Genesis

Genesis 1 & 2:  In verse 11 God brought forth all trees and shrubs.  No mention to the size or ages of these trees or shrubs.  

First day: God created the heavens and the earth (all creation or cosmos) and light. Second day: God created the firmament and divided the waters under the firmament from the waters above the firmament and the firmament was Heaven.    

Third day:  God divided the dry land (called Earth) and the waters.  He created the trees, bushes, and seeds.  

Fourth day:  God created the sun, the moon and the stars.  

Fifth day:  God created the living creatures of the waters and the birds in the air.  

Sixth day:  God created all living creatures (man included?).  God created man in “Our” image and “Our” likeness.  “Our” refers to the Trinity and not the angels because God did not create man in the image of angels.  Man was to be fruitful and multiply within its own lineage.   Seventh day:  God rested.    God blessed and sanctified the seventh day.  

Genesis 1:  The evening and the morning were the first day.

Day 1: God created light and divided the light from the darkness.

My take on this is that the entire world was water.  God created the Heavens by creating the firmament.   Therefore, the heavens were above the firmament and the waters were below.

Day 2: God created the firmament.

Firmament – The heavens or the sky, especially when regarded as a tangible thing.

Synonyms:  The sky, heaven; A sphere or world viewed as a collection of people.  “One of the great stars in the American golfing firmament“

⁶ Then God said, “Let there be a firmament be in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” ⁷ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters, which were under the firmament from the waters, which were above the firmament; and it was so.  ⁸ And God called the firmament Heaven. Therefore, the evening and the morning were the second day.

Day 3: God then created the “dry land” from the waters and called that Earth and the remaining waters the sea.   God created the grass and seed (herbs).

Day 4: God created the sun, moon, and stars.  God made these from the firmament of the heavens to give light to the earth.

Day 5: God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves in the waters and all the birds of the air. 

Day 6: God created all land-living creatures.  God created man, male and female, in His image and likeness. 

Day 7: God rested, blessed, and sanctified day 7.

Genesis 2:  Chapter 2 elaborates on chapter one.   Chapter 1 is a holistic view of the first 7 days.   This chapter details the creation of the heavens and the earth and all of the plants.  There was no rain at that time and the earth was watered from the midst of the earth.

God created a garden with two primary trees, the tree of life and the tree knowledge of good and evil.

God created a river out of Eden to water the plants.  The river branched out into 4 rivers.

Pishon – the whole land of Havilah where there was gold.

Gihon – goes around the whole land of Cush.

Hiddekel – goes east of Assyria.

Euphrates

God then created all the beasts of the earth.  God then made woman.

Genesis 3:  ⁵ “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  Evil tempts us all the time.  Satan cannot stand that we are made in the image of God and he was not.  ⁷ “Then the eyes of both of them were opened”.  We, as saints, have undeniable guilt AFTER we disobey.  

All living creatures at this time were erect.  When the serpent deceived Eve, God made the serpent crawl on the earth and eat sand.   Women were made to painfully give birth and the husband shall rule over the women.   Man was then made to work for his food.

Because of man’s deception, God said that man had become one of us, now knowing good from evil. 

Genesis 4:  Adam knew Eve.  That biblical “knew” appears for the first time in Genesis 4:1-2. With it, we find ourselves in the presence of both the direct expression of human intentionality (because it is characteristic of knowledge), and of the whole reality of conjugal life and union.

In it, man and woman become “one flesh.”

Cain kills Abel and marries.  There are various issues raised about whom Cain married.  What we can conclude is:

1. The problem of the identity of Cain’s wife cannot be solved by arguing for some race of PreAdamic humans. The Scripture is clear that Adam was the first man and that Eve was the mother of all the living. 

• Some believe that the answer to the population problem is to say that there were older brothers and sisters of Cain and Abel. There is no biblical support for this view but it cannot be totally ruled out. 

• We are not told the age of Cain and Abel when the murder occurred. They could have advanced to a considerable age before Cain killed Abel. The limit the Bible puts on the age of Cain and Abel is 130 years. 

• Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters. We are not told specifically how many, but we are told that Adam lived 930 years. This raises the possibility of dozens of children from that couple alone. There were possibly as many as 32,000 people living at the time Cain killed Abel. 

• Genesis 5 tells us that some of Adam’s descendants also had long life spans. Likewise, the Bible says that they gave birth too many sons and daughters.  

• There would not be an issue of incest-parent’s sexual relationships with their children. This would be a matter of siblings intermarrying-something that was not condemned in Scripture until the Law of Moses. Abraham is one biblical example of a person marrying his half-sister.  

• The Law of Moses condemned intermarriage between brothers and sister to protect the health of the nation as well as the family unit. 

• Because Adam and Eve were created perfect, their gene pool would not have been corrupted until after the fall. Children of close relatives that married soon after the fall would not be subject to the same degeneration that would occur in later generations.  

• Genesis 1 says we are to leave father and mother when we get married. That assumes you do not marry one of them! 

Seth appears to have been Adam and Eve’s last child; Adam was 130 years old.

Genesis 5: The genealogy of Adam.  Adam was 930 years old when he died.

Seth – Enosh – Cainan – Mahalalel – Jared – *Enoch – Methuselah – Lamech – Noah – Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  * Enoch did not die; he was taken up to God.

Genesis 6: Sons of God – Many scholars believe the ‘Sons of God’ were of the lineage of Seth, Godly men.  When the appropriation of Godly men married the un-Godly women of that time. The unnatural were the offspring.

The phrase“sons of God”is used in conjunction with the “daughters of men”.  Three views on the “sons of God”:

1. Fallen angels.  Though, in Matthew 22:20, Jesus said that Angels do not marry.
2. Godly sons of Seth and the daughters were from Cain.  The big sin here is that it was against the Jewish Pentateuch to intermarry.  However, how can these men be holy when Genesis 6:8-9 state that only Noah was holy?  In addition, this term is not used in a similar matter elsewhere in the Bible.
3. Kings, not deity.  Kings took on many women.  Their offspring were the giants in verse. The bible mentions in the New Testament that angels cannot marry, they are angelic beings and the mere fact of having sexual relations with a human seems unrealistic.

God saw that the earth was full of evil but found favor with Noah.  God is going to remove all living creatures from the earth, derive it of all evil, and refresh it with the offspring of Noah.

Genesis 7:  Seven different species of all living creatures were gathered by pair, male and female, and lead into the Ark to start over again.

Genesis 7 & 8:  ^21b “Although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth….”

Noah was 600 years, 2 months, and 17 days old when the floods began.  The rain lasted 40 days and 40 nights but the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.

Genesis 8:  What is the significance between the raven and the dove?  The key to understanding this narrative twist lies in assessing, as best as we can Noah’s considerations and intentions at this point in the voyage.

First, the rain had stopped, which meant that, sooner or later, the earth would be able to begin absorbing the waters and allowing the water level to recede. The ark came to rest when the water receded to the level of the high mountains, thus giving some ground (perhaps still underwater) for the ark to rest. This is detailed in chapter 8:1-4; in v. 5, approximately 70 days pass and the mountain tops are now visible as the waters continue to recede. It is only at that point, or sometime later (the reference point of “40 days” in v. 6 is unclear – is it 40 days after the rains ended? 40 days after the mountain tops were visible? 40 days after the ark came to rest?), that Noah opens the window/cover of the ark and sends out the raven, followed by the dove.

What was Noah trying to ascertain by sending out the raven?  Noah had to wonder what life remained – if any – underneath all of that water; on an immediate level, he wanted to find out how low the water level was at this point.

Noah remembered the beginning of the flood – it was not that long ago. When the torrential rains came and springs opened up, people’s natural instinct would have been to try to survive. Where do people go when there is a flood – regardless if the flood is the result of an over swelled river or a torrential downpour? They seek higher ground. The upper ground, as high an area as could sustain animal and/or human life, would have been filled with all sorts of mammals for the raven to feast. Noah was trying to find out if the water level had gone so low as to allow for a habitable place, at which point he could (at least) let the predatory mammals out of the ark, knowing that they would have access to plenty of sustenance. Keep in mind that Noah could not see how far the water had receded from his vantage point – all he saw was the very mountaintops as his ark was grounded at Ararat – so the raven’s behavior would serve him well as an indicator of how low the water had gone down.

The raven continued to circle until “the waters were dried from the land” – meaning, the land that he was sent to explore. When the raven stopped circling and, presumably, disappeared from view, Noah could safely assume that habitable areas were now exposed and not waterlogged. However, that would not help the great herbivore population on the ark – nor would it help the humans who were only permitted meat after leaving the ark.

His next step was to send out a dove, who would not be able to rest until it found a tree with branches appropriate for resting – in other words, the tree line for nesting trees (which are typically low) would be visible. Since the dove could not find any rest, Noah understood that the broad world of vegetation, needed by so much of his mammalian cargo, was not yet accessible.

He then sent the dove a second time, and it returned that same day (at evening) with an olive branch in its mouth. This was quite informative, as Noah now knew several critical things that would help him in assessing how to restart life on earth. He knew that low trees (an olive tree, while it can grow in mountainous areas, is typically under 50 feet tall) were now visible and that they had not been destroyed by the flood – a most vital piece of data. Secondly, he now knew that that level was visible – but he also understood something else. If the dove returned to him, so quickly – or at all – it meant that the dove could not find a proper place to nest. Why couldn’t the dove nest on that olive tree? Simply put – birds build nests from twigs on the ground. The final test of human an herbivorous mammal viability would be to see if the ground was exposed and dry – dry enough that twigs could be used to make a nest.

One week later, Noah got his answer – the dove went out for a third time and evidently was able to build a nest, as she never returned. At that point, Noah was ready to open up the ark, as all of the cargo – human and “animal” – now had access to habitable areas and vegetation.

Noah and his family remained in the ark 371 total days.

1. Noah entered the ark when he was 600 years, 2 months, and 17 days old. Genesis 7:11
2. Noah and his family remained in the ark 1 year and 1 month.  Genesis 8:13-14
3. The waters prevailed on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights and continued to rain lightly for the next 110 days.  Genesis 7:24, 8:1-2
4. The waters decreased continually for the next 74 days until Noah could see the mountaintops.  Genesis 8:5

a. 74 days = 13 days remaining in the 7^th month + months 8 & 9 had 30 days (60) + the first day of the 10^th month.

