[Israel; euro , Greek ᾿Ιακώβ; lat. Jacob; sir. ], one of the Old Testament patriarchs, the ancestor of the 12 tribes of Israel (commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Father and on the Week of the Holy Forefather). I. is the youngest of the twins born to Isaac and Rebekah. From God I. received another name - Israel ( - Gen. 32.29), which became an eponym for his descendants, who were also called “sons of Israel” ( - 1 Chr. 2.1; Jer. 49.1; 50.33) or “house of Jacob” ( - Ps 113. 1; Is 2. 5; Jer 5. 20).
The name Jacob is, in all likelihood, a truncated form of a theophoric name (eg, God protected). Dr. forms of this name in the Bible are (1 Chronicles 4.36), (Jer 30.18), in the Mishnah and Talmud the names (or), (or), , (or) are found, the latter spelling is also recorded in manuscripts from Alexandria dating back to IV century according to R.H. Names containing the root are also found in extra-biblical sources: for example, on the tablets of the beginning. XVIII century BC, discovered in the North. Mesopotamia, the name Ya-akh-qu-ub-il (um) occurs.
The story about I. is contained in Gen. 25-50 (chapters 25-35 are the story about I.; chapters 36-50 are about Joseph, where I. is also reported). Indications of certain events in I.’s life, where he is represented as one of the patriarchs who had divine promises, are also contained in Deut. 26.5; in Joshua 24.5, 32; in Ps 105.23; in Hos 12.4-5, 13; in Mal 1. 2, etc.
Biblical story about I.
The composition of the biblical narrative about I. in the book. Being has a chiastic structure, which was analyzed in the works of M. Fishbon, J. Fokkelman, R. Handel (for more details, see: Walters. P. 599). The entire narrative is divided into 2 equal parts (25.19 - 30.24 and 30.25 - 35.29), each consisting of 7 interrelated sections, thematically arranged in reverse order. The cycle of stories about I. is framed by 2 genealogies - Ishmael (25. 12-18) and Esau (36), which are not related to the main theme of the story, which further highlights the role of I. as the successor of divine blessings and promises given to Abraham and Isaac .
Part I, sections 1-7. 1. Beginning. The birth of I. as an omen of the conflict between I. and Esau (25. 19-34). 2. Relations with the indigenous population (26. 1-22). 3. Receiving a blessing (27.1-40). 4. I. flees from Esau (27.41 - 28.5). 5. Vision of angels and the Lord (28.10-22). 6. Arrival in Harran: Rachel, Laban (29.1-30). 7. I. acquires children (30. 1-24).
Turning point: Immediately after the birth of Joseph, I. intends to return to Haran.
Part II, sections 8-14. 8. I. acquires property (30. 25-43). 9. Return from Haran: Rachel, Laban (31. 1-55). 10. Meeting with the angels of God (32. 2-3). 11. I. goes to meet Esau (32. 3-32). 12. Return of blessing (33. 1-20). 13. Relations with the indigenous population (34). 14. Completion: I. and Esau bury their father Isaac (35).
Sec. 1. Like Sarah and Rachel, Rebekah remained barren for a long time. Through Isaac's prayer, Rebekah conceived 2 sons who struggled in her womb. The Lord announces to Rebekah that two nations will come from her, with the larger one serving the smaller one. Esau is born first, and then, holding his heel (), I. appears ( - cognate with the word “heel”, this verse contains the basis for the popular etymology of his name). In the brief description of the brothers, their appearance is noticeable. opposition: Esau was a skilled hunter, I. - “a meek man living in tents” (25.27); Esau is the favorite of his father, I. - his mother. This section ends with a story about how the hungry Esau neglects his birthright and sells it to I. for bread and lentil stew.
Sec. 2. The main events of this section (the resettlement of Isaac to Gerar; the incident with Rebekah, whom Isaac married off as his sister and almost became the concubine of Abimelech, king of Gerar; the history of conflicts over wells, which ended with the alliance between Isaac and Abimelech ) took place before the birth of the twins. The presentation of these events interrupts the chronology of the story about I., which is due to the chiastic structure (the parallel 13th section of Part II also talks about the relationship with the local population) and the development of the narrative. Twice in Chapter 26 (verses 2-5, 24) it is reported that the Lord appeared to Isaac, who confirms that the oath that the Lord gave to his father Abraham will be fulfilled on Isaac’s descendants: “I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and I will give to your descendants all these lands; Through your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed” (v. 4). It is I., the youngest of the sons, who will become the heir to these promises.
Sec. 3. I., taught by his mother, disguises himself as Esau, taking advantage of his father’s blindness, and instead of his brother receives the blessing promised by Isaac. This fragment provides another biblical etymology of the name Jacob - the indignant Esau exclaims: “Isn’t it because he was given the name Jacob () because he has tripped me up ( - outwitted) twice already? He took my birthright, and behold, now he has taken my blessing” (27.36). In response, Isaac says to Esau: “Behold, I have made him lord over you and given all his brothers to him as slaves...” (27.37).
Sec. 4. Esau’s hatred and his threats to kill his brother force I. to flee. Referring to her reluctance for I. to take a wife from the daughters of the Hittites, Rebekah convinces Isaac to send I. to his brother Laban in Harran. Before parting, Isaac once again blesses I. and asks God to give him the blessing of Abraham (28.4). Thus, the promises about the future multiplication of the race and the inheritance of the land, “which God gave to Abraham” (28.4), are finally associated with I. and his descendants.
Sec. 5. These promises are confirmed by the Lord Himself: during one of the night stops on the way from Bathsheba to Harran, I. sees in a dream a staircase between earth and heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending along it. From the top of the stairs, the Lord, addressing I., promises to return him to the ground on which he lies, and to give it as an inheritance to him and his offspring, which will be “like the sand of the earth,” and also to preserve it in everything. Having woken up, I. calls this place Bethel (the house of God) and makes a vow that in the event of a safe return to his father’s house, the stone on which he slept and which he anointed and erected as a monument will become the house of God, and also that he will bring God a tenth of everything He gives him.
Sec. 6 begins with the story of I.’s arrival in Harran, “the land of the sons of the east,” about the meeting at the well with Rachel, who was tending her father’s flock, and how I. settles in the house of Laban, his mother’s brother. A month later, I. and Laban agree that I. will serve Laban for 7 years in order to marry Laban’s youngest daughter Rachel; “They appeared to him for a few days, because he loved her” (v. 20). After this period, Laban held a festive feast, but, obeying local custom, which forbade giving away the youngest daughter before the eldest, Laban in the evening introduced his eldest daughter Leah to I., whom I. mistook for Rachel. In the morning, when the deception became clear, Laban promises that in a week he will give I. also Rachel, for which he must work for Laban for another 7 years.
Sec. 7 (29.31 - 30.24) begins with the words: “The Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and opened her womb, and Rachel was barren.” Then it tells about the birth of 4 sons to Leah - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, after which she “stopped giving birth.” Rachel, seeing her infertility, gives I. her maid Bilha, “so that I too can have children from her.” Bilhah gives birth to 2 sons - Dan and Naphtali. Leah also stopped giving birth and gave I. her maid Zilpah, from whom Gad and Asher were born. Having exchanged Rachel's night with I. for mandrake apples, Leah conceived and gave birth to a 5th son, Issachar, and then a 6th son, Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah. In conclusion it is said that “God remembered Rachel, and God heard her, and opened her womb.” Rachel gave birth to Joseph.
Sec. 8. 30. 25 - the central verse with the culmination in the story about I.: “After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban: Let me go, and I will go to my place and to my land.” However, Laban begs I. to stay to serve him and suggests that he set a reward for himself. I. agrees on the condition that any cattle with specks and spots, as well as black sheep, will constitute his property. Using rods with white stripes carved on them, which I. placed in troughs, “where the cattle came to drink, and where... they conceived in front of the rods” (30.38), I. manages to make Laban’s herd become Cattle are born with variegated colors.
Sec. 9 (31.1-55; MT: 31.1 - 32.1). I. decides to return home again. Despite the fact that his mother promised to send for him (27.45), the narrative does not say this. Instead, three reasons are given that influenced I.’s decision: the hostility of Laban’s sons, “who said: Jacob took possession of everything that our father had...” (31.1), the deterioration of Laban’s attitude towards him, as well as the direct command from Lord (31. 1-3, 11-13). Calling his wives, Rachel and Leah, into the field, I. secretly discusses his decision with them. Having received their consent and support, I., together with his family and all the property he acquired in Mesopotamia, secretly leaves Laban and goes to his father Isaac in Canaan. At the same time, Rachel “stole the idols that her father had. Jacob stole the heart of Laban the Aramean, because he did not inform him that he was leaving” (31. 19b-20). On the 3rd day, Laban learns about I.’s departure and, taking relatives, sets off in pursuit. After 7 days of persecution, Laban catches up with I. on Mount Gilead, but God, appearing in a night dream to Laban, warns him to beware and not say to I. “neither good nor bad” (31.24). Enlightened by this vision, Laban is ready to let I. go, but accuses him of stealing idols. Knowing nothing about the theft, I. invites Laban to inspect his property: “Whoever you find your gods with will not live...” (31.32). When Laban reached Rachel’s tent, she hid the idols under a camel’s saddle, sat on it and refused to stand in front of Laban, citing “common female behavior” (31.35). The meeting ends with the conclusion of an alliance between Laban and I., as a sign of which a memorial stone was erected and a stone hill was made. Having reconciled, I. stabbed the victim and arranged a feast for his relatives, and the next morning Laban, having blessed his daughters and grandchildren, returned back.
Sec. 10 (32. 1-2; MT: 32. 2-3). Just as during his flight from Esau I. was encouraged by the vision of angels and the Lord in Bethel, so now, returning and going to meet Esau, I. sees the angels of God, whom he calls the camp of God. I. calls the place where he had the vision Mahanaim (that is, 2 camps - the camp of God and the camp of I.).
