THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 
BOARD OF EDITORS 
 
 OF 
 
 RELIGIOUS LITERATURE 
 
 REPRESENTING 
 
 The Union of American Hebrew Congregations 
 
 and The Central Conference of 
 
 American Rabbis 
 
 DR. DAVID PHILIPSON, Chairman 
 
 DR. H. G. ENELOW 
 
 DR. RUDOLPH GROSSMAN 
 
 DR. LOUIS GROSSMANN 
 
 RABBI MAX HELLER 
 
 DR. EMIL G. HIRSCH 
 
 DR. KAUFMANN KOHLER 
 
 RABBI JOSEPH KORNFELD 
 
 RABBI HARRY LEVI 
 
 DR. ELI MAYER 
 
 DR. WILLIAM ROSENAU 
 
 DR. SAMUEL SCHULMAN 
 
 DR. ABRAM SIMON 
 
 RABBI GEORGE ZEPIN, Secretary 
 
A Jewish Interpretation 
 
 of 
 
 Book of Genesis 
 
 By 
 Rabbi Julian Morgenstern, Ph. D. 
 
 Professor of Bible and Semitic Languages 
 Hebrew Union College 
 
 Cincinnati, Ohio 
 1920 
 

 Copyright i pig. 
 The Union of American Hebrew Congregations 
 
 Second Printing 
 
 FN MEMORfAM 
 
TO 
 
 MY WIFE 
 
 943947 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 A word of explanation is due the readers of this book, 
 to whom it may seem at first glance that it is intended to 
 reach two altogether different publics. The book speaks 
 constantly of Jewish children and their instruction, yet it 
 contains much that is far beyond the comprehension of chil- 
 dren, and that may seem technical even to the religious 
 school teacher and trained Bible student. No one realizes 
 this better than I, and no one appreciates more the difficulty, 
 and even the danger, of writing for more than one body of 
 readers. 
 
 However, circumstances make this condition unavoidable. 
 The preparation of this book was undertaken four years 
 ago, at the request and under the supervision of the Board 
 of Editors of the Department of Synagogue and School 
 Extension of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. 
 The intention of the Board of Editors was that this work 
 should not be published, but should serve only as the basis 
 for a series of lessons on the stories of Genesis, to be pre- 
 pared by a Jewish religious school teacher, able and thor- 
 oughly experienced in just this particular field of instruc- 
 tion. These lessons were not to be given into the children's 
 hands, but were to constitute a text-book for teachers, and 
 were to indicate the actual material to be presented in the 
 class-room, and the best method of presentation. This book 
 was to be accompanied by a children's text-book or Bible 
 reader, containing the stories of Genesis in the language of 
 the Bible itself, but simplified so far as possible by the 
 omission of all matter unessential to the main narrative or 
 unsuitable for children. This plan involved a reduction of 
 
 vii 
 
viii Preface 
 
 the material of my manuscript to almost the minimum of 
 what was absolutely essential and indispensable to the 
 presentation to the children by the average, or even by the 
 inexperienced teacher. All other material, instructive and 
 valuable though it might be, was to be omitted as super- 
 fluous, and, not improbably, even disturbing for the low- 
 caliber teacher. 
 
 My first manuscript was prepared in accordance with 
 this plan. It had only a teacher audience in view, and dealt 
 immediately with the problems of class-room instruction. 
 It endeavored to present the maximum of material which, 
 it seemed to me, the teacher might find helpful and stimu- 
 lating. It was understood that the collaborator would re- 
 duce this maximum to the inevitable minimum. The manu- 
 script sought likewise to offer helpful suggestions in regard 
 to the Jewish religious school, its real nature and aims, at 
 least as I conceived them, and the content and method of 
 its instruction. 
 
 After careful consideration the Board of Editors con- 
 cluded that the manuscript contained material which, in 
 accordance with the original plan, the collaborator would be 
 compelled to omit from the teacher's text-book, but which 
 might nevertheless prove valuable for the earnest and ex- 
 perienced teacher, who was eager to know more of the sub- 
 ject than the minimum to be imparted in the class-room. 
 It was felt that the book might also be made useful for a 
 larger, non-professional public, for adult Bible classes, sister- 
 hood Bible study circles, and possibly even for advanced 
 post-confirmation classes. It was, therefore, decided that, 
 while the original plan of a teacher's text-book, to be pre- 
 pared by a practical collaborator, and to contain the actual 
 framework of lessons for class-room presentation, be car- 
 ried out, I should also be asked to revise my original manu- 
 script, and that it be published as a source-book on Genesis 
 for the advanced student. 
 
Preface ix 
 
 In accordance with this larger plan, and helped by many 
 valuable criticisms and suggestions of members of the Board 
 of Editors, I carefully revised the original manuscript. The 
 fact that the work was now designed for a larger and 
 somewhat different public than was contemplated at first, 
 necessitated a recasting of much of the original, and the 
 inclusion of considerable matter which had been purposely 
 omitted from the first manuscript. To a certain extent it 
 compelled likewise a modification of the original standpoint 
 and mode of treatment. Nevertheless, to a very considerable 
 degree my first manuscript constitutes the basis of this work, 
 and problems of Jewish religious instruction are still touched 
 upon in this book. So far as possible, however, those por- 
 tions of the book which deal specifically with these prob- 
 lems, and are therefore intended primarily for a professional 
 teacher public, are printed in small type, in order that they 
 may be readily passed over by readers not interested in their 
 consideration. 
 
 The two publics which this book now seeks to reach are 
 those of the professional Jewish religious school teacher, 
 whose main concern is to learn as much of the subject as 
 possible, in order to be able in turn to impart instruction 
 with greater efficiency and authority, and the non-professional 
 Jewish Bible student, whose thirst for knowledge and whose 
 Jewish loyalty and interest impel him to seek greater knowl- 
 edge of Judaism for himself. I trust that this explanation 
 of how this book came to serve these two publics may ob- 
 viate what might otherwise perplex and confuse, and that 
 it may incline both publics to forbearance in their judgment 
 of the book and patience in its use. 
 
 The book aims to be precisely what its' title indicates, a 
 Jewish interpretation of Genesis. We have had countless 
 books on Genesis by Jewish authors. But, with rare excep- 
 tions, they have sought only to recount the stories of 
 Genesis literally, without penetrating to the fundamental 
 
x Preface 
 
 Jewish spiritual truth beneath, and without consideration of 
 the many significant discoveries and teachings of modern 
 science with regard to Genesis. They have confounded 
 Biblical myths, legends and traditions with what they have mis- 
 takenly called Biblical History. Thereby they have, on the 
 one hand, only too frequently worked mischievous confusion 
 and misunderstanding in the minds of those they sought to 
 instruct, and on the other hand, they have missed almost 
 entirely the golden opportunity to impart the really basic 
 truths of Judaism to the most receptive minds. 
 
 We have also had numerous scientific interpretations of 
 Genesis, all, with even fewer exceptions, by non-Jewish 
 scholars. Their work has been almost entirely analytic in 
 character. They have picked Genesis, and the entire Bible 
 in fact, to pieces. They have resolved it into its component 
 sources, and have determined with quite reliable accuracy 
 when and under what conditions these were written. They 
 have also determined when, how, and by whom these orig- 
 inally independent sources were gradually combined, until 
 at last our present Bible came into being. 
 
 But singularly enough, they have failed almost completely 
 to determine the ends for which these sources were com- 
 bined, and the thoughts and aims which animated the editors. 
 They have, apparently, tacitly assumed that this was an in- 
 evitable and largely purposeless process. Therefore they 
 have failed to realize, except in the most superficial manner, 
 that the Bible, and particularly the Torah, is entirely a 
 Jewish work, written by Jewish authors, and edited by Jew- 
 ish thinkers, the product of Jewish religious genius, and a 
 unit of Jewish religious thought and doctrine, and that it 
 must be animated throughout by some deep Jewish purpose, 
 and can, in the final analysis, be correctly understood only 
 when interpreted from a positive Jewish standpoint. Con- 
 sequently, while science has taught us much about the Bible, 
 new, unsuspected, significant and valuable truths, it has failed 
 
Preface xi 
 
 almost entirely to catch its real Jewish purpose, spirit and 
 flavor. For this reason the usual scientific, analytic inter- 
 pretation of the Bible is inadequate, and lacks final authority. 
 
 The present work aims to be a scientific interpretation of 
 Genesis, but an interpretation which is not merely analytic, 
 and therefore largely negative and destructive, but which is 
 also, and more pronouncedly, synthetic, constructive and 
 Jewish. It accepts the established and irrefutable teachings 
 of science with regard to Genesis, and seeks to determine 
 constantly what is the fundamental Jewish thought and 
 teaching of the various stories and groups of stories, for the 
 sake of which their Jewish authors and editors cast them 
 into their present form. It operates on the principle that 
 the Bible is a Jewish work throughout, and that it can be 
 understood correctly and authoritatively only when inter- 
 preted from the standpoint of its Jewish teachings. It pro- 
 ceeds with deep love and reverence for Judaism and its 
 doctrines and practices, and for Jewish tradition and his- 
 tory. But it is . animated by equal love and- reverence for 
 the future of Judaism, and for the evolution an'd expansion 
 which its beliefs and teachings must inevitably undergo in 
 the inexorable progress of human thought and knowledge, 
 and in the irresistible compulsion to adapt and apply these 
 teachings and principles to the needs and standards of 
 modern existence, in order that Judaism may continue to be, 
 what it has always been, a true religion of life, by which 
 men may not only die resignedly, but, even more, may live 
 nobly, bravely and usefully. 
 
 In conclusion I would express my sincere thanks to those 
 members of the Board of Editors whose wise criticisms and 
 suggestions have helped me greatly in this work; and among 
 them in particular to my dear friend and colleague, Rev. 
 Dr. Samuel Schulman of New York City, who first con- 
 ceived of the possibilities of a work such as this, and whose 
 generous encouragement has aided me constantly, even as 
 
xii Preface 
 
 his suggestive and stimulating counsel has immeasurably 
 enhanced whatever value the book may possess. 
 
 It is my sincere wish and earnest prayer that this book 
 may not only instruct, but may even inspire somewhat those 
 who read it with deep and reverent love and loyalty for the 
 religion of our fathers, which has descended to us through 
 many centuries as our most precious heritage, and which 
 we, in turn, would cherish and safeguard and hand down 
 enlarged and enriched unto our children and our children's 
 children. 
 
 JUUAN MORGENSTSRN. 
 
 Cincinnati, Nov. 29, 1918. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Preface 
 
 Table of Contents 
 
 List of Illustrations 
 
 Introduction 
 
 I. The Jewish Religion 1 
 
 II. The Book of Genesis 14 
 
 III. Practical Suggestions for the Teacher 32 
 
 IV. Bibliography 35 
 
 I. The Story of Creation J. 37 
 
 II. The Garden of Eden. 47 
 
 III. Cain and Abel 63 
 
 IV. The Flood 76 
 
 V. The Tower of Babel : 89 
 
 VI. The Call of Abraham 100 
 
 VII. Abraham and Lot Ill 
 
 VIII. Abraham's Hospitality 122 
 
 IX. Sodom and Gomorrah 131 
 
 X. Hagar and Ishmael 144 
 
 XI. The Sacrifice of Isaac 155 
 
 XII. The Death of Sarah 165 
 
 XIII. The Wooing of Rebekah 174 
 
 XIV. The Well of the Covenant. ....................... 189 
 
 The Unity of the Jacob Story. , 200 
 
 XV. The Birthright 222 
 
 XVI. A Father's Blessing 232 
 
 XVII. God is With Us 240 
 
 XVIII. Jacob and Laban 249 
 
 XIX. Jacob and Esau 264 
 
 XX. Joseph the Dreamer 282 
 
 XXI. Joseph in Egypt 296 
 
 XXII. Joseph and His Brothers 307 
 
 XX1TI. Joseph and Jacob 316 
 
 XXIV. Jacob's Blessing 324 
 
 xiii 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The Babylonian Flood Story 78 
 
 Mt. Ararat in Armenia 86 
 
 Temple Mound at Babylon 98 
 
 Ur of the Chaldees as it is Today 109 
 
 A Nomad Chieftain 113 
 
 Abraham's Oak at Mamre 123 
 
 A Modern Nomad Tent -. 128 
 
 Oriental Bowing 129 
 
 The Dead Sea from the North . 139 
 
 The Gate of an Oriental City 141 
 
 The Pillar of Salt 142 
 
 Weighing Money 173 
 
 At the Well 184 
 
 An Oriental Water Jar 185 
 
 Noserings, Bracelets and Anklets 187 
 
 A Veiled Woman in the Orient 188 
 
 A Semitic Family Seeking Entrance into Egypt 197 
 
 The Great Well at Beersheba 198 
 
 Abraham's Well at Beersheba 199 
 
 The Mandrake. . 1 260 
 
 Teraphim .......... 261 
 
 Jacob's Well as Seen Today. 279 
 
 Rachel's Tomb 280 
 
 The Well at Dothan 293 
 
 A Caravan of Ishmaelites 294 
 
 Egyptian Barbers 305 
 
 Rings and Signets 305 
 
 The Princes of Egypt in Their Chariots 305 
 
 The Modern Site of Heliopolis 306 
 
 An Ancient Egyptian Granary 307 
 
 Ancient Egyptians at Dinner 314 
 
 An Egyptian Divining Bowl 315 
 
 Different Stages of Embalming 334 
 
 The Tomb of Joseph near Shechem 335 
 
 XV 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE JEWISH REUGION 
 
 Judaism is essentially a religion of this life and this 
 world. Other religions may stress the thought that this 
 world is merely the preparation for the world to come, that 
 there lies the goal of all existence, and that we must live 
 this life to the end and in such manner that we may attain 
 to the life hereafter. But Judaism holds no such view. 
 True, it affirms the doctrine of future life and of reward 
 and punishment. But it has never magnified the other world 
 at the expense of this. On the contrary, it teaches that this 
 life is worth living for its own sake, that this world and all 
 that it contains are good, that they were created by God for 
 some purpose of good, and that man was put here by God 
 to help realize by his own living this ultimate purpose of 
 good. Judaism has, therefore, concerned itself chiefly with 
 the tasks, duties and ideals of this life, assured that if this 
 life be but well lived, the future, however it may be, will 
 care for itself. Not salvation in the future world was its 
 chief aim and concern, but faithful, conscientious perform- 
 ance of the daily, and often burdensome duties of this world. 
 It has always cherished faith highly; but it was ever a true 
 faith, which expressed itself in the lifelong conviction of 
 the existence of one God, to know whom and to walk in 
 whose way, daily and hourly, is man's supreme duty. Faith, 
 in Judaism, could, and can, live and grow only with an ever- 
 
l -The Book of Genesis 
 
 growing knowledge of God, and only so long as it could, 
 and can, in turn, constantly transform itself into right living. 
 
 The Sources of the Jeufs Knowledge of God 
 
 The Jew's knowledge of God has ever sprung from a 
 twofold source. As the individual grew to manhood and 
 wisdom, and his mind broadened, his experience deepened, 
 his vision expanded, he could not but think more and more 
 intensely about God and the universe and life. In conse- 
 quence of an innate, psychological predisposition, the Jew has 
 ever been a thinker about God and about the origin and 
 purpose of life. Even his oldest myths and folklore, to a 
 far greater extent, it would seem, than those of any other 
 people, dealt with questions about God and creation, the 
 meaning of life, and the origin of its fundamental social 
 institutions and religious symbols. Much thinking could not 
 but in time produce much knowledge. And, once gained, 
 this knowledge was not lost; it was preserved in some form 
 or other, and was transmitted from generation to generation 
 as an integral part of Judaism. 
 
 From this developed the second source of the Jew's 
 knowledge of God, far greater and more potent than the 
 thinking and experiences of the individual. It was the com- 
 bined and unified thinking of the many individuals who, 
 through all the centuries, have made up the sum total of 
 Israel's religious leaders and teachers. They pondered over 
 not merely the questions and perplexities of individual ex- 
 perience, but also, and to a far greater degree, the problems 
 and conditions of the whole people and of all mankind. 
 They saw in Israel God's chosen people, first of all nations 
 to know and worship Him, and whom He had therefore 
 chosen as His messengers, witnesses of His truth unto man- 
 kind. Thus Israel believed itself to stand directly under 
 God's dispensation. All fortunes and misfortunes it re- 
 
The Jewish Religion 3 
 
 garded as coming directly from God Himself to reveal His 
 divine nature and His will and purpose with it and with the 
 whole human race. In all the events of its history, as inter- 
 preted by its spiritual leaders, Israel ever saw God's hand 
 working, and through the interpretation of its history aright 
 it learned to know God and His true worship and life of 
 service for all men. Israel's history has ever been the chief 
 source of its knowledge of God. 
 
 Revelation 
 
 But in a certain sense there is still a third source, ex- 
 pressed in the one word, Revelation. This term implies 
 that the Jew's knowledge of God is the result not only of 
 his own expanding individual and communal religious con- 
 sciousness and thought, but also, and perhaps even more, of 
 God's actual and purposed revelation of Himself to Israel 
 through divinely chosen and inspired men, whom we call 
 prophets. Certainly the prophets so conceived of themselves, 
 their message, and their work. They spoke and labored, not 
 as mere human beings, but as impersonal agents through 
 whom God Himself was irresistibly working. Volumes have 
 been written to explain prophetic inspiration and revelation 
 by natural law, and from a rationalistic and somewhat me- 
 chanical standpoint, and much light has been shed upon this 
 very difficult problem. Yet we are constantly made to realize 
 that only the human side of the prophet's nature and work 
 can be thus analyzed and explained; the divine element, the 
 manner of God's willing and working, remains ever above 
 and beyond human analysis and comprehension. During a 
 long period the prophets were the leaders in this wonderful 
 unfolding of Israel's knowledge of God; through them 
 eternal truths were revealed, which were indispensable for 
 human knowledge and spiritual growth. We can scarcely 
 believe that these prophets discovered these truths entirely 
 
4 The Book of Genesis 
 
 through purely human processes. Surely God has willed 
 that man should know more and ever more of Him and His 
 way; the knowledge which these prophets, as sons of Israel, 
 proclaimed, God must have allowed, and even caused, them 
 to discover, as Heoallowed and caused no men and no people 
 before them. Aye, this knowledge surely could not have 
 been only discovered by these prophets ; equally it must have 
 been revealed to them by God. This is Revelation. 
 