• 40 days later, Noah sent out the raven.  Genesis 8:6-7
• 7 days later, Noah sent out the dove the third time.  Genesis 8:12
• 29 days later, Noah removed the covering from the ark.  Genesis 8:13
• 57 days later, God told Noah to leave the ark.  Genesis 8:14-17)
• 150 days for the rain + 74 days for the waters to decrease + 7 days later the dove was sent the first time + 7 days later, he sent the dove out a second time + 7 days later, a third time + 29 days later, Noah removed the covering from the ark + 57 days later, Noah left the ark = 331 days (+ 40 days and 40 nights = 371).

Genesis 9:  ³ Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you.  I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.

¹⁹ “These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.” This is a strong indication that Noah’s wife did not contribute anything else to the world’s population. With no prohibition against sibling marriage, yet,⁴ one or more of the daughter’s in-law may have been her daughter, but this does not change the fact that, at first glance, we expect a maximum of three mitochondrial lineages in the current world population. There is a chance that there will be less, if there was very little mutation before the Flood or if several of the daughters-in-law were closely related. At most, we do not expect more than four.

How many X chromosome lineages were on the Ark? That depends. If you count it all up, you get eight. If, by chance, Noah’s wife passed on the same X chromosome to each of her three sons (25% probability), then there were seven. If Noah had a daughter after the Flood (not expected, but possible), there could be as many as nine X chromosome lineages. Either way, this is a considerable amount of genetic material. In addition, since X chromosomes recombine (in females), we are potentially looking at a huge amount of genetic diversity within the X chromosomes of the world.

Does this fit the evidence? Absolutely! It turns out that Y-chromosomes are similar worldwide. According to the evolutionists, no “ancient” (i.e., highly mutated or highly divergent) Ychromosomes have been found.  The previous serves as a bit of a puzzle to the evolutionist. They have had to resort to calling for a higher “reproductive variance” among men than women, high rates of “gene conversion” in the Y chromosome, or perhaps a “selective sweep” that wiped out the other male lines. For the biblical model, it is a beautiful correlation and we can take it as is.

Genesis 10: The genealogy of the sons of Noah.  See bible flow.  Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Salah, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem.  Peleg, Hebrew word “divided” (Palag).  ^[1] The traditional interpretation relates Peleg’s day to the division of language/family groups at the Tower of Babel. Comparing the lineage of Shem, which includes Peleg, to the lineage of Ham, which includes Nimrod, leader of the rebellion at Babel, we find it likely that Peleg was born soon after the dispersion (assuming the genealogies are complete). Thus, it would have been reasonable for his father Eber to name a son in commemoration of this miraculous event.

Genesis 9 & 10: ¹ “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.”  ³ “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you.”  

⁶ “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed”.  Before the flood, God took murder into His own hand, as in the case of Cain; but now He is committing this judgment to man.  Willful murder should always be punished by death. ⁱ Jesus told us NOT to retaliate, see Matthew 5:38-42.

¹¹ “Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”  The rainbow is a memorial to God’s promise never to flood the earth again and a constant reminder of His covenant.  

Shem, Ham, and Japheth were Noah’s sons.  From these 3 the whole world was populated.  

Genesis 11: The Tower of Babel.  God spread all humankind all over the face of the earth and created all of the known languages.

The genealogy of Shem produced Abram.

^{1 – 10} indicate again the need for man’s pride over taking God’s provision.  Man tried to build a tower to prohibit God from dispersing them all over the earth and keeping one language.  God (indicated by “Us” in verse 7) came down and scattered all men over the earth, creating a multi-language earth and people.  

When God dispersed the people over the earth, Terah took his sons, Abram and Nahor, from Ur (in the Chaldeans) and their wives, to Canaan.  Apparently, based on verse 5 of chapter 12, Terah and his family only departed to Canaan but never made it there.   After Terah died, God spoke to Abram.  

This section of the Bible begins with God’s call of Abram and Sarai to become the parents of a new people through whom God would reach all the families of the earth.

Going through the bible chronologically has me today starting the book of Job.  Since I just finished going through the bible and the last books, I read were Job and Revelation, I’m skipping Job and continuing to Genesis. 

Genesis 12:  ³ “And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  Only Abram, Sarai and Lot left.  Abram was 75 years old.  

^3a “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”.  This is a powerful verse when you consider all the nations of Isaac and Ishmael. 

⁵ Abram is going to land of Canaan; remember, Canaan was the son of Ham, the son of Noah from the lineage of Seth.

¹⁰ God started His ‘Exodus’ here by creating a famine in the land of Canaan.  Due to this famine, Abram took all his belongings and headed to Egypt.

The Talmud identifies Sarai with Iscah, daughter of Abraham’s deceased brother Haran, so that in this Sarah turns out to be the niece of Abraham and the sister of Lot and Milcah; which makes Sarai Abram’s ½ sister.

Genesis 13:  Verses 14 – 15 is God’s covenant to Abram for all of the land that was north, south, east, & west of Canaan, where Abram was.  ¹⁶ “And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.”    

Abram heads back to Canaan due to him telling Pharaoh that Sarai was his sister; which was true.

^{10 – 13} Abram and Lot separated and Lot went to the East towards Jordon and Abram dwelt in Canaan.

To date there has been located only evidence for two of the five Cities of the Plain, but they are proposing that the evidence is strong that the two most important cities of Sodom and Gomorrah have been found. That being the evidences found of destruction by fire at each site due to the layers of ash found in the digs by archaeologists. Bab edh-Dhra (Sodom) is the larger of the two sites; the 7-meter wide, (23 feet) city wall enclosed 9-10 acres with gates located at the west and the northeast. The northeast gate had two flanking towers with massive stone and timber foundations, possibly the gate in which Lot sat (Genesis 19:1). Estimated population at the time of the destruction was between 600-1200. There was a large cemetery at Bab edh-Dhra (Sodom) and pottery evidence indicates that some of the residents of Numerical (Gomorrah) buried their dead in this cemetery. It appears that Numeria was in existence for only a short time, possibly less than 100 years. Paleobotany investigations indicated that a rich diversity of crops was grown in the area including barley, wheat, grapes, figs, lintels, flax, chickpeas, peas, broad beans, dates, and olives; an indicator that the area was “well-watered” per Genesis 13:10.

Genesis 14:  Abram and Melchizedek.  Mr. Gregory of Oxford tells us that the Arabic Catena, which he builds much upon the authority of, gives this account of Melchizedek, that the was the son of Heraclim, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, and that his mother’s name was Salathiel, the daughter of Gomer, the son of Japheth, the son of Noah.ⁱⁱ

A war broke out in the Land where Lot laid his tent.  After the war, the King of Sodom took captive including Lot and his family.

When Abram was told that his brother-in-law was taken captive, he took his army (from his house) of 318 men and rescued Lot.

Here is where Melchizedek blessed Abram.

Genesis 15: ^{12 – 16} The Lord spoke to Abram in a dream and prophesized the 400 years of captivity his people would eventually face.

^{13 – 16} These verses are definite indications of the writings of Moses.  Verses 14 – 16 are not prophetic since Abram was already dead and the history written for Moses to write.   Verses 17 – 18 are God’s promises to Abram as well as the borders of the land given to him; from the Nile River to the Euphrates River.  

Genesis 16: ^{1 – 4} By listening to Sarai, Abram took her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar, and conceived a son.

After Hagar conceived a son, Sarai became outraged due to jealousy and dismissed her and Hagar fled.

 ^{9 – 13} An Angel of the Lord came upon Hagar.  Being that Angel is capitalized, deity is identified.  The Angel instructed Hagar to return to Sarai and name her son Ishmael (“God hears”).  Ishmael is described as a ‘Wild Man’, or ‘Wile Ass’.   This prophecy is the beginning of the conflict amongst the Jews and the Arab nations.

Here God is referred to the “God who sees” or El Roi.

When God was telling Abram of the boundaries of his land, chapter 15 above, God also named 10 nations contained within those borders.  Today, none of those 10 countries exists.  Only two nations exist from the Old Testament times, those from Isaac (Israel) and those from Ishmael (the Arabs).  

Genesis 17: Abram’s name, “high father”, changed to Abraham, “The father of many nations”. ¹⁵ God changed Sarai’s name, “my princess”, to Sarah, “mother of nations”.

¹ “I am Almighty God.”  Shaddai or Shadday.  God changes Abrams name to Abraham.  A significant distinction and reasoning; Abram means “Exalted Father” and Abraham means “Father of Many”.  A covenant from God was that every male child must be circumcised, including Abraham.  ¹⁷ “Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed”.  Verse 23 indicates that Ishmael was also circumcised.  

Genesis 17:  Fifth appearance of God to Abraham:

1. When Abram built the alter in Shechem

2. After Lot had separated from Egypt

3. When Abram rescued Lot and met Melchizedek

4. 13 years after the birth of Ishmael and the Lord renewed His covenant with Abram and instituted circumcision. 

5. This time.

Genesis 18: 1 – 2 The Lord and two others appeared before Abraham.  Since the word, Lord is used and not God, it is assumed it was not God who appeared but an Angel of God.

Though both Abraham and Sarah both laughed at the thought of having a son at their advanced age, it was only Sarah who denied (lied) to God that she had laughed. 

^{16 – 33} Abraham negotiates with the Lord.  The Lord assures Abraham that if He finds any righteous man in Sodom. 

Genesis 19: ^1-3 These angels, it is likely, were two of the three that had just before been with Abraham, the two created angels that were sent to execute God’s purpose concerning Sodom. 

^{4 – 5} There were no righteous people found in Sodom, old or young.  Carnally – Strong’s – From H2232; seed; figuratively fruit, plant, sowing time, posterity: –  X carnally, child, fruitful, seed (time), sowing-time.  7902. shekabah — (act of) lying, a layer … Word Origin from shakab Definition (act of) lying, a layer NASB Word Usage carnally (1), emission (5), intercourse (1), layer (2), seminal.