Sec. 11 (32.3-32; MT: 32.4-33) tells about the events preceding the meeting of I. and Esau, who was last mentioned in section. 4. Esau, having learned about I.’s approach, advances to meet him, accompanied by 400 people. Fearing an attack, I. divides the people who were with him and all the livestock into 2 camps (32.8) and, turning with prayer to the Lord to deliver him from the hand of his brother (32.9-13), sends the small herd ahead and cattle, as well as camels and donkeys in order to appease Esau with gifts before their meeting takes place (32. 14-22). Having prepared himself, I. moved to the south with his family and property. bank of the stream Jabbok. Here at night “Someone () fought with him until dawn appeared; and, seeing that he did not prevail” (32. 24b - 25a), he injured I.’s hip joint. I. asks to bless him and receives a new name: “... from now on your name will not be Jacob, but Israel, for you have fought with God, and you will overcome men [lit. from Hebrew: “...for you fought with God and people, and prevailed”]” (32.28). “And Jacob called the name of the place Penuel; for, he said, I saw God face to face...” (32.30).
Sec. 12. The following tells about the meeting of 2 brothers. Seeing Esau, I. goes to meet his brother first, followed by the maids with the children, then Leah with the children, behind Rachel and Joseph. I. “bowed down to the ground seven times, approaching his brother.” “And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept” (33. 3-4). I. begs Esau to accept the flock as a gift: “accept my blessing () that I brought you” (33.11). This expression correlates with the words of the parallel, 3rd section, where Esau is indignant that I. “took my blessing” (27.36). Esau accepts the gift and invites I. to accompany him, but I. refuses and, having acquired part of the field from the sons of Hamor, settles not far from Shechem, where he sets up an altar, which he calls “God Almighty of Israel” (33.20 according to MT).
Sec. 13. Shechem, the son of Hamor, the ruler of Shechem, dishonored Dinah, the daughter of I. and Leah, but, wanting to take her as a wife, asks his father to enter into negotiations with I. The sons of I., outraged by the fact that Shechem dishonored their sister, want to take revenge by demanding that the condition of the marriage be the circumcision of the entire male population of Shechem: “... and all the males were circumcised... On the third day, while they were sick, the two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dinin, took each with his own sword, and boldly attacked the city, and killed the entire male sex” (34. 24b - 25). Following this, I.’s sons plundered the city. I., who remained on the sidelines, reproaches his sons: “you have outraged me, making me hateful to the inhabitants of this land” (34.30). To which, at the conclusion of the story about Dina, the sons answer I.: “... is it possible to treat our sister like a harlot!” (34.31).
Sec. 14, the final one in the cycle of stories about I., consists of several. parts, and some of them repeat what is already known, focusing on the most important events (the naming of I. Israel, the name of Luz Bethel). God commands I. to go to Bethel. I. calls on the household to cleanse themselves and throw away the “foreign gods,” which I. buries under an oak tree near Shechem. Having moved with his people to Bethel, I. builds an altar there (35. 1-7). Further mention is made of the burial of Deborah, Rebecca's nurse (35.8). Then God appears and blesses I. in Bethel, calls him Israel and reaffirms His promises regarding numerous descendants and inheritance of the earth (35. 9-13). At the place where God “spoke to him,” I. places a memorial stone and pours oil on it. On the road from Bethel to Ephratha (Bethlehem), Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin (I.'s 12th and last son), whom she calls Benoni (son of sorrow), but I. gives him the name Benjamin (son of the right hand). Having buried Rachel and erected a tombstone on the road to Ephratha, I. went further “and pitched his tent behind the tower of Gader” (35. 16-21). What follows is a brief message that Reuben, I.’s firstborn, “went and slept with Bilhah, his father’s concubine” (35.22a). At the beginning of the story about I. (section 1) it was said that 2 nations would come from Rebekah, therefore, in conclusion, 2 genealogies are given - I. indicating all the sons, the ancestors of the tribes of Israel (35. 22b - 26), and Esau (35. 36). After this, the story is told about I.’s arrival in Harran, the place of Abraham and Isaac’s wanderings. Isaac dies, and the story, which began with a description of the conflict between the brothers, ends with a description of the joint actions of I. and Esau: they bury their father, who prayed for their birth.
Further information about I. is known from stories about Joseph. It is reported that Israel loved him more than other sons (37.3); he has been for many years. mourns Joseph for days (37.33-35). I. sends his sons to Egypt for bread, but wants to keep Benjamin with him (42. 1-4), whom only after much persuasion he agrees to let him go with his brothers on the 2nd campaign in Egypt (42. 29 - 43. 14). After the brothers bring the news that Joseph is alive (45. 26-28), I. goes to Bathsheba, where he makes sacrifices to God (46. 1). In a night vision, God directs I. to Egypt, promises to produce a great nation from him and bring him back (46. 2-4). From Bathsheba, I. “with all his family,” livestock and property, moved to Egypt (46. 5-7). Joseph meets I. in Goshen (46. 29-30), introduces him to Pharaoh (47. 7-10) and settles him with his brothers “in the best part of the land, in the land of Ramses” (47. 11). At the age of 147, after 17 years in Egypt, “the time had come for Israel to die.” I. takes an oath from Joseph that he will take his remains out of Egypt and bury him in the family tomb (47. 28-31). Before his death, I. blesses the children of Joseph - Manasseh and Ephraim (48. 5-6), and also, having gathered all the sons, prophesies what awaits them in the coming days (49. 1-27). Having blessed his 12 sons, I. once again turns to them with a request to bury him in a cave in the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought for burial (49. 28-32). “And Jacob finished his testament to his sons, and laid his feet on the bed, and died, and was gathered to his people” (49.33). Joseph ordered the doctors to embalm I.'s body and after 70 days of crying, he asked Pharaoh for permission to bury his father in the land of Canaan. Accompanied by the servants of the Pharaoh, Egypt. the elders and the entire house of I., the sons carry I. to Canaan and bury him in a cave in the field of Machpelah (50. 1-13).
Prot. Leonid Grilikhes
The image of I. in intertestamental literature
In the Old Testament apocrypha, “The Book of Jubilees,” I. is given a central role: he receives more blessings and revelations than those indicated in the biblical text; he is credited with establishing the plural. commandments and commandments. I. successfully protects his relatives from the attack of the Amorite kings (chap. XXXIV), and also accidentally kills Esau (chap. XXXVIII). In the testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, which is based on the blessing given to the 12 tribes of Israel (Gen. 41-50), I. earnestly prays for his sons (Test. XII Patr. I 7; XIX 2). In the so-called Qumran texts preserved in fragments of the “Apocrypha of Jacob” (4Q537) (c. 100 BC), which is a first-person retelling of the text from the “Book of Jubilees” (chap. XXXII), in which the following is correlated construction of a temple with a vision of I. in Bethel, where the angel also brings him a tablet recording the events of his life (4Q372 3.9; cf. so-called Temple Scroll - 11Q19).
Image of I. in the New Testament
I. is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matt 1.2; Lk 3.34). In the NT, the name I. is most often found in the famous OT (Ex 2.24; 3.6, 15; Deut. 1.8; 6.10; 9.27; Jer 33.26; 2 Macc 1.2; Eph 8 26) the formula “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” The names of the 3 patriarchs, with whom God, as representatives of Israel, entered into His covenant, are a symbol of Israel’s faith and devotion. This formula is often found in rabbinic literature, where it shows that God’s attitude towards Abraham, Isaac and Isaac is a guarantee of His faithfulness to the people of the covenant (see, for example: Midrash Shemot 12.1). In the NT, the Pharisees used this expression mainly in relation to themselves, since they were so. emphasized their connection with God. This phrase can be considered as equivalent to the expression “sons of the kingdom.” Those who revered Abraham, Isaac and I. as their fathers were the sons of the kingdom. Therefore, the words of the Savior from Matthew 8.11-12 (Luke 13.29): “I tell you that many will come from the east and west and lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven; and the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” - could be perceived by the Pharisees as unheard of insolence, undermining the foundations of their faith, since they included in the concept of “sons of the kingdom” those wicked ones who, in their opinion, did not belong to the covenant people. The same idea is contained in the words of the Savior about the resurrection of the dead: “And about the dead, that they will rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, how God said to him at the bush: “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?” (Mk 12.26; Mt 22.32; Lk 20.37; cf.: Ex 3.2, 6). Faith in the resurrection of Abraham, Isaac and Isaac must also allow for the resurrection of their successors (cf. 4 Macc 7.19; 16.25), which in the NT are all believers in Christ. According to Acts 3.13, the rejection by the Jews of Christ, whom God raised from the dead, means for them a rejection of the God of Israel - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jesus. According to the apostle. Paul, the true children of Abraham and the heirs of the promises given to I. are Christians (both Jews and pagans), while he uses the name I. to designate the entire Jewish people (Rom 11:26). Also up. Paul turns to the biblical history of the rise of Jesus and the rejection of Esau to show that the election of both Jews (Rom 9.6-23) and Gentiles (Rom 9.24-26) is an exclusively free act of God's mercy, which does not depend on human preferences and conventions (Rom 9:13). The expression “house of Jacob” (Luke 1.33; Acts 7.46) refers to the collective understanding of the image of I. in the OT as all the chosen people (Ps 113. 1; Isa 2. 3; Am 3. 13).
The image of I. in Christian exegesis
In Christ. tradition, the figure of I. was considered in 2 aspects: as the ancestor of the chosen people, from whom the Lord Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and in the context of a symbolic interpretation of his personality. St. Clement of Rome, describing the greatness of the gifts of God given to the patriarchs, reports that “from Jacob came all the priests and Levites who served at the altar of God. From him is the Lord Jesus according to the flesh... kings, rulers, leaders... and princes in Judea” (Clem. Rom. Ep. I ad Cor. 32). Thus, for St. Clement I. is an image of the Old Testament Israel, to which Jesus Christ also belongs, both in the flesh and as a high priest. Likewise, St. Ignatius of Antioch states that Christ “is the door to the Father, through which Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the prophets and apostles and the Church enter” (Ign. Ep. ad Philad. V 9). This is the mediatorial significance of the figure of I. for Christ. theology is most clearly revealed in Origen, who says that all who join the Light of the world (i.e., Christ) become I. and Israel (Orig. In Ioan. comm. I 35).