 Actually, however, Revelation is hardly a third source of 
 the Jew's knowledge of God, but merely the same two 
 sources viewed from the reverse side, in their divine, rather 
 than in their human, aspect. It says not only that the Jew's 
 knowledge of God came through the religious experiences 
 and discoveries of individuals, particularly certain peculiarly 
 fitted individuals, and through the religious experiences and 
 discoveries of the entire people in all the stages and through 
 all the fortunes of its history, but also that God has willed 
 that this knowledge come in this manner. Revelation, there- 
 fore, really affirms only that the two sources of the Jew's 
 knowledge of God have a divine, as well as a human, origin 
 and cause. 
 
 But in this sense Revelation means far more than as it 
 is usually interpreted. True Revelation in Israel was 
 through more than the prophets alone; or rather, they were 
 merely the agents or mouthpieces of Revelation, and Reve- 
 lation itself was greater and grander far than just these 
 prophets themselves and their inspired words. The prophets 
 were primarily the children of their own times, spurred to 
 activity not only by the conviction that God had literally 
 called them, but also by the realization of the moral and 
 spiritual evils and needs of their own days. They, above all 
 others, saw God's hand constantly present in Israel's history, 
 and read His divine purpose and guidance in all the events 
 thereof. They realized that God was revealing His will, 
 not only through them to Israel, but also, and to a far 
 
The Jewish Religion 5 
 
 greater degree, through Israel's history to Israel itself arid 
 to all mankind. Therefore their messages consisted in the 
 main in interpreting to Israel of their own days the divine 
 significance of its history. Israel's history was to them the 
 chief source of God's revelation of Himself to His people; 
 and whoever might interpret this history aright from the 
 standpoint of God and of God's guidance of Israel and of 
 all mankind, was a prophet, proclaiming, in accordance with 
 God's will, the true knowledge of Him and His way unto 
 all the world. 
 
 Therefore, for us today, whether we have new truths 
 to proclaim, or only the old truths to reaffirm and teach, the 
 essential requisite for an authoritative and inspiring knowl- 
 edge of Judaism is a correct and constructive knowledge of 
 Jewish history and of Jewish life and thought, that we, too, 
 may see therein all the countless evidences of God's good- 
 ness, wisdom and love, and may learn, in turn, how He 
 wills that we ourselves live as true Jews and true men and 
 women. 
 
 What is Jewish History? 
 
 But what is Jewish history? History is more than mere 
 chronicling of events, no matter how correctly. History is 
 life. The history of any people is the full record of the 
 life it has lived, the experiences it has endured, the trials 
 it has undergone, the defeats it has suffered, the victories it 
 has achieved, the thoughts it has conceived, the ideals it has 
 striven for, the contributions to the welfare and progress of 
 the human race which it has made. History is the correct 
 and complete record of all causes and effects, of all forces 
 at work, and of all results flowing therefrom, in the lives 
 of individuals or nations. The history of any individual 
 really begins long before birth, in the pre-natal conditions 
 which must determine his physical, mental, and psychological 
 
6 The Book of Genesis 
 
 makeup and much of his subsequent life. Nor does his his- 
 tory cease until his life has completely ended, and perhaps 
 not even then ; for the man lives on and his history continues 
 in the forces and influences he has set in operation, and 
 which go on working themselves out in the life of the human 
 race until the end of time. 
 
 Similarly the history of a nation, of a people, or of a 
 religion begins long before it actually steps forth upon the 
 stage of existence. It begins in all the conditions, forces, 
 and influences which work together to make that nation, 
 people ; or religion what it is at the moment of real, con- 
 crete birth, and which largely determine its subsequent life 
 and evolution. And its history does not end until it has 
 utterly ceased to be, and the memory of it is completely 
 lost, and the principles of national, social, or religious con- 
 duct, which it has evolved, are thoroughly uprooted, if that 
 be possible, from the total life-experience and life-thought 
 of mankind. 
 
 The history of Israel and of Judaism is, therefore, far 
 more than the mere Biblical record of a few scattered events. 
 It commenced far back in dim, pre-historic antiquity, when 
 the first, primitive ancestor of the Jewish people began to 
 move on earth. The Bible, unconsciously perhaps, voices a 
 significant truth when it begins the history of Israel, not 
 with Moses nor with Abraham, but with creation. And 
 since Israel still exists today, unique among the peoples of 
 the earth, and since Judaism still lives, and we proudly pro- 
 claim ourselves Jews, adherents of Judaism, endowed with 
 a glorious mission unto mankind, it follows that Jewish his- 
 tory has not yet ended, and, so far as we can see and hope 
 and pray, will never end. Jewish history is, therefore, the 
 complete record of the life of the Jew, of his experiences, 
 thoughts, beliefs, and practices, of his ever-growing knowl- 
 edge of God and of life, as believed, proclaimed, and trans- 
 formed into conduct, from the earliest, simplest, crudest, and 
 
The Jewish Religion 7 
 
 most primitive beginnings down to our own present day ; aye, 
 even down to tomorrow, if we can but raise the curtain of 
 the future but a little, and behold the stage set for to- 
 morrow's act. 
 
 However, we are unable to trace our history in all its 
 details back to its actual origin. The most we can do is to 
 begin with the earliest period of our Bible narrative and 
 follow the history of our people and our religion through 
 successive generations and Centuries, noting the fortunes 
 which befell them, and through all these, whether good 
 or ill, the ever-growing knowledge of God and of the 
 meaning of life, and the constantly expanding consciousness 
 of mission and message, down to our own day. We are, 
 in a very real and positive sense, as important actors upon 
 the stage of Jewish history as were the heroes and sages of 
 old. We are the heirs, of all our glorious past. To be true 
 Jews we must know what Judaism is. And we can know 
 what Judaism is only when we know its complete history, 
 not merely in Bible times, but throughout all ages, and when, 
 knowing Jewish history thus, we can reinterpret it in the 
 light of present times, conditions, and needs, and can thereby 
 make Judaism what it has always been in truth, not merely 
 a religion of the past, but also a religion of the present and 
 the future, a religion of God's true life on earth. It is a 
 vast knowledge, and given only to the few to know with % 
 any degree of fulness. Yet upon every Jew rests the duty 
 of learning all of Judaism that he can, that through it he 
 may come to feel as a Jew, think as a Jew, and interpret life 
 and duty as a Jew. 
 
 The Periods of Jewish History 
 
 It is a fallacy of a large public, sadly unfamiliar with 
 Jewish tradition and literature, that the Bible is our only 
 book, and that all our history is contained in the Biblical 
 
8 The Book of Genesis 
 
 narrative. A moment's thought should show the incorrect- 
 ness of this belief. Jewish history is more than the chron- 
 icle of a few events, all embraced in one short epoch, and 
 all recorded in one book. It extends over several thousand 
 years, during which its fortunes were most varied and 
 complex. 
 
 Jewish history may be divided into seven periods, (I) the 
 early Biblical period, to the Babylonian Exile (586 B. C.), 
 (II) the late Biblical period, to the destruction of the Tem- 
 ple by the Romans (70 C. E.), (HI) the Palestinian period, 
 to the decadence of the Jewish schools in Palestine (about 
 375 C. E.), (IV) the Eastern period, when the center of 
 Jewish life was in Babylon (until about 1000 C. E.), (V) 
 the early European period, when the center of Jewish life 
 had shifted, across Egypt and northern Africa, to southern 
 and western Europe (until the expulsion from Spain, 1492 
 C. E.), (VI) the late European or Ghetto period, when the 
 center of Jewish life had once more shifted, this time to 
 central Europe, a period characterized largely by enforced 
 Ghetto existence with its peculiar and far-reaching influences 
 (approximately to the first quarter of the 19th century), and 
 (VII) the modern period. In each of these vast periods 
 Judaism was developing, expanding, adapting itself to new 
 life and thought, contributing its share, and more than its 
 share, to the spiritual progress of mankind. 
 
 To know Judaism aright we must know something of its 
 history in each of these periods. 
 
 Yet we can not teach all this in the religious school. This merely 
 proves 'that Judaism is more than a religion for children alone, 
 that it is for adults, too, and must be studied by them as well as by 
 children. Our present Jewish religious school, reaching children 
 alone, can not complete the task of teaching Judaism. The time 
 must come when our men and women will seek knowledge of Juda- 
 ism, not only for their little ones, but for themselves as well. 
 
 Heretofore our schools have dealt with but little more than the 
 early Biblical period. But, as has been said, it is impossible to 
 
The Jewish Religion 9 
 
 understand Judaism completely from a knowledge of this period 
 alone. However, with children of the customary religious school 
 age it is almost a sufficient achievement to have taught the Biblical 
 period in a constructive, even though elementary manner. It is not 
 only the period of Israel's beginning and 'first growth, but also the 
 foundation period of our' knowledge of Judaism. Yet we should 
 never forget that it is only the foundation; and unless the super- 
 structure of the later history be erected upon this foundation, there 
 will be no complete nor perfect edifice of Judaism. We must never 
 lose sight of the fact that in the religious school we merely begin 
 that study of Judaism, which should go on steadily throughout the 
 Jew's entire life. If we realize this clearly and insist thereon 
 strongly, we will undoubtedly come in time to 'hold our Jewish men 
 and women until long after the usual period of religious school at- 
 tendance. Then at last we will be able to look forward confidently 
 and proudly to a full and authoritative knowledge of Jewish history 
 and of Judaism on the part of our Jewish men and women. 
 
 Meanwhile, if now in our religious schools we can accomplish a 
 little more than mere instruction in the history of the early Biblical 
 period, if we can, at least, throw out a few hints about the life, 
 thought, and teachings of the rabbis in the Palestinian period, and 
 thereby acquaint the children somewhat with the spirit of Judaism 
 which obtained in that momentous period, we will have taken an 
 important step forward. 
 
 The Sources of Jewish History 
 
 Naturally the chief source for the history of the Biblical 
 periods is the Bible itself. But the Bible is a large work, 
 comprising, according to Jewish tradition, twenty-four books, 
 the product of Jewish literary activity extending over ap- 
 proximately a thousand years. Actually the Bible is not so 
 much a mere book, as it is a national literature, or at 
 least the remains thereof. It can readily be seen that 
 the various parts and books of the Bible, written at different 
 times, under different conditions, and by different authors, 
 are naturally of unequal value for the study of Jewish his- 
 tory. We can never, therefore, take the Bible in hand, read 
 it off word for word, and feel confident that we have thus 
 
10 The Book of Genesis 
 
 gathered the essential facts of Jewish history. We must 
 learn to study carefully, think deeply, read between the 
 lines, and get at the hidden truths beneath. We must ask 
 ourselves constantly, who were the authors of these narra- 
 tives, from what sources did they draw their material, for 
 what purposes did they write, what was their conception of 
 Jewish history and of Judaism, and how can we best put 
 ourselves into their frame of mind, so that we may interpret 
 their writings, not, as is so frequently done, haphazardly 
 and fantastically, reading into them all manner of ground- 
 less conjectures and wild vagaries, but soberly, constructively, 
 and Jewishly, as they meant them to be interpreted. Above 
 all, we must never forget that history, true history, is pri- 
 marily the record of the thoughts, ambitions, and ideals of 
 a people finding concrete expression in its daily life. There- 
 fore, to understand the history of even the early Biblical 
 period we need to do more than to merely acquaint our- 
 selves with the contents of the so-called Historical Books. 
 The Prophets and the Holy Writings, which mirror so 
 faithfully the thoughts, beliefs, and aspirations of the people, 
 or at least of their religious leaders, must be studied and 
 understood in equal measure. 
 
 With the later periods this task becomes more complex 
 and difficult, yet not one whit less imperative. Israel's his- 
 tory after the close of the early Biblical period is far less 
 the chronicle of a nation's achievements than the sad, yet 
 inspiring, record of a people's sufferings, thoughts, aspira- 
 tions, and beliefs, finding expression in a vast and diversified 
 literature. It takes little account of deeds of warriors and 
 heroes, but it has much to tell of rabbis, teachers, and think- 
 ers, and of the thoughts they conceived, and the interpreta- 
 tion they gave to Judaism as the result of much thinking 
 and deep and broad experience. The true key then to 
 Israel's history in all the periods following the Babylonian 
 Exile is rather the appreciation of what we might call the 
 
The Jewish Religion 11 
 
 Jewish spirit, than a mere knowledge of passing events, the 
 true Jewish spirit springing out of the life experience of the 
 Jewish people in the face of all its trials and persecutions, 
 and expressing itself in the literature, the stories, the dreams, 
 and the visions of Jewish thinkers and teachers for almost 
 two thousand years. If we can absorb something of this 
 Jewish spirit, we shall be prepared to properly understand 
 and interpret our Judaism of today. Perhaps the stories 
 from the rabbis, contained in this book, may help in this 
 worthy task. At least they will show how the moral and 
 spiritual thoughts of the Biblical writers were interpreted, 
 applied, and expanded by the teachers of Judaism of a later 
 period, and will indicate how we, in turn, may interpret, 
 apply, and even expand these teachings, and with them 
 Judaism itself, in accordance with the beliefs, tendencies, 
 and needs of our own time. 
 
 Moral Instruction in the Jewish Religious School 
 
 We have thus far said hardly one word about moral instruction. 
 This may seem surprising, since 'in the last few decades moral in- 
 struction has apparently been generally regarded as the ultimate aim 
 of all Jewish religious school work. Gradually, however, we are 
 reawaking to the old truth. Many modern pedagogical authorities 
 question whether morals can be adequately taught by set instruction. 
 Ethics, perhaps, may be taught as the philosophy of human conduct. 
 But this is far from being morals. Morals can, strictly speaking, 
 not be taught by set instruction, for. the simple reason that morals 
 means, not knowledge, but right habits; and habits can be estab- 
 lished, not by instruction, but only by practice. The most that 
 set instruction can do is to give a moral incentive, to arouse a moral" 
 impulse, to sow, as it were, a seed, which may dn time sprout and 
 ripen into right habits and moral conduct. This is, of course, im- 
 portant and indispensable. Yet the necessity and efficacy of set 
 moral instruction should not be exaggerated, nor should too much 
 be expected from it. 
 
 Furthermore, it is now generally realized that all instruction, when 
 properly given, and all discipline, when judiciously administered, 
 
12 The Book of Genesis 
 
 must result in the formation of right habits. We are constantly 
 forming habits, some right and some wrong; but if our instruction 
 be correct, our discipline wise, and our environment healthful, the 
 right habits will predominate over the wrong. The mere insistence 
 upon punctual attendance, upon recognition of the teacher's au- 
 thority, upon conscientious preparation of lessons, these and other 
 conditions obtaining in the public school, are powerful factors in 
 the formation and development of such right habits as punctuality, 
 obedience, and diligence. Association with comrades in play is per- 
 haps an even more potent influence in the formation of habits, and, if 
 carried out under proper influences, in the formation of right habits, 
 or morals. It follows, therefore, that it is not the sole, nor even 
 the main function of the religious school to teach morals, in the 
 tfirst place because it is questionable whether morals can actually be 
 taught by set instruction, and in the second place because, if morals 
 can be so taught, it is preposterous and reprehensible that the main 
 instruction in so vital a subject should be reserved for the religious 
 school with its one or two hours a week. 
 
 The prime task of the Jewish religious school, therefore, is by 
 no means, as is generally supposed, to teach morals. Rather it is to 
 teach the child, and the adult, too, if it can reach him, Judaism; to 
 make him a good, loyal, understanding Jew; but at the same time to 
 make him realize that Judaism, more than any other religion, is not 
 a religion of mere belief and blind faith, but above all is a religion 
 of life, conduct, and aspiration ; that morality is an integral part of 
 Judaism, and that, therefore, without right living and right morals, 
 one can not be truly a Jew. The influence of the Jewish religious 
 school must, of course, be positively moral and upbuilding. Moral 
 teaching and influence there must be, but not too much set moral 
 instruction, and no constant interpretation and reinterpretation of 
 the Bible stories only from the moral standpoint, as the mere frame- 
 work upon which to fasten pretty moral lessons. The Bible stories 
 and all stories should be told, partly because of the moral ideas they 
 suggest and the moral impulses they impart, but after all chiefly 
 because of their fundamental Jewish interest and significance, be- 
 cause of the supreme conviction on the part of the teacher that these 
 stories contain Jewish history, mirror the life, thought, and ideals 
 of the Jewish people, striving to know God, to worship Him truly, 
 and to live the life which He has ordained for man. If the teacher 
 tells these stories properly, voicing her own positive Jewish knowl- 
 edge and spirit, the child will acquire the same knowledge and spirit, 
 will learn what Judaism is, will become a loyal, earnest, knowing 
 
The Jewish Religion 13 
 
 Jew, and will reinterpret and transform his Judaism into terms of 
 daily righteousness and moral conduct. Set moral instruction, there- 
 fore, has place an the Jewish religious school only in so far as it 
 constitutes and can be presented as a natural and integral part of 
 the teaching of Judaism itself. The fundamental, yes, the sole 
 task of the Jewish religious school is to teach Judaism by rightly 
 expounding Jewish history and Jewish life, and thereby to make 
 of our boys and girls and men and women true Jews, knowing 
 absolutely that when once it has made of" them true Jews, it will 
 surely have made of them moral men and women as well, 
 
14 The Book of Genesis 
 
 II 
 
 THE BOOK OF GENESIS 
 The Teaching of Genesis in the Jetvish Religious School 
 
 Of all the books of the Bible, Genesis is best suited for pre- 
 sentation to little children just entering the religious school. In 
 the ifirst place it is the first book of the Bible. And in the second 
 place it deals with just the childhood period of Israel's history, and 
 in a manner which the child can readily understand. Its stories are 
 less actual history than records of the way in which our early 
 ancestors, with childlike minds, conceived of life itself, and of 
 Israel's history as having actually begun. This is a matter of prime 
 importance. Much of our present confused thinking about religion 
 is due to the fact that in childhood most of us were taught that the 
 stories of creation, the flood, the abnormal ages of the first genera- 
 tions, and many other stories of Genesis were literally true and must 
 be accepted as such without question. Modern education and scientific 
 environment, however, make us realize that this belief can not be 
 maintained. Yet many have mistakenly imagined that Judaism actual- 
 ly rests upon blind acceptance of these stories, and wonder what is 
 now left that they may still believe, and what remains of Judaism. 
 
