Abraham dies, Isaac becomes the father of warring twins.
I am convinced now that above all else Genesis is about sibling rivalry, though this theme is often overshadowed by stories like that of creation or the binding of Isaac. First there was Cain and Abel, then Isaac and Ishmael, and now Jacob and Esau.
In a "circle of life" type fashion, the chapter where we learn about Abraham's death is the same one where we learn about Isaac fathering two sons - Jacob and Esau. Esau grows up to be a hunter, while Jacob is more of an introverted recluse. For some reason I kind of picture him as the goth kid you knew in high school who stayed in his room all day pumping music into his skull through over-sized headphones.
The major event in this chapter is when Esau, the older brother and chief inheritor to his father's fortune, is duped by Jacob. Esau comes back from hunting one day, starving, and he sells his entire inheritance to Jacob for a bowl of stew. "Look, I am about to die," Esau says, "What good is the birthright to me?"
N.B. Jacob, who will go on to be a major figure in the next several chapters of Genesis and will father the nation of Israel, gains all his money and power through swindling his own brother. I sort of appreciate how the heroes of the Bible are deeply flawed characters.
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1 comment:
Awesome.
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