^[2]That they had arrived at the highest pitch of wickedness; they were sinners before the Lord exceedingly (Gen_13:13); for, 1. It was the most unnatural and abominable wickedness that they were now set upon, a sin that still bears their name, and is called Sodomy. They were carried headlong by those vile affections (Rom_1:26, Rom_1:27), which are worse than brutish, and the eternal reproach of the human nature, and which cannot be thought of without horror by those that have the least spark of virtue and any remains of natural light and conscience. Note, those that allow themselves in unnatural uncleanness are marked for the vengeance of eternal fire.

¹⁴ So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

The sons-in-law did not take Lot seriously. ^[3]The slight they put upon this warning: He seemed to them as one that mocked. They thought, perhaps, that the assault which the Sodomites had just now made upon his house had disturbed his head, and put him into such a fright that he knew not what he said; or they thought that he was not in earnest with them. Those who lived a merry life, and made a jest of everything, made a jest of this warning, and so they perished in the overthrow. Thus many who are warned of the misery and danger they are in by sin make a light matter of it, and think their ministers do but jest with them; such will perish with their blood upon their own heads.

²⁶ “But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”  God does not want us to look back.  Once He delivers us from our sins, we must move forward.  Though this seems trivial, that Lot’s wife looked back and was turned to a pillar of salt, to God, it was not trivial, but grievous. 

^{30 – 38} Lot’s daughters got their father drunk and laid with him.  This is a violent sin, in two ways.  First, Lot since he was in a secluded place, allowed himself to get drunk.  Getting drunk, first of all, is a sin in God’s eyes.  When man gets drunk, he opens himself up to lustful sin.   His daughters, on the other hand, had committed a much worse sin.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Lot’s two daughters got him drunk and laid with him, 2 consecutive days, and bore sons.  The oldest daughter’s son’s name was Moab (Moabites) and the youngest daughter’s son’s name was Ben-Ammi (Ammon).    

Genesis 20: Abraham again makes his wife, Sarah, his sister and gives her to Abimelech.  ¹² “But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.”

A second time that Abraham had told someone that Sarah was his sister (actually, she was his ½ sister.).

Genesis 21: ¹ And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. ²For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

Abraham and Sarah were of a ripe old age.  They were dangerously old to have children.  We are to realize that God’s timing is always perfect regardless of when we think we’re do.  For this, never give up on God for His timing is always perfect.

^{9 – 14} God’s promise of great nations for both of Abraham’s seed, Isaac and Ishmael. 

^{32 – 34} Abraham made a covenant with Abimelech at Beersheba and called on the name of the Lord, El Olam, and the Everlasting God.

As God sent out Hagar and Ishmael, through Sarah and Abraham, He renewed His vow to give Ishmael his nation.  The treaty or covenant is the first mention of a “parity treaty” (of equals) it is between Abraham and Abimelech.  

Beersheba, where the treaty was finalized (meaning “seven”), was also the place where Hagar and Ishmael went out and God showed them the well. 

Genesis 22: Abraham travels to Moriah to sacrifice Isaac.  The Mountains of Moriah are now known as the Jerusalem Hills. Subsequently, the rocky summit where Abraham built his altar became the site of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem (see 2 Chronicles 3:1), now occupied by the beautiful Dome of the Rock (completed in 691AD) inside which the rock that served as Abraham’s altar can still be seen by visitors today.

Consider how old Abraham was.  He was 100 when Isaac was born.  Isaac was a young boy now, not sure how old he was exactly, but Abraham immediately took up his belongings and travelled three days to Mount Moriah.

⁸ And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So, the two of them went together.  God did indeed provide for us His sacrificial Lamb, Jesus.  This is truly a symbolic sign of God’s sincere love for Abraham and us.

¹¹ “The Angel of the Lord appeared to Abraham”.  The Angel of the LORD (מַלְַאַךְ יְהָוָה Malakh YHWH “Messenger of Yahweh”, LXX ἄγγελος Κυρίου) is an entity appearing repeatedly in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) on behalf of God (Yahweh). The term malakh YHWH, in English translation usually accompanied with the definite article, King James Version “the angel of the LORD”, occurs 65 times in the text of the Hebrew Bible. In some instances, it is made clear that the reference is to a theophany, i.e. an appearance of YHWH himself rather than a separate entity acting on his behalf. The related expression of Angel of the Presence occurs only once (Isaiah 63:9). 

Theophany – (from Ancient Greek (ἡ) θεοφάνεια theophaneia, meaning “appearance of a god”) refers to the appearance of a deity to a human. 

^[4]It was not God’s intention that Isaac should actually be sacrificed, yet nobler blood than that of animals, in due time, was to be shed for sin, even the blood of the only begotten Son of God. But in the mean while God would not in any case have human sacrifices used. Another sacrifice is provided. Reference must be had to the promised Messiah, the blessed Seed. Christ was sacrificed in our stead, as this ram instead of Isaac, and his death was our discharge. And observe, that the temple, the place of sacrifice, was afterwards built upon this same mount Moriah; and Calvary, where Christ was crucified, was near. A new name was given to that place, for the encouragement of all believers, to the end of the world, cheerfully to trust in God, and obey him. Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide; probably alluding to what Abraham had said, God will provide himself a lamb. The Lord will always have his eye upon his people, in their straits and distresses, that he may give them seasonable help.

Why Isaac is called Abraham’s only son.  ^[5]Now, was Ishmael a different kind of “son” than Isaac? It turns out he was, in a number of ways:

• Isaac was the child God promised him, while Ishmael was the child he tried to have on his own, to fulfill God’s promise himself
• Ishmael (like Abimelech,) was born of a concubine, and not by his father’s own wife
• As a result, it was in Isaac that Abraham’s descendants were to be named. (cf. Gen. 21:12) So, was Ishmael Abraham’s son? Yes! In one sense; according to the flesh.

Was Isaac Abraham’s “only son”? Yes! In another sense; according to the promise. Abraham’s “only son” came by his only wife, according to God’s only promise, and thus, it was only in Isaac that Abraham’s descendants would be named. And incidentally, this is exactly the conclusion that a number of esteemed Biblical commentators have come to, e.g.: thine only son Isaac; for, though Ishmael was his son, he was a son by his maid, by his concubine, and not by his wife; Isaac was his only legitimate son, his only son by his lawful wife Sarah; the only son of the promise, his only son, in whom his seed was to be called.

Abraham was instructed to take his only/unique son (only begotten), which he dearly loved, and offer him up in sacrifice.  I think this is a picture of God offering us His beloved and only begotten Son, Jesus.  Abraham lifted his eyes on the third day.  

⁵ “… and we will come back to you.”  Why would Abraham tell his servants that both he and Isaac would return unless he knew that God would either spare him or raise him up?  Remember, God DID promise to Abraham that He would raise a nation through his son.  

^{9 – 10} illustrate a father binding up his son on wood and offering him up for sacrifice.  This is a prophecy of God offering up His son on the cross.   ¹² “… for now I know that you fear God…”  This is a true sign of free will.  God knew what Abraham would do ahead of time.   

Genesis 23: For four hundred shekels of silver, Abraham bought the land, now called Hebron, for his need and buried his wife Sarah.

Genesis 24: ¹⁰Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. 

Abraham, in his extremely old age, made his servant vow before him to find a wife for Isaac from his land and not from the Cannonites. 

¹⁵ And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. ^1[6] Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. ¹⁷ And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”

^{22 6}Rebekah makes herself known in reply to his inquiries. “A ring of gold.” The single ring was worn in the nose, the side cartilage of which was pierced for the purpose. This is a custom of the East. “A beka” was half a shekel, somewhat less than a quarter of an ounce. “Ten of gold in weight.” Ten bekas would be about two ounces and a quarter. If shekels, however, be understood, the weight will be double. These were merely a reward for her kindness and courtesy to a stranger. Two questions are now asked by the stranger – the one relating to her kindred, and the other to the means and the inclination they had to entertain a stranger, when inns were not yet in existence. She announces herself to be the daughter of his master’s nephew, and assures him of the requisite accommodation.

Genesis 25:  ^{1 – 4} Abraham was 175 years old when he married Keturah.  It is not known, factually, if Abraham was still married to Sarah when he took Keturah as a wife or rather years later after Sarah’s death.  Keturah bore Abraham 6 additional sons.  

^{5 – 6} Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.  It is also referenced here that Keturah may have been Abraham’s concubine and sent all of the descendants of his concubines eastward away from Isaac.

^{7 – 12} Abraham died at 175 years old.  Both Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham in the same lot that he had purchased and buried his wife Sarah. 

^{24 – 28} Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah.  Rebekah was barren for 20 years before she birthed twins, Esau and Jacob.  I note a comparison between Cain and Abel and then Esau and Jacob.  Cain was a skilled hunter as was Esau.  Abel was more laid back as was Jacob.  In this particular case, Isaac took favor to Esau where Rebekah took favor to Jacob.

²⁹ When Esau became weary from a long day of hunting, he requested some of Jacob’s red stew.  Since Esau had red hair and requested red stew, the Bible then refers Esau as Edom, meaning, Red.

Genesis 26: Isaac carries on the tradition of lying about his wife and calling her his sister to Abimelech.  In this case, Rebekah was not Isaac’s sister but actually a second cousin.

^{16 – 21} This appears to be the start of the Philistines hatred towards the Jews.  As Isaac’s wealth   began to continually began to continually grow and his possessions were increasing at great lengths, due to God’s promise, the Philistines, Abimelech, began to grow envious of him and requested him to leave their land.

Genesis 27: Jacob deceives Esau a second time.  Isaac, being very old and nearly blind, should have sought God when Rebekah encouraged Jacob to deceive Isaac.  Isaac’s blessings on Jacob will not come without consequences.

Genesis 28: ^{1 – 5} Isaac again blesses Jacob and sends him to Rebekah’s father’s house to take on a wife and not to take on a wife of the Canaanites.  

^{6 – 9} In an act of spite, Esau went to Ishmael and took his daughter, Mahalath, as his wife in addition to the wives he already had.

Genesis 29: ^{1 – 12} Jacob meets Rachel, kisses her and weeps.  This kiss is described as Homeric, epic and large-scale.  He weeps in memory of his mother.

^{13 – 30} Deception seems to be in the lineage of Abraham.  Here, Laban deceives Jacob and gives him Leah to lie with.  Jacob ends up marrying both Leah and Rachel.