The greatest attention in patristic exegesis was paid to 2 events in I.’s life: a vision during sleep in Bethel and a mysterious struggle with a heavenly creature near the river. Jabbok. At the core is Christ. The interpretation of the legend about I.'s vision of the heavenly staircase (Gen. 28. 12) was based on the words of the Savior from John 1. 51: “... truly, truly, I say to you, from now on you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (see ., eg: Ambros. De Iacob. II 4. 16). The stone on which I. fell asleep during this vision symbolizes Jesus Christ (Hieron. In Ps. 41; 46), and the ladder is the Cross of Christ, located between the 2 covenants, through which believers reach heaven (Chromatius Aquileiensis. Sermo. I 6 // Chromace d "Aquil é e. Sermons. P., 1969. T. 1. P. 132. (SC; 154)). The plot of I.'s vision of the heavenly staircase becomes in Christian ascetic literature a symbol of the spiritual ascent to God through the acquisition of virtues and improvement. A famous work of Christian ascetic literature is connected with this biblical story - “The Ladder” of St. John the Climacus (late 12th century), which calls I. “the instigator of passions” and adds. , that all Christian virtues are like Jacob’s ladder (Ioan. Climacus. Scala paradisi. Praef.; 9. 1).
Already Philo of Alexandria (20 BC - 40 AD), based on the story of the mysterious night struggle of I. while crossing the river. Jabbok (Gen. 32.21 seq.) interpreted the meaning of the new name I. - Israel as “seeing God” (ὁρῶν θεὸν) (Philo. De confus. ling. 56. 2; 147. 1; Idem. De cong. erud. 51 . 4), and called I. himself ἀθλητής (Idem. De sobr. 65. 5) or ἀσκητής (Idem. De confus. ling. 80. 1). This interpretation had a significant influence on Christ. tradition (see, for example: Ioan. Chrysost. In Gen. LVIII 2), and the plot of the biblical story formed the basis of the patristic teaching about the need for spiritual warfare or feat to achieve the contemplation of God: “What does it mean to fight with God, if not to start a competition in virtue, to get along with the stronger and become a better imitator of God than others” (Ambros. Mediol. De Iacob. 7.30). Thus, in Christ. In exegesis, this scene became an example demonstrating the meaning of spiritual life. I.'s struggle points to this imitation of Christ (Matthew 11:12): “...The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away” (Ibidem; Aug. Serm. 5:6). In Christ. Exegesis mainly paid attention to the symbolic interpretation of I.’s mysterious struggle, and various opinions were expressed regarding the personality of the one who fought I. Origen, apparently under the influence of Jewish commentators, believed that I., with the help of God, under the guise of an angel, “fought against some of those forces that ... are at enmity and raise wars against the human race, mainly against the saints” (Orig. De princip. III 2. 5). Blzh. Hieronymus of Stridon, interpreting his name, believed that I. fought with an angel (Hieron. Quaest. hebr. in Gen. 32. 28-29). Mch. Justin the Philosopher, interpreting the name Israel as “conquering power,” believed that Israel’s struggle symbolically points to the feat of Christ, who defeated the power of the devil (Iust. Martyr. Dial. 125). Mn. Christ commentators saw both in I. and in the one with whom he fought the image of Christ. According to Clement of Alexandria, the Logos, the Son of Man, fought with I. (which is why I. could contemplate Him), who taught him in the fight against evil (cf. John 14.9) (Clem. Alex. Paed. I 7). The mysterious enemy defeated by I. was an angel, representing Christ, who was also taken captive during His earthly life (Caes. Arel. Serm. 88.5; Aug. Serm. 229; Idem. De civ. Dei . XVI 39). The patriarch's thigh damaged during the struggle means both bad Christians and Jews who do not believe in Christ (Ambros. Mediol. De Jacob. 7.30; Aug. Serm. V 8). The new name Israel gives the idea that God mysteriously reveals himself about the one with whom I. fought. Thus, I. fought both with man and with God, which indicates the divine-human nature of the Savior (Novat. De Trinit. 14.30; 19.80; Hilar. Pict. De Trinit. V 19.1).
The image of I. in rabbinic literature
Since I. received a new name Israel, which became the eponym of Hebrew. people (Genesis 32.38), who became the progenitor of the 12 tribes of Israel, in the rabbinic tradition the events of his life were interpreted as symbolic indications of episodes in the later history of the Hebrews. people. Also, his main opponents, such as Esau (and also Edom; Gen. 25.30; 36.1) and Laban (Gen. 32.24 seq.), were prototypes of the opposing Heb. Greco-Roman people peace. The struggle between I. and Esau in the womb of their mother Rebekah was interpreted as a confrontation between Israel and Rome: whenever their mother passed by the synagogue (or “house of the righteous”), I. began to move inside it, and when past the pagan sanctuary, Esau ( Bereshit Rabba 63.6; cf.: Gen. 25.22). The description of the appearance of the babies born from Rebekah: Esau - “red (the color of blood) and shaggy,” and I. - smooth (Gen. 25.25) - emphasizes the contrast between the spiritual beauty and purity of Israel and the ugliness of the pagan world, in a special way manifested itself in his bloody wars (Bereshit Rabba 63.7-8; Targum of Pseudo-Jonathan on Gen. 25.25). In addition, this opposition had a historical basis, since King Herod the Great, an adherent of Hellenistic culture, was an Edomite.
I. was considered as the greatest of the Old Testament patriarchs (Bereshit Rabba 76.1), so even the forefather of Heb. people Abraham was born and saved from the fire of Nimrod’s furnace (their confrontation is legendary) only for the sake of the fact that I. would be born from him in the future (Bereshit Rabba 63.2; Vayikra Rabba 36.4; Sanhedrin 19b). The phrase “God of Jacob” in Hebrew. commentators attached greater value compared to the phrases “God of Abraham” and “God of Isaac” (Babylonian Talmud. Berakhot 64a; cf. Ps 20:1). Even after death, I. suffers with his people in troubles and rejoices at their liberation (Midrash Tehellim 14.7; Pesikta Rabbati 41.5). Subsequent successes of the European people are also mystically linked to the merits of I. (Shir Hashirim Rabba 3.6); moreover, it is said that the whole world was created only for the sake of I. (Vayikra Rabba 36.4). God glorified I., raising him almost to the host of angels (Ibid.); The image of I. was received by one of the angels with a human face in the chariot of God (Tanchuma Leviticus 72-73). The targum on Gen. 28.12 reports that during the vision of the heavenly staircase, the angels came down to look at I. precisely because his image was on the divine throne (Bereshit Rabbah 62.23; 69.3). Particularly emphasized is I.’s patience and wisdom in his relationship with Laban (presented in the Talmud as a dishonest man), whom he managed to pacify without leading the conflict to violence (Bereshit Rabbah 74.10). I. was the one who tasted the sweets of paradise in life and was not even subject to the angel of death (Bava Batra 17a); This idea of I.’s personality is symbolic and emphasizes the immortality of the people of Israel. Samaritan sources note his righteousness (Memar Mark II 11; V 2; cf. testimony of John 4. 7-12 that the Samaritans revered I. as a father). Based on the biblical Tradition, reflected in prophetic literature (Hos 12.4), most Jewish commentators believed that in Penuel I. fought with an angel (for example, with Arch. Michael - Targum of Pseudo-Jonathan on Gen. 32.25). It was suggested that this could be a fallen angel or the patron angel of Esau, who did not allow I. into his territory (Bereshit Rabba 77-78; 82).
Nevertheless, a number of unseemly actions of I. (especially the way he received the birthright and blessing from Isaac) were criticized in Judaism (see also: Hos 12. 3-4), while there were attempts to give a symbolic understanding of these actions. So, for example, the desire to receive the birthright was explained not by selfish motives, but by I.’s intention to gain the right to make sacrifices to God according to the right of the firstborn (Bereshit Rabbah 63.13; Bamidbar Rabbah 4.8), and all the blame for what was done was placed on his mother Rebekah, which I. could not disobey. Receiving a blessing from Isaac with the help of cunning (Gen. 27.35) means that I., endowed with “wisdom,” received what was due to him (Targum Onkelos on Gen. 27.35). A serious violation was seen in the marital relationship of I. with two sisters at once - Leah and Rachel (Pesachim 119b; cf. Lev 18.18). I.'s relationship with his beloved son Joseph (special affection for him - Gen. 37.3), which led to grave consequences and conflict with the other sons, receives strict condemnation (Shabbat 10b; Megillah 16b; Bereshit Rabbah 84.8). I.'s inability to save his offspring from Egypt is also condemned. slavery (Shabbat 89b; cf. Is 63.16).
In the Koran
there is no exact evidence of the origin of I. (Arabic): whether he was the son of Isaac or his brother (Koran VI 84; XI 71). Perhaps only during Muhammad's stay in Medina was it indicated to him that Ibrahim, Ismail and Ishaq were the ancestors of Ibrahim (Koran II 133, 136). Like his predecessors, I. is called a prophet (Koran XIX 49). Basically, I.’s life is narrated in connection with the story of Joseph (Koran XII); it is told how I. became blind due to sadness over his missing son and regained his sight when Joseph was found (Koran XII 84, 93, 96). On the eve of his death, I. commanded his sons to be steadfast in the faith and they promised him to worship the One God of “your fathers” (Koran II 132-133). Once Muhammad mentions the second name of I. - Israel () (Koran III 93) in the story about the establishment of food prohibitions for the descendants of I. (possible reference to Gen. 32.33). In other places, the name I. is used to designate the people of Israel ( - “sons of Israel” - Koran II 40; V 70). The history of the relationship between I. and Esau is discussed in detail in later Islamic literature - the so-called. stories about the prophets ().
