The Theft By Yacob Of The Paternal Blessing Due To Esau
YAHWEH pours out HIS benefits on men
With a plate of lentil soup, Yacob by a trick had easily succeeded in acquiring the birthright. But this transaction gave him no grounds for thinking that at the death of his father Yitschaq the paternal inheritance would automatically fall to him. In fact, a new chief of the clan could not take up the staff of government without previously receiving his father's blessing, for only the blessing of his father had the power of inducting the man of his choice to his new spiritual and secular functions.
In the ancient east the blessing given by the patriarch to his successor was bestowed with imposing poetic formulas. YAHWEH by pouring out HIS benefits on men had blessed them. By the same token, the chieftains who represented YAHWEH possessed in their turn the power of blessing those who were subject to their authority. And the best way of wishing someone well was, on a final analysis, by giving expression to the desire that he should be blessed by YAHWEH.
Now Yacob, in the circumstances, appeared to have no chance at all of receiving this blessing. But that was no obstacle to Yacob and his mother.
To obtain their ends they formed a plan
One day Yitschaq, who now scarcely left his bed, asked for his son Esau. Rebekah, who kept careful watch over the interests of her younger son, understood that an important moment had arrived. And so, through the slits secretly contrived in the cloth forming the partitions in the tent, she made ready to follow very closely the conversation between the two men.
Esau arrived. Yitschaq, feeling his age, complained that he was on the threshold of the grave,6 but that before dying he would like to enjoy a dish of game. He requested his hunter son to take his quiver and his bow and to go into the neighbouring country and hunt a deer. Then Esau was to make it ready for his father. In conclusion, Yitschaq promised to bestow his blessing upon him, endowing him with the political and spiritual leadership of the clan.
Rebekah hastened to warn her favourite son Yacob and told him what to do: 'Go to the flock, and bring me back two good kids, so that I can make the kind of savoury your father likes. Then you can take it to your father for him to eat so that he may bless you before he dies.'
Yacob put forward certain timid objections. He explained 'My brother Esau is hairy, while I am smooth skinned. If my father happens to touch me, he will see I am cheating him, and I shall bring down a curse on myself instead of a blessing.' Rebekah quickly replied that Yacob should concern himself with the two animals to be killed and that she would see to cooking them. If by some mischance the trick did not succeed Rebekah would take on herself the curse which might be threatening her son.
When the dish had been carefully prepared (a matter of importance seeing Yitschaq's particular preference) Rebekah went to Esau's tent. There she took his best clothes and quickly dressed Yacob in them, taking care at the same time to pullover the young man's neck and arms the tufts of goat hair with which this rough and primitive cloak was covered. Then she placed the tastily cooked dish in Yacob's hands and urged him towards his father's tent.
Yacob began by bowing low before Yitschaq and announced his presence by saying 'Father I am here.'
A blessing was given according to a clearly determined ritual
The oriental who is about to receive a blessing greets the one who has summoned him with great respect. The Hebrew word berek (meaning, 'bend the knee'; it is also used for camels which are made to kneel down) shows us clearly the exact attitude adopted in the presence of the representative of YAHWEH. From certain Scriptural texts we know that a blessing was given according to a clearly determined ritual: the officiant raised his arms to call down the power from on high; he then laid his hands on the head of him on whom YAHWEH’s protection was invoked.
'My father,' Yacob had said. 'Who are you, my son?' asked the blind man. 'I am Esau, your firstborn' boldly declared Yacob, 'I have done as you told me. Please get up and take your place and eat the game I have brought and then give me your blessing.' The aged patriarch was surprised that the game had been so quickly tracked down and killed. Yacob explained that YAHWEH had put it in his path. But Yitschaq, shrewder than Rebekah had imagined, still appeared distrustful, and wished to feel his son's clothes. The voice is Yacob's voice,' he said, 'but the arms are the arms of Esau.' Still he hesitated: 'Are you really my son Esau?' he inquired. 'I am,' replied the impostor. 'Bring it here,' said Yitschaq, 'that I may eat the game my son has brought and so may give you my blessing.' And when he had eaten it, he commanded, 'Come closer, and kiss me, my son.' Yitschaq, who still seemed worried, smelt his clothes. And then, without more ado he began to give his blessing:
'Yes, the smell of my son is like the smell of a fertile field blessed by YAHWEH. May YAHWEH give you dew from heaven, and the richness of the earth, abundance of grain and wine! May nations serve you and peoples bow down before you! Be master of your brothers; may the sons of your mother bow down before you! Cursed be he who curses you; blessed be he who blesses you r
It may seem surprising that in the first two verses both vocabulary and images owe nothing to a society of wandering shepherds. It is a style derived from an agricultural community: there is mention of a 'fertile field' of 'dew' (and the importance of the morning dew for the cultivators in Palestine during a dry season will be realized), of grain and wine. All this might be explained by the fact that, in addition to the appeal to the goodness of YAHWEH, the blessings of the patriarchs consisted of prophetic declarations about the future of their descendants. It could be held that here Yitschaq described, in his foresight of the distant future, scenes from the agricultural existence which after the return from Egypt and penetration into the land of Canaan was to be adopted by the people of Yisrael. But this may well be a place where a later scribe has expanded Yitschaq's blessing to fit the conditions of the scribe's own times.
