An Atheistic Bible Study Of Genesis Chapter Thirty Three

Tweet

Over several chapters the Bible has indicated a pending battle when Jacob and Esau’s four hundred soldiers finally meet, so this extreme anti-climax is very disappointing, like reading War & Peace without finding any of the War. Though the previous chapter saw Jacob send everyone away, including his family, and slaves, he is back with at least some of them as this chapter begins. He is with them when Esau finally approaches, directly ahead of the group Jacob is leading. War now seems inevitable. Finally positioning himself ahead of the others, Jacob is surprised when Esau separates from his men to come and bow at Jacob’s feet seven times. Jacob introduces his wives and sons one by one. He then offers his brother more cattle as a gift, but Esau points out that he is happy with all the cows, sheep and goats Jacob has already forwarded to him a peace offerings to avert confrontation. Esau tries to decline the latest gift, at risk of upsetting the delicate peace but he finally reluctantly accepts. Jacob compares finding his brother still has love for him to seeing the face of God (which he did see in the preceding chapter). Esau is very keen to escort Jacob home right away but Jacob insists that his remaining livestock need to rest as pushing them forward harder could kill them. Esau offers to lend Jacob some of his men as bodyguards and an escort as he does plan to move on, but Jacob refuses the offer. Esau plans to unite with Jacob at a place called Seir and Jacob seems to agree to that only to then lead his group to Sheckem instead, close to the city, and he raises an altar there called El Elohe Israel, after the name given to him by God. So, the reader is cheated of a battle, while Jacob continue to mess Esau around by telling him one thing though doing something else instead, threatening in effect, to undo the very trust the brothers were finally developing in its infancy. Jacob, seen by many as a great founding father of Judaism, is a spoilt brat needlessly endangering his own people. Arthur Chappell