A. E. Petrov
Veneration I.
In Orthodox The churches of I. have a common memory with other forefathers. To Byzantium. In the synaxars, the legend about the forefathers was also placed after the legends about the saints between December 16 and 20. (SynCP. Col. 315 sq.). 18 Dec There is a separate celebration in honor of the first 3 patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and I. sometimes the prophet also joins the patriarchs. David (SynCP. Col. 321 sq.).
The selection of Abraham, Isaac and I. into a special group, which has its basis in the text of the Bible (Exodus 3.6; Matthew 22.32, etc.), is characteristic of the Roman Catholic and ancient Eastern. Churches. In zap. Traditions commemorate them on the 3rd Sunday of Advent. In the XIV-XVI centuries. in the West there has been a tendency to fix a specific date (February 5) for the festival in honor of the patriarchs from Abraham to the sons of Joseph (for example, in the “List of Saints” by Peter Natalis (ActaSS. Febr. T. 1. P. 594)), however in This date was not fixed later.
In the Coptic Church, the memory of Abraham, Isaac and I. is celebrated on the 28th Mesorah (August 21), probably because earlier, as can be seen from the Copto-Arab. Synaxarion of Alexandria, this day was the eve of the Copts. Christmas (29 Mesore) (PO. T. 10. Fasc. 2. N 47. P. 208). In Ethiopian version of the Alexandria Synaxarion, the memory of 3 patriarchs is given under 28 hamla (July 22) (PO. T. 7. Fasc. 3. P. 438). In the Maronite Church it was recorded on August 20. in a calendar from a 17th century manuscript. (PO. T. 10. Fasc. 4. N 49. P. 353), as well as December 29. along with the memory of the prophet. David is right. Joseph the Betrothed (Mariani. Col. 339). In the Minologies of the Syrian Jacobite Church, the memory of Abraham, Isaac and I. occurs on August 21 or 22. (with the memory of the prophet David and the right. Joseph), prophet. Daniel, Isaac and I. - December 17. (PO. T. 10. Fasc. 1. P. 44, 84, 106, 116). In the Armenian Church, the memory of I. is included in the general celebration in honor of the forefathers (starting with Adam) on the Thursday before the 2nd Sunday after the Transfiguration.
Lit.: Odeberg H. L. ᾿Ιακώβ // TDOT. Vol. 3. P. 191-192; Mariani B. Giaccobe, patriarca // BiblSS. Vol. 6. Col. 332-340; Walters S. D. Jacob Narrative // ABD. Vol. 3. P. 599-608; Good R. Jacob // EncDSS. Vol. I.P. 395-396; Gen. 12-50/Ed. M. Sheridan. Downers Grove (Ill.), 2002. pp. 187-191, 219-222, 382-383. (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. OT; 2); Rippin A. Jacob // Encycl. of Qur"an. Leiden, 2003. Vol. 3. P. 1-2; Hayward C. T. R. Interpretations of the Name Israel in Ancient Judaism and Some Early Christian Writings. Oxf.; N. Y., 2005; Sarna N. M., Aberbach M., Hirschberg H. Z. Jacob // EncJud. Vol. 11. P. 17-25.
Ferrua A. Le pitture della nuova catacomba di Via Latina. Vat., 1960. Tf. 12, 27).
A cycle of 3 scenes associated with I. was in c. San Paolo fuori le Mura (440-461, known from copies of the 17th century, see: Waetzoldt S. Die Kopien des 17 Jh. nach Mosaiken u. Wandmalereien in Rom. W., 1964. Add. 344), from 5 - in Santa Maria Nuova in Montreal, Sicily (between 1183 and 1189), from 14 - in Santa Maria Maggiore, from 16 - in the Viennese Genesis, from 9 - in the Ashburnham Pentateuch (Paris. lat. Nouv. acq. 2334, 7th century). Later cycles are more extensive in composition (for example, in the Byzantine Octatevche Vat. lat. 747, 11th century, - 25 scenes). In the Middle Ages. In art, I. was perceived as a prototype of the Savior, and his 12 sons - as prototypes of the apostles. In the miniature from the Minology (Ath. Esph. 14. Fol. 411v, 11th century), illustrating the Word of John of Damascus about the genealogy of Christ, I. is presented with the entire house: next to him is Leah with her sons, below are Rachel and Zilpah with by their sons. I., a gray-haired old man with long hair and a beard, is dressed in a blue chiton and a brown himation. Mn. scenes from the cycle of I. were interpreted in the same way as prototypes or repetitions of events mentioned in the acts of the Old Testament prophets, for example. Moses.
"Jacob's Dream" From early Christ. At the time, in this scene, I. was represented lying on the ground, his head on a stone, with a ladder placed diagonally next to it, with 2 or 3 angels ascending (fragmentally preserved in the synagogue in Dura Europos and in the catacombs on Via Latina). On the destroyed fresco in the c. San Paolo fuori le Mura shows I. erecting a stone like an altar, and for the first time a winged angel is depicted. The story of I., including his battle with an angel, a dream, an image of a ladder standing at the altar, along which angels ascend to heaven, is present in miniatures from the Words of Gregory of Nazianzus (Paris. gr. 510. Fol. 2r, 880-883). ; see: Lazarev. 1986. Il. 94), where I. is represented by a young, beardless man in white clothes. In the Middle Byzantine. period, for example in book illumination, I. in this scene is depicted as a bearded middle-aged man lying at the foot of the stairs, along which angels are moving from Christ and towards Him (Homilies of Jacob Kokkinovath - Vat. gr. 1162. Fol. 22r). The scene of “The Dream of Jacob” next to the figure of I., a gray-bearded old man in antique clothes (a dark tunic with a clave on the shoulder and a light himation), with a scroll in his left hand, his right pointing to the Mother of God with the Child, is presented in the middle of the icon “The Mother of God with the Child , with the saints in the fields" (1st half of the 12th century, monastery of the Great Church of Catherine on Sinai), and in the dream scene I. is depicted in the same clothes, but young, with dark long hair. Already from the time of St. John of the Climacus, the ladder of I. was associated with the ladder of virtues, by which pious monks rise to heaven. To Byzantium. In art, the composition “Jacob’s Dream” gained significance as an educational one, foretelling the birth of the Virgin Mary (miniatures in the Homilies of Jacob Kokkinovathsky, 12th century; frescoes of the parekklision of the monastery of Chora (Kahrie-jami) in K-pol, c. 1316-1321). I.’s staircase could also be interpreted as a prototype of the Savior’s Death on the Cross, especially if it appeared in the decoration of service utensils, for example. on a silver cross made of c. San Giovanni in Laterano (XIII century). In art Dr. Rus', this scene is included in the cycle of acts of the arch. Michael (for example, an icon from the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, 1399, GMMK), the image of I.’s staircase is included in the iconographic scheme of the icon of the Mother of God “The Burning Bush”. The image of I. with a ladder in her hand as her attribute and with a scroll with explanatory text is part of the composition “Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos”, including scenes of the akathist.
"Jacob's Wrestling with the Angel." In early Christ. In monuments, both standing figures were depicted in profile, clasping each other by the shoulders, thus reproducing. antique wrestling compositions (Lipsanoteca (ivory reliquary), 360-370, Santa Giulia Museum, Brescia; “Viennese Genesis” (Vindob. Theol. gr. 31. Fol. 12)). Sometimes the bodies could cross. Byzantine monuments. time, the angel can be depicted much larger than I. (Homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus - Paris. gr. 510. Fol. 2r), which emphasized the Divine protection of I. This composition is reproduced on the bronze gate (1076) in c. arch. Michael in Monte Sant'Angelo, Apulia, Italy. On the mosaics of Sicily, another option was used, when I. raises an angel above himself (mosaics of the Palatine Chapel and the Cathedral in Montreal).
"The Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh." The oldest example is in the painting of the synagogue in Dura-Europos, where this scene is also compared with the scene “Jacob blesses his children” (the figure of I. has not been preserved). The main features of this composition include the image of I. with his arms crossed on his chest (paintings of the catacombs on Via Latina, 4th century, fragment of a sarcophagus from the Roman catacombs of San Callisto, 4th century). In the miniature from the “Vienna Genesis” (Vindob. Theol. gr. 31. Fol. 23) I. sits upright, in front of him are Ephraim and Manasseh, on the left is Joseph. To Byzantium. Both variants are found in monuments - lying or sitting I. - ivory relief (British Museum).
A special type of image of I. is presented in the composition “The Last Judgment”: I., in the guise of a gray-haired old man in white robes, sits next to the forefathers Abraham and Isaac in the scene “Abraham’s Bosom” - from the 15th century. in Russian, Romanian. and Serbian frescoes (for example, on the frescoes by St. Andrei Rublev in the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral, 1408). From the 16th-17th centuries - in Russian. icons of the Ascension of Christ with marks including forefathers and prophets. There are known examples of the inclusion of an icon with the image of I. in the forefathers' series of Russians. high iconostasis with con. XVI - beginning XVII century, for example. icon “Forefather Jacob” from the Trinity Church. Trinity-Sergius Monastery in Sviyazhsk (early 17th century, Pushkin Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan).
Lit.: Gebhardt O., von, ed. The Miniatures of the Ashburnham Pentateuch. L., 1883. Pl. 9; Kutna G. Der Patriarch Jacobus in der bildenden Kunst // Ost und West: Illustrierte Monatsschr. f. d. Gesamte Judentum. B., 1908. Bd. 5. N 8/9. S. 429-438; Wilpert. Mosaiken. Bd. 1.Add. 434s, 526, 607s, 705; Goldschmidt A., Weitzmann K. Die byzant. Elfenbeinenskulpturen des 10.-13. Jh. B., 1930. Bd. 1. Pl. 96; Gerstinger H., hrsg. Die Wiener Genesis: Farbenlichtdruckfaksimile der griechischen Bilderbibel aus dem 6. Jh., Cod. Vindob. Theol. gr. 31. W., 1931. Bd. 2; Cecchelli C. I mosaici della Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore. Torino, 1956. P. 101, 110. Fig. 43; Buchtal H. Miniature Painting of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Oxf., 1957. P. 71, 74; Lazarev V.N. History of the Byzantines. painting. M., 1986. Ill. 253, 328; LCI. Bd. 2. Sp. 370-383.