And now the trick had been played. After seizing the birthright from Esau, Yacob had now obtained by fraud the solemn blessing from Yitschaq which was the prerogative of the legal heir.
6 In fact we find his death recorded a good twenty years after this scene, when Yacob came back from Paddan Naharaiim (in the region of Haran) where he had served his uncle Laban, his mother Rebekah's brother. It is probable that these two accounts (one belongs to the Elohistic cycle, the other to the Yahwistic) have here been conflated without the scribe responsible for the definitive version taking care to rectify certain contradictory elements.
Esau's Reaction
(Bereshith 27: 30-40)
Just as Yacob was going out Esau returned and went into his father, and with some ceremony set before him a dish of venison, saying: 'Father, get up and eat the game your son has brought and then give me your blessing.' The old man was painfully surprised, and when he saw that he had been tricked by Yacob he was seized with a great trembling. To the best of his ability he explained how his good faith had been abused: 'Your brother came by fraud and took your blessing.'
According to the spiritual law of Mesopotamia a blessing (or indeed a curse) was irrevocable. At the time of the patriarchs a blessing was regarded as a solemn formula containing its own efficacy. Once it had been given a blessing remained what it was; it was impossible to change its conditions, modify its clauses or revoke them. 'Father, bless me, too! exclaimed Esau loudly and bitterly. Yitschaq remained silent. Esau insisted: 'First he took my birthright, and look, now he has taken my blessing! Have you not kept a blessing for me?' Yitschaq shook his head. 'See,' he said, 'I have made him your master; I have given him all his brothers as servants, What can I do for you, my son?' In fact, he could do nothing, for the ideas prevailing among the nomads at that time did not allow a blessing to be annulled, even if given in error. But Esau insisted the more strongly: 'Was that your only blessing, father? Father, give me a blessing too.' Yitschaq remained silent. Then Esau burst into tears.
Then suddenly Yitschaq began to speak. He prophesied, describing what was to be the harsh life of his dispossessed heir, a consequence of the new legal and spiritual situation: Far from the riches of the earth shall be your dwelling place, far from the dew that falls from heaven. 7You shall live by your sword 8 and you shall serve your brother. 9 But when you win your freedom, you shall take his yoke from your neck. 10
For Esau it meant the collapse of his dreams. He was a man of primitive instincts and quickly found the answer to his brother's treachery. It seemed probable that the patriarch's death was near at hand; directly it had occurred Esau determined to kill his brother. And he made no mystery of his intention to anyone. Among primitive tribes vengeance was one of the forms of justice.
7 This detail refers to the endemic drought in the land of Edom (formerly Seir, open land unsuitable for agriculture). This country is situated to the south of the Dead Sea, to the east of the wadi el-Araba.
8 By your sword that is by hunting, by plundering and brigandage, in contrast to the peaceful and honourable civilization of the pastoral groups with their flocks of sheep and their goats.
9 Yitschaq foretells in this prophetic utterance that during its history Edom is to be more or less subject to the domination of the sons of Yacob.
10 The last phrase is in prose Some commentators believe that it was added to the Scriptural text at a much later period under Joram. king of Yahudah (872-842), husband of the famous Athaliah, when Edam successfully revolted against l. Yahudaean control
Yacob Called Yisrael Index Yacob Sitemap Scripture History Through the Ages Yacob Called Yisrael Yacob and Esau Theft Of The Paternal Blessing Flight, The Only Solution For Yacob Yacob's Dream At Bethel Yacob Puts Up A Stele Named BethEl The Location Of Bethel Importance Of The Well, A Meeting Place Details Of The Mohar The Sons Of Yacob How Yacob Became Rich Yacob Leaves The Land Of The Fathers Treaty Between Yacob And Laban Messages Between Yacob And Esau Yacob Wrestles With YAHWEH Two Brothers, Yacob and Esau Meet Towards The Promised Land The Departure From Shechem The Conclusion Of Yacob