 To avert all such painful confusion and uncertainty of religious 
 belief for the coming generation, the teacher must understand that 
 these stories are not literal history. They merely express the way 
 in which the imaginative, unscientific mind of our ancestors, at a 
 remote period of their religious and -cultural evolution, conceived of 
 creation and first life on earth. All primitive peoples have dealt with 
 these same problems in much the same manner and have found their 
 answers to these problems in myths and folklore. It would be sur- 
 prising, indeed, if our ancestors had not passed through this stage of 
 cultural evolution. And it would have been lamentable if, having 
 passed through this stage of mythology and folklore, some of their 
 myths and folk-tales had not been preserved for us, their descend- 
 ants. We should be thankful that this little fragment of what 
 
The Book of Genesis 15 
 
 must undoubtedly have been originally a far larger collection of 
 ancestral myths, folk-tales, and legends, has come down to us, and 
 we should not hesitate to accept and interpret these stories as 
 what they really are. 
 
 At any rate it would be a gross error to imagine that, because 
 many of these stories can not be literally true, we need not teach 
 them to our children. The stories of Genesis are a valuable part 
 of the wonderful heritage, literary and spiritual, which we Jews 
 have received from our sacred past. They breathe through and 
 through the spirit of Judaism ; they voice the thought and the philos- 
 ophy with which the Jew has always looked out upon the world; 
 they express in every line and word the interpretation he has given 
 to life; and thus, all in all, they constitute the very best medium to 
 awaken in the mind and heart of both child and adult the first dim 
 appreciation of the spirit and real truth of Judaism. And if the 
 teacher understands and feels this spirit aright, she will, in telling 
 these stories, impart far more of the truth of Judaism and of real 
 Jewish history, than if the child be compelled, in the old manner, 
 to learn all these stories by rote and to accept them as literally true. 
 
 This does not mean that the teacher must begin, "I shall tell a 
 story, but do not make the dreadful mistake of believing it true." 
 Such procedure would be ridiculous and futile. If a story is well 
 told, the hearers will feel, at least for the moment, that it must be 
 true in every detail. Yet as the child expands mentally and spiritually, 
 there will be no sudden shock, no uprooting of the very foundations 
 of religious belief, when he does realize, sooner oj later, the true 
 origin and significance of these stories. And while he will gradually 
 acquire this discriminative ability, he will at the same time appre- 
 ciate more and more the spiritual truth which these stories convey, 
 and which constitutes the real history and the real essence of Juda- 
 ism in them. 
 
 From this standpoint Genesis is, of all books of the Bible, best 
 suited for presentation to children, just because, while it contains so 
 much of Judaism, it also contains so little of actual, literal history, 
 for the comprehension of which a certain historical sense and maturity 
 are required. Its stories are, almost without exception, readily 
 understood and enjoyed by the child, and linger longest in the mind 
 of even the adult, for the very reason that they are chiefly tradition, 
 legend and myth. 
 
16 The Book of Genesis 
 
 The Divisions of Genesis 
 
 The Book of Genesis is, in its present literary form and 
 in its position as the first book of the Bible, a natural and 
 effective introduction to the Pentateuch and, in a way, to the 
 entire Bible. One central theme gives it distinct unity of 
 thought and purpose. This Central theme is God's selection 
 of Israel to be the witness and messenger of His truth 
 and His law unto all the peoples of the earth, and His test- 
 ing and preparation of Israel for this arduous and sacred 
 task. In its treatment in the book this central theme is 
 resolved into four natural and logical concepts, (a) God and 
 mankind, (b) God and Israel, (c) God's purification and 
 preparation of Israel for His service, and (d) God's provi- 
 dence. The book itself may be divided correspondingly into 
 four groups or cycles of stories, (a) chapters I-XI, stories 
 about mankind in general, (b) chapters XII-XXV, 18, the 
 story of Abraham, (c) chapters XXV, 19-XXXVI, the story 
 of Jacob, and (d) chapters XXXVII-L, the story of Joseph. 
 Detailed consideration of these groups of stories establishes 
 the relation and contribution of each to the central theme of 
 the book. 
 
 The first group of stories, chapters I-XI, contains a very 
 interesting collection of ancient Israelite myths and folk- 
 tales. They give the answers to some of the primitive ques- 
 tions of life, as conceived by the vivid and naive imagina- 
 tions of our early ancestors. Genesis I and II, for example, 
 answer that most fundamental question of all, how did the 
 world come into existence and life actually begin? Genesis 
 II and III form a collection of folk-tales, carefully worked 
 together, which answer in primitive manner such questions 
 of existence as why the serpent, unlike all other animals, 
 crawls upon his belly, why man must labor painfully for his 
 livelihood, why, unlike the animals, man wears clothes, and 
 why there comes into man's life a love for another being, 
 
The Book of Genesis . 17 
 
 not related by blood or birth, surpassing his love for father 
 and mother. Chapter IV tells, in the form of a charming 
 folk-tale, how men began to worship God and how death 
 came into the world. Chapters VI-IX relate the great flood 
 myth. Chapter XI contains the folk-tale of the origin of 
 the different languages and nations. 
 
 Manifestly these first stories of Genesis are not history 
 at all. They are without exception myths and folk-tales, 
 similar in many details to the myths and folk-tales of other 
 primitive peoples. In fact, they contain, particularly in the 
 creation and flood stories, much that was borrowed directly 
 from non-Israelite sources. Yet in one vital respect these 
 myths and folk-tales do differ radically from those of all 
 other peoples. They breathe through and through the spirit 
 of the one, living God, the Creator of the universe and of 
 life, who looks out upon all that He has made, alone and 
 unaided, and finds it very good. This is the thought and 
 spirit of Judaism in them. And this Jewish thought and 
 spirit distinguish these myths and folk-tales from all others, 
 and make them" the priceless, eternal heritage of the Jew, 
 and only through him of the world at large. 
 
 These stories tell of the creation by God, not of Israel 
 alone, but of all mankind. God is the Creator and Father 
 of all men, and all men are equally His children. He has 
 commanded them to walk with Him and live nobly and use- 
 fully. When they turn from Him and tread forbidden paths, 
 He punishes them necessarily and justly, but also sorrow- 
 fully and reluctantly. But with the next generation He 
 makes a covenant of love, never to bring another flood to 
 destroy mankind. Instead, should mankind sin again, He 
 will raise up one little people, which shall stand close to Him 
 and keep His law, and walk faithfully in His way, and serve 
 Him as His messenger and the witness of His truth unto 
 all mankind. And through this people mankind shall come 
 at last to know God and to walk with Him, even as He had 
 
18 The Book of Genesis 
 
 intended at creation. This little people, God's firstborn, as 
 it were, was to be Israel. 
 
 The problem of these first eleven chapters, and, in a way, 
 of the entire Book of Genesis, is threefold, (a) the relation 
 of all the peoples of the earth to God, the Creator of all, 
 (b) the particular relation of Israel to God, and (c) the 
 particular relation of Israel to the other nations. Both prob- 
 lem and solution are decidedly universalistic in conception 
 and character. God is not merely the national deity of 
 Israel, as conceived in the earlier period of Israel's religious 
 evolution, nor is Israel a nation living only by and for itself. 
 Israel is a nation among the other nations of the earth, and 
 its fortunes are inseparably bound up with theirs. And Is- 
 rael's God is not its God alone, but the Creator of the 
 entire universe and the loving Father of all men. To Him 
 alone their worship is due. His law they should keep, and 
 in His way they should walk. All this they must eventually 
 learn through Israel. 
 
 A universalism so all-embracing and positive, can have 
 developed in Israel and found such systematic and definite 
 expression only after Israel had begun to outgrow its early, 
 restricted nationalism and nationalistic conception of God 
 and religion, through having come into close and protracted 
 contact with other nations and other religions and 'cultures. 
 Then only did it commence to concern itself with the vital 
 question of the relation of itself, a little and weak nation, 
 to the mighty empires which surrounded it, and the role 
 which it was destined to play in the history of mankind ac- 
 cording to the all-wise plan of the Creator of the universe. 
 Biblical science has proved that these first stories in their 
 present, connected, literary form are, in the main, the 
 product of the period beginning in the first half of the 
 seventh century B. C., when Judah became tributary to 
 Assyria and was dominated by Assyrian culture and thought, 
 and continuing for almost two centuries, into the Babylonian 
 
The Book of Genesis 19 
 
 Exile, when, torn from the land of its birth and settled in a 
 foreign country and in a strange environment, Israel never- 
 theless continued to exist as a unique, religious people. 
 What more natural than that in such times and under such 
 conditions, Israel's spiritual leaders should evolve a positive, 
 universalistic conception of God and of mankind and of 
 Israel's own destined role in the great, eternal, human 
 drama? Similar universalistic thoughts and concepts are 
 discernible in the prophetic writings of this same period; 
 witness such passages as Jeremiah XVIII, 7ff. ; XXV, 15ff. ; 
 XXVII, 2ff. ; XXIX, 4ff., and above all the writings of the 
 great, unknown prophet of the Babylonian Exile, commonly 
 <mown as Deutero-Isaiah, Isaiah XL-LV. 
 
 The procedure of the authors of these first eleven chap- 
 ers of Genesis is readily comprehended. They took a num- 
 3er of ancient legends and folk-tales, which had been cur- 
 *ent in Israel for many generations. They also borrowed 
 from Babylonian literature, with which the dominant Baby- 
 lonian culture had acquainted them, such myths as those of 
 creation (Genesis I) and of the flood. And they reinterpre- 
 ted these stories from the standpoint of Judaism, as they 
 had come to understand it, and wove them together and 
 wrote them down in their present, connected, literary form. 
 Thus they led up, naturally and logically, to the story of 
 Abraham in chapters XII-XXV, 18, with its central thought 
 of God's selection of Israel. 
 
 Here the interest of the authors narrowed. Abraham is 
 the main figure; only incidentally do we hear of other per- 
 sons. Abraham was really represented by these authors as 
 the prototype of the people ot Israel. The life of Abraham, 
 hiy virtues and faults, his trials and discipline, his relation 
 to God and his consciousness of divine selection and mission, 
 were recounted only to mirror these same conditions in 
 Israel's life. Not impossibly the man, Abraham, may have 
 lived, and may have been the actual progenitor of Israel, or 
 
20 The Book of Genesis 
 
 of a part of^ Israel. But in the main, these stories about 
 )rnham, too, were legends which sprang up in ancient 
 Israel at different times and for varying purposes! They 
 were handed down orally for many generations, until at last, 
 during the eighth, seventh and sixth centuries B. C. they 
 were gradually woven together and written down in the form 
 in which we have them now. 
 
 A careful study and interpretation of these stories in the 
 light of the times and conditions which produced them, 
 bring out clearly the Jewish truth inherent in them. For ex- 
 ample, the story of the sacrifice of Isaac (XXII) is a legend 
 which took form in prophetic circles of the northern king- 
 dom at some time between 850 and 750 B. C. During 
 this period the horrible practice of child-sacrifice flourished. 
 The people believed that God demanded the sacrifice of chil- 
 dren as the most precious gift mortals could bring. This 
 belief the prophets combated in every way possible. Thus 
 they conceived and developed this legend that Abraham, the 
 traditional ancestor of Israel, also had thought that God 
 demanded such a sacrifice, and so he prepared to offer up 
 his own son. But before the sacrifice could be completed, 
 God Himself intervened and provided for the sacrifice of a 
 ram in place of the child. Thereby He signified that animal 
 sacrifice alone was acceptable to Him, and that human sac- 
 rifice must never be offered. Such was the original form 
 and purpose of this legend. But later writers, in turn, re- 
 vised and enlarged upon it. They now told that God had 
 actually commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, not, how- 
 ever, with the intention of really allowing this sacrifice to 
 be offered, but merely to test Abraham's faith by his willing- 
 ness to give up at the divine behest that which was dearest 
 to him in life. Thus this legend, the origin of which can 
 be so clearly determined, became in the hands of these later 
 writers an effective means of presenting concretely that fun- 
 
The Book of Genesis 21 
 
 damental Jewish doctrine and Jewish virtue of absolute faith 
 in God. 
 
 In this way these writers of the eighth, seventh and sixth 
 centuries B. C. made use of many of the ancient Abraham 
 legends and traditions. They wove them together into one 
 great cycle of stories, united by one common theme. This 
 was the thought that God tried Abraham repeatedly. For, 
 as has been said, Abraham was to them less a single, his- 
 torical person, than the prototype of all Israel. In the first 
 group of stories, in chapters I-XI, they had told how, after 
 mankind had again departed from God, God had determined 
 to provide for their ultimate regeneration by selecting one 
 people to receive His law and become the messenger of 
 His truth unto all men. This people was Israel. The words 
 of XII, 1-2, spoken by God to Abraham, but really meant 
 by these authors to apply to all Israel, "Get thee out of thy 
 country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house, 
 unto the land that I will show thee . . . and be thou a 
 blessing . . . and in thee shall all the families of the 
 earth be blessed", are the connecting link between these two 
 groups of stories. They tell, simply and clearly, of God's 
 selection of Abraham and Israel for this glorious mission. 
 The blessing they were to bring to all the families of the 
 earth was the knowledge of God and His law. But selection 
 alone was not enough. God's service is never easy. His 
 chosen servant must possess many virtues, faith, obedience, 
 willingness to serve, self-restraint, readiness to sacrifice self 
 for others, all-embracing love for fellowmen. Before they 
 could become truly God's servant and go forth into the 
 world to fulfill their divine mission, these Biblical writers 
 sought to teach, Abraham and Israel had to be repeatedly 
 tried by God, and their possession of these indispensable 
 qualities and virtues had to be tested and proved. This 
 thought of God's trial of Abraham and of Israel to prove 
 their fitness for their great, eternal, universal mission, is 
 
22 The Book of Genesis 
 
 the central theme of the Abraham cycle of stories, which 
 makes them both a unit in themselves, and a unit with 
 the first cycle of stories in I-XI and with the Jacob and 
 Joseph cycles which follow. 
 
 For to a certain, though less marked degree, not only 
 Abraham, but also Jacob and Joseph are prototypes of Israel ; 
 or rather God's relation with these two patriarchs typifies 
 God's relation with all Israel. That Israel might faithfully 
 discharge its mission, it must not only be tested and proved, 
 but if it do possess faults and vices, and do lack any of the 
 requisite virtues, the former must first be eradicated and the 
 latter developed, before it can be ready for God's service. 
 Above all else the vices of selfishness, covetousness and de- 
 ceit, if such exist at all in Israel, must give way to unselfish- 
 ness, capacity for self-sacrifice, and perfect righteousness. 
 He alone who, in his eagerness to serve God and fellowmen 
 truly, can forget self and personal advantage entirely, is 
 worthy of the divine call. God works only with perfect 
 tools. For His service He selects the best tools available. 
 But if these best tools be still imperfect, they must be cor- 
 rected and made right, that they may be fit for God's use. 
 Israel was the best tool for God's service, the story tells us, 
 and these Biblical writers would have us believe, better 
 than Ishmael or Edom, the other traditional descendants 
 of Abraham. But even so Israel was not perfect. It had 
 first to be purified and ennobled, that it might become ready 
 to carry on the work committed to Abraham, and which had 
 descended to it as a precious birthright, of bringing blessing 
 to all the families of the earth. But such purification is 
 never easy. It demands years of trial and suffering and 
 bitter struggle, until at last all evil inclination is purged from 
 the soul. Then only is the tool ready and fit for God's use. 
 
 Such is the central theme of the third portion of Genesis, 
 chapters XXV, 19-XXXVI. Here, too, a number of ancient 
 legends were employed by the authors in order to give con- 
 
The Book of Genesis 23 
 
 crete and forceful expression to their main thought. Here, 
 t6o, there is only a modicum of actual history. Jacob, too, 
 may have been a historical person and a progenitor of Israel, 
 or of a part of Israel. Nevertheless, the real truth of the 
 Jacob story is spiritual rather than historical. The entire 
 Jacob story is a unit. ^It^pictures the complete moral regen- 
 f ration ^f a .singular^ yet perfectly nariiral man, cravenT 
 Sifish__and deceitful at the outset, yet in the end sublimely 
 purified and ennobled ; it is the impressive drama of a 
 repentant soul. The doctrine of repentance which it presents 
 4Sjhat_which Judaism has formulated and given to the world. 
 Jacob is the prototype of all Israel, and Jacob's repentance 
 and purification, the authors of this story imply, and the 
 prophets from Hosea on have taught, are the repentance and 
 purification which all Israel must undergo. And the per- 
 fection to which Jacob at last attains, is the perfection for 
 which every Jew and all Israel should strive, that they may 
 become worthy of and fit for the sacred privilege and mis- 
 sion of service to fellowmen for which God has called them. 1 
 The fourth division of Genesis, chapters XXXVII-L, con- 
 tains an altogether different kind of narrative. A few of the 
 incidents of the Joseph story, as, for example, the Potiphar's- 
 wife episode and the figure of a Semite as chief counsellor 
 of Pharaoh and the second in the kingdom are probably 
 borrowed from Egyptian legend and history. 1 The name 
 Joseph, too, is identical with an ancient Israelite place or 
 tribe name, found upon an early Egyptian monument. But 
 beyond this there is probably not a single historical fact in 
 the entire Joseph story. Or if there be such facts, they are 
 only a substratum for what is at best a historical romance pure 
 and simple, perfectly constructed and forcibly presented. It 
 
 1 A more full and analytic introduction to the Jacob cycle of 
 stories is given below, pp. 222-281. 
 
 1 Cf. C. F. Kent, Heroes and Crises of Early' Hebrew History, 
 148f. 
 
24 The Book of Genesis 
 
 begins with the account of Joseph's boyhood and unpleasant 
 relations with his brothers, and their jealousy because of 
 their father's undue love for him and also because of his 
 dreams, and their revenge for his having borne tales to their 
 father. In consequence he is sold into Egypt and comes 
 into the house of Potiphar. Because of Potiphar's wife he 
 is cast into prison. Here he meets the royal butler, and 
 through him comes before Pharaoh. He interprets the king's 
 dream, and as a reward is raised to an exalted position. 
 Eventually his brothers come before him to buy corn, but 
 do not recognize him. He deals with them as the ruler, 
 sending them home with the desired grain, but retaining one 
 in prison in order to test them. They return, bringing the 
 youngest brother in accordance with Joseph's command, and 
 by their conduct prove the regeneration of their former evil 
 natures. At last, the crisis of the story, when it seems that 
 not only they, but also their old father, must perish, Joseph 
 discloses his identity and a happy family reunion follows. 
 It can be readily seen that this is a complete romance. 
 One event leads up to another naturally and dramatically 
 until the crisis is reached ; the interest never lags ; the dreams 
 contribute artistically to the development of the story ; the 
 portrayal of character is faithful and effective, the pathos 
 real and touching; and the moral and spiritual lesson which 
 runs through the entire story is sincere and convincing. 
 