Isaac and Rebekah
After the death of Sarah, his beloved wife and mother, Abraham, in order to console Isaac, sends his servant Eliezer (translated as “help of God”) to search for a bride in Harran, where Abraham’s brother Nahor remained. From Isaac the “people of God” should come, therefore his wife should be a girl not from the pagan Canaanites, but from an environment “pure” in terms of faith and virtue.
Lopukhin's "Biblical History" omits a detail that seemed important and very touching to me. Eliezer, having arrived in Haran, stopped near a well at the gates of the city; Women came here in the evening to fetch water. And he turned to God with prayer : Let the girl who gives drink to him and his caravan become the wife of his master’s son. She turned out to be Rebekah, the granddaughter of Nahor, who did exactly as Eliezer had wished before, bringing water for the entire caravan, and even inviting her to stay overnight in her father’s house; thus this marriage was arranged and blessed by God himself.
(Pan Abel. Rebecca)
Twins Esau and Jacob
Rebekah was barren for a long time, but through the prayer of Isaac, the Lord sent her children, twins. The motif of a miraculous birth given from above (after prayers to God, or arranged by God himself) from previously infertile parents begins to be repeated in the Bible and emphasizes the special fate and mission of children born in this way - not according to the “will of the flesh,” but “ according to promise
".
Even in the womb, the twins “fought” and pushed each other; so much so that Rebekah became confused, began to pray, and God told her: from her sons two nations will come, and the larger will serve the smaller. Boys born:
- Esau (“shaggy, red”), was born either red or hairy; he grew up as a hunter, a “man of the fields”; personifies the earthly, animal nature in man; rough and wild beginning; “sold” his birthright to his brother for a bowl of lentil stew (i.e., he did not attach importance to the spiritual mission of Abraham and Isaac); contrary to his family, he took two girls as wives at once, moreover pagan Hittites, violating the rule of marrying girls from his own clan (and his faith).
- Jacob (“following / leaving a trace”), was born holding on to the heel of his “elder” brother; increased "to the meek who dwell in tents" where by the tent one can understand the temple of God; it was he who was destined from above to inherit Isaac, and understood the significance of the mission of his family; He went to Mesopotamia for his bride, following the example of his father.
(Esau sells his birthright for lentil soup)
"Let us think: why does Jacob so want to receive the birthright, craves it so much? Is it really for the sake of having some material advantages? In no case. He knows the character of Esau, he foresees that later he himself will have to flee home and be a wanderer and a wanderer, fearing his brother's revenge; he knows that he will not receive any material advantages. When we read the story of Jacob to the end, we learn that he never received them: the wealth that he acquired was sent to him by God, property. Esau took possession of his father, Isaac.
Apparently Jacob, who studied at tents Abraham and Isaac, who knew the secrets of God, was well aware of the greatest spiritual benefits that the birthright would bring him - he wanted to become heir of the promises given from above to Abraham and Isaac, and understood that his brother, Esau, was unworthy of them. And therefore he agreed to endure any hardships - poverty, wanderings, pilgrimage - just to get live communication with God , this is an incomparable benefit, this is the greatest blessing.
And Esau, as we see, treats his birthright with extreme disdain. He says: “Here I am dying, what is this birthright to me?” This is the reasoning of the carnal man, who is completely doesn't believe in any promises : I am mortal, I will die, why do I need your ghostly spiritual blessings? Why is spiritual life needed at all? Give me now a real, material benefit, let me be satisfied, and, as he says, I will gladly give up all my spiritual advantages for this.
So, Esau is a man who does not believe in the immortality of the spirit, in the future life; a person who wants now, in this moment, to enjoy the material world. He completely identifies himself with his mortal body, with animal nature: “Here I am dying, what is in this birthright for me?”" (Shchedrovitsky)
Blessing through deception
Isaac's favorite son was lively, dexterous and warlike Esau; Rebekah loved the quiet, “homey” Jacob. In his old age, Isaac became blind (which can also be understood as a weakening of spiritual vision), and, feeling the approach of his hour, he decided to give a blessing to his son and heir (there could only be one; in seniority - the first of the twins, Esau). But Rebekah saw that he was not destined to be an heir, especially in the spiritual sense, and helped her favorite Jacob by deception receive the father's blessing (which had a sacred meaning). Fun detail: Jacob impersonated his brother by covering himself with a goatskin, imitating Esau's profuse hairiness.
“But what does this fight mean? Indeed, from his very birth until now, Jacob constantly struggled with the circumstances of life, and for a believer this means with God. God constantly confirmed that he remained on his side, but set new tasks and obstacles Probably, this is how a wise parent reminds a child that he is nearby and ready to help, but at the same time gives the child time and space to make his efforts. Jacob’s fight against God is not atheism, not a denial of God. dialogue form , in which a person may resist and say “no” to God, but ultimately they come to an agreement. This is communication between two individuals, God and man, who are very dear to each other and only for this reason can they enter into an argument. And God seems to like this better than respectful indifference.
Why were there all these tricks and deceptions? It just happened that way, Jacob is very was in a hurry
. He was not an ideal person, like other patriarchs, like ourselves. But if a person strives for God, he will ultimately find his way to him. And who knows, maybe if Jacob hadn’t been cunning, this path would have been much shorter?”
(Andrey Desnitsky. The cunning Jacob)
One way or another, this is where the story itself begins. Israel (“god-fighter” or “warrior of God”).
Twelve Tribes of Israel
So, Jacob was given a new name by God: Israel . It is from him that the “people of Israel” will come; his twelve sons (and their descendants) are the ones twelve tribes of Israel (the number is symbolic: the twelve tribes of Israel - and centuries later there will appear twelve apostles ...)
After the Assyrian captivity (in 732-722 BC), the ten tribes of Israel were “lost”, i.e. assimilated: these were the tribes of the sons of Leah - Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun; Manasseh and Ephraim - sons of Joseph; the sons of Zilpah and Bilhah - Dan, Naphtali, Gad. Asira.
Esau, who received the name Edom , became the progenitor of the Edomites - the Edomites, and they will have a very difficult relationship with the Israelites. Interestingly, in the 1st century BC. An Edomite, a protege of Rome, will ascend to the throne in Judea for the first time Herod - in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaac with the blessing of his grandson Judah, son of Jacob: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet, until the Reconciler comes, and to him is the subjection of the nations.”(Gen. 49, 10) - "that is, a king (“scepter” is a symbol of royal power) from the tribe of Judah will rule, and a competent legislative council in Judah will act, "until the Reconciler comes" i.e. Messiah. “...And to him is the submission of the nations”: The Messiah will “conquer” the nations, converting them to faith in one God.
When, according to this prophecy, should we expect the Messiah? Obviously, when "The scepter will depart from Judah". Since the time of David, Jerusalem has been ruled by Jewish kings. During the Babylonian captivity, their reign ceased for a while, but the descendants of David were considered “kings in exile.” His direct descendant Zerubbabel returned from Babylon and became the ruler of Judah, taking part in the construction of the second Temple. In the II century. BC e. The domestic Hasmonean dynasty reigned in Judea. And only in 40 BC. e. The Roman authorities appointed the Idumean Herod king of Judea, who reigned in Jerusalem in 37 BC. e. Being a descendant of Esau, and not Jacob, Herod (otherwise called Herod the Great) testified by his accession to the fact that “The scepter departed from Judas.” He was a king over Judah, but not a Jew by birth. And those who remembered Jacob's prophecy then they began to expect the appearance Messiah , who was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod (Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:1)." (Shchedrovitsky)
Repetition is the mother of learning: 
Travels of the Patriarchs:
In general, traveling at the call of the Lord is the most beautiful biblical image. “The Lord was a vagabond, I want to be like him in at least this way...” (c) By the way, the very images of these three patriarchs are symbolically associated with three Christian virtues: Abraham is the incarnate Faith , Isaac - symbol Hopes , Jacob - Love .
Joseph the Beautiful
Joseph's story is a real adventure novel. He was Jacob's favorite son; his brothers from his father’s other wives were jealous and did not love him, and one day they decided to kill him altogether; planned to kill him, but in the end they sold him for 20 pieces of silver into slavery for passing merchants on their way to Egypt. And they brought Jacob his clothes, stained with the blood of a kid...
(Mosaic triptych, Chapel, Keble College, Oxford, designed by William Butterfield)
In Egypt, Joseph makes a “career” as a housekeeper for a noble priest, but, having rejected the advances of his wife (and Joseph was divinely handsome), he finds himself slandered by her and thrown into prison. There he, with the help of God, interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's servants; subsequently he is called to the pharaoh himself, and having correctly interpreted his dream, he saves the country from famine and becomes the second person in Egypt after the pharaoh...
(Pharaoh rewarding Joseph for interpreting a dream. Illustration, 1869)
Then he meets his brothers again, forgives them, and they all move to Egypt together with Jacob...
Here is the answer to the question: how did the Jews end up in Egypt, from where Moses later led them out! But that's a completely different story (c) :) 
This story is retold in the Koran, where an entire sura is dedicated to Joseph - Yusuf.
Mystical interpretation: "And The story of Joseph, whom his brothers sold according to God's providence in order to save themselves from death and to save all of Egypt, is the story of events through which the evil committed by people was turned into good by God.
...Symbolically, Egypt means pagan peoples, and Joseph, taken into captivity and suffering in slavery, is the people of Israel, scattered among the pagans... Let us remember that the opportunity to preach Christianity, and then Islam, arose precisely thanks to the existence of the Jewish diaspora.. .
Another deepest symbolic meaning of Joseph's life is that it prefigures the life of Jesus Christ
... Jesus Christ was sold for thirty pieces of silver, like Joseph, who was sold for twenty pieces of silver. Jesus Christ sent his disciples to the pagan peoples - to “spiritual Egypt”... The one who was considered dead turned out to be alive - it was as if he had come to life, resurrected and now rules over all of Egypt! But it is said that the heart of Israel was “confused” by this news, he did not immediately believe it, did not immediately accept it, remained in disbelief for some time, demanded proof..."(Shchedrovitsky)
***
Extracurricular reading: Thomas Mann, tetralogy novel
"Joseph and his brothers"
(read or download - ).
This is a Talmud of considerable weight, written in complex but tasty language (with sentences per paragraph :) - but refined natures, passionate about Dostoevsky and seasoned by Tolstoy, will not be frightened by this :) I look forward to immersion in the atmosphere of the ancient Middle East and a real literary feast!
“Young Joseph, for example, the son of Jacob and the pretty Rachel who went to the West so early,
Joseph, who lived at the time when on the Babylonian throne sat the Cossene Kurigalzu, very dear to the heart of Bel-Marduk, the ruler of four countries, the king of Sumer and Akkad, a strict and brilliant ruler, who wore a beard, the curls of which were so skillfully arranged that they looked like skillfully lined up detachment of shield bearers;
and in Thebes, in the underworld, which Joseph used to call “Mizraim” or also “Keme, the Black,” on the horizon of his palace, to the delight of the blinded sons of the desert, shone His Holiness the good god, the third bearer of the name “Amun-pleased,” the bodily son Sun;
when, thanks to the power of its gods, Assur grew, and along the great seaside road that led from Gaza to the passes of the Cedar Mountains, between the court of the pharaoh and the courts of Mesopotamia, royal caravans walked every now and then with gifts of politeness - lapis lazuli and minted gold;
when in the cities of the Amorites, in Beth Shan, Ayalon, Ta'Anek, Urusalim, Ashtarti served, when in Shechem and Beth Lahama there was a seven-day lament for the torn True Son to pieces, and in Gebal, the city of the Book, they prayed to El, who did not need any temple, nor in rituals;
So, Joseph, who lived in the region of Kenan, in the land that in Egyptian was called Upper Retenu, not far from Hebron, in his father’s camp, overshadowed by terebinths and evergreen sessile oaks,
this well-known pleasant young man, who, by the way, inherited pleasantness from his mother, for she was beautiful, like the moon when it reaches its fullness, and like the star Ishtar when it quietly floats across a clear sky,
but, in addition, having received from his father remarkable mental abilities, thanks to which he even surpassed his father in a certain sense -
Joseph, therefore, for the fifth and sixth time we call this name, and we call it with pleasure: there is something mysterious in the name, and it seems to us that, by owning the name, we acquire spell power over this boy himself, who has now sunk into depths of time, but once so talkative and alive, -
So, for Joseph, for example, everything in the world, that is, everything that concerned him personally, began in the southern Babylonian city of Uru, which he called in his language “Ur Kashdim,” which means “Ur of the Chaldeans.”
(I arbitrarily broke this sentence, which stretched over a huge paragraph, into paragraphs, to make it easier for readers tired of Narzan and Zheshechka, starting with me:)
Mann's novel is, of course, a work of fiction (and judging by the prologue, the author does not emphasize the idea of the truth of this story as part of Holy Scripture; for him it is, rather, a legend). So for a religious (namely Orthodox) interpretation and commentary on this story, you can, for example, go here: the cycle of conversations of the same name by Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev “Joseph and His Brothers”. This is where I say goodbye for now. The next stop is the Exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, where they came as close associates of Pharaoh’s favorite, and a generation later, with the change of dynasty, they found themselves in the position of slaves for many four hundred years...
This entry was originally posted at
Old Testament Patriarch Jacob (Israel),
his wives Rachel and Leah Jacob
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What is it to a homeless wanderer? Go - from the well, to the well Birthright for the Wanderer from Isaac, remains - Blood and sweat, seven years old (But like a whip On the wedding night - What is the birthright to a stranger? cured of love - Fight with God - |
Jacob (Israel)
- Patriarch of the Old Testament Church, son of Isaac and Rebekah, brother of Esau and grandson of Abraham, legendary ancestor "the twelve tribes of Israel." His story is told in the book of Genesis (XXV, XXVII-L). Even in the womb, Jacob's rivalry begins with his twin brother Esau, who is opposite to him in everything. Hearing how her sons began to beat in the womb, Rebekah asks God about this, and He answers her: "Two nations are in your womb, and two different nations will come out of your womb; one nation will become stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."(Gen. 25, 23).
“And the time came for her (i.e., Rebekah) to give birth,- says the writer of everyday life, - and behold twins in her womb. The first one came out, all red as skin, shaggy, and they named him Esau. Then his brother came out, holding Esau’s heel with his hand, and his name was called Jacob.”
The children grew up, and Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the fields, and Jacob became a meek man, living in tents. Jacob was the favorite son of Rebekah his mother, and her instructions had a strong influence on him on some important occasions of his life.
The first manifestation of his independent life, which the book of Genesis narrates, seems to indicate some cunning in his character. One day, taking advantage of the hunger of the tired Esau, Jacob buys a meal of lentils from him (for "lentil soup") birthright (25, 29-34). Let us remember that birthright is one of the highest values in Israeli society. The firstborn of the flock and the firstfruits are sacrificed to God as the Creator of life. The firstborn son (firstborn) is "strength and the beginning of strength" father, "the height of dignity and the height of power"(Gen. 49-3). It’s not for nothing (let’s jump ahead a little) that Pharaoh, who deceived Moses nine times, took the defeat of his firstborn so painfully, and only after this, the tenth "plague of Egypt" He finally fulfilled his promise - he let the people of Israel go.
The first-born son had material and moral advantages over his brothers (a double share of the inheritance, the position of head of the clan in the future). Birthright was seen as a gift from God and was inalienable. The rights of the firstborn were protected by the law (Deut. 21). The only violation of this right was the case of Reuben, the son of Jacob, whom his father, dying, deprived of advantage because he "desecrated the bed" father, having entered into a sinful relationship with his concubine Bilha.
Thus, Jacob (Israel) obtained the birthright illegally by convincing his twin brother Esau, who was born first, to sell him the birthright for a bowl of lentil stew.
After this, Jacob, at the instigation of Rebekah, by deception - posing as his brother - received a blessing from his half-blind father, giving the right to inherit all property and power over the brothers and tribes over which they would stand.
One day, the decrepit Isaac sent Esau into the field to catch game and prepare food for his father: at the meal, Isaac would give him a parental blessing. “And Rebekah took the rich robe of her eldest son Esau, which was in her house, and clothed her youngest son Jacob in it; and she covered his hands and his smooth neck with the skin of kids; and she gave the food and the bread which she had prepared into the hands of Jacob her son. He went in to his father and said: My father! He said: here I am; who are you, my son? Jacob said to his father: I am Esau, your firstborn; I did as you told me; get up, sit down and eat my game, so that your soul may bless me... And Isaac said to Jacob: Come, I will feel you, are you my son Esau or not? Jacob came to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “A voice, the voice of Jacob; and the hands, the hands of Esau. And he did not recognize him, because his hands were like the hands of his brother Esau, shaggy; and blessed him"(Gen. 27:15–23). Thus, by deception, Jacob receives a blessing from his father as the firstborn son (and thereby the preferential rights to fertile Canaan, while Esau gets the dry and rocky region of Edom).
As a result of this last act, he had to flee and, in accordance with the wishes of his mother, retired to Mesopotamia, to Harran, to his uncle Laban. Before setting off on his journey, Isaac blessed Jacob and directed him to look for a wife from Laban’s daughters (XXVIII, 1-5).
On the way, he had to spend the night in a certain place, right on the bare ground, placing a stone under his head. In a dream, he saw a staircase to heaven and angels on it. And he heard a voice proclaiming that God was giving this land to him and his descendants, who would be as numerous as the sand of the earth.
Waking up, Jacob realized that God was with him, and the place where he was was the house of God. He placed a stone at his head as a monument, and named the place Bethel. Here he promised to return to God a tenth of what God gives him - tithe.
Jacob fled before his own blood, M. Lot-Borodina |
While living with Laban, Jacob fell in love with his beautiful youngest daughter Rachel
(whom he met, while still approaching Harran, at the well where Rachel brought the sheep to water) and served Laban for her for 7 years. But Laban tricked him into giving him as a wife. Liyu,
his eldest daughter. “And Laban had two daughters; The eldest's name is Leah, the youngest's name is Rachel.
Leah was weak-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful in form and beautiful in face.
Jacob fell in love with Rachel and said: I will serve you seven years for your youngest daughter, Rachel.
Laban said: It is better to give her to me for you than to give her to someone else; live with me.
And Jacob served for Rachel seven years; and they appeared to him in a few days, because he loved her...
... Laban called all the people of the place and held a feast.
In the evening Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her.
In the morning it turned out that it was Leah. And (Jacob) said to Laban: What hast thou done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why did you deceive me?
Laban said: in our place they don’t do that, to give the younger one away before the older one. Finish this week; Then we will give you that one too, for the service that you will serve with me for another seven years.
Jacob did so; and (Lavan) gave Rachel his daughter to him as a wife. And Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah; and served with him for another seven years.”(Book of Genesis, chapter XXIX, vv. 1-6, 9-23, 25-28, 30).
Thus, Jacob also gets Rachel as his wife, having served for her for another 7 years. At that time, polygamy was common, therefore, in addition to Leah and Rachel, Jacob also took two maidservants as wives: Bilhah and Zilpah, and thus from four wives he had 12 sons and one daughter Dinah (XXIV, XXX, 1, XXXV, 16-19). After the birth of his son Joseph, Jacob decides to return from Mesopotamia to his native land. Laban, who wants to reward him, asks only for speckled sheep and spotted goats, the number of which quickly grew in Jacob’s flock.
Jacob tells his loved ones a dream he had at the time when the cattle were conceiving: an angel who appeared to him in a dream said: “Lift up your eyes and see; all the goats that have mounted the cattle are motley, speckled, and spotted.”(30, 10). In the same dream, God tells Jacob to return to his homeland, the land of Canaan. And 20 years after entering Mesopotamia, Jacob secretly left Laban’s house with his family and everything he had, and headed to the land of Canaan.
Having learned about this, Laban set off in pursuit of him and caught up with him near the city of Gilead and tried, although in vain, to return at least his household gods, whom he superstitiously worshiped and which Rachel stole from him, hiding them under her saddle camel However, the matter ended in reconciliation, and Jacob was given the opportunity to continue his further journey (XXX, 25-43, XXXIII).
In Mahanaim, God encouraged Jacob - he was met by the angels of God; but still, as he approached his Fatherland, he felt an involuntary fear in his soul, afraid of meeting his brother Esau, whose anger against him, as he thought, had not yet completely subsided.
During one of the nights, he remains alone in the tent and endures a mysterious struggle in the dark with God, who appeared to him in the form of an Angel (in Scripture He is called "Someone") and gets a new name - Israel (God-fighter). As a memory of this meeting, Jacob was left with a limp for the rest of his life. Jacob named this place of meeting with God Penuel; " for, he said, I saw God face to face and my soul was preserved.”(Chapter XXXII).
Jacob's Prayer “I lived with Laban the rich; now But I stand before you as a petitioner!” Jacob was confused, filled with sadness, And he fell on his knees in the darkness of the night, In the waterless desert you were my guide There is no measure! Covering with His cover, In anger, he knows no mercy. But, God! forgiving my treachery, |
Jacob's meeting with his brother Esau was peaceful and loving. Having then reached Succoth, Jacob founded a dwelling here, but then moved to the city of Shechem, near which he pitched his tent, bought himself a part of the field and erected an altar here to the Lord. After an unfortunate event, namely, the dishonor inflicted by the prince of Shechem on his daughter Dinah, and the cruel revenge for this on the Shechemites by her brothers, Simeon and Levi, Jacob, at the command of God, gathered with his entire family at Bethel. But before setting off, he ordered everyone who was with him to abandon foreign gods, cleanse themselves and change their clothes. Bethel was the place of new revelations of God's mercy to Jacob. During the journey from Bethel, Jacob's beloved wife, Rachel, died from difficult childbirth, giving birth to his son Benjamin, and she was buried near Bethlehem.
Isaac was still alive, being 180 years old, when Jacob visited him in Hebron, where, however, he soon died, and Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him (XXXV).
After this, Jacob usually lived in the land of Canaan, but in a certain place, the book of Genesis does not say for sure. Once we meet him living in the valley of Hebron (XXXII, 1, 15). The cruelty of the sons of Jacob, in selling his beloved son Joseph to Egypt, served as a source of bitter sadness and grief for him (XXXVII). The famine that followed in the land of Canaan and the double journey of his sons to Egypt for bread also caused him a lot of anxiety and grief. But finally, he was consoled by the joyful news that Joseph was alive and in honor, and at his request he undertook a journey to Egypt (XLII, XLV). On the way to Egypt, he received a new sign of God's blessing, precisely in Bathsheba, and finally arrived in Egypt with his entire household, and was delighted to see his son, who had long been considered lost. Having gone to meet his father in Goshen, Joseph fell on his neck and cried for a long, long time. “I will die now, having seen your face,- Israel said to Joseph, - for you are still alive"(XLVI, 29-30).
Presented to Pharaoh in Egypt, Jacob was received very graciously by him. “How many years of your life?”- Pharaoh asked him. “The days of my wandering are one hundred and thirty years,- Jacob answered, - the days of my life are small and unhappy and have not reached the days of the life of my fathers in the days of their wanderings"(XLVII, 8-10). And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and left him. By order of Pharaoh, Jacob, with all his sons and his household, settled in the best part of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and remained there until his death, which followed 17 years after his arrival in Egypt (XLVII). Before his death, he blessed the sons of Joseph, ordered himself to be buried in Hebron, and on his deathbed pronounced a solemn prophetic blessing to all his sons, telling them what would happen to them in the days to come (XLVII, 29-31, XLVIII, XLIX). Upon his death, his body was embalmed and honorably transported to the land of Canaan in Hebron and buried there in the cave of Machpelah, in accordance with his will (L, 1-13)...
From the above-mentioned brief historical sketch of the life of Jacob, one cannot help but see that he was one of the greatest patriarchs of the Old Testament Church. He always endured the repeated trials and tribulations of his long-suffering one hundred and forty-seven-year-old life with unshakable fidelity to God, with firm patience and devotion to the Providence of God and with unchanging trust in Him in all the circumstances of his life; That is why in all other books of the Bible the name of Jacob has a very high meaning, whether it is used in the sense of his descendants, or the Jewish people, or the people of God, etc.
Even more often found in the Holy Scriptures is another and more remarkable name, received by Jacob during his mysterious struggle with the heavenly enemy - Israel. Abraham is usually revered as the father of believers, but Jacob, or Israel, became, so to speak, the symbol or representative of the entire Church of God on earth. Expressions "seed of Jacob", "children of Jacob" often applied generally to the entire society of true believers on earth (Deut. XXXIII, 10, Ps. XIII, 6, etc.). New Israel often called the New Testament Christian Church, founded on earth by the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles. About the life of the holy righteous foremother Leah
So little is known about some saints that their hagiographies do not exist. Everything that is known about Saint Leah
, can be read in the Bible, in the Old Testament (Gen., ch. 29).
Rachel had no children for a long time, while Leah already had six sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun.
Jacob, forced to marry Leah, did not love her; she sought to win her husband’s favor. This is evident, in particular, from the symbolic names given by her to her sons. Name Reuben is interpreted as the fact that “God saw the grief of Leah, to whom her husband preferred Rachel, and gave her a son”; Name Simeon “The Lord heard that I was unloved, and gave me this too.”; Name Levi derived in the Bible from the words spoken by Leah at his birth: “Now my husband will cling to me.” Thus God rewarded and comforted Leah by blessing her with children (Gen. 29:31).
The tribes of the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob formed, according to the Bible, the people of Israel. When first listing the tribes, the Bible calls them by the names of the 12 sons of Jacob (Gen. 49:28).
According to legend, the holy foremother Leah rests in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
About the life of the holy righteous foremother Rachel
Rachel - youngest daughter of Laban, sister of Leah, second wife of Jacob, mother of Joseph and Benjamin.According to the Bible, Rachel was "beautiful in figure and beautiful in face"(Gen. 29:17), and Jacob loved her more than "weak with eyes" Leah (Gen. 29:30). However, Rachel remained barren for a long time and was jealous of Leah's fertility. Desperate, she, like Sarah before (Gen. 16:2-4), gave her maid Bilkha as a concubine to her husband; Rachel considered Dana and Naphtali born to Bilkha as her own sons (Gen. 30:1–8).
Eventually, Rachel became pregnant and gave birth to a son, saying: “God has taken away my shame. And she called his name Joseph, saying, “The Lord will give me another son also.”(Gen. 30:23–24).
Rachel, as we have already told, died during her second birth on the way from Beth-El to Ephrat, in Beth-Lechem; dying, she named her second son Ben-Oni ("son of my suffering"), but Jacob gave him the name Benjamin. Jacob buried Rachel not in the family crypt in the cave of Machpelah, but where she died - by the road, and erected a monument of stones over her grave (Gen. 35:16-21; cf. 48:7).
He did this because he foresaw how those expelled to Babylonia would pass here, and Rachel would pray to God to have mercy on them. Rachel's tomb at Beth Lechem is mentioned by early Christian writers (for example, Eusebius); the earliest Jewish source describing this grave is "Jerusalem Guide"» X century
Jewish travelers, beginning with Benjamin of Tudela (about 1170), speak of a monument consisting of twelve stones, eleven of which were laid by the sons of Jacob, and on them a large stone laid by Jacob himself. A dome on four columns was built over the grave. At the end of the 18th century. A building was erected around the grave, which was repaired in 1841 with funds provided by M. Montefiore. During the Jordanian occupation (1948–1967), the area around Rachel's grave was converted into a Muslim cemetery. The building was later restored by the Israeli Ministry of Religious Affairs and today serves as a place of mass pilgrimage and tourism.
The memory of Rachel was preserved in her descendants in all subsequent times. During the time of Boaz and Ruth, the residents and elders of Bethlehem, blessing the marriage of Boaz with Ruth, wished him the same happiness and blessing from God that Rachel and Leah brought to Israel (Ruth. 4:11). The prophet Jeremiah, depicting the disasters and captivity of the Jews, represents Rachel as the foremother of the Israelites, orphaned and weeping inconsolably for her sons, for they were gone (Jer. 31:15). And the Evangelist Matthew, seeing in this sad event the image of another sad event, namely, the beating of the Bethlehem infants by Herod, repeats the words of the prophet, applying them to the present event - the children of Bethlehem belonged to the offspring of Rachel, and she, like their mother, cries inconsolably, because there are none (Matt. 2:18).
The Church honors Saint James as a forefather, and his wives - Leah and Rachel - as foremothers, as pious and virtuous people, canonized by the Church, representing an example of virtue and remaining, according to the teachings of the Church, after their death in Heaven and praying before God for all members Churches still living on earth.
Esau hated Jacob and after his father's death wanted to kill him. Fearing for her son, Rebekah advises Isaac to send Jacob to Mesopotamia to take a wife. Isaac gives his blessing to choose one of the daughters of Laban, Rebekah's brother, as his wife. Having received the blessing, Jacob goes to Mesopotamia. He left Bathsheba. He had a long and difficult journey ahead of him. First it was necessary to go north along Canaan, then through Jordan, Gilead, Bashan; go towards Damascus and further to Harran, where Laban lived. Saint John Chrysostom emphasizes the virtues of Jacob: “Now look at this young man, brought up at home, who has never experienced the difficulties of traveling, nor living on a foreign side, nor any other worries - learn how he makes the journey, and learn high wisdom.” (Conversations on the book of Genesis. 54. 3).
Night found him near the city of Luz. Jacob put a stone under his head and lay down to spend the night. He had a wonderful vision that had a high prophetic meaning. He saw in a dream ladder from earth to sky. Angels of God ascended and descended on it. Jacob saw the Lord on the stairs, who said: The land on which you lie will I give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants will be like the sand of the earth; and you will spread to the sea, and to the east, and to the north, and to the noonday; and in you and in your seed all families of the earth will be blessed; and behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go; and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have told you.(Genesis 28:13-15).
The staircase from earth to heaven was an expression of the close connection between the heavenly and the earthly. The ascent and descent of Angels along it means that they offer prayers to God for people, intercede for them and bring down God’s mercies to people.
This passage from the book of Genesis is read as proverbs on the Mother of God holidays. Jacob's Ladder is the connection between Heaven and earth, man and God. The most perfect example of such a connection was revealed Blessed Virgin Mary. She herself became the ladder that leads to God. Most of the Old Testament prophetic revelations have both a universal, messianic meaning and a proximate one (within the framework of Old Testament history). Jacob's vision also had a specific goal: to strengthen the righteous in the difficult task of participating in the plans of the Divine economy. Patriarch Jacob did not yet know what trials awaited him. The Lord strengthens his faith in advance with His promises and promises protection. Jacob called this place Bethel (Heb. Beth-El - the house of God).
Jacob was greeted with joy by his uncle Laban. He settled in his house and began to work. Loving his youngest daughter Rachel, which she was beautiful in figure and beautiful in face(Genesis 29:17), he could not immediately ask for her hand, since in the East it is the groom (and not the bride’s parents) who must give the ransom to the bride’s parents. Jacob was a stranger and had nothing. He offered seven years of his labor for Rachel. When they had passed, they seemed to Jacob like several days. So he fell in love with Rachel. Laban arranged a wedding feast, and in the evening he brought Leah into his chambers. Apparently there was complete darkness, because it was only in the morning that Jacob learned that it was Leah. To make amends, Laban offered to finish the wedding week of days, and then take Rachel as his wife, but for this it was necessary to work for another seven years.
Each of them had their own reasons for suffering. Rachel was loved, but barren. Leah could give birth, but her husband did not love her. The Lord looked upon Leah and gave her children. Reuben was born first. He became one of the twelve patriarchs of Israel, from whom twelve tribes were formed. The firstborn undoubtedly had a good dispensation of soul. He prevented the brothers from killing Joseph. Later, when Jacob refused to let his beloved son Benjamin go with his brothers to Egypt, Reuben offered his four sons instead.
The second Leah gave birth to Simeon. Jacob's third son by Leah was Levi. The tribe that descended from this patriarch occupies a special place in Sacred history: it did not receive its inheritance in the Promised Land, but was placed in the service of God. It was supplied from high priests, priests and Levites. Leah gave birth to the fourth Judas. He also showed compassion for Joseph, offering not to kill him, but to sell him. During his second trip to Egypt, he offered himself as a slave to Joseph for Benjamin, whom he wanted to keep with him (Gen. 44: 16-34). By the providence of God this particular tribe was chosen for the special purposes of Divine economy: from him came the Messiah, Christ the Savior of the world. Dan was born fifth. His descendants were judges and warriors.
Patriarch Jacob already had ten sons when God looked upon Rachel: God heard her and opened her womb(Genesis 30, 22). She gave birth to a son, whom she named Joseph(“adding, giving more”). Divine Providence assigned this patriarch a special place in the destinies of Israel. Sold into slavery in Egypt and put through suffering, he saved the chosen people from destruction during a terrible famine. Many the circumstances of the life of Patriarch Joseph prefigure the events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ.
The second seven-year term of the agreement between Laban and Jacob has ended. But Laban, seeing that God’s blessing that was on Jacob had come to his house, did not want to let him go. Another six years passed. It was hard for Jacob. Laban was very unhappy that his worker was becoming richer than him. The Lord commanded Jacob to return to his homeland and promised: I'll be with you(Genesis 31:3).
When Laban left home to shear livestock, Jacob, having received the consent of Leah and Rachel, left Haran with his entire large family, livestock and wealth. Only on the third day did Laban learn about his son-in-law’s departure and begin the pursuit. Seven days later he caught up with the caravan in Gilead, in Transjordan. Protecting the integrity of His chosen one, God appeared to Laban and warned him against violence against Jacob. Laban and Jacob entered into an alliance and erected a monument of stones as evidence of the agreement. When Jacob set out on his further journey to his father's house, the Lord strengthened him. And the Angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the army of God.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim(Genesis 32, 1-2), which translated from Hebrew means double stun. It is easy to understand the purpose of this revelation from God. Jacob, escaping Laban's persecution, feared the one whose anger had forced him to leave his father's house twenty years earlier.
When Jacob learned that Esau, having four hundred men, was coming to meet him, he divided the camp in two so that at least one of them could be saved. He addressed himself with humble prayer to God. He said that he was unworthy of all mercy and blessings, but asked to protect him and his entire family. Prayer calmed him. He canceled his previous decision to flee and went to meet Esau, sending ahead rich gifts - cattle. When they approached the Jabbok River, which flows into the Jordan from the east, Jacob forded his family, and he himself was left alone. As the exegetes explain - for prayer. And someone appeared to him, as the Holy Scripture says, and fought with him until dawn. This is one of the most mysterious places in the biblical books. The night event has been the subject of interpretation and study by many exegetes. “From the whole story,” writes Blessed Theodoret, “we know that here he appeared to Jacob God's Only Begotten Son».
Although this struggle was also a test of Jacob's physical strength, it undoubtedly has a spiritual meaning. “Showing Jacob how long they had been fighting, the Angel added: the dawn has broken. And Jacob asked Him for blessing, teaching that they fought each other out of love; and the Angel blessed Jacob, showing by this that he was not angry with the one who opposed Him, being a man of earth” (Rev. Ephraim the Syrian). The one who fought with Jacob touched the patriarch’s thigh and injured it: from now on your name will not be Jacob, but Israel, for you have fought with God, and you will overcome men(Genesis 32, 28). Jacob's new name is Israel passed to all God's chosen people and became an ethnonym. One possible translation: “God fights.”
On the way to the land of Canaan, near Bethlehem, Rachel died during childbirth. She named her son Benoni (“son of my sorrow”). However, Jacob, not wanting the name to constantly remind of this sad event, named his son Benjamin(“son of the right hand, son of happiness”).
Before Jacob, in each generation only one member of the family was the heir of the promise. The rest (brothers and their descendants) were separated from the central hereditary branch. Starting with Jacob, all the descendants of the patriarchs are part of God's chosen people: the twelve sons of Jacob, their children and all their descendants.
- (Heb. jaãkob), Israel, in the Old Testament tradition, patriarch, son of Isaac and Rebekah, grandson of Abraham, legendary ancestor of the “twelve tribes of Israel” (see The Twelve Sons of Jacob). The name I. is possibly a shortened form of the more ancient theophoric... ... Encyclopedia of Mythology
Jacob- buries idols in the ground under the Shechem oak tree. Painting by S. Bourdon. 1650s St. Petersburg, Hermitage. Jacob buries the idols in the ground under the Shechem oak tree. Painting by S. Bourdon. 1650s St. Petersburg, Hermitage. Jacob () in the Old Testament the patriarch, ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary "World History"
- (Israel) in the Old Testament, patriarch, son of Isaac and Rebekah, grandson of Abraham, ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel. While still in Rebekah's womb, Jacob and his twin brother Esau began to fight. Having asked God about this, she received the answer that from her womb... ... Historical Dictionary
Jacob- Jacob. Jacob and Rachel. Painting by J. Palma the Elder. OK. 1520. Picture gallery. Dresden. JACOB (Israel), in the Bible the younger of the two sons of the twins Isaac and Rebekah. He bought the birthright from his brother Esau for lentil stew and cunning... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Heb. Yaakov). The name Jacob is based on the root akav, from which the nouns are derived. akev = heel and verb akav = to leave a mark, as well as to conquer (stammer) and to deceive, to mislead. Thus, the word I. can mean he holds onto... ... Brockhaus Biblical Encyclopedia
And husband. Star. form of the name (see Yakov).Otch.: Iakovich, Yakovna and Iakovlevich, Iakovlevna. Dictionary of personal names. Jacob See Jacob. Day Angel. Guide to names and birthdays. 2010… Dictionary of personal names
Jacob, Israel Dictionary of Russian synonyms. Jacob noun, number of synonyms: 4 wrestler gentlemen (2) ... Synonym dictionary
- (Israel) in the Bible, the younger of the two sons of the twins Isaac and Rebekah. He bought the birthright from his brother Esau for lentil stew and by cunning received the blessing of Isaac as the firstborn son. The 12 sons of Jacob were considered the ancestors of the 12... ...
- (d. about 63) brother of the Lord according to the flesh, apostle from the 70th, (Epistle to the Galatians 1:19), first bishop of Jerusalem, hieromartyr. Author of the Epistle, included in the New Testament canon. Memory in the Orthodox Church on January 4 (17) and October 23 (November 5) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (d. 1292) Archbishop of Serbia. Memory in the Orthodox Church on August 30 (September 12) (Cathedral of Serbian Saints) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not create the righteousness of God. You believe that God is one: you do well; and the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know, unfounded person, that faith without... ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
Books
- , Jacob. Words and speeches of the Right Reverend Jacob, Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas P 109/70: St. Petersburg: typ. Glazunov and K, 1847: Reproduced in the original author’s spelling of the 1847 edition...
- Words and speeches of the Right Reverend Jacob, Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, Jacob. This book will be produced in accordance with your order using Print-on-Demand technology. Words and speeches of His Grace Jacob, Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas P 109/70: St. Petersburg:...