^{31 – 35} God saw that Leah was not favored among Jacob or Rachel so He opened up Leah’s womb and bore her four sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. 

Genesis 30: ^{1 – 8} Rachel gave her maid Bilhah to Jacob as a wife and requested that Jacob conceive children with her since she was convinced that she was barren; first Dan and then Naphtali.   This is showing a lack of faith in God.  God specifically told Jacob that he would have children and populate the land.  It’s amazing the showing of a lack of faith from our early fathers.  It also shows how merciful our God is and forgiving.

^{9 – 13} Now Leah stopped bearing and she did not want Rachel to outdo her so she gave Jacob her maidservant, Zilpah, as his wife and she bore him two more sons, Gad and Asher.

^{14 – 24} Conception seems to be the theme here.  Trading off maidservants for sons and one daughter.

^{25 – 43} Jacob and Laban negotiate wages for Jacob’s labor.  Jacob became increasingly wealthy with male and female servants as well as livestock

Genesis 31: ^{1 – 3} Laban and his sons felt deceived that Jacob had prospered so much.  God then told Jacob to return to the land of his fathers and He would provide.

^{4 – 13} The dream that Jacob had that had led to Laban’s thinking of deception is revealed.

^{17 – 21} stole away, &c.] Heb. stole the heart of Laban the Aramean. Cf. Genesis 31:26. Jacob outwitted Laban; fled secretly, and got three days’ start. For the phrase, cf. the Greek κλέπτειν νοῦν, “to steal the mind,” i.e. to deceive; see 2 Samuel 15:6.

God had blessed Jacob with the sheep and lamb from Laban’s herd.  Laban tried to deceive Jacob but God would not allow it.  Rachel “took away” the idols from her father’s house as they fled.  

For Jacob’s faithfulness for the 20 years, God blessed him greatly.  The covenant between Jacob and Laban here lead to Jacob’s only sacrifice recorded in the book of Genesis. 

Genesis 32: ^{1 – 2} Mahanaim two camps, a place near the Jabbok, beyond Jordan, where Jacob was met by the “angels of God,” and where he divided his retinue into “two hosts” on his return from Padan-aram. This name was afterwards given to the town, which was built at that place.

^{3 – 6} Jacob is preparing the way to meet up with his brother Esau. 

^{[7] – 8} Due to the past and the ways in which Jacob deceived his brother Esau, he was afraid when he heard that Esau also wanted to meet up with a number of 400.

¹⁸ then you shall say, ‘they are your servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.’” Jacob addresses his brother Esau as ‘Lord’.  This implies as a servant to his older brother.

²² “… and took his two wives, Rachel and Leah: and his two women servants, Bilhah and Zilpah, or, “his two concubines”, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; which distinguishes them from other women servants or maidservants, of which, no doubt, he had many:  and his eleven sons; together with Dinah his daughter, though not mentioned, being the only female child, and a little one.

^{24 – 28} Jacob wrestled with God.  Note here that God asks Jacob what his name was.  We know that God knew Jacob’s name but a point is being made here where God is stating that since Jacob struggled with God and with man, that his name now is Israel, a significant meaning here as Israel will be struggling with God and man to this day.

In the Hebrew Bible, Penuel is a place not far from Succoth, on the east of the Jordan River and south of the river Jabbok. It is also called Peniel “Face of God” by Jacob: “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

^7[8]In this place, Jacob was not doing something; he was not praying or wrestling with God. Rather, God came and wrestled with Jacob; God came and subdued him.

What does it mean to wrestle? Wrestling means to press someone down. God wrestled with Jacob in order to subdue him, strip him of his strength, and pin him down so that he could not struggle any longer. The meaning of wrestling is to deplete someone of his strength, bring him down, and pin him down. It means to subdue someone and then to keep him down with power. The Bible shows us that God wrestled with Jacob and did not prevail over him. Jacob was indeed strong!

What is the significance of God being unable to prevail over Jacob? When we do not trust in God and when we contrive by ourselves and are satisfied with ourselves, we have to admit that God cannot prevail over us. When we try to do God’s will by our own strength and try to deliver ourselves by all kinds of natural means, we have to say that God has not prevailed over us. Many brothers and sisters have believed in the Lord for many years, but they have to admit that God has never prevailed over them. They are still very clever, strong, capable, and resourceful. God is not able to prevail over them. They have never been subdued by God and have never been defeated by Him. If they had been defeated by God, they would have said, “I cannot make it! God, I surrender!” It is unfortunate that many brothers and sisters have been under God’s discipline repeatedly and still are not defeated. They think that they did not plan well enough the first time, and that they have to design a better plan the second or third time. Such ones have never been defeated by God.

Jacob was a person who would never suffer a defeat. He knew that this was a critical moment for him, but he still had his own ways. He might have thought, “I know Esau very well. If I do this, there is a ninety-nine percent chance that I will succeed.” Although he was afraid in his heart, he was still very resourceful.

Many people have repeatedly experienced God’s discipline, but their natural life has never been dealt with in a thorough way. As a result, they make God’s discipline their boast in a natural way. They think that by experiencing God’s discipline frequently, they are accumulating a rich spiritual history for themselves. If they had never been dealt with by the Lord, they would have nothing to say. They would not be able to take pride in any spiritual thing. The only thing they could take pride in would be the worldly things. However, when they have had a little experience of fellowshipping with God and received some dealings, they adorn themselves with these fragmented dealings, use them as the basis for their spiritual boast, and claim that they know God.

Brothers and sisters, perhaps God has been wrestling with you for five or ten years but has not yet prevailed over you. You have not yet been brought to the point where you say, “I am finished. I cannot stand up any longer. I cannot make it.” This means that God has not yet prevailed over you.

³⁰ Did Jacob see God?  This seems to be a contradiction of what is said in 1 Tim 6:16 & 1 John 4:12. Moses asked to see God some 430 years later and God told him he would die if he did.

A couple of thoughts on this; Jacob did indeed die that day and became Israel.  This also could have been a Christophany, an appearance or non-physical manifestation of Christ.   Was God disguised?  Jacob himself was a trickster and would have understood disguised as he disguised himself to his father.  God disguised Himself to Samson when an Angel came to visit him.

Jacob wants to tie loose ends with his brother Esau but is afraid of him.  Jacob had struggled all of his life, with his brother, father-in-law, and now with God.  Jacob was persistent.  Because of his persistence, God blessed him with his new name, Israel or “Prince with God”.  Because God had “touched” Israel’s hip, to this day, the Jews do not eat of the meat.

Genesis 33: Jacob meets up with Esau.  This was a long-awaited gathering.  Both brothers wanted to give each other what he had.  God shows here that He is glorious and forgiveness does come with time.  Jacob was to build an alter at Succoth, which is near Canaan, and built an alter and called it El Elohe Israel, or ‘The Mighty God of Israel’.

With Jacob’s gesture to Esau, he had demonstrated his wrong to his brother.  Verses 10 – 11 demonstrate tithing from Jacob to Esau as Abram did to Melchizadek (a tenth was normal).   

Genesis 34: ^1-4 Though freed from foreign troubles, Jacob met with a great domestic calamity in the fall of his only daughter. According to JOSEPHUS, she had been attending a festival; but it is highly probable that she had been often and freely mixing in the society of the place and that she, being a simple, inexperienced, and vain young woman, had been flattered by the attentions of the ruler’s son. There must have been time and opportunities of acquaintance to produce the strong attachment that Shechem had for her.

⁵ Jacob held his peace–Jacob, as a father and a good man, must have been deeply distressed. However, he could do little. In the case of a family by different wives, it is not the father, but the full brothers, on whom the protection of the daughters devolves–they are the guardians of a sister’s welfare and the avengers of her wrongs. It was for this reason that Simeon and Levi, the two brothers of Dinah by Leah, appear the chief actors in this episode; and though the two fathers would have probably brought about an amicable arrangement of the affair, the hasty arrival of these enraged brothers introduced a new element into the negotiations.

⁶ Hamor–that is, “ass”; and it is a striking proof of the very different ideas, which, in the East, are associated with that animal, which there appears sprightly, well proportioned, and of great activity. This chief is called Emmor.

⁷ The men were grieved, and… Very wroth–Good men in such a case could not but grieve; but it would have been well if their anger had been less, or that they had known the precept “let not the sun go down upon your wrath”. No injury can justify revenge; but Jacob’s sons planned a scheme of revenge in the most deceitful manner.

^8-10 Hamor communed with them–The prince and his son seem at first sight to have acted honestly, and our feelings are enlisted on their side. They betray no jealousy of the powerful shepherds; on the contrary, they show every desire to establish friendly intercourse. However, their conduct was unjustifiable in neither expressing regret nor restoring Dinah to her family; and this great error was the true cause of the negotiations ending in so unhappy a manner.

¹¹ Shechem said unto her father. . . and brethren–The consideration of the proposal for marriage belonged to Jacob, and he certainly showed great weakness in yielding so much to the fiery impetuosity of his sons. The sequel shows the unhappy consequences of that concession.

¹² Ask me never so much dowry and gift–The gift refers to the presents made at betrothal, both to the bride elect and her relations, the dowry to a suitable settlement upon her.

¹³ The sons of Jacob answered–The honor of their family consisted in having the sign of the covenant. Circumcision was the external rite by which persons were admitted members of the ancient Church. However, that outward rite could not make the Shechemites true Israelites; and yet it does not appear that Jacob’s sons required anything more. Nothing is said of their teaching the people to worship the true God, but only of their insisting on their being circumcised; and it is evident that they did not seek to convert Shechem, but only made a show of religion–a cloak to cover their diabolical design. Hypocrisy and deceit, in all cases vicious, are infinitely more so when accompanied with a show of religion; and here the sons of Jacob, under the pretense of conscientious scruples, conceal a scheme of treachery as cruel and diabolical as was, perhaps, ever perpetrated.

²⁰ Hamor and Shechem. . . came unto the gate of their city–That was the place where every public communication was made; and in the ready obsequious submission of the people to this measure we see an evidence either of the extraordinary affection for the governing family, or of the abject despotism of the East, where the will of a chief is an absolute command.