 The central thought of the story, for the sake of which 
 the romance was written, is expressed concretely and forci- 
 /bly in the words of Joseph to his brothers (L, 20), "Ye 
 /meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring 
 ' to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive". This 
 thought rounds out the teachings of the earlier portions of 
 Genesis, and makes of the book a single unit of Jewish 
 thought and doctrine. Not only has God created the uni- 
 verse for good, but He constantly controls and guides it 
 toward its destined goal of good. His work was not finished 
 
The Book of Genesis 25 
 
 with the single act of creation, but it goes on day by day, 
 manifest in the wonders of nature and in the still more 
 wonderful evolution of human history. Lovingly and wisely 
 God has endowed man with free-will, as the story of Eden 
 teaches, and it rests with man to choose between good and 
 evil. But even if man does choose wrongly, and evil results 
 from his sinful misuse of God's gifts, this is not the end. 
 For somehow, in ways which the little mind of man can not 
 comprehend, but the indubitable effects and proofs of which 
 he can see in all history, even though man may mean evil, 
 God means it nevertheless for good ; and in His own time out 
 of all man's evil God somehow brings greater good for all 
 mankind. God has called Israel and revealed to it His law 
 and sent it forth to bring this law unto all the world. But 
 Israel does not work alone, unsupported by God who sent 
 it. God, too, works in His own way, and His providence 
 watches over men and nations. And if Israel but holds fast 
 to its faith in God and in its mission, and labors truly and 
 loyally as one people, as "brethren, the sons of one man in 
 the land of Canaan" (XLII, 13), though danger threaten 
 and the future seem black, it need not fear. God is still with 
 it, and the goal of its, labors will surely be attained. 
 
 Such, in brief, is the complete thought of the Book of 
 Genesis. 
 
 The Authors of Genesis 
 
 The preceding discussion has made it clear that the stories 
 of Genesis were not written down accidentally nor merely 
 for the sake of the narratives they recount. Their writers 
 selected these stories deliberately out of a great mass of 
 ancient Israelite myth, legend, and tradition, and couched 
 them, in their present form for a definite purpose. Nor was 
 their aim to present the actual facts of history. They must 
 have realized that in the literal sense much of their material, 
 
26 The Book of Genesis 
 
 at least in the form in which they developed it, was unhis- 
 torical. And even if they did believe that they were writing 
 history, they doubtless understood that their presentation 
 was by no means complete and consecutive, and likewise, 
 that their interest was only secondarily historical. 
 
 We have seen that the stories of Genesis fall naturally 
 into four main groups, that in general each single story or 
 incident seems to voice some profound, Jewish, ethical and 
 religious thought, that these various single stories are in 
 turn closely correlated, so that each group gives concrete 
 expression to some larger and more significant and distinc- 
 tive principle of Judaism, and that, J^nally^._tb-._BjQQk_of 
 ,. centering about the doctrine of God's 
 
 selection and preparation of Israel to be His people, His 
 witnessjand the bearer of His law of life, redemption, 
 all the peoples of the earth. The Book 
 TiTf Genesis was not all written at one time, nor by one man, 
 nor even by one single group of men. It is the product of 
 literary activity in both the northern and southern kingdoms, 
 extending over approximately four hundred years, from the 
 beginning of the ninth to the end of the sixth century B. 
 C., or probably even a little later. This long and eventful 
 period witnessed the most momentous events in Israel's 
 history, the rise and decay of prophecy, the downfall of 
 both northern and southern kingdoms, the exile of Judah, 
 the nation, to Babylon, and the eventual return of a fragment 
 thereof as a religious community. During this eventful 
 period religious and ethical ideas, beliefs, and principles nat- 
 jUrally experienced a far-reaching evolution. The thoughts 
 ind outlook of the later writers of Genesis were necessarily 
 Far broader, higher, and more inclusive than those of their 
 >redecessors. It was these very latest writers who gave the 
 book its present form, and added to, recast, and worked into 
 it their own universalistic conception of God and of man- 
 kind and of the life and destiny of Israel. 
 
The Book of Genesis 27 
 
 A moment's thought shows that the religious and ethical 
 teachings of Genesis, and the evident, underlying purpose of 
 the entire book accord completely with the teachings of the 
 great prophets of Israel. The conceptions of God as the 
 sole Creator, and of the absolute goodness of His creation, 
 of human free-will and responsibility, of sin and repentance, 
 of the divine selection and preparation of Israel, of the 
 purifying and ennobling effects of God's trial of His chil- 
 dren, of the manifestation of God's power, providence, and 
 love in human history, these and all the other teachings of 
 Genesis find repeated and detailed expression in the sublime 
 utterances of Israel's prophets. Or, rather, the teachings 
 of Israel's prophets are concretely illustrated and enforced 
 by these stories of Genesis. For the most part the prophets 
 presented their thoughts and teachings in abstract form. 
 They could hardly have done otherwise. But the unedu- 
 cated and untrained masses could only dimly comprehend 
 the full significance and application to their own lives of the 
 prophets' words. Still today the human mind finds it easier 
 and more natural to visualize ideas and to think concretely 
 rather than abstractly. Could the teachings of the prophets 
 be expressed concretely, and their application to the lives of 
 individuals and to the collective life of Israel be positively 
 
 i illustrated, they would certainly be much better understood, 
 and in all likelihood much more widely accepted and ap- 
 plied by the people. 
 
 Just this was the underlying and conscious purpose of 
 most of these writers of Genesis ; and not merely of the 
 writers of Genesis, but of the authors of the greater part 
 of the Pentateuch and of a considerable portion of the entire 
 Bible. Hosea proclaimed the doctrine of repentance and 
 divine love and forgiveness, but the stories of the flood, of 
 Sodom and Gomorrah, and of Jacob showed concretely what 
 true repentance is, and how divine forgiveness may be at- 
 tained. Isaiah spoke of faith, but the story of Abraham 
 
28 The Book of Genesis 
 
 told what absolute faith in God really means. All the 
 prophets insisted, more or less consciously, upon the con- 
 ception of God as the controller and guide of all history, 
 and particularly of Israel's history. But the story of Joseph 
 illustrates concretely and convincingly the wondrous way in 
 which God's providence constantly works through history. 
 Deutero-Isaiah gave clear and positive expression to the 
 doctrine of Israel's selection by God and its mission to all 
 the peoples of the earth, but the entire Book of Genesis, as 
 cast into its present form by its latest writers and revisers, 
 tells concretely why and how God chose Israel, and gradually 
 disciplined and prepared it for its sublime task. 
 
 Thus the thought of almost the entire Book of Genesis 
 is prophetic, and its purpose is clearly to enforce and apply 
 the teachings of the prophets by means of concrete illustra- 
 tions based upon Israel's ancient traditions and legends. It 
 may therefore be inferred that in the main these authors of 
 Genesis were followers of the great prophets, filled with con- 
 ^viction and enthusiasm for the prophetic conception of Is- 
 rael's history and religion. They sought to support the 
 prophetic movement by concretizing the fundamental pro- 
 phetic teachings and principles in narrative form, so that 
 they might be more fully understood and applied by the 
 people. In particular they sought to enforce the basic pro- 
 phetic doctrine, that God has been and will be ever present 
 in Israel's history, manifesting His divine power and love 
 and purpose with Israel, and that the people can always 
 assure themselves of His protection and favor by walking 
 with Him truly and living in accordance with His law, which, 
 in His love, He had revealed to them, and by discharging 
 faithfully the mission for which He had chosen them. These 
 writers, though frequently manifesting literary powers of the 
 highest merit, were not the great prophets themselves, and 
 on -the whole there is little originality of prophetic thought 
 in their writings. They were rather ardent followers and 
 
The Book of Genesis 29 
 
 supporters of the prophets who sought to win for their 
 masters a larger and more comprehending audience. 
 
 The Religious and Spiritual Significance of the Stories of 
 
 Genesis 
 
 Just because the prophetic idea and movement were 
 
 fundamentally ethical and moral, these stories of Genesis 
 
 ^ound a positive ethical and moral note. But they teach, not 
 
 abstract ethics and morals, but ethics and morals as an 
 
 /integral part of Israel's religion, as conceived and evolved 
 
 [through Israel's religious history, and from the standpoint 
 
 of Israel's God and the standard of life established by Him. 
 
 'The patriarchs are each models of Jewish life and teaching. 
 
 Abraham's hospitality, his faith in God, his readiness to 
 
 make even the supreme sacrifice of his only, beloved child, 
 
 typify the Jewish ideal of hospitality, of faith, sacrifice and 
 
 obedience. Not Abraham's faith alone is pictured, but also 
 
 and even more, the Jew's eternal faith in the God of his 
 
 fathers. Abraham is far less a historical character than the 
 
 type of all Jewish life, faith and devotion. 
 
 Similarly Jacob, at first deceitful, covetous and un- 
 scrupulous, yet in the end purified, noble and magnanimous, 
 is less a historical person than the exemplar of the great, 
 eternal truth, first fully enunciated by Hosea, of the power 
 of true repentance, repentance which comes not quickly nor 
 easily, but as the result of long and bitter trial and purgation, 
 when through the dark and terrifying night we wrestle with 
 the evil spirit of our own lower selves and base inclinations, 
 and at last, when the dawn of the new day breaks, we step 
 forth triumphant, purified and regenerate, to live a new life, 
 the life which God has ever called upon the Jew to live. 
 
 Joseph, too, hero of a beautiful romance, is the inspiring 
 pattern of the characteristically Jewish virtues of self-control, 
 resistance to temptation, high idealism, loyalty to kindred, 
 
30 The Book of Genesis 
 
 people, and religion. Above all, he is the exponent o,f the 
 profound faith in God's goodness, wisdom, and providence, 
 which constitutes the fundamental conception of God that 
 Judaism has evolved and ever upheld. 
 
 All in all, therefore, Genesis contains, not literal history, 
 but an illustrated record of many of the fundamental spir- 
 itual truths which Israel has, through long and often bitter 
 and grievous experience, discovered, and proclaimed to the 
 world. Therefore a true knowledge of Genesis presupposes 
 a full appreciation of the prophetic origin and spiritual sig- 
 nificance of the book. Such real appreciation must bring 
 with it clear understanding of, and firm belief in, these prin- 
 ciples of Judaism. 
 
 Accordingly in teaching Genesis, the guiding principle should be, 
 not so much to force the child to accept literally all the tales and 
 stories of the book, but to make him feel the spirit of Judaism 
 which breathes 'in these stories, and receive them with firm convic- 
 tion in the principles of Judaism they so forcibly illustrate. If the 
 teacher can bring these things home to the little child, with his 
 receptive and trusting soul, a ifirm and lasting spiritual foundation 
 will have been laid upon which to erect in later years the permanent 
 structure of Jewish knowledge, Jewish belief, Jewish faith and 
 Jewish life. 
 
 Supplementary Readings, Verses and Midrashic Stories 
 
 In connection with each lesson we give sometimes one and some- 
 times two verses, to be memorized by the children. As a rule one 
 verse is from the particular story of Genesis under consideration, and 
 may be regarded as the key-sentence to the spiritual lesson which 
 the story conveys. The other verse is taken from some later book 
 of the Bible, and serves to reenforce the thought of the first verse. 
 These verses are supplemented by a Biblical passage, chiefly from the 
 Psalms, which gives even more full and concrete expression to the 
 same spiritual truth. These passages should be carefully studied by 
 the teacher, and then read to the class in such intelligent, convincing 
 and sympathetic manner that the children must feel the spiritual truth 
 which the reading seeks to bring out. If not too long, and the chil- 
 
The Book of Genesis 31 
 
 dren respond readily to such work, the entire psalm or portions thereof 
 may.be committed to memory. This is, however, altogether optional. 
 In this way the children will become somewhat familiar with other, 
 little studied portions of the Bible. Finally, in connection with each 
 lesson a number of stories from the Midrash are given, that great, 
 spiritual treasure-house of post-Biblical tradition and legend. These 
 stories, so far as possible, deal with the Biblical character or incident 
 under discussion. But in the main they are selected chiefly because 
 they, too, illustrate, though not infrequently from a slightly different 
 standpoint, the same spiritual truths as the Biblical stories and read- 
 ings, and serve to show how these truths and principles continued 
 and developed in the post-Biblical period, and found expression at 
 the hands of the rabbis. 
 
 In all this work it must be constantly borne in mind that it is 
 the teacher's task, not to preach to the children, but merely to tell 
 the stories and read the Biblical selections ; but to do this so effec- 
 tively that the children will catch almost unconsciously the spirit of 
 the lesson, and will make a part of their own belief and practice 
 the principles of Judaism which the lessons convey. In this indirect 
 way alone can moral instruction be given and moral impulses 
 awakened. Children will not listen patiently to preaching. But 
 they will hearken with pleasure if the stories be well told, and will 
 remember the stories and, even more, the spiritual truths they ex- 
 press, and thus they will acquire a steadily growing and expanding 
 knowledge of the fundamental teachings of Judaism. This, we be- 
 lieve, should be the real aim of the Jewish religious school. 
 
32 The Book of Genesis 
 
 III 
 PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR THE TEACHER 
 
 The preparation of lessons can not be taken too seriously by the 
 teacher. She must realize constantly that she is undertaking a 
 sacred task, for the proper performance of which too great an effort 
 can not be made. She should devote as much time as possible within 
 reason to the acquisition of useful knowledge, and should sift and 
 classify this knowledge, that she may apply it readily to her work. 
 Unless conscious of the sacredness of her task and willing to give 
 herself to it wholeheartedly, and to fit herself as thoroughly as pos- 
 sible for it, better perhaps that she do not undertake it. 
 
 In preparation she should make constant use of the Bible itself. 
 The Biblical reader accompanying this work is designed primarily for 
 the children's use. It can never completely supersede the Bible in 
 the teacher's preparation. Nor should she be satisfied with a single 
 cursory reading of the chapter or chapters containing the lesson of 
 the week. These should be read repeatedly in order that all their 
 truth and full meaning may be realized and appreciated. If possible, 
 they should be studied in connection with other helpful books arid 
 guides. A carefully selected bibliography is given at the close of 
 this chapter. 
 
 It is essential that the teacher know far more than she endeavor 
 to impart. She must speak with large authority, because- in the 
 child's mind she is invariably an authority surpassing even the parents. 
 It often happens that our religious school teachers content themselves 
 with learning only what they expect to repeat to the children on the 
 following day, and no more. This is unfortunate and slipshod 
 preparation, and must result in well-nigh worthless instruction. 
 
 The teacher should remember that she is dealing, not with people 
 of her own age and mental maturity, but with children, and that she 
 can teach effectively only when she puts herself into their frame of 
 mind, and speaks on the level of their intelligence. 
 
 She should constantly endeavor to make the lessons live and be of 
 actual practical significance for the life of the child. She should 
 seek not merely to impart abstract, theoretical knowledge of Judaism 
 and of Jewish history and morals, but she should endeavor always to 
 
Practical Suggestions for the Teacher 33 
 
 bring the children to feel the moral and spiritual truths which the 
 lessons convey, and to apply these teachings to their actual lives and 
 daily conduct. The instruction should be as concrete as possible. 
 In addition to the stories and verses from Bible and Midrash, the 
 teacher should illustrate the lessons to a reasonable extent with in- 
 cidents, stories and anecdotes taken from present-day life, particularly 
 from the lives of children. There are plenty of useful collections 
 of such stories readily accessible. In using these stories, howevei, 
 the teacher must at all times guard against the danger of letting 
 them seem to outweigh in importance or impression upon the child 
 those positively Jewish stories taken from the Bible or the Midrash. 
 This would naturally tend to minimize the essential Jewishness of the 
 lesson. 
 
 When doubts or difficulties arise, or when the children ask trouble- 
 some questions, the teacher should always answer with perfect 
 frankness and honesty. There are many Biblical problems still un- 
 solved, and there is much about the Bible which even the greatest 
 scholars do not yet know. The honest teacher should never fear to 
 say, "I do not know." At the same time a conscientious effort should 
 be made to know as much as possible, and to forestall the difficult 
 and delicate questions which the children may ask. Above all no 
 attempt should be made to harmonize or rationalize contradictions 
 or discrepancies in Biblical narratives. This merely evades or be- 
 clouds the issue, and ultimately leads to confusion and disbelief. It 
 often suffices, particularly in the case of miracles, to say, what is after 
 all the full truth, "This is the way in which our fathers, at an early 
 period of their history, believed these things to have happened". 
 In this way the question constantly asked by children, "Is it true?", 
 will receive the only honest and satisfying answer. 
 
 The teacher should at all times bear in mind the central aim of 
 her work. Each lesson should deal with one distinctive spiritual 
 and moral truth and principle. This the teacher must bring home as 
 forcibly as possible. Every word of instruction must subserve the 
 general purpose of the lesson. Not only that, but the different 
 lessons should not stand alone; all should bear close and definite 
 relation to each other, so that, when the year's work is 'finished, some 
 positive, concrete, and worthy end will have been attained. Similarly 
 and on a larger scale there should be perfect coordination in the work 
 of the successive classes. Each year and each class is merely a part 
 of the whole school organization, and the work of each class should 
 be so planned, and the work of all classes so coordinated, that when 
 the school period is completed, the ultimate goal will have been at- 
 
34 The Book of Genesis 
 
 tained, and a firm foundation will have been laid for the Jewish 
 belief, Jewish practice, and Jewish life of the child. 
 
 The teacher should endeavor to bring out constantly the story of 
 Israel, to make the children realize that the stories told are, as it 
 were, merely chapters in Israel's great and glorious history. There 
 should be conscious endeavor on the teacher's part to further the 
 children's sympathy with Israel's history and to develop their pride 
 that they are Jews, descendants of the traditional ancestors about 
 whom they have heard, in other words to develop their Jewish sub- 
 consciousness and self-consciousness. If this be well done, and be 
 coupled with a proper knowledge of Jewish history and of Judaism, 
 the foundation will be well laid and the children will become in time 
 the conscious, loyal, earnest Jews we need and want, and whom the 
 religious school must help to make. 
 
Bibliography 35 
 
 IV 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
 Montefiore, Claude G., The Bible for Home Reading, vol. I, pp. 1-59; 
 554-589 
 
 Jacobs, Ella, Methods of Teaching Primary Grades, Courses A and 
 B. (The Jewish Chautauqua Society, Correspondence School 
 publications) 
 
 Kohn, Eugene, A Manual for Teaching Biblical History (The United 
 Synagogue of America publications) 
 
 Kent, Charles Foster, and Lehman, Eugene, The Junior Bible, Series 
 I, Early Heroes and Heroines 
 
 Lehman, Eugene, The Jewish Teacher 
 
 Harris, Maurice H., The People of the Book, vol. I 
 
 Ginzberg, Louis, The Legends of the Jews, 4 vols. (Jewish Publica- 
 tion Society) 
 
 Polano, H., Selections from the Talmud 
 
 Isaacs, Abram S., Stories from the Rabbis 
 
 Rappaport, Samuel, Tales and Maxims from the Midrash 
 
 Rappaport, Samuel, Tales and Maxims from the Talmud t 
 
 Weiss, L., Talmudic and other Legends 
 
 Cohen, Isabel E., Legends and Tales 
 
 "Aunt Naomi", Jewish Fairy Tales and Fables 
 
 Cohen, Henry, Talmudic Sayings 
 
 Gottheil, Gustave, Sun and Shield 
 
 Geikie, Cunningham, Hours with the Bible 
 
 Gould, Frederick J., Stories for Moral Instruction 
 
 Gould,- Frederick J., Conduct Stories 
 
 Enelow, Hyman G., The Significance of the Agada (Central Confer- 
 ence of American Rabbis, yearbook, vol. XXIV (1914), 263-300; 
 also published separately as a reprint) 
 
 Marcuson, Isaac E., The Story in Religious School Work (Central 
 Conference of American Rabbis, yearbook vol. XXIV (1914), 
 346-351 ; also published separately as a reprint) 
 
 Jewish Encyclopedia, selected articles, such as Abraham, Adam, Cre- 
 ation, Flood, Folk-Lore, Genesis, etc. 
 
 Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible, selected articles 
 
36 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Sheffield, Alfred Dwight, The Old Testament Narrative 
 
 Kent, Charles Foster, The Heroes and Crises of Early Hebrew His- 
 tory (The Historical Bible Series) 
 
 Kent, Charles Foster, The Beginnings of Hebrew History (The 
 Students' Old Testament Series) 
 
 Driver, Samuel R., Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testa- 
 ment. 
 Genesis. 
 
 Gunkel, Hermann, The Legends of Genesis 
 
 Mercer, Samuel A. B., Extra-Biblical Sources for Hebrew and Jewish 
 Plistory 
 
 Kent, Charles Foster, Biblical Geography and History (The Historical 
 Bible Series') 
 
 Smith, George Adam, Historical Geography of the Holy Latid 
 
 MacCoun, Townsend, Bible Atlas. 
 
 Kohler, K, Jewish Theology 
 
The Story of Creation 37 
 
 I 
 THE STORY OF CREATION 
 
 (Genesis I - II, 4) 
 
 And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it 
 was very good. (Genesis I, 31.) 
 
 The heavens declare the glory of God, 
 
 And the firmament showeth His handiwork. (Psalm XIX, 2.) 
 
 Read Psalm VIII, with particular emphasis on vv. 3-6. 
 
 The Book of Genesis opens most naturally with an ac- 
 count of the creation of the universe. This account has been 
 generally accepted as historically correct. A careful analysis 
 of the narrative, however, as well as the discoveries of 
 modern science, prove that this can not be actual history, 
 but, as has already been indicated in the Introduction, is a 
 myth pure and simple, many of the details of which have 
 been borrowed from a much older Babylonian myth. 
 
 Be that as it may, it does not lessen in the least the 
 spiritual value of this creation story for Judaism. For even 
 though many of the details be borrowed from the Babylonian, 
 the whole story has been rewritten and recast and reani- 
 mated by the Jewish spirit, until it has become virtually 
 new. In its present form it gives expression, more forceful 
 and sublime, perhaps, than any other passage of the Bible, 
 or, for that' matter, of any other book, to the fundamental 
 Jewish conception of God, majestic, transcendental, and spir- 
 itual, who, Himself, in His real being, is unknowable by 
 man, who can be comprehended only through consideration 
 of the grandeur, beauty, wisdom, and goodness of His works. 
 As the Psalmist has said, 
 
38 The Book of Genesis 
 
 The heavens declare the glory of God, 
 
 And the firmament showeth His handiwork. 
 
 One fact should be realized at the outset, that this story 
 was hardly meant to be primarily an objective- account of 
 the way in which creation was thought to have actually hap- 
 pened. The author has merely taken the older myth, systema- 
 tized its details, and adapted it to his purposes. One of these 
 purposes was to show that the Sabbath of Judaism was, so 
 he believed, the oldest religious institution of mankind, estab- 
 lished by God at the very moment of creation. In "other 
 words, not the details of the story are essential, or were 
 essential, even in the author's mind, but rather the fact of 
 the institution of the Sabbath as the day of rest and worship 
 of God. and the fitting climax to the six days of useful 
 labor, first proclaimed by Israel, and learned from Israel by 
 civilized mankind. 
 
 Not only this, but the story reflects through and through 
 the unique Jewish outlook upon the universe and upon life. 
 The concluding words of the account of each day's creation, 
 "And God saw that it was good", and the concluding words 
 of the entire story, "And God saw everything that He had 
 made, and, behold, it was very good", express the funda- 
 mental Jewish belief in the goodness and wisdom of God, 
 and in the goodness and wise purpose of this earth and of 
 human life thereon. Judaism has always taught that this 
 world is good, and that life here is worth living for its own 
 sake, that God has created everything in wisdom and love, 
 and has placed man here for a good and wise purpose, to 
 live usefully and nobly in accordance with the divine will, 
 as it is given him to know this. 
 
 In contrast with many other religions, ancient and mod- 
 ern, Judaism has never taught the absolute existence of evil 
 alongside of good. On the contrary, Judaism has always 
 insisted that since God is a God of good, everything which 
 He has created must be for good, and that the normal order 
 
The Story of Creation 39 
 
 of things is only good. Only through man's misuse of God's 
 gifts or defiance of God's w,ill and disregard of His purpose 
 in. life does evil come. The following parable, told by the 
 wise rabbis of old in commenting upon this story of creation, 
 expresses this principle most forcibly. When God first 
 created the trees they rejoiced to be alive, for existence 
 seemed so good. But when, the next day, He created the 
 iron, the trees all trembled with fear and said, "This iron 
 will chop us down". But God reassured them, "No, not 
 until you trees yourselves furnish the handle to the axe, will 
 the iron have power to harm you". So it is in the life of 
 all men; from God comes good alone, and all His gifts are 
 for some purpose of good ; but when men misuse these gifts, 
 or fail to apply them to their appointed purpose, evil results. 
 That is the only real evil in the world. Thus Judaism has 
 ever believed, and has proclaimed the truth, voiced through- 
 out this story of creation, that life itself and the universe 
 and everything connected therewith are good, that God has 
 created all in wisdom, goodness and love, and has placed 
 man at the head, has fashioned him in His own image, and 
 endowed him with all high qualities, in order that he may 
 rule this universe wisely, in the way and for the purpose 
 which He has ordained. Again in the words of the Psalmist, 
 
 Thou hast made him but little lower than the angels, 
 
 And hast crowned him with glory and honor. 
 
 Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; 
 
 Thou hast put all things under his feet. 
 
 Understanding this Jewish conception of the nature of 
 the universe, and of the position of man, and of the exalted 
 purpose of his existence, the divine command to observe the 
 Sabbath acquires new significance. Life has its purpose of 
 good appointed by God. But this purpose of good does not 
 realize itself nor come of its own accord. It can be attained 
 only by man's earnest and conscientious !abor. God has or- 
 
40 The Book of Genesis 
 
 dained that man should be colaborer with Him in the world's 
 work. Thereby He has exalted man above all other creatures. 
 In this labor man finds his chief pleasure, and life comes to 
 have value, and to seem sweet and beautiful and worth liv- 
 ing. The life of that person who finds no real work to do, 
 must seem indeed dull and sad, useless and misspent. In 
 other words, Judaism teaches that man's work is one of the 
 good things, in fact, the crowning blessing of life, ordained 
 by God. 
 
 Yet all labor and toil, day in and day out, must take the 
 zest out of life, and make existence dreary and cheerless. 
 God has created man to be the lord of the universe, and not 
 its slave or drudge. For just this reason God has instituted 
 the Sabbath, and has bidden man rest on this day from 
 labor and toil, that he may rejoice in the consideration of 
 the goodness and the beauty of the universe and of life, and 
 in the knowledge of the dignity and the opportunity of his 
 exalted position, and that he may thank God reverently and 
 joyfully for all His bounty and love. It is the precious 
 Sabbath which enables men to rightly appreciate and enjoy 
 the sacred privilege of life. And, as our prayer-book says, 
 so nobly and so truly, "He alone, who has labored well dur- 
 ing the week, and, according to his strength, has contributed 
 to the greater work of humanity, will enjoy the sweetness 
 of the Sabbath. To him who, obedient to Thy law, has per- 
 formed what was given him to 'do, the Sabbath is a fountain 
 of joy, of hope and strength". Therefore God has instituted 
 the Sabbath for Israel and for all mankind, and has made 
 it the sign of His everlasting covenant with Israel (Exodus 
 XXXI, 16f.). And through His prophet He has spoken 
 unto Israel: 
 
 If thou turn away thy foot because of the Sabbath, 
 
 From pursuing thy business on My holy day ; 
 
 And call the Sabbath a delight, 
 
 And the holy of the Lord honorable; 
 
The Story of Creation 41 
 
 And shalt honor it, not doing thy wonted ways, 
 ' Nor pursuing thy business, nor speaking thereof ; 
 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, 
 And I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, 
 And I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; 
 For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah LVIII, 13f.) 
 
 NOTES 
 
 In presenting this story of creation, the teacher should not insist 
 upon the children's memorizing all the petty details, but should en- 
 deavor constantly to bring out the basic Jewish ideas of the good- 
 ness of God and of all His creation, and of the divinely appointed 
 purpose of good of human existence, and of the beauty and blessing 
 of the Sabbath, and of the proper manner of observing it. 
 
 Inasmuch as very many people have regarded this story as ab- 
 solute history, various interpretations of the seven days of cre- 
 ation have been given, all seeking to harmonize the story with the 
 fact, established by science, that the earth and life thereon are the 
 results of slow, evolutionary processes, extending probably over 
 millions of years. Often it is claimed that in this chapter the word 
 "day" means, not just twenty-four hours, but a very long and indefi- 
 nite period of time. This explanation, and all similar attempts at 
 rationalization, are altogether valueless. The Jewish author of this 
 chapter told purposely that creation required only six days, and 
 that God rested on the seventh day, and arranged all the details of 
 the story to fit into this scheme in order, as has been said, to estab- 
 lish his point, that the Sabbath must have been instituted already 
 at creation. 
 
 The teacher, therefore, should never attempt to rationalize, nor 
 to convey the impression that these details must be accepted as 
 historical. On the other hand still less should she endeavor to make 
 the children realize from the beginning that this is only a story 
 or a myth, and not history, by proceeding to expound the teachings 
 of science about creation. This last has no place at all in the lower 
 classes 'of the religious school. She should seek only to bring out 
 the essential Jewish truths and principles which the story records, 
 but to bring them out so clearly and convincingly that the children 
 can not but feel and believe. In this way she will be giving to the 
 children not only our old, traditional story of creation, but even 
 more, she will be laying the foundation in the children's minds for 
 a positive, systematic knowledge of God and of the universe, and 
 
42 The Book of Genesis 
 
 of the goodness, beauty, wisdom, and divine purpose and holiness of 
 the universe and of life. 
 
 The name of this book, Genesis, comes from the Greek. It 
 means "beginning" or "creation". The first translation of the He- 
 brew Bible was made into Greek during the third and second cen- 
 turies B. C. It was made for the benefit of the Greek-speaking 
 Jewish community of Alexandria, and was called the Septuagint. 
 Most of the subsequent translations of the Bible into European 
 languages were made from this Greek, rather than from the original 
 Hebrew version. In consequence many of the books of the Bible 
 are commonly cited by their Greek names. In Hebrew Genesis is 
 called Bereshith, from the first word of the Hebrew text, which 
 means "in the beginning". Similarly the other books of the Penta- 
 teuch are called in Hebrew bv their first significant words. 
 
 V. 3. Creation is here and throughout this chapter represented 
 as having come about merely at God's command. God uttered His 
 divine word and the thing commanded immediately came into being. 
 This is the significance of the words, "And it was so", occurring 
 after each separate act of creation; cf. Psalm XXXIII, 6-9. 
 
 V. 5. The giving of the names here and elsewhere is in ac- 
 cordance with the ancient belief -that the name of a thing is an 
 essential part of its being. Not until a thing had received its name 
 was it considered really complete and existent. Hence the giving 
 of the name here is the very last step of each act of creation (cf. 
 Gen. II, 19 and 23). 
 
 That evening is here mentioned before morning is due to the 
 fact that our ancestors reckoned the day from sunset to sunset, and 
 .therefore in their reckoning evening preceded morning. 
 
 V. 6ff. The conception of the universe which underlies this 
 chapter is very interesting. Naturally it is not at all scientific, and 
 from a modern standpoint it may seem rather crude. It can be best 
 explained by an illustration. Imagine a large bowl filled with water, 
 upon the surface of which, and in the center, floats a round piece 
 of bread. At a little distance above the lower bowl is another bowl, 
 also filled with water. In the bottom of the upper bowl are little 
 openings, which may be either opened or closed. The two bowls of 
 water above and below, represent two great oceans or reservoirs of 
 water. The piece of bread is the earth, which floats upon the sur- 
 face of the lower ocean. The pores in the bread represent the holes 
 in the earth, through which tire water from below bubbles up to the 
 surface in the form of springs and wells (cf. the expression, "The 
 water under the earth", Exodus XX, 4). The ocean above is the 
 
The Story of Creation 43 
 
 source of the rain, which falls to the earth beneath through the little 
 openings or windows in the bottom of the bowl (cf. Gen. VII, 11 
 and VIII, 2). THe bottom of the upper bowl is the heaven or 
 firmament, which God spread out in- the midst of the waters, to 
 divide the waters above the earth from those below. In this heaven 
 the sun, moon and stars are fixed. This is the conception of the 
 universe which lies at the bottom, not only of this chapter, but of 
 many other parts of the Bible. The rabbis later expanded this con- 
 ception considerably and spoke of seven heavens, one above the 
 other, and also seven earths one below the other. 
 
 V. 9. "The waters under the heaven," i. e. the lower of the two 
 bodies of water now existing. 
 
 V. 11. Here God does not directly create the grass, but merely 
 speaks the word which endows the earth with power to cause the 
 grass and plants to spring forth. In other words God's word endows 
 the earth with the power of plant propagation. 
 
 V. 14. The question is often asked, and is generally found 
 troublesome, "If the sun, moon and stars were created only on the 
 fourth day, how could light have existed on the. very 'first day of 
 creation, and also how could plant life, for which sunlight is indis- 
 pensable, have begun on the third day?" The ancient rabbis tried 
 to answer the first question with the tradition that the light of the 
 first day was different from, and superior to, the light of the sun. 
 This original light at first filled the whole universe. But when 
 Adam sinned, this light was taken away, to be restored to man, 
 however, when the Messiah shall come at the end of time. Mean- 
 while mankind must content itself with the light of the sun, moon 
 and stars, created on the fourth day. Other traditions told that God 
 himself was clothed with light, and that this light emanated from 
 Him and filled the universe before the creation of the sun (cf. 
 Psalm CIV, 1-2). However, it is clear that these are only unsuc- 
 cessful, though pious and reverential, attempts to account for what 
 is obviously an anachronism on the part of the author. Inasmuch 
 as he measures creation from the very beginning by days and even- 
 ings and mornings, it is clear that he had in mind the orderly suc- 
 cession of day and night, of light and darkness caused by the pres- 
 ence or absence of the light of the sun. Similarly, the simple and 
 natural answer to the second question, how could plant life have 
 begun on the third day, if the sun was not created until the fourth 
 day, is that the author of this story apparently had no knowledge of 
 the connection between the light and heat of the sun and plant life 
 and growth. However, since, as we have seen, the framework of the 
 
44 The Book of Genesis 
 
 story is of far less import than the Jewish thought which the story 
 illustrates so well, anachronisms like these can be readily overlooked. 
 
 V. 22. God's blessing upon the animals is not to be regarded as 
 a mere, pious wish that they be fruitful and multiply, but, just as 
 in v. 28, it bestows upon them the power of self-propagation. In 
 fact, throughout the Bible, God's blessing is never a mere wish, but 
 always contains the means of self-fulfilment if only properly applied. 
 
 V. 26. The words, "Let us make man in our image", are prob- 
 ably a survival of the older version of this myth, which spoke, not 
 of one God, but of many gods (cf. Ill, 22). The present mono- 
 theistic form of the story is the result of the adaptation of the 
 original Babylonian myth to the standpoint of the Jewish religion. 
 
 In this connection it may be remarked that frequently Jewish 
 Biblical students are startled, and even shocked, when the thought is 
 first presented to them that this creation-story, and also the flood- 
 story and a number of other Biblical traditions and thoughts were 
 borrowed from Babylonian mythology and literature. A moment's 
 consideration, however, suffices to show that there is nothing un- 
 natural or shocking in this fact, and that the admission of its cor- 
 rectness detracts not one whit from the credit and glory of Judaism. 
 Nations, like individuals, must live alongside of each other and ex- 
 change cultural products of intellect and spirit, even as they ex- 
 change material products of field and factory. It would be a sorry 
 people, just as it would be a sorry individual, which had to discover 
 and learn everything for itself through its own, ofttimes bitter, 
 experience, and could not learn from contact with other peoples and 
 acquaintance with their history and thought. Israel is no exception 
 to this rule. Throughout its history it has always been able to ex- 
 change the best of its knowledge and culture for the best of the 
 knowledge and culture of its neighbors, the Babylonians among 
 others. But Israel has never been a parasite upon the world;. it has 
 always given in exchange value received, and on the whole the 
 balance of credit is in its favor. 
 
 Nor is this all. Not even Shakespeare created the plots of all 
 his immortal plays. The great majority he borrowed from one 
 source or another. But in their original sources these plots would 
 have had little or no permanent interest for the world, and would 
 in time have been lost or forgotten. It was Shakespeare's genius 
 that made these plots live and become the literary treasures of the 
 world. Somewhat similarly, though to a degree far more exalted, 
 as the genius of a God-inspired people surpasses infinitely the genius 
 of an individual, even a Shakespeare, Israel borrowed this creation- 
 
The Story of Creation 45 
 
 story and the flood-story. In their original form these stories 
 would, at the most, have had only a passing interest for the student 
 of archaeology or history. It was Israel's religious genius which 
 breathed into them a spiritual truth and universal message which 
 made them live, and live not for Israel alone, but for all men and all 
 ages. Israel borrowed, yes, but it borrowed something that was 
 almost worthless ; it touched this with the magic wand of its spirit, 
 and thereby transformed it into something of eternal, priceless value. 
 In voicing this spirit of Judaism, the old myths have become, new 
 and living stories, in which the spiritual element contributed by 
 Judaism is greater and of vaster significance than the framework 
 and the few details borrowed from the Babylonian. The old 
 Babylonian myth was lost and forgotten two thousand years ago. 
 It is the Jewish story which has lived, because of the Jewish spirit 
 and the Jewish truth contained in it, and has become a part of the 
 great spiritual heritage of the Jew, and a part of his priceless gift 
 to mankind. 
 
 It may not be amiss to add the caution that all this information 
 as to the Babylonian and mythological origin of this creation-story, 
 and of the flood-story as well, is intended solely for the teacher and 
 the adult student. Nothing thereof can be given to the children 
 in the religious school, for it would only confuse them, while at the 
 same time serving no positive purpose. 
 
 V. 27. According to this story God created man and woman at 
 the same time, and as the final act of creation, just as He had pre- 
 viously created the male and female of every other species of animals. 
 
 V. 29. This verse implies that originally God had intended that 
 man and the animals eat only herbs. Later, after the flood, per- 
 mission was given to eat flesh (Gen. IX, 2ff.)- It was the ancient 
 belief that in the Messianic age the original condition will be re- 
 established, when once more the cow and the bear shall feed to- 
 gether and the lion eat straw like the ox (Isaiah XI, 7). 
 
 V. 31. This verse sums up the whole account of creation. It 
 may well be considered the key-sentence of the story. For this 
 reason we have placed it at the beginning of the lesson, and have 
 suggested that it be committed to memory by the children. There- 
 after the mere thought of this verse should suggest the full Jewish 
 content of the story. In almost all the stories of Genesis similar 
 key-sentences may be found. Usually they are easily discerned. Oc- 
 casionally, however, careful study and analysis of the story are re- 
 quired to fix the key-sentence. Now and then the determination is 
 largely a matter of individual judgment, and may vary with differing 
 
46 The Book of Genesis 
 
 conceptions of the central Jewish theme of the story. In preparing 
 the lesson for presentation in class, the teacher should always en- 
 deavor to determine for herself the central theme and the key- 
 sentence of the story, and then develop this central theme about the 
 key-sentence. This the children should always be made to memorize. 
 
The Garden of Eden 47 
 
 II 
 THE GARDEN OF EDEN 
 
 (Genesis II, 4 III, 24) 
 
 Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and 
 breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. (Genesis II, 7.) 
 
 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I 
 have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; there- 
 fore choose life, that thou mayest live. (Deuteronomy XXX, 19.) 
 
 Read Psalm XXIV, 1-6. 
 
 The story of the Garden of Eden is one of the most 
 beautiful, not only in the Bible, but in all literature, and has 
 deservedly come to be regarded as one of the world's im- 
 mortal classics. Its story is told simply and directly. The 
 several incidents are clearly and concisely pictured. The 
 climax is dramatic, when the guilty pair, conscious of their 
 sin, must come forth from their hiding-place at God's call, 
 and by excusing themselves with a half lie, incriminate them- 
 selves irrefutably. 
 
 Despite its simplicity and brevity, the portrayal of char- 
 acter is delicate and effective. The serpent, cunning and 
 evil-minded, purposely overstates God's command and asks, 
 "Hath God said: Ye shall not eat of any tree in the gar- 
 den?" And the woman, guileless and unsuspecting, falls 
 into the trap, and even enlarges upon God's actual words, 
 "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but 
 of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, 
 God hath said: Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye 
 touch it, lest ye die". And when she has, so naturally and 
 humanly, let herself be enticed by the alluring beauty of the 
 
48 The Book of Genesis 
 
 tree and the seeming benefits which it might confer, and has 
 eaten, her first thought is of her husband; "and she gave 
 also unto her husband with her, and he did eat". And 
 finally, when directly charged by God^ with their sin, each 
 seeks -to shift the responsibility ; the man puts the blame 
 partly upon the woman and partly upon God Himself, for 
 having made her, and the woman in turn shifts the blame 
 to the serpent. Touches so delicate reveal the master's hand. 
 
 The story shows remarkable power of condensation and 
 suggestion. The one sentence, "Ami they were both naked, 
 the man and his wife, and were not ashamed", pictures their 
 state of pristine innocence far more effectively than any 
 detailed explanation. Similarly, after both have eaten of the 
 forbidden fruit, and both they and the reader of the story 
 are anxiously awaiting the results, the few words, "And 
 the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew" . . . 
 what did they know; what 'was this strange and wonderful 
 knowledge which came from eating the forbidden fruit ? 
 . . . "they knew that they were naked", are powerfully 
 suggestive. Not a single one of the blessings which they 
 had so eagerly anticipated, had come to them, but only the 
 recognition of their nakedness. With this comes first the 
 sense of shame, and they hasten to hide from their Maker 
 in the gloom of the trees. And there come also the full 
 consciousness of sin, and the realization that the serpent 
 had in fact deceived them. They had expected so much ; 
 and although the serpent's words were literally true, and 
 they had not died, yet after all they had gained so little, and 
 at so great a price. 
 
 However, although the author of this story was a su- 
 preme artist, the story is by no means entirely the product 
 of his own fertile imagination. He has taken a number of 
 ancient folk-tales, the product of the childhood period of 
 Israel's cultural evolution, and with delicate art has woven 
 them together around a single, central theme. This told of 
 
The Garden of Eden 49 
 
 the first man and woman, placed by God, and living care- 
 free and at ease in a beautiful, well-watered garden of 
 trees. Of all the trees they might eat, except the one just 
 in the center of the garden. But one day they disobeyed 
 and ate of the forbidden tree. Immediately they were driven 
 from the garden, and were forced thereafter to gain their 
 livelihood by tilling the hard and often unresponsive soil. 
 The origin of this story is easily determined. The back- 
 ground of the unwatered, barren earth and its oasis-like 
 garden of trees growing about the single, life-giving spring 
 of water, is unmistakable. Even more indicative is the theme 
 that the supreme good is to live in a beautiful, well-watered 
 garden of trees and eat without toil of their fruit, and that 
 the supreme evil is to be compelled to till the soil and, in 
 sweat of brow, eat of its produce. To a people even only 
 slightly advanced in civilization, tilling the soil for a liveli- 
 hood does not seem an evil or a curse, but the normal state 
 of existence and the divinely appointed destiny of man. But 
 the nomad of the Arabian Desert looks out upon life through 
 different eyes. His food supply is monotonous and scanty 
 indeed, but this is more than compensated for by the perfect 
 freedom of the desert which he enjoys. He works only 
 when he pleases and as little as he pleases, and only at 
 the, to him, noble occupation of caring for his sheep and 
 camels. He is here today and gone where he will tomorrow. 
 He is his own lord and master, and the absolute equal of 
 every man. And he looks down with undisguised contempt 
 upon the farmer, for all time bound to one spot, compelled 
 to bend his back in servile toil, only too often to reap but 
 thorns and thistles, and doomed to cringe and tremble be- 
 .fore a despotic government, and humbly and unresistingly 
 give of his hard-won gain for taxes at the unwarranted 
 bidding of others. Clearly this story must have originated 
 in those remote, prehistoric days, long before the time of 
 Moses, when our ancestors still roamed the great Arabian 
 
50 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Desert as nomads, and found their easiest living in the 
 occasional oases with their springs of water and their 
 bounteous trees, and from their heights of unrestrained free- 
 dom to live and wander at will, looked down upon the poor 
 tiller of the soil as an accursed being. Or, if it did not 
 originate then, it must have been very soon thereafter, before 
 our ancestors had passed over completely and willingly to 
 the settled, agricultural life, and before their conception of 
 existence had been transformed from the nomadic to the 
 agricultural. 
 
 N/ Into this central story the author has ingeniously and 
 artistically worked a number of other folk-tales, many no 
 doubt of equal antiquity. They are all typical folk-tales, 
 such as our ancestors must have once possessed in great 
 number. In nature they differ very little from the folk- 
 tales of other primitive peoples. But in subject matter they 
 do show immeasurable superiority. For most folk-tales turn 
 about such incidental and superficial questions as "Why the 
 sea is salt", or "How the rabbit got his long ears", or "Why 
 there is a man in the moon". Certainly our ancestors, too, 
 had many simple tales like these, as the stories here of 
 "How the animals got their names", and "Why the serpent 
 crawls upon his belly", show. But in addition, they treated 
 of problems which other primitive peoples seldom, if ever, 
 divined, such basic problems of life as "Why a man leaves 
 his parents for his wife", "Why childbirth is so painful", 
 "Why woman is inferior to, and dependent upon, man", 
 "Why man must labor so ceaselessly and bitterly", and the 
 like. 
 
 These are problems which touch upon the elemental and 
 eternal mysteries of existence, and with the solution of which 
 the world is still, in a certain sense, wrestling. That our 
 ancestors should have conceived of these deep, basic, phil- 
 osophic problems almost at the very beginning of their in- 
 tellectual and cultural evolution, may well indicate that, in 
 
The Garden of Eden 51 
 
 contrast to the minds of other peoples, the Jewish mind is 
 by- nature meditative, philosophic, introspective, with a cer- 
 tain intuitive apperception of the fundamental truths and 
 problems of life. 
 
 And comparison of these ancient Israelite folk-tales with 
 those of other primitive peoples reveals something of far 
 deeper import. Not only do the folk-tales of other peoples 
 for the most part ask such superficial questions as "Why 
 the sea is salt", but they answer them in purely mechanical 
 manner, in the form of a story in which the actors are mere 
 human beings and animals, or, at the most, fairies and 
 genii. Thus the well-known Scandinavian folk -tale tells that 
 the wicked brother stole the good brother's magic mill and 
 bade it grind salt. But when the ship was full, he had for- 
 gotten the magic word, which alone could stop the mill, and 
 so the ship sank. And the mill lies on the bottom of the sea, 
 still grinding salt ; and that is why the sea is salt. In sig- 
 nificant contrast, these Biblical folk-tales answer all their 
 questions from the standpoint of God, the Creator. Mani- 
 festly from the very beginning, God, or probably in the very 
 earliest form of the stories, a divine being, was the chief 
 actor, and all things came to be as they are in accordance 
 with His will. Man leaves his parents for his wife because 
 God fashioned her out of the bone and flesh of her husband, 
 and thus they are truly one. The serpent crawls upon his 
 belly because God so punished him. And mankind is divided 
 into different nations, speaking different languages because 
 God so ordained. 
 
 The Bible affirms, and we believe, that Israel was chosen 
 by God to receive His law, and to proclaim it and the knowl- 
 edge of Him and His true worship to the world. However, 
 it is frequently objected that this can not be true, for a just 
 God could not choose one people in preference to another. 
 But a wise and loving father carefully studies his sons to 
 learn their different natures and aptitudes. And of one he 
 
52 The Book of Genesis 
 
 makes a physician, of another a merchant, and of still an- 
 other a farmer. To have condemned them all to be farmers, 
 or merchants, or physicians, would have been unjust and 
 cruel. So God calls each of His children to the task for 
 which it is best fitted. The Greeks He bade bring to the 
 world the sense of order, symmetry and beauty, and these 
 became, in one line of evolution, art, and in another line, 
 orderly, proportionate thinking, logic, and philosophy. The 
 Romans He bade bring to the world organization, law, gov- 
 ernment, administration. And unto Israel He revealed Him- 
 self, and bade Israel bring this knowledge of Him to the 
 world, because, of all peoples, Israel was best fitted to re- 
 ceive this knowledge and to discharge this mission. Israel 
 was best fitted because its mind and soul were attuned to 
 God and, of all peoples, it could best absorb the knowledge 
 of God, which He sought to reveal to all His children ; 
 because, as these folk-tales show, from the very dawn of 
 its history Israel thought about God and pondered over the 
 mysteries of life from the standpoint of God. Much think- 
 ing must in time beget much knowledge. So Israel came to 
 know about God sooner than any other people. Therefore 
 the task of proclaiming this knowledge devolved upon Israel, 
 and Israel was chosen by God for its glorious mission. And 
 since, as we believe, and as the world has come to believe 
 with us, the knowledge of God and His worship and the 
 life He has intended that men shall live, is the supreme 
 knowledge, therefore Israel is, above all others, God's chosen 
 people, chosen not for special favors at God's hands, but 
 because, of all peoples, it was best fitted for this sublimest 
 mission of all. This vital and inspiring truth of Israel's 
 innate and eternal religious genius, and of God's choice of 
 Israel therefore as His messenger and the witness of His 
 truth unto mankind, the full appreciation of these ancient 
 folk-tales of our fathers brings home most convincingly and 
 appealingly. 
 
The Garden of Eden 53 
 
 In time, as is but natural, a number of these ancient folk- 
 tales gradually grew together, and at last a connected and 
 virtually new story evolved, our present story of the Garden 
 of Eden. Through this new story there runs one thought, 
 but dimly apparent in the old folk-tales, a thought which 
 has become a basic principle of Judaism, and which distin- 
 guishes Judaism from other religions more sharply almost 
 than any other doctrine. It is the thought that God has 
 placed man here on this beautiful earth to live a life of 
 purity and usefulness, to eat the good fruit which is per- 
 mitted, but to refrain from the forbidden fruit, no matter 
 how beautiful and alluring. God has created man for a 
 purpose of good, and bidden him strive to fulfil this pur- 
 pose. He has given man intellect and conscience that he 
 may perceive the good and be warned of the evil. And 
 He holds out to man the promise of reward for right living 
 and of punishment for wrong. But with all this God has 
 endowed man with free-will, with power to choose between 
 good and evil, between obedience and disobedience. 
 
 As the story says, "Then the Lord God formed man of 
 the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the 
 breath of life". In expounding this chapter the rabbis of 
 old laid great stress upon this thought that God had formed 
 man of dust, yet had Himself breathed into him the breath 
 of life, a part of His spirit. Thus, they taught, unlike the 
 animals, man is the child of two worlds, the earthly, lower 
 world of dust, and the heavenly world of God's spirit. In 
 some qualities he resembles the animals of earth, and in 
 others the angels of heaven. Had God made man only like 
 the angels, he would have lived forever; had he been en- 
 tirely like the creatures of earth, he would have died speedily. 
 So God gave him a double nature; if he is righteous, he 
 attains eternal life, but if he sins, he perishes. If he lets 
 his earthly nature prevail, he sinks inevitably to the level 
 of the beast. But if he follows the inclination of God's 
 
54 The Book of Genesis 
 
 spirit within him, he rises higher and ever higher, until he 
 becomes, in the Psalmist's words, "but little lower than the 
 angels, and crowned with glory and honor". And the goal 
 of all human living and striving is to become even like unto 
 God Himself. "Ye shall be holy; for I the Lord your God 
 am holy" (Leviticus XIX, 2), is the divinely appointed 
 standard of human righteousness. 
 
 But holiness and righteousness are not mere passive con- 
 ditions of existence. They must be striven for, and can be 
 attained only by constant struggle, which at last conquers 
 the earthly, animal cravings of the body of dust, and leaves 
 the divine, spiritual element triumphant. And only in the 
 struggle and the victory lie the merit of goodness and the 
 justification of divine reward for right living. Had man no 
 choice but to be good or to be evil, in accordance with divine 
 predestination, there could be no reason for, nor justice in, 
 reward or punishment. Therefore, in His wisdom God has 
 so fashioned man, that it rests with him alone to choose the 
 right or the wrong, the blessing or the curse, life or death. 
 The words of Moses unto all Israel just before his death, 
 ''I call Heaven and earth to witness against you this day, 
 that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and 
 the curse; therefore choose life, that thou mayest live", 
 express most clearly this principle of Judaism. It is given 
 to man to make his own life, good or evil, to determine 
 whether he will walk in purity with , God, or must hide in 
 guilt and shame, in darkness and shadow. We become just 
 what we make ourselves, angels or beasts as we choose. 
 
 All this is clearly implied in the story of the Garden of 
 Eden. It tells that man's life on earth began with a com- 
 mand from God. A command implies the necessity of choos- 
 ing between obedience and disobedience. It matters not that 
 the reason for the command is not given, that God did not 
 explain to the man His purpose in forbidding the fruit of 
 the tree. Very often we can not understand the purpose of 
 
The Garden of Eden 55 
 
 God's ways, nor read aright all the mysteries of His wisdom, 
 goodness and love. Neither can the little child always com- 
 prehend the wise and loving motives which prompt a parent's 
 command. But even as the little child obeys its parents' 
 commands unquestioningly, because of its implicit faith in 
 them and in their wisdom and love, which it has experienced 
 in so many ways, so must we obey God's commands un- 
 questioningly, with perfect faith in them and in His wisdom, 
 goodness and love, which we, too, know so well from bound- 
 less experience. Actually the serpent had told the truth, 
 when it said, "Ye shall not surely die", and God's word had 
 not been fulfilled. Yet the truth of the serpent's word was 
 only literal and superficial, and it brought only misfortune 
 and sorrow. And although on the surface God's word had 
 seemed false, at the bottom there lay the great, eternal, un- 
 questionable truth, that God's commands, however strange 
 and unreasonable they may seem to shortsighted man, are 
 always meant for good and not for evil. And he alone, 
 who walks in God's ways and keeps His commandments at 
 all times, is assured of perfect happiness and blessing. The 
 consequence of disobedience and sin is expulsion from the 
 garden of God into the bleak and cheerless world without, 
 where life loses all beauty and joy, and becomes burdensome 
 and ugly. To us God's commands come constantly, though 
 ofttimes we can not understand the reason why. At times 
 it may even seem that God's bidding is wrong, or unjust, 
 or cruel. But always there is that deep, eternal foundation 
 of truth and justice beneath, and we must obey promptly 
 and unquestioningly and with complete trust, knowing full 
 well that God's purpose is sure, and that His goodness and 
 love fill all the universe, knowing also that only thereby can 
 we continue to live and walk with God in the beauty of 
 purity and innocence. 
 
 And the story tells even more. So long as the man and 
 the woman obeyed God's command, even though they did 
 
56 The Book of Genesis 
 
 not understand it, they were privileged to live with God in 
 His garden of delight, and they were happy. With sin came 
 shame and the impulse to hide, and sorrow and punishment. 
 They were driven from the beautiful garden forever, and 
 forced to till the soil and gain their livelihood by bitter toil. 
 Yet even in this God's love and mercy were manifest. For 
 only by work, true, useful work, which makes the world 
 better and happier, can we gain true happiness and feel that 
 we are fulfilling the purpose for which God has placed us 
 here on earth. But always the consequences of disobedience 
 and sin are shame, unhappiness, and punishment. No longer 
 can we look our loved ones in the face. We hang our heads 
 and seek to hide from their accusing glance. Friends and 
 companions and the world at large put faith in us no more, 
 for they can not tell what we may do and wherein we may 
 disobey next. And so we are driven from the beautiful 
 garden of happiness and association with trusting loved ones 
 and friends, and we hide ourselves, solitary and alone, from 
 all the world. 
 
 But even this is not the end of disobedience and its pun- 
 ishment, our story tells. From men we may perhaps hide, 
 but from God's all-seeing vision, never. Soon He will call 
 unto us, too, "Man, where art thou?", and we, too, will come, 
 trembling and ashamed, from our dark hiding-place, and 
 stand before our Maker for judgment. This, our religion 
 teaches, we can not escape, for in the end we must all be 
 judged. And the judgment, Judaism holds, is sure and 
 absolutely just, whether for punishment, as in the story, or 
 for reward. Yet God's love rules supreme, and He has 
 held out to man the beautiful, inspiring hope of repentance 
 and eventual pardon. The rabbis told that when God made 
 man, He took dust from each of the four corners of the 
 earth, in order that no one spot might boast, "Man was made 
 from me alone", but that man might be, as it were, the child 
 of the entire earth, and possess the qualities of the whole 
 
The Garden of Eden 57 
 
 universe. But as a last thought, He took one handful of 
 dust from the spot where the altar of Solomon's temple was 
 later to stand, in order that man might ever be inclined to 
 seek after God, and repent and make atonement for his 
 sins. But the Jewish doctrine of repentance and atonement 
 demands more explanation than this, and must be deferred 
 for later consideration. 
 
 For the present it suffices to realize that this beautiful 
 story of the Garden of Eden presents concretely and con- 
 vincingly the Jewish conceptions of man and of life, man 
 possessed of the knowledge of right and wrong, and able to 
 choose between them, able, through choosing rightly, through 
 choosing life and living in accordance with God's commands, 
 to realize the divine in his nature and to rise to the heights 
 of the angels, or failing in this, to sink to the level, or below 
 the level, of the beasts. It is for man to choose life, to 
 choose blessing. This is God's purpose with him. This is 
 the life God has meant for him to live, arrd this alone is 
 pleasing to God. In the Psalmist's words : 
 
 Who shall ascend into the m.ountain of the Lord? 
 
 And who shall stand in His holy place? 
 
 He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; 
 
 Who hath not taken My name in vain, 
 
 And hath not sworn deceitfully. 
 
 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, 
 
 And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 A little consideration will show that actually this story gives an 
 account of creation different from, and totally independent of that 
 in Genesis I. Here man is created first, and after him the trees. 
 Then, that man be not alone, God creates the animals, one after the 
 other, to be helpmates to him. But not one proves suitable for this 
 purpose. Finally God creates woman from man's rib, and now, 
 "bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh", she proves the desired 
 helpmate. 
 
 The conception of God here also differs radically from that in 
 
58 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Genesis I. There God is transcendental and spiritual; He merely 
 speaks His divine word and the various acts of creation ensue. 
 Clearly this conception is the product of an age of philosophy and 
 theology, which refused to think of God as possessing human attri- 
 butes or x discharging such peculiarly human functions as coming in 
 contact with mortals or working with His hands. In Genesis II and 
 III, on the other hand, God is conceived in purely human mould, the 
 only way in which the mind of early Israel could picture Him. 
 He fashions man from the dust with His hands, and breathes of 
 His own breath into the man's nostrils. He is the lord of the garden, 
 and takes His daily walk therein in the cool of the day, and con- 
 verses familiarly with His creatures. This conception of 'the Deity 
 is far more crude and primitive, even while more simple and poetic, 
 than that of Genesis I. This is not only because, as has been said, 
 these folk-tales are the product of the earliest period of Is'rael's 
 cultural and religious evolution, but also because even their present 
 literary form is the work of a period earlier than that of the com- 
 position of Genesis I, when the conception of the Deity had not yet 
 been completely spiritualized. 
 
 This, and much of what follows, is, of course, information only 
 for the teacher, and not intended for direct presentation to the chil- 
 dren. However, the teacher must be prepared to answer correctly 
 whatever questions the children may ask. With this end in view, 
 everything which contributes to the full and authoritative under- 
 standing of the story by the teacher, should be of service. 
 
 Chiefly upon this story Christianity has based its doctrine of 
 original sin. It is needless to say that this doctrine is diametrically 
 opposed to the fundamental teachings of Judaism. 
 
 Formerly the attempt was frequently made to determine the 
 exact location of the garden of Eden. The arguments were based 
 chiefly upon the accounts of the four rivers in vv. 10-14. Of these 
 four rivers, only two, the Euphrates and the Tigris, can be positively 
 identified. Various hypotheses have been advanced to identify the 
 other two. In general the garden of Eden has been located in the 
 upper Mesopotamian valley, or in the highlands of Asia Minor or 
 Armenia, where both the Euphrates and Tigris have their sources. 
 However, all these attempts are entirely fanciful and valueless. 
 Biblical science has established, on the one hand, that vv. 10-14 are 
 not a part of the original story, but were inserted long after the 
 story proper was written, and on the other hand, that the original 
 author or authors had no clearly defined conception of the location of 
 Eden. Now they seem to put it in the extreme east, and again in 
 
The Garden of Eden 59 
 
 the extreme west. It is obvious that it was a purely mythical con- 
 ception. Therefore all attempts to localize it with precision rest 
 upon an entire misunderstanding of the origin and true nature of 
 the s'tory. 
 
 V. 6. The Hebrew word, cd, which is usually translated "mist", 
 occurs in only one other, and a rather obscure, passage of the Bible, 
 Job XXXVI, 27. The real connotation of the word has always been 
 uncertain. The majority of the oldest translations of the Bible ren- 
 dered it "spring". Other translators interpreted it as "cloud". The 
 customary translation "mist", although traditional, seems to have little 
 justification. Evidence newly come to light indicates that the earliest 
 translation, "spring", was probably correct. Certainly the picture of 
 this spring rising from out the earth, and the trees growing around 
 it, and the stream flowing forth therefrom to water the garden, and 
 four great rivers issuing from this, accords better with the entire 
 story than if we translate ed "mist". Likewise the spring in the 
 desert with the garden of trees growing around it, in other words 
 an oasis, is in full harmony with the desert origin and background 
 of this story which we posited above. 
 
 V. 7. The Hebrew word for "man" here is adam, while the 
 word for "ground" is odamah. The implication is that man received 
 this name, adam, because he was made from the ground, adamah. 
 
 V. 8. Eden really means "pleasure". Probably the original story 
 spoke only of a gan eden, a "pleasure garden". In time, however, the 
 original meaning was forgotten, and eden came to be regarded as a 
 proper name designating a certain country. A moment's consideration 
 will show that the original story must have represented Eden as the 
 pleasure garden not of the man and the woman, but of the Deity who 
 dwelt therein (Cf. XIII, 10; Ezekiel XXVIII, 13; XXXI, 3-9). 
 This same conception exists in the mythologies of other primitive 
 peoples. 
 
 V. 9. The reference here to the tree of life occasions some 
 difficulty. Not only does this tree play no role at all in the sub- 
 sequent story proper, but II, 17; III, 3, 11 and 17 clearly imply that 
 God had forbidden but one tree alone. The rabbis of old solved this 
 problem by saying that God needed to prohibit only the tree of 
 knowledge, for it surrounded the tree of life on all sides like a 
 hedge, and whoever would penetrate to the latter must 'first hew for 
 himself a path through the tree of knowledge. It is a suggestive 
 thought that only through the attainment of true knowledge can we 
 win at last to true life. The wise teacher can develop this thought 
 very profitably in the classroom. 
 
60 The Book of Genesis 
 
 However, from a purely scientific standpoint it is clear that the 
 original story spoke of only one tree in the center of the garden, the 
 fruit of which God had forbidden to the man and his wife. The 
 references to the tree of life were inserted by a later writer, at some 
 time after the original story was first written down. It is noteworthy 
 that vv. 23 and 24 tell twice, and with differing motives, of the ex- 
 pulsion of the man from the garden. Manifestly v. 23 is the con- 
 clusion of the original story, and tells that in accordance with the 
 terms of the curse, man was driven from the garden to till the soil. 
 Vv. 22 and 24, and also the reference in II, 9 to the tree of life, are 
 the insertions of the later writer. II, 15 was likewise inserted by him. 
 For on the one hand, it repeats unnecessarily the thought already 
 stated in v. 8, that God had placed the man in the garden, and it 
 adds the statement that man was to dress the garden and keep it. 
 But since tilling the soil and bitter toil are, in the story proper, the 
 punishment for his sin, and the implication is therefore, that pre- 
 viously man did not have to work, but merely plucked his food of 
 fruit from the trees without trouble, this statement that man had to 
 dress the garden is clearly out of place. The story is complete, 
 harmonious, and most effective if it is omitted. 
 
 Probably, too, the original story spoke only of "the tree which 
 is in' the midst of the garden", and did not at first indicate its 
 nature by calling it "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". 
 This was partially revealed by the serpent. But unfortunately the 
 serpent knew nothing of the real consequences of eating of the tree. 
 Thus its true nature was learned only through bitter experience. All 
 this is implied in the language of III, 3, 11 and 17, which speak 
 only of "the tree which is in the midst of the garden". Certainly 
 the dramatic impression is heightened, if the tree be designated only 
 as "the tree which is in the midst of the garden", and it be left 
 for its true nature to be discovered only when its fruit is first tasted. 
 We recommend that the teacher tell the story as it must have been 
 told by the original author, and that she, too, call it only "the tree 
 which is in the midst of the garden", until the dramatic crisis of 
 the story is reached, when the man and the woman eat of the tree 
 and learn its true nature to their sorrow. Thereafter it may be 
 called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". Of the tree 
 of life as little as possible should be said, since reference to it 
 merely confuses, raises unnecessary anJ difficult questions, and be- 
 clouds the real meaning of the story. 
 
 Vv. 10-15 are not an integral part of the narrative, but were in- 
 serted by some late writer. They disturb the continuity of the story, 
 
The Garden of Eden 61 
 
 while v. 15 repeats unnecessarily what was previously sufficiently 
 stated in v. 8. Many attempts have been made to identify the 
 Pishon and the Gihon rivers, but all in vain. 
 
 V. 16. According to this story man was at 'first to eat only of 
 the fruit of the trees. Only as the result of the curse does he come 
 to eat bread and the produce of the soil. In this' respect, too, this 
 creation-story differs essentially from that in Genesis I. There the 
 herbs of the ifield were from the very first given to man for food. 
 
 Vv. 18-20 tell most naively that God created the various kinds 
 of animals one after the other, intending that each, in turn, should 
 be the proper helpmate for the man. But He failed in each attempt. 
 Therefore He determined at last upon a different plan. He took a 
 part of the man's own body, and from this fashioned his helpmate; 
 this attempt succeeded. It is clear that this ancient folktale really 
 seeks to account for the origin of animals. The naive conception that 
 man and the animals occupy the same plane of existence, and that 
 therefore animals might possibly be suitable mates for men, is a 
 common motive in primitive folk-lore. Likewise the thought that 
 God failed repeatedly in what He attempted, evidences the primitive 
 character of this tale, particularly when contrasted with 'the impres- 
 sive picture of God's transcendent omnipotence in Genesis I. 
 
 V. 20. For the significance of giving names to the animals, cf. 
 note to I, 5. 
 
 V. 23. Another Hebrew word for "man" is ish. The corres- 
 ponding word for "woman" is ishah. The implication here is that 
 since woman was made from a part of man, she received the name 
 ishah, apparently, though not actually, derived from ish 9 "man". 
 
 Chapter III, v. 1. The story seems to imply that the serpent 
 originally walked erect, and only through the curse came to crawl 
 on his belly. This, too, is the explanation of the ancient rabbis. 
 Christianity sees in the serpent the devil, the power of evil. Juda- 
 ism, however, knows nothing of the devil. Such a conception of a 
 power of evil, independent of and opposed to God, would contradict 
 Judaism's fundamental teaching of the absolute oneness and omnip- 
 otence of God. 
 
 V. 15. The basis of this folk-tale is, of course, the natural human 
 horror of serpents. 
 
 V. 16. This verse voices the common Oriental conception of 
 woman's inferiority to man. 
 
 V. 17. Adam is here, as also in II, 20 and III, 21, seemingly 
 used as a proper name. 
 
62 The Book of Genesis 
 
 V. 20. The name Eve (chavvah} is here represented as being 
 etymologically akin to the word chay, "a living being". 
 
 V. 21. Skins of animals are here said to have been the first 
 regular, human garments. The fig leaf girdle of V. 7 was, of course, 
 only a temporary covering of nakedness. 
 
 V. 22. This verse not only implies that eternal life was thought 
 to be an attribute of the gods, but, as the language clearly indicates, 
 it also pictures the ancient belief in the existence of more than one 
 god. Cf. note to I, 26. We need no longer feel shocked at the 
 thought that our ancestors passed through the polytheistic stage of 
 religious belief before they 'finally arrived at the idea of monotheism, 
 and that a few vestiges of the ancient belief still survive in the oldest 
 passages of the Bible. 
 
 V. 24. Eden apparently is here located at the extreme western 
 end of the earth, since the only entrance is from the east. In II, 8 
 it is located in the extreme east. 
 
 The cherubim are usually conceived of as a class of angels or 
 subordinate divine beings, represented generally with a human face 
 and head, the body of one kind of animal, the legs and feet of an- 
 other, and the wings of a bird. The conception is probably of Baby- 
 lonian origin. Psalm XVIII, 11 represents God as riding upon a 
 cherub. 
 
 It is not certain just what "the flaming sword which turned every 
 way" was. It was probably based upon some peculiar, mythological 
 conception. 
 
Cain and Abel 63 
 
 III 
 
 CAIN AND ABEL 
 
 (Genesis IV, 1-16) 
 
 Am I my brother's keeper? (Genesis IV, 9.) 
 
 Behold how good and how pleasant it is 
 
 For brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm CXXXIII, 1.) 
 
 Read the whole of Psalm CXXXIII. 
 
 The story of Cain and Abel, too, is in origin a folk-tale, 
 answering the almost universal questions, How did men 
 begin to worship God? and How did death come into the 
 world? It, too, probably had its birth in the nomad period 
 of Israel's history. This is to be inferred from the concep- 
 tion of sacrifice which the story pictures. Not Cain's sacri- 
 fice of the produce of his fields is acceptable to God, but 
 Abel's sacrifice of the firstlings of his sheep. Not only was 
 this always the normal sacrifice in ancient Israel, but it also 
 had its origin in the old, desert life, when field products 
 were almost entirely unknown, and the only true sacrifice 
 consisted of the best of the sheep. From this standpoint 
 field products constituted an insufficient and unworthy sacri- 
 fice. For this reason the story, written entirely from the 
 nomad point of view, condemns the sacrifice of Cain and 
 approves that of Abel. 
 
 But although a folk-tale in origin, there runs through 
 this story, as through the folk-tales already considered, the 
 dominant, religious spirit of Judaism. In its present form 
 the story deals primarily with the problem of brotherhood. 
 Its thought is summed up in Cain's question, "Am I my 
 
64 The Book of Genesis 
 
 brother's keeper?" He had expected a negative reply. But 
 to his utter surprise and consternation the answer came 
 back, if not expressed directly in words, yet fully implied 
 in God's dealing with him, "You are your brother's keeper, 
 and are responsible for his life and welfare and happiness". 
 This is Judaism's unvarying answer to this eternal, universal 
 question, and this answer makes this story for us more than 
 a mere folk-tale, as it was at first ; it makes it pulsate with 
 Jewish life, thought, and belief. 
 
 To a certain extent even primitive peoples have answered 
 this question in much this same way, that man is his brother's 
 keeper, provided, however, that that brother be actually of 
 one's own flesh and blood. Brotherhood was originally lim- 
 ited to members of the clan or tribe. And even in this twen- 
 tieth century the conception of brotherhood has seemingly 
 developed but little beyond national and denominational lines. 
 Men are still held far apart by racial, national, or religious 
 differences. Competition is an approved principle in modern 
 economic life. And often, for little or no cause, ties of 
 flesh and blood are severed at a stroke. In the social life 
 of many peoples, and in our own social life today, brother- 
 hood is often held in light esteem 
 
 In significant contrast, Judaism has advanced a positive 
 conception of brotherhood and brotherly guardianship.. It 
 holds that we are our brother's keeper in the most literal 
 sense ; that we are responsible, not only for his life, but like- 
 wise for his welfare, happiness, and opportunity for devel- 
 opment. In the first place, it has affirmed this idea in rela- 
 tion to the real family life. The family and the home in 
 Israel have always been institutions whose sanctity paralleled 
 in every respect that of the Temple itself. In the Jewish 
 home parents and children, brothers and sisters, have been 
 bound together by the closest and most indissoluble ties, until 
 the Jewish home and Jewish family life have become prover- 
 bial. Our history is rich in stories of brotherly devotion. 
 
Cain and Abel 65 
 
 Brotherhood has always meant more to the Jew than to all 
 other peoples, mutual love and tenderness, responsibility and 
 guardianship, opportunity and cooperation. 
 
 A well-known story of the rabbis strikingly illustrates 
 this Jewish conception of brotherly love. There were once 
 two brothers, who possessed adjoining fields, which they had 
 inherited from their father, One year the crops were bad, 
 and famine and starvation threatened. One night, as he 
 lay upon his bed, the older brother thought to himself, "My 
 brother is younger than I, and needs his strength more". 
 So he rose and went to his field, and took of his sheaves 
 and put them in his brother's field. That same night the 
 younger brother, lying upon his bed, thought to himself, 
 "My brother is older than I, and married, and his needs are 
 greater than mine". So he, too, arose and took of his 
 sheaves, and put them in his brother's field. In the morning 
 each found to his surprise, that in some mysterious way the 
 sheaves, which he had put in the other's field, had returned 
 whence they came. The next night the incident was re- 
 peated, and again on the third night. But on this night it 
 happened that the two brothers went out to their fields at 
 the same time. When they saw what each was doing, they 
 kissed each other and wept for joy. And the act was so 
 pleasing to God, that later the field, sanctified by the love of 
 the two brothers, was deemed worthy to become the site of 
 the great and beautiful Temple of Solomon. 
 
 In the second place, Judaism has applied its conception 
 of brotherly love to all Israel. When the sons of Jacob 
 went down to Egypt to buy corn and stood before their 
 brother Joseph, whom they had wronged, they did not rec- 
 ognize him, although he knew them. Nevertheless, when, in 
 order to test them, he pretended to believe that they were 
 spies, and roughly asked them who they were, they un- 
 wittingly 'gave an answer which expresses an eternal truth. 
 "We thy servants are twelve brethren", they said, "the sons 
 
66 The Book of Genesis 
 
 of one man in the land of Canaan" (XLI, 13). Ever since, 
 the truest name and proudest title by which the Jewish peo- 
 ple has been called, and has delighted to call itself, is b'nai 
 yisrael, "Children of Israel". All Israel are brothers, the 
 rabbis taught, bound together by the closest ties of common 
 ancestry, fellowship, and love. Upon each Israelite rests 
 the obligation of caring for his Jewish brother, and of pro- 
 moting his happiness and opportunity for full and right liv- 
 ing. After the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem by 
 the Romans in 70 C. E., the victorious general Titus car- 
 ried away as captives hundreds of thousands of Jewish 
 youths and maidens, and sold them as slaves in all the great 
 markets of the world. So many there were that the market 
 was glutted, and the price of slaves fell to a fraction of 
 what it had been before. Sad indeed was the fate in store 
 for them. But at least wherever fellow-Jews dwelt, these 
 miserable slaves were at once bought up by their devoted 
 coreligionists and given their freedom. 1 That was true 
 Jewish brotherhood. 
 
 Similarly, through all the centuries, when persecution 
 and oppression, the like of which the world has never known, 
 have been Israel's lot, Jews have stood close together in the 
 firm conviction that they were all truly brothers, upon each 
 of whom rested responsibility for the protection, welfare, 
 and happiness of those brothers, less fortunate or more 
 oppressed than they. Even today we Jews have the reputa- 
 tion of caring for our weak and unfortunate and needy far 
 more systematically, thoroughly, and generously than any 
 other people. Nor do we call it "charity", for the Hebrew 
 language and the Jewish religion have no term which quite 
 expresses the thought of this word. We call it tsedakah, 
 "justice", and we voice thereby the significant Jewish thought 
 that our brethren have an inalienable and just claim upon 
 
 1 Graetz, History of the Jews (English translation), II, 311f. 
 
Cain and Abel 67 
 
 us for help and support in distress. The conviction that we 
 are our brother's keeper has become deeply ingrained in the 
 Jewish consciousness and the Jewish character, and is a 
 guiding principle in much of our Jewish life today. 
 
 And in the third place, in the course of its historic and 
 religious unfolding, Judaism has come to realize and pro- 
 claim an even broader and grander conception of brother- 
 hood. It was born in the thought first expressed by the 
 prophet Malachi, 
 
 Have we not all one father? 
 
 Hath not one God created us? (Malachi IT, 10.) 
 
 Judaism has expanded this thought far- beyond what even 
 the prophet himself conceived, for it has declared that if 
 all men have one Father, then, be they who they may, all 
 men must truly be brothers. The conception of universal 
 brotherhood, which is today beginning to enter somewhat 
 into the social, economic and political life of nations and of 
 mankind, is one of Judaism's priceless gifts to the world. 
 Persecuted by almost all peoples among whom he came to 
 dwell, driven from place to place, from city to city, and 
 from nation to nation, often denied where to lay his head 
 even for a night, the Jew has nevertheless persisted in his 
 conviction of the universal Fatherhood of God and the uni- 
 versal Brotherhood of Man. And he has boldly declared 
 through all the ages, that despite racial, social, or religious 
 separation, despite warfare, bloodshed, and oppression, all 
 men are created in the image of the one, universal God, and 
 are therefore bound together by ties too strong to be broken 
 even by warfare, enmity, and hatred. This message of uni- 
 versal brotherhood, peace, and love, first realized by the Jew, 
 and proclaimed by him to all the world, must become the 
 saving principle, which will eventually cause the disarma- 
 ment of nations, and bring all men to feel that they have 
 more to bind them together than to separate them, arfd that 
 
68 The Book of Genesis 
 
 they can realize the true ideal of life, the true purpose of 
 existence, only when they come to believe, and to live their 
 belief, that we are all our brother's keeper. The Psalmist 
 has truly said, 
 
 Behold how good and how pleasant it is 
 For brethren to dwell together in unity ! 
 For there the Lord commanded the blessing, 
 Even life forever. 
 
 Perhaps not all this can be taught to little children, at least not 
 all at once, nor just in the way outlined in the preceding paragraphs. 
 These were intended primarily for the teacher, that she may under- 
 stand aright the full Jewish interpretation of the great principle of 
 brotherhood, and that she might, out of the fulness of her knowl- 
 edge, select just the material she would give to the children. Many 
 stories about brothers will follow, and the instruction of this first 
 lesson may be amplified by these subsequent lessons. Gradually the 
 children may thus come to feel with the teacher all the truth, all 
 the beauty, all the glory of this sublime Jewish message of brother- 
 hood. 
 
 Another significant thought is suggested by v. 7 and 
 by the outcome of the story. The verse itself is difficult of 
 exact translation. The words, "shall it not be lifted up?" 
 are a pure guess at the possible meaning of a Hebrew word 
 in the sentence, which, as it stands, is corrupt and abso- 
 lutely untranslatable. It is probably as good a guess as any 
 other. However, the general meaning of the verse and its 
 context seems clear. God chides Cain for his unwarranted 
 jealousy of his brother, and says to him, "If thou doest what 
 is right, shalt thou not receive reward from the Lord? And 
 if thou dost not do what is right, then sin lieth in wait for 
 thee, and its desire is for thee to overcome thee. Neverthe- 
 less thou mayest gain the mastery over it". It is the thought 
 of the story of the Garden of Eden in a somewhat new 
 dress. Man is endowed by God with the power to choose 
 between good and evil. And not only has he this 'power, but 
 sooner* or later he is forced in some way or other to make 
 
Cain and Abel 69 
 
 this choice. Already as little children there comes to us the 
 compulsion to choose between good and evil, between obedi- 
 ence and disobedience, between righteousness and sin. Some 
 choose the right, and ever thereafter choosing the right be- 
 comes a little easier. And at last, if only they train them- 
 selves carefully and steadfastly to choose only the right and 
 to shun all wrong, doing the right becomes a part of their 
 nature. They have gained the mastery over the inclination 
 to sin, and reward from God is sure to be their portion. 
 
 Others, alas, choose the wrong. And in time, as we have 
 learned the earthly nature within them prevails completely, 
 and they sink to the level of the beasts of the earth. As the 
 verse says, sin lies in wait for them, crouching at their very 
 door, as it were, and its desire is constantly for them to 
 overcome them. At last it gains its end. If we persistently 
 choose the evil, and yield to the allurement of sin without 
 a struggle, as some do, we lose at last all power to choose 
 the good, and become completely creatures of evil and sin. 
 Rabbi Akiba, one of the wisest of Israel's ancient teachers, 
 used to say, "At first sin is like a thread, which can be 
 snapped with but the least effort. But in the end it becomes 
 like a cable, which can never be broken". And another 
 teacher, Rabbi Isaac, used to say, "Sin is at first only the 
 guest; in the end, however, it becomes the host". 
 
 The truth of these adages is well exemplified by the 
 story of Cain. He began by choosing the wrong, and envy- 
 ing and hating his brother, just because Abel's sacrifice had 
 proved more acceptable to God. And he ended by killing 
 his brother, the most awful crime known to man. Sin had 
 triumphed over him, and he was completely in its power. 
 He had hearkened to the call of the earthly nature within 
 him ; he had acted as the beasts themselves act when they 
 prey upon one another, and he had sunk therefore to the 
 very level of the beasts. In consequence he was driven out 
 from the habitations of men, and lost all human companion- 
 
70 The Book of Genesis 
 
 ship. The hand of every man was against him, as against 
 a feared and hated beast. By his own act he was doomed 
 to wander, ceaselessly, a fugitive and an outcast, up and 
 down the earth, never safe, never at rest, never daring to 
 pause For even a moment, with the mark of the sinner and 
 the beast upon him, and fearing for his life before every 
 man. Such is the fate of the sinner ever, and sooner or 
 later his sins are sure to be visited upon him by God. 
 
 And some there are, and most of us are of this class, 
 who hesitate and vacillate, who choose now the good and 
 now the evil. Sometimes the voice of God within leads 
 them to choose the right; and sometimes they hearken to the 
 call of their earthly natures and choose the wrong. How 
 is it with them? This life may be likened to a beautiful 
 park, in which God has established two roads. The road 
 on the left seems at first to lead straight ahead, and to be 
 broad and firm and easy to travel. And the other road on 
 the right, seems narrow and insecure under foot and for- 
 bidding, and it is impossible to look far adown it and de- 
 termine whither it leads. Between the two roads, high 
 up where all may read, is the warning sign, "Turn to the 
 right". But the road on the left seems much the better and 
 pleasanter and more inviting, and most people disregard 
 this sign, if they see it at all, and take the broad and 
 easy path. Soon, however, they realize that the path is 
 K not straight, that it curves away to the left, farther and 
 farther from the narrow road. And it becomes ever harder 
 under foot, and those who tread it grow foot-sore and 
 weary. It becomes narrow, too, and overgrown, and bram- 
 bles and briars on the wayside snatch at the tired wan- 
 derers, and pierce and tear and wound. Very soon the 
 wise and clearsighted begin to think of the other road on 
 the right. Luckily for them, every now and then paths 
 appear on the right side, each with the sign, "Turn to the 
 right". And one by one the wise turn aside into these paths, 
 
Cain and Abel 71 
 
 and at last regain the narrow and straight road. Only 
 the blind and the weak, and those who are too lazy or 
 too stiff-necked, refuse to turn aside. And with each 
 step their road becomes darker and narrower and more pain- 
 ful, and it ends at last in destruction and punishment for 
 all who persist in it. 
 
 The paths which lead to the right are the only hope for 
 those who, despite the first warning sign, enter upon the 
 wrong road. At first there are many such paths, and even 
 though a false start has been made, it is still no very diffi- 
 cult thing to "turn to the right". Gradually, however, the 
 paths become fewer and farther apart, and longer and harder 
 to travel, as the broad road bends ever farther to the left away 
 from the true and straight road. At last they cease altogether, 
 and those who still continue in the crooked way are hopelessly 
 lost. Yet up to the very last path it is possible to depart 
 from the evil way and "turn to the right". It means hard 
 and bitter struggle and much time lost for having strayed 
 from the true course, but at last we can win to the straight 
 road and to true happiness, and can attain the goal of use- 
 fulness and blessing which God has appointed for all exist- 
 ence, if only we persist in our struggle and steadfastly 
 choose the right. Sin will overcome us at last, if we yield 
 weakly to it. But so long as we struggle, we may still gain 
 the mastery. The paths are repentance, acknowledgment of 
 sin, self-abasement, atonement and divine forgiveness. All 
 these lead back to the right road, the way God has meant 
 that mankind should tread. The rabbis said, "He who 
 acknowledges his sin and humbles himself in this world, 
 will not be put to shame in the world to come". Truly, if 
 we choose the right and do well, we shall receive reward 
 from the Lord; but if we do not do well; then sin croucheth 
 at the door, and for us is its desire, and it must at last 
 overcome us. Then we will be like Cain, and his fate will 
 be ours. 
 
72 The Book of Genesis 
 
 But even this by no means exhausts the teaching of 
 Judaism in regard to sin and punishment, and repentance 
 and forgiveness. The next lesson will have something to 
 add to what has been presented here. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 The above outline presents two distinct and independent teach- 
 ings of Judaism, that of human brotherhood, and that of the pos- 
 sibility of mastery over the inclination to sin. The teacher should 
 not make the serious mistake of attempting to draw both lessons 
 from the story at one session. By so doing she will only nullify the 
 effect of each. She may content herself with either lesson, or she 
 may develop each thought separately at successive sessions. Each 
 is worthy of such presentation. Should she resolve upon the latter 
 course, we would suggest that the lesson of brotherhood be presented 
 first. The lesson of the possible mastery of sin may follow, and 
 serve as an effective introduction to the story of the flood, with its 
 lesson of divine justice, punishment, and mercy. A carefully pre- 
 pared diagram of the two roads and the connecting by-paths, drawn 
 upon the blackboard, may serve to make the parable concrete and 
 to impress it indelibly upon the minds of the children. 
 
 V. 3. Each brings a sacrifice of his own calling, Cain of the 
 produce of his 'fields, and Abel of the firstlings of his sheep. That 
 Abel's sacrifice is accepted and Cain's is not, is, of course, due to the 
 nomad standpoint from which the story was written, that the life 
 of the shepherd is more natural, better and more pleasing to God 
 than that of the farmer, and consequently the shepherd's sacrifice is 
 better than the farmer's. 
 
 Various answers have been given to the question, why was Abel's 
 sacrifice pleasing to God and Cain's not? They are, of course, all 
 the product of fancy. The customary answer is that Abel offered his 
 sacrifice gladly, while Cain's was given grudgingly, or that Cain gave 
 promiscuously, while Abel gave his best. There is, of course, ab- 
 solutely no basis in the Biblical story itself for any such justifi- 
 cation. 
 
 V. 7. As every one knows, printing is a comparatively modern 
 invention. Before it all books were copied by hand. In consequence 
 not only were books, or rather manuscripts, rare and precious, but 
 they were also quite likely to contain many errors, due to inexact 
 copying or other causes. Even today in copying we frequently omit a 
 letter or misread a word or overlook an entire sentence, and thus mis- 
 
Cain and Abel 73 
 
 takes creep into our copy, which can be corrected only by careful and 
 minute comparison with the original. In ancient Israel similar condi- 
 tions obtained. In copying manuscripts scribes were only too liable to 
 err. Nor did they always exercise sufficient care in copying and 
 correcting. Mistakes once made, were necessarily perpetuated in 
 copies made from the defective manuscript. In consequence more or 
 less numerous mistakes exist in the Hebrew text of all the booKs 
 of the Bible. Those books, which for one reason or another were 
 regarded as least sacred, and were accordingly copied least fre- 
 quently and with least care, as for example the Books of Samuel 
 and Ezekiel, contain the most mistakes, or, as it is generally stated, 
 their Hebrew text is most corrupt. On the other hand, the books 
 which were considered most sacred, the Torah for example, were not 
 only copied most frequently, but also with the most scrupulous care; 
 in consequence they were subject to the least liability of error and 
 to the greatest possibility of correcting" errors by comparison with 
 other manuscripts. Therefore, while here and there some mistakes 
 do occur in their text, they are nevertheless the least corrupt of all 
 the books of the Bible. Not infrequently the nature of the mistake 
 can be readily discerned from the context or in other ways, and it 
 can be corrected. Quite often, too, with the help of parallel passages 
 in the Bible, or by retranslating the very oldest translations of the 
 Bible back into Hebrew, the original text can be recovered. Occa- 
 sionally, however, all these established, scientific methods fail. And 
 while, for one reason or another, ungrammatical Hebrew for ex- 
 ample, or lack of proper context, we can not fail to recognize that 
 the Hebrew text is corrupt, we are totally unable to amend the text, 
 or even to guess with any degree of certainty what the original 
 reading and meaning may have been. This explanation will apply 
 to a small number of such hopelessly corrupt and untranslatable pas- 
 sages, with which we shall be compelled to deal. V. 7 is such a pas- 
 sage. 
 
 V. 9. Notice the cleverness of both question and answer. It 
 indicates the true artist's hand. 
 
 V. 10. At the bottom of this verse lies the conception of blood 
 revenge. In the desert the law of blood revenge is the fundamental 
 principle of social life. If a member of one family or clan or tribe 
 has been killed, some member of the family, clan, or tribe of the 
 murderer must be killed in his stead. Otherwise, it was thought, 
 if no blood were shed or no vengeance taken, the soul of the mur- 
 dered person could not rest, but must torment the surviving rela- 
 tives until the proper blood revenge was exacted. This is the 
 
74 The Book of Genesis 
 
 thought underlying the words, "The voice of thy brother's blood 
 crieth out to Me from the ground". This is additional evidence of 
 the nomad origin and basis of the story. 
 
 This practice of blood revenge our ancestors brought with them 
 out of the desert into their settled life in Palestine. But as the 
 years passed and their civilization developed they gradually out- 
 grew the original, cruel practice. The custom arose of imposing a 
 fine upon the murderer or his family, and also of distinguishing very 
 carefully between intentional and unintentional murder. Where the 
 killing was clearly unintentional, provision was made for the slayer 
 to flee to a city of refuge, and thus go unpunished (Numbers XXXV, 
 11-34; Deuteronomy XIX, 1-13). But where it could be proved 
 through competent witnesses that the killