29:17?
Genesis 29:17 NASB
17 And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and [e]face.
In other translations Leah's eyes are said to be tender
Genesis 29:17 KJV
17 Leah was tender eyed; but ...
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Genesis 25:27-34 , was Esau like a famished/hungry whining adolescent/teenager Or was he really Starving, and genuinely needed food?
Genesis 25:27-34
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful
hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a [s]peaceful man, [t]living
in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because [u]he had a taste ...
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How should we view/interpret Jacob's initiative involving the rolling of the stone from the mouth of the well?
Genesis 29:7-9 seems to indicate that the shepherds of Haran had the traditional practice/technique of watering the flock of sheep by waiting until all the sheep flock gather together, and then (...
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