³⁰ Jacob said. . . Ye have troubled me–This atrocious outrage perpetrated on the defenseless citizens and their families made the cup of Jacob’s affliction overflow. We may wonder that, in speaking of it to his sons; he did not represent it as a heinous sin, an atrocious violation of the laws of God and man, but dwelt solely on the present consequences. It was probably because that was the only view likely to rouse the cold-blooded apathy, the hardened consciences of those ruffian sons. Nothing but the restraining power of God saved him and his family from the united vengeance of the people. Not all his sons had been engaged in the massacre. Joseph was a boy, Benjamin not yet born, and the other eight not concerned in it. Simeon and Levi alone, with their retainers, had been the guilty actors in the bloody tragedy. However, the Canaanites would not be discriminating in their vengeance; and if all the Shechemites were put to death for the offense of their chief’s son, what wonder if the natives should extend their hatred to all the family of Jacob; and who probably equaled, in number, the inhabitants of that village.

The Dinah Incident:  Jesus tells us that we should not dwell with a mate that is not equally yoked.  In other words, a Christian should be with a Christian.  Hamor wanted Jacob’s daughter but they were not equally yoked.  Jacob’s sons told him that if all of the men were to be circumcised, then and only then, could they inter-marry.   

Genesis 35: ^{1 – 8} The name El-bethel occurs once or twice in the Bible. It’s how God introduced Himself to Jacob, when He instructed him to leave Laban and return to Canaan (Genesis 31:13). It’s also the name that Jacob gave to the place near Bethel, where he had seen the famous ladder from earth to heaven, when God sent him back there to commemorate that event (Genesis 35:7, see Genesis 28:12).

For some reason, while Jacob and his family journeyed, the locals were all terrified of them and gave them no trouble. However, trouble came anyway when Deborah, Rachel’s nurse, passed away, and they were forced to bury her there. Grief-stricken they named that place Allonbacuth, meaning the oak of weeping. 

Etymology of the name El-bethel

In English, it seems that, the name El-bethel consists of two parts, but when viewed in Hebrew it becomes clear that El-bethel consists of three parts. It’s the word בית (bayit or beth in compounds) sandwiched between twice the word אל.

^{9 – 15} The name Israel is a Hebrew baby name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Israel is: May God prevail. He struggles with God. God perseveres; contends. In the bible when Jacob was in his nineties as a token of blessing, God changed his name to Israel.

^{16 – 20} The last of the Tribe of Judah, Benjamin, was born as Rachel had a very hard labor and died.

^{21 [9]}The late Prof. Shemaryahu Talmon proposed that a mid-verse break might act as a sign directing the reader to a related text in the Hebrew Bible. In this case, Talmon saw the gap as a sort of “hyperlink” intended to point to the genealogical list in 1 Chron. 

The sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel. (He was the first-born; but when he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, so he is not reckoned as first-born in the genealogy).

Whether or not this is the intent of the scribal break, it is clear that 1 Chronicles relates to the event mentioned in Gen 35. “Defiled his father’s bed,” reflects “Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine.” This in itself shoes how biblical authors drew upon earlier biblical texts and traditions, offering us a brief glimpse into the process of the composition of biblical texts.

^{27 – 29} Isaac died at the age of 180 years old.

Genesis 36: The family and Genealogy of Esau (Edom); Chiefs and Kings first appeared, prior to any Kings of Israel.

Genesis 37: 1 – 4 Being that Jacob had many wives, the division among the stepbrothers, by wife, was obvious.  Only Joseph and Benjamin were born from Rachel.  The exact reason why Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son is not known but reasonably speaking, Jacob waited a long time to have his first son with Rachel, at 90 or so.  Though Benjamin was born much later when Jacob was much older, Benjamin came at a sorrowful time due to Rachel’s death.

In verse 4, many of Joseph’s brothers were envious of him due to Jacob’s love for him.  This does not mean that all of the Joseph’s brothers despised him because we know that Joseph and Benjamin were very close and that Reuben in fact did not want to kill Joseph, Genesis 37:21-

22.

^{5 – [10]} We know by account in Genesis later, that Joseph was very wise.  The fact that Joseph told his brothers his dreams was probably not one of his wisest moments.  This probably should have been something he kept between him and his father.

^9[11]Joseph reinforced their resentment by telling his brothers the content of two dreams that he had. This fact indicated his arrogant nature. The dreams were obviously divinely inspired. However, we must understand why there were two dreams. Furthermore, the brother’s response to each dream was different. The first dream was concerning the bundles of wheat. The brother’s response to this dream was continued hatred. The second dream concerning the constellations evoked a different response. The brothers were jealous and Jacob heeded this dream. The difference between the dreams can help us appreciate the different responses. The first dream reflected that Joseph would rule them physically. The bundles of wheat represent physical sustenance. Thus, the brothers hated him even more for they resented that they would be physically subservient. However, the second dream reflected that Joseph would be the mentor, that he would lead them spiritually as well. The constellations represent spirituality. This evoked a response of jealousy. However, Jacob heeded the dream because he recognized Joseph’s potential. We must appreciate that the brother’s envy was based upon the fact that Jacob had chosen Joseph as the one who would be the leader and carry forward the tradition. The brothers did not act upon mere jealousy. They determined based upon Joseph’s vanity and narcissism that he was not deserving of such an honor. He constantly told their father lashon hara, derogatory talk concerning them. His revealing to them his dreams reinforced their opinion that he was arrogant and unworthy. It reinforced their image of his vanity. Jacob, however, realized Joseph’s intellectual abilities and conviction and realized in time he would mature and mold his character as a wise man. As time passed Jacob’s assessment of Joseph’s abilities and nature was proven accurate.

^{25 – 36} Joseph is put into the pit and sold to the Ishmaelite’s.  Jacob mourns over the apparent death of Joseph and Joseph is sold to Egypt’s Pharaoh, Potiphar.  

This is the start of the end of the great Exodus from Egypt. 

My take on Joseph and his dreams are that when we get a Word from God, we need to be tactful on how we present it even though it is God’s Word.  God does not want us to use His Word to insult anyone.     

Genesis 38: It is interesting how the writer of Genesis, Moses, went from Genesis 37, talking about Joseph, right into Judah’s family.

^[12]Genesis 38 has puzzled Bible scholars for centuries.

In the previous chapter, Genesis 37 begins well enough with the story of Joseph.  It tells us that he was 17, beloved of his father who gave him a wonderful coat.

Joseph was the youngest son at that point in time so he cared for his father’s sheep.  Even back then, it wasn’t considered the most glamorous job.  In fact, it pretty much meant you were low on the totem pole, so to speak.

He was obviously his father’s favorite and, as a result, was the object of jealousy and hatred by his brothers.  That coat was the last straw.

The chapter ends with him being completely rejected by his brothers, thrown into a pit and sold for 20 pieces of silver to some passing traders.  They took him away as their captive to Egypt and sold him into slavery.

The very last verse says, “Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.”

Enter chapter 38.  For some strange reason, the Holy Spirit totally jumps tracks and interjects a segment from Judah’s story.  In the next chapter, He just casually picks up where He left off with the rest of Joseph’s story and continues. It doesn’t make any sense.

(Tamar dressed as a prostitute.)

He went to visit a certain Adullamite.  So what?  Why interrupt Joseph’s story to talk about that?

Now do you see why scholars have been scratching their heads for centuries?

The whole chapter ends with the story of Judah’s daughter-in-law, Tamar, who tricked him into having sex with her.  She ends up giving birth to twin boys by him named “Perez and Zerah.”

Another thing:  Why is Judah in particular singled out and discussed and not one of the other brothers?  There were 11 of them after all.  Why not Asher, Ephraim or Naphtali?

As usual, the Holy Spirit has a message for us in all this seeming confusion.

Of all the Old Testament types and shadows, Joseph’s life story is the clearest depiction of the life of our Lord Jesus.  What has He been trying to tell us all these years that has heretofore baffled theologians for centuries?

You remember at the end of chapter 37 Joseph was rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery for 20 pieces of silver.  His brothers had reported to his father that he was dead.

Meanwhile down in Egypt, he was sold into slavery, bought by Potiphar, thrown in prison for three years and rose to prominence as Viceroy, second only to Pharaoh in power.

When his brothers first came to buy grain, they didn’t recognize him.  He revealed his identity to them further on in the story at a later meeting.

Similarly, Jesus was betrayed (sold out) for 30 pieces of silver by natural Israel, his Hebrew brethren.  He was taken away in chains, died on the cross and rose the third day, depicted by Joseph’s 3-year imprisonment.  He ascended to His Father and is seated on the throne of heaven at His right hand.

Sadly, He was ultimately rejected by the entire Jewish nation.  They didn’t recognize their Messiah at His first coming.  Many Jews to this day, in fact, still believe the concocted story that he is dead and that His disciples stole His body.  However, when He returns, I assure you THEY WILL MOST CERTAINLY RECOGNIZE HIM!

40 years after Jesus ascended to His Father, God allowed Emperor Titus to destroy their temple in 70AD.  This effectively put an end to all animal sacrifices.  The Father did not want to allow any more of that as His beloved Son, Jesus was the FINAL one.

The Jewish people were all scattered, dispersed among every nation of the world.  They remained among them for 2,000 years.

Why Chapter 38?

So how does all that reconcile the problem of chapter 38?  When Judah left his brothers, he married a Canaanite woman; a Gentile, whose father was named Shua.  God was painting a picture of what would happen to Israel.  IT’S PART OF A TIME LINE.

Shua is a Canaanite; a Gentile. His name in Hebrew means “wealth. “Judah” left his “brothers” and went to visit his “Canaanite (Gentile)” friend.  It’s a picture, if you will, of the Jewish people rejecting Jesus, being scattered amongst the Canaanites–the Gentiles of the world–and intermingling with Shua: wealth.

Didn’t you ever wonder why Jewish people seem to have a disproportionate ability to be influential in the world today for both good and evil?  It’s because of the blessing of Abraham.  They came to be called “Jews” because of the name “Judah,” in fact.

Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, the largest of all the tribes.  When the Jewish people were scattered, they would chase after wealth wherever they went in the world among the nations. Because of God’s promise to Abraham, they would prosper financially.  That they have! Though they don’t have the full blessing as we do, which is salvation, they have nevertheless blessed the whole world.  Salvation, by far however, is the greatest blessing!

Remember that Joseph’s brothers didn’t know who had put their money back into their sacks of grain?  Most of Abraham’s descendants today don’t really know why they have such a talent for financial gain and for blessing the whole world with their inventions, discoveries and insights.  Many don’t even believe in the God of their fathers.

1 – 5 Judah departed from his brothers and started his family and son’s families.  Judah journeyed and met up with a friend who was an Adullamite (An inhabitant of Adullam, his name was Hirah. (A native of Adullam, and a “friend” of Judah (Genesis 38:1 – 12). The Septuagint and the Vulgate (Jerome’s Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) both describe him as Judah’s “shepherd.”). Near this town, there was a cave where David and his allies sought refuge from Saul.)  Judah married Shua.

^{6 – [13]} Judah’s sons were, for the most part, evil in the sight of the Lord.  Er, his first born, was killed by the Lord.  Judah, wanting an offspring, requested that his next eldest son, Onan, go into Tamar, Er’s wife.  Onan didn’t want to leave Er’s legacy so discharged onto the ground so the Lord Smited him as well.

^{[14] – 16 11}After a considerable period of time two events occurred which set the scene for Judah to depart even further from the faith of his fathers. Already Judah had left his brothers and formed an alliance with Hirah. He had married a Canaanite and produced three children; two so wicked that God had to remove them. In time, Judah’s Canaanite wife, whose name is never mentioned, passed away. In a sensually oriented and sexually perverted society, this placed Judah in a vulnerable position. In addition, sufficient time had passed for Shelah to grow up and take Tamar as a wife to raise up children to Er, the eldest brother. However, while Tamar was officially regarded as the wife of Shelah, the marriage was never consummated, for Judah had never given Shelah to Tamar.

Tamar played on the fact that Judah and Hirah were manly men who, after a hard day’s work, were loose to women.

^{23 – 26} When Judah found out that Tamar had played the harlot and conceived, he wanted her burned.  Tamar knew of this and presented Judah with the pledge he had given her, the signet, cord, and staff.  Judah backed away and knew that he did worse than she did.

Judah’s wife, Shua, had died and he went into his daughter-in-law, Tamar, thinking she was a harlot by her disguise.  Judah had twins by Tamar, Perez and Zerah.

Genesis 39: ^{1 – 6 12} Our enemies may strip us of outward distinctions and ornaments; but wisdom and grace cannot be taken from us. They may separate us from friends, relatives, and country; but they cannot take from us the presence of the Lord. They may shut us from outward blessings, rob us of liberty, and confine us in dungeons; but they cannot shut us out from communion with God, from the throne of grace, or take from us the blessings of salvation. Joseph was blessed, wonderfully blessed, even in the house where he was a slave. God’s presence with us makes all we do prosperous. Good men are the blessings of the place where they live; good servants may be so, though mean and lightly esteemed. The prosperity of the wicked is, one way or other, for the sake of the godly. Here was a wicked family blessed for the sake of one good servant in it. [Return]

^{7 – 10} Temptations come our way every minute, repetitively.  It is only through the help of our Helper, the Holy Spirit, can we even attempt to withdrawal from these temptations.   Potiphar’s wife was undoubtingly beautiful and probably was adorned scantly.  Joseph honored his heavenly Father knowing the consequences.

^{13 – 15} Potiphar’s wife was a proud and narcissistic woman that would not take that a man would not want her and would try to destroy Joseph for her thinking that she was not good enough for her.

^{[15] – 18 13} Josephs mistress, having tried in vain to make him a guilty man, endeavored to be avenged on him. Those that have broken the bonds of modesty will never be held by the bonds of truth. It is no new thing for the best of men to be falsely accused of the worst of crimes, by those who themselves are the worst of criminals. It is well there is a day of discovery coming, in which all shall appear in their true characters.

The word mistress is translated to mean ‘the woman he works for’.  Joseph did not have, what today’s meaning of a mistress is.

If I can be a man of God, as Joseph was, stay obedient, through God, things around me can be affected for the good.  God used Joseph and turned good around him, even in captivity.  

¹² shows that when you are placed or going to be placed in a position of compromise, you should “flee”.  Whatever your lusts are, remove yourself from the situation to alleviate the possibility of anything happening.  

Joseph had unusual favor with God.  Wherever he went, God blessed him.  

Genesis 40: Joseph, like Daniel, was one of God’s few chosen that was able to interpret dreams.  Unlike Daniel, who had to go to God and request the interpretation, Joseph was able to spontaneously interpret the Baker’s and the Butler’s dreams.

Never lose sight of the fact that we can do well for others and those actions or deeds often go unnoticed.  God never forsakes us and never forgets.  All that matters in life is that we please God and He promises to watch over us and take care of us.

Genesis 41: Pharaoh’s dreams and Joseph’s rise to power.

Matthew Henry’s commentary: Two things Providence is here bringing about: —I. The advancement of Joseph. II. The maintenance of Jacob and his family in a time of famine; for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro through the earth, and direct the affairs of the children of men for the benefit of those few whose hearts are upright with him. In order to these, we have here, 1. Pharaoh’s dreams. The recommendation of Joseph to him for an interpreter. The interpretation of the dreams, and the prediction of seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in Egypt, with the prudent advice given to Pharaoh thereupon. The preferment of Joseph to a place of the highest power and trust in Egypt. The accomplishment of Joseph’s prediction, and his fidelity to his trust, etc. [Return]

^{1 – 8} Joseph had waited two full years for these moments to occur.  This patience is showing that waiting on God for His timing is crucial. 

God worked differently in those times, as with Daniel, with special dreams.  Nowadays, God reveals to us through our hearts and His divine Word.  We are to listen intently to ‘His still small voice’.  As Proverbs 3:5-6 states to trust in Him and He will direct us.

^{9 – 16} Though the Butler waited and ‘apparently’ forgot about his promise to Joseph, he does, however, confess his faults.  It is always best to confess our faults.  Here is a prime example of how God’s timing works.  If the Butler were to have noted Joseph’s favor initially, Joseph may have been directed back to his own people and the blessings would not have come.  It is shown here that we need to wait on God’s timing and His timing for a purpose in our lives.

^{17 – 32} We must learn how to want, as well as how to abound.

^{33 – 36} Discernment is a gift from God.  We must pray earnestly for God’s wisdom on what He places in our hearts.  Our obedience to God is always rewarded.

^{37 – 47} Josephs rise to power.  It was in God’s will that Joseph rose to such a great height.  God’s plan for us won’t necessarily be to that extent but it will always be to our best advantage.  God always has our best intentions in mind.  It is up to us to heed His voice.

Pharaoh gave Joseph an Egyptian name of Zaphnath-Paaneah. ^[16] Most everyone agrees that the nun-tav/NTh at the end of the first part of Joseph’s Egyptian name means the Egyptian general name for god:  nTr.  True, the final R sound has been dropped, but that seems to be merely a simplification, which often happens when the Hebrew author of the Patriarchal narratives attempts to reproduce a non-Semitic word.  One reason there is general agreement on this is that in context, Pharaoh is clearly claiming that Joseph is divinely blessed.  So, some reference to the divine needs to be in this grand Egyptian name, and the only candidate for that in Joseph’s Egyptian name is nun-tav, meaning nTr/ “god” in Egyptian.

Likewise, most everyone agrees as to what Egyptian word is intended by the end of the second part of Joseph’s Egyptian name.  The ayin-nun-het must be ANKh, the famous Egyptian word “ankh”, meaning “life” or “eternal life”.  As an Egyptian word, these Hebrew letters seem the best way to try to reproduce “ankh” literally, (though these Hebrew letters in this combination would be pronounced differently if this were a west Semitic word).

Sometimes we see or want to see something in our life that we want that may be a dream gave us or was influenced by someone.  The world today wants to go to outside sources, i.e. psychiatrists, medians, palm readers, etc. for advice.  What we need to always do is seek God’s advice in all cases.  Not first, and if we get no answer go the other routes – no!  Seek God until He gives you an answer.   Pharaoh sought answers to his dreams through magicians and the minds of his land.  It wasn’t Joseph that gave him the interpretations to his dreams but God through Joseph.

It is very rare that we remember our dreams after wakening.  If we do and it has an impact on us, we should turn to God for answers, especially if it does have an impact.  This is not to say that every time we remember our dreams that we are having a vision from God but, if we are really impacted by the dream, only have God tell you what He is trying to give to you.

^{33 – 36} The way in which I read these verses is a message of “savings”.  During times of plenty, save 1/5 of your income for the times when things go amiss.  If we would have done this over the past several years, we would be fine now that I am not working.  God gives us times of plenty for this reason.  Be wise.

Genesis 42: ^{1 – 7} The beginning of Joseph’s dreams coming fulfilled.  Literally, the whole land was going through this draught. 

^{8 – 11} Joseph’s ten brothers, not including Benjamin, appeared sorrowful to the Governor. 

^{12 – 24} Joseph’s brothers revisited their devious deeds to Joseph through Reuben.  Joseph understood what they were talking about and now understood that Reuben was the reason he was not killed.  Simeon, being the next oldest brother, was then confined to prison until the others brought back Benjamin. 

Amazing the love that Joseph still had for his treasoness brothers as he wept when he heard them talking.

^{25 – 28} It is often very difficult to accept a loving gift from someone you had deceived.  The showing of affection and/or conviction becomes overwhelming.  Joseph’s kindness is not keeping the money for the grain and corn the brothers had come for convicted the hearts of them.

God has a way of testing our faith once we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.  Just to say a prayer is not to be saved but a true act of complete faith.  As Joseph was testing his brothers to see if they had changed hearts, so does God test our faith when He hits us with unemployment, etc.  

Genesis 43: ^{1 – 2} The bible is not clear on the time between chapter 42 and here.  The brothers had returned from Egypt with food and now they have depleted all that they obtained.  Remember, Simeon is being held in prison during this time.  Israel appears to be apprehensive about letting Benjamin go to Egypt with his brothers but times are rough.

^{3 – [17]} Judah being Judah.  He tells his father he will not go down unless he can bring Benjamin.   His father did not take this lightly.

^{8 – 10} The apprehension is apparent with Israel.  Here, Judah states that they had lingered a long time.

^{11 – 14} Israel was bereaved (be deprived of a loved one through a profound absence, especially due to the loved one’s death) when he had let his sons take Benjamin with them to Egypt. 

Judah takes the lead with the brothers and offers himself up to Joseph instead of the younger.

Israel only had the two sons from Rebecca and, for intent and purposes, Joseph was dead and he did not want to see any harm come to Benjamin.

^{15 – 25} The brothers journeyed approximately 220 miles from Canaan to Egypt.  Canaan is an ancient term for a region approximating to present-day Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Lebanon and Syria. So, it is attached with 11 km (6.83 miles) border with Egypt. It is even extended to Al Arish, which is 214 miles to CAIRO.

The money that the brothers had thought was not theirs in their sacks was placed there by God as allowances for their trip.

^{26- 28} The prophetic dream of Joseph becomes reality, “And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.” ²⁸ “…And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.”

^{29 – 31} Joseph was overwhelmed when he says his full brother Benjamin.  Remember, only Joseph and Benjamin were full brothers from the same mother.

³² “So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.”  This is a key scripture verse.  When Moses was a young man, the Egyptians feared the fact that the Jews were greater in population than the Egyptians themselves were.

Confusion!  Verse 1 says there was a severe famine in the land.  Later, in verse 11, Israel (Jacob) told his sons to gather the best fruits in the land, etc. and bring them as a gift to Joseph.  The first part of this scripture tells us that they had gone through the grain and there was nothing left.  Where did the fruit come from?  

El Shaddai = God Almighty 

Genesis 44: ^{1 – 5} Joseph wanted his brothers to return with his father.  In wanting this without asking, since he was the Governor, he had his servants plant his drinking cup in their packs. brother, Benjamin.   

Genesis 45: ^{1 – 2} Joseph was overwhelmed and could not restrain himself any longer.  His apparent joy was so profound, even though he and his brothers were left alone, everyone, including the Pharaoh, heard it.

^{[18][19] – [20]} Refer back to Matthew Henry’s commentary.  At this time, Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him and told them how the Lord had preserved him.  Joseph told his brothers that it wasn’t they that brought him to Egypt but God for without God doing what he did; Joseph could not have helped his family.

¹² Joseph instructs his brothers to go to Egypt and tell their father of his greatness.  We still the see a bit of the narcissistic ways of Joseph making sure his father is reminded of his earlier dreams.

^{16 – 20} Pharaoh didn’t know how this would influence the Jews in just a few hundred years.  He openly gave all that he had to Joseph and his family and Egypt grew quickly with the Jewish population.

In all things, if we stay loyal and truthful to God, He will direct our paths.  Joseph let it be known to his brothers that it was not they that placed him in Egypt, but it was God’s plan.  

It was God’s plan (15:13-16) that Abrams descendants live in a foreign land.  This is why God had directed Joseph to tell his brothers to bring the entire family back to Egypt.   

Genesis 46: ¹ Beersheba – Well of the oath, or well of seven, a well dug by Abraham, and so named because he and Abimelech here entered into a compact. On re-opening it, Isaac gave it the same name. It was a favorite place of abode of both of these patriarchs. It is mentioned among the “cities” given to the tribe of Simeon. From Dan to Beersheba, a distance of about 144 miles, became the usual way of designating the whole Promised Land, and passed into a proverb. After the return from the Captivity, the phrase is narrowed into “from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom”. The kingdom of the ten tribes extended from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim. The name is not found in the New Testament. It is still called by the Arabs Bir es-Seba, i.e., “well of the seven”, where there are to the present day two principal wells and five smaller ones. It is nearly midway between the southern end of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean.

to buy goods. In the second year of famine, the Vizier of Egypt, Joseph, invited the sons of Israel to live in Egyptian territory. They settled in the country of Goshen.^[6] Goshen is described as the best land in Egypt, suitable for both crops and livestock. It has been suggested that this location may have been – ⁴ God gave Israel assurance of his journey to Egypt and promised him a great nation.  God’s plan here was the start of what He was going to have Moses do his work.

^{2 – 7} Israel’s family ‘carried’ him from Hebron to today’s Goshen, Egypt, 220 some miles.  This shows not only the respect they had for him, but also the commitment to follow what God had told them to do.

^{8 – 27} The entire family of Israel and his wives and concubines were 70 in all who made the journey.

The Land of Goshen – According to the Joseph narrative in the Book of Genesis, the sons of Jacob (Israel) who were living in Hebron, experienced a severe famine that lasted seven years. Since word was that Egypt was the only kingdom able to supply food, the sons of Jacob (Israel) journeyed there

somewhat apart from Egypt, because Genesis 46:34 states, “Ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.” After the death of Joseph and those of his generation, the following generations of Israelites had become populous in number. The Egyptians feared potential integration or takeover, so they enslaved the Israelites and took away their human rights.

Approximately four hundred and thirty years later, Moses was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, from Goshen to Succoth, the first waypoint of the Exodus. They pitched at 41 locations crossing the Nile Delta, to the last station being the plains of Moab.

²⁸ They journeyed to Goshen in Egypt, where the great Exodus began.

^{31 – 34} Joseph requested of Pharaoh to permit his father and his family to remain with their given occupations of childhood as shepherds in the land of Goshen. ^34b “…that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

The current Pharaoh, in the land of Rameses, [Land of Goshen. The Land of Goshen (Hebrew: גֶֹּשֶן אֶֶרֶץ or גושן ארץ Eretz Gošen) is named in the Bible as the place in Egypt given to the Hebrews by the pharaoh of Joseph (Genesis 45:9-10), and the land from which they later left Egypt at the time of the Exodus. It was located in the eastern Delta of the Nile], was very accommodating to Joseph and his family at that time.  Permitting the ‘shepherds’, Jews, to dwell in the land without cause.

God spoke to Israel again and told him not be troubled and to go to Egypt where God will prosper him there.  This began the 400-year sojourn in the land of Egypt (see 15:13-16) as foretold by God to Abram.   Amazing how all the pieces just flow together.  As the Jews started to prosper in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh changed and the Jews lost all of their respect and then Moses comes in.   

Genesis 47: ^{1 – 6} When Pharaoh heard from Israel’s sons that they were shepherds; he made them chief herdsmen over all of his livestock.

^{7 -10} Israel blessed Pharaoh.  ^[21] We might expect one with special favor before the gods to offer such a blessing, but pharaohs themselves were considered divine. Would not Jacob’s emphatic act thus seem presumptuous to both of them (cf. Heb 7:7)? I do not think so. Pharaoh was in awe of the special wisdom that Joseph had from God (Gen 41:38), and might well wonder about the kind of family in which he grew up. Age was respected in antiquity and longevity was seen as a divine blessing; Pharaoh thus asks the age of Joseph’s obviously aged father (47:8).

Rameses II is suggested as the Pharaoh of Exodus, as portrayed in “The Ten Commandments” in the classic film as well as in the animation film entitled “Prince of Egypt”. However, it should be noted that there are nine other Pharaohs who took the name of Rameses. Aside from that, Moses was said to be living around the 1525 BC to 1405 BC, two hundred years before Rameses II. Other than Rameses II, Pharaoh Thutmose III was the Pharaoh in Exodus. Moses has only been proposed, as the Thutmose II for the first 22 years of the Pharaoh’s his life until Moses was cast out to Midian and the half-brother of Nefure (speculated to be the daughter of Pharaoh who took Moses in) took Moses place as Thutmose II. This Thutmose was the father of Thutmose III; another speculated Pharaoh of Exodus

^{16 – 17} During the great famine in all of the land of Canaan and Egypt, the Egyptians complained to Joseph, since they had given him and Pharaoh all of their money that they had no bread to eat.  Joseph negotiated with them to turn over their livestock for exchange of bread.

^{18 – 26} In the ensuing years of famine, all of the livestock that the Egyptians had, had been sold to Joseph and Pharaoh; they had nothing left but their own land.  Joseph commanded that they then sell their land to Pharaoh, so all of land of Egypt was under Joseph and Pharaohs’ control.

^{17 – 18} These verses seem to insinuate the over a 17-year span, the Jewish population grew exceedingly, if the chronologic in the verses is correct.  We see in verse 18 that Israel lived an additional 17 years.

^{19 – 31} These were the last days of Israel.  His wishes were to be buried in Canaan with his fathers.  His sons obeyed his wishes and carried him to Canaan to be buried.  Israel was 147 years old when he died.

Who is our Shepard?  Why is the Shepard an abomination to the Egyptian?  Because the famine was so great, in Canaan and Egypt, people gave up all they had, silver, livestock, and their land, just to get grain to eat.  At his point, all of the collective wealth of Canaan and Egypt fell under the control and power of Pharaoh.   

^{23 – 26} These verses are establishing the people of Canaan and Egypt to be slaves to Pharaoh.  Did Joseph have a part in this?  

Genesis 48:  How the bible uses Jacob and Israel interchangeably.   

^{1 – 20} Isaac keeps in tradition with his fathers by granting his covenant blessings bestowed to him from his fathers to Joseph’s sons.  As his fathers did, Isaac blessed the younger son, Ephraim’s head first over Manasseh’s (older son) head.  In conformity with these words, the Israelites to this day use Jacob’s formula in blessing their children.  There had been a history of the second-born usurping the first – Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, and even Judah’s twins, Perez and Zerah.  

^{21 – 22 [22]} One portion: the Hebrew word is Shechem, which word indeed signifies a shoulder, as Genesis 9:23, and is here put for a part of land which is choice and good, as the shoulder is among the parts of the body. See 1 Samuel 9:24. And he used this word, that by allusion he might signify what place he speaks of, even Shechem, as may further appear by comparing Joshua 24:32John 4:5. Yea, some would have Shechem here to be the proper name of the place, which might be if the word one were not added to it. 

1. Of the future conquest of the land of the Amorites or Canaanites by his posterity, which he here ascribes to himself, and speaks of it in the past time, as of a thing already done, as the manner of the prophets is. However, Jacob would not attribute that to his sword, which his posterity denies to be done by their sword, Psalm 44:3. In addition, it is manifest that Jacob here speaks of that which was his, by a special title, and which in a peculiar manner he gave to Joseph. 

2. Of the city and territory of Shechem, whose inhabitants were rooted out by Simeon and Levi, and whose land being void was possessed by Jacob. In addition, this is said to be got by Jacob’s sword and bow, because it was got with the sword and bow of his sons Simeon and Levi, and a great number of his family, who doubtless were associated with them in this expedition. But it is not likely that he would take to himself that which he declares his utter abhorrence of, Genesis 34:30 49:5,6, or that he should call that his sword and his bow here which he calls instruments of cruelty in Simeon’s and Levi’s hands, Genesis 49:5. 

3. Which seems the truest, of that land in the territory of Shechem, which Jacob bought of Hamor, Genesis 33:19, which is said to be got by his sword and bow.

1. Properly, because he did by force of arms expel those Amorites, who upon his retirement from those parts, after the slaughter of the Shechemites, had invaded his lands, though this story be not elsewhere recorded; as many things are mentioned by the by in some one place of Scripture, without any particular account of the circumstances of them, either there or elsewhere, as Genesis 36:24 Deu 2:9-11 Joshua 24:11. And though Jacob was a man of peace, yet his sons were warriors; and they by his permission might drive out, by their arms, those straggling Canaanites which had taken possession of his purchase, Jacob being the more willing to recover his right herein, because it was an earnest of his future possession of the whole land. In addition, the neighboring Canaanites would not concern themselves in the defense of the invaders, both because they were convinced of the right of Jacob’s cause, and because they were overruled by Divine Providence, in which Jacob trusted, and of which he had ample experience.

2. Metaphorically, i.e. by his money, which he calls his sword and his bow, not only because money is answerable to the sword and the bow, and all other things, Ecclesiastes 10:19, and is a defense, Ecclesiastes 7:12, and therefore may well be so called. Even as prayers and tears are called the arms of the church, because they serve for the same purpose that arms do against their enemies; but also, and principally by way of opposition to the sword and bow of his cruel sons. So, the sense may be this, I have given to thee one portion, or one Shechem, not the city of Shechem, which Simeon and Levi took from the hand of the Amorite with their sword and their bow, but a part of the territory of Shechem which I took or received from the hand of the Amorite by my sword and my bow, i.e. by my money, whereby I purchased it. 

Israel made Ephraim, the younger of Joseph’s sons, greater than Manasseh, oldest.  This is interesting since, in Revelation 7:6, the tribe of Ephraim is omitted and the tribe of Manasseh is not.

Genesis 49: Jacob’s sons are unpunished for their prior actions.  ^{1 – 4} Jacob, starting with his eldest, Rueben, relinquishes his first-born rights and inheritance.  The uncommon word יצוע is used for “couch”; the Chronicler uses this term, and in doing so, offers an interpretation of Jacob’s parting words to Reuben, which are in somewhat cryptic poetic form. What does “you shall excel no longer” mean? For the Chronicler, it means that Reuben has lost his privilege as first-born. By birth, he was entitled to a double portion of inheritance. Jacob decreed that he will “excel no longer”—the double portion will go to Joseph instead.  Reuben had slept with Jacob’s concubine Bilhah.

^{5 – 7} As with Reuben, the blessing on Simeon and Levi is tied to a past event. The references to violence and killing in Genesis 49:5–6 recall their perversion of the sign and seal of circumcision to exact revenge upon the Shechemites for violating their sister Dinah (chap. 34). No direct commentary on the immorality of this event has been voiced yet, though many contextual clues have indicated that God was displeased. The blessing on Simeon and Levi removes any ambiguity about their deeds. Their wanton slaughter of an entire city was wrong, and their families will feel the consequences.

All of Jacob’s sons are brothers, but he calls Simeon and Levi “brothers” explicitly since the sword binds them together in ways they are not bound to their other brothers (49:5). The Hebrew term for violence here tells us an abhorrent ruthlessness motivated their behavior. Simeon and Levi even hamstrung Shechem’s oxen needlessly (v. 6), injuring innocent animals and ruining them as beasts of burden. Because of their sin, the brothers will be scattered in the Promised Land without permanent inheritance rights (v. 7).

^{8 – 12} But why Judah?  Consider Leah. One theory: I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to really put yourself in her shoes, but she had a truly rough deal. Her husband was crazy in love with her sister, to whom he was also married, and they all had to live together in a highly dysfunctional family situation. I can’t imagine how she coped with the constant rejection and humiliation that it must have been for her. She had lost whatever friendship and sisterhood she may have enjoyed with Rachel in the past, and endured an existence of being unwanted, undesired, and unloved. In addition, being forced to live in such close proximity to the two lovebirds in their twisted triangle must have been excruciating. She must have been living in a lot of emotional anguish, and it’s reflected in the names that she gives her children in Genesis 29: “Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son and named him Reuben because she said, “For Adonai has seen my affliction. Surely now my husband will love me.”

Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son, and said, “For Adonai heard that I am hated, so He’s given me this one also,” and she named him Simeon.

Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will join himself to me because I’ve given birth to three sons for him.” For this reason, he was named Levi.” 

She was consumed with her plight, and all her prayers were focused on trying to get God to end her pain. Then something very powerful happens.

“Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I praise Adonai.” For this reason, she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.”

I think it was this pivotal moment when a woman in severe grief turned all of her attention away from her pain, even though it had not been resolved, and decided to PRAISE GOD ANYWAY.

Sacrificial praise in the midst of agony is spiritual dynamite. Shift forward a couple of thousand years, and observe Paul and Silas in jail (Acts 16). They have been beaten, their backs are bleeding and in shreds. They had no medical attention and were thrown in a stony jail, their feet put in stocks, surrounded by many other prisoners. What do they do? Cry?  Complain?  No! They SING! They sing praises to God, so that the whole jail can hear them. In addition, what happens? There’s an earthquake. Prisoners come to faith, doors swing open and even the jailer repents and brings his whole family to accept Yeshua as Lord. 

I honestly don’t think anything delights God more – a voluntary sacrifice of praise in the midst of hardship. It expresses such love and trust to God, such honor. I think this is the reason that God decided that Judah would be the ancestor of David, and ultimately the Messiah. Leah’s costly heart-change while still in great pain was so powerful and pleasing to God that he gave the honor of his scepter to the one whose very name means “praise”.

In both Hebrew and Christian tradition, “Shiloh” in this context has become synonymous with Messiah. It is thought to be a contracted Hebrew word meaning, “To whom it belongs”, with “it” meaning authority, tribute.

When Rachel gave birth to Judah, she wanted to praise the Lord so, she gave him the name if Judah, which means, “to praise the Lord”.  ¹⁰ “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes.”   A scepter is a symbol of royalty.  The Lion of Judah is Jesus Christ.  Shiloh is another name for Messiah (like Seed).  Verses 10 – 12 are very prophetic statements from Israel (Jacob) of the coming Messiah.  

Zebulun was given the territory bordering Phoenicia.   

Genesis 50: ^{1 – 6} Though pious relatives and friends have lived to a good old age, and we are confident they are gone to glory, yet we may regret our own loss, and pay respect to their memory by lamenting them. Grace does not destroy, but it purifies, moderates, and regulates natural affection. The departed soul is out of the reach of any tokens of our affection; but it is proper to show respect to the body, of which we look for a glorious and joyful resurrection, whatever may become of its remains in this world. Thus, Joseph showed his faith in God, and love to his father. He ordered the body to be embalmed, or wrapped up with spices, to preserve it. See how vile our bodies are, when the soul has forsaken them; they will become noisome, and offensive.   According to Herodotus, the body often remained at the embalmer’s seventy days. 

^{10 – 11} Atad, an Old Testament Hebrew name meaning buckthorn. The buckthorns are a genus of shrub or small tree in the family Rhamnaceae.

Atad was the place where Joseph and his brothers, when on their way from Egypt to Hebron with the remains of their father Jacob, made for seven days a “great and very sore lamentation.” On this account, the Canaanites called it “Abel-mizraim” (Genesis 50:10-11). It was probably near Hebron although described in these verses of Genesis as ‘beyond (or east of) the River Jordan and associated with threshing.

¹³ Israel was buried in the cave of the field of Machpeiah.  The site of the Cave of the Patriarchs is located beneath a Saladin-era mosque, which had been converted from a large rectangular Herodian-era Judean structure.

Dating back over 2,000 years, the monumental Herodian compound is believed to be the oldest continuously used intact prayer structure in the world, and is the oldest major building in the world that still fulfills its original function. The Hebrew name of the complex reflects the very old tradition of the double tombs of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah considered the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Jewish people, who are all believed to be buried there. The only Jewish matriarch missing is Rachel, who is believed to be buried at Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem. The Arabic name of the complex reflects the prominence given to Abraham, revered by Muslims as a Quranic prophet and patriarch through Ishmael. Outside biblical and Quranic sources, there are a number of legends and traditions associated with the cave. In Acts 7:16 of the Christian Bible the cave of the Patriarchs is in Shechem.

^{18 – 21} These passages are so applicable to our lives today.  We don’t always know why God does what He does to or for us.  His reasons don’t always become clear but when they do, it is really something to praise God.  

Joseph forgives his brothers knowing that they did evil intentionally against him BUT the ‘valley’ that God put Joseph in during that time, purposed him for much greater good.

²⁴ Joseph, on his death bed at 110 years old, prophetically told his sons generations that God would ultimately deliver them from Egypt to the land He swore to their forefathers.   Joseph, unlike the previous patriarchs, was buried in a tomb in Egypt.

Jacob and Joseph’s deaths.

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[1] JOHN D. MORRIS, PH.D.

[2] Matthew Henry

[3] Matthew Henry

[4] Matthew Henry

[5] Biblical Hermeneutics

[6] Barnes commentary

 

[8] Watchman Nee

[9] TheTorah.com

 

[11] Joseph and his brothers Rabbi Yisroel Chait

[12] Emmaus road ministries

[13] Bible.org

[14] Matthew Henry

[15] Matthew Henry

[16] Jim Stinehart

[17] ^{– 34} Joseph purposed in his heart to place the cup in Benjamin’s sack knowing how his brothers would react.  Judah stepped forth and told Joseph how bereaved his father already was over Joseph’s apparent death that this would only kill him if Benjamin did not return.

 

 

 

[21] Craig Keener, Professor, Asbury Seminary

[22] Matthew Poole