Category: Genesis

It contains two sections – the first is more competitive child-bearing drama from Jacob’s wives, the second is Jacob tricking Laban to get wealth from him. First I’ll try to summarize the continued saga of the sister wives and their servants. “When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous…

Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, ‘I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.’ So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a…

After being blessed by his father Isaac a second time, Jacob heads to his uncle Laban’s to find a wife among his own people (Isaac made him promise not to marry among the Caananites like Esau had). It’s a long journey and part way he rests. “He had a dream in which he saw a…

It is the well-known account of Jacob tricking his father Isaac into giving him the blessing of the firstborn son (Esau’s blessing). “Rebekah said to her son Jacob, ‘Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, “Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give…

It seems Isaac literally follows in his father’s (Abraham’s) footsteps. Now there was a famine in the land and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live… For to you…

It contains a few sections including the death and burial of Abraham, an account of Ishmael´s twelve sons, and the birth and birthright account of Esau / Jacob. “The Lord said to [Rebekah], ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the…

This chapter is the account of Abraham’s head servant seeking a bride for Isaac among Abraham’s family – when commissioned for this task, the servant was given specific instructions not to find a bride among the Canaanites, where they lived, but among the Hebrews. God then blesses the servant with great success on this mission….

“Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. She died at Kiriath Arba in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. Then Abraham … spoke to the Hittites. ‘I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site…

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him… ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac – and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.’ …he set out for the place God had told him about. ‘The…

A great deal happens in this chapter including the birth of Isaac, the divorce and banishment of Hagar (and Ishmael), and a water rights treaty between Abraham and Abimelek. “But Sarah… said to Abraham, ‘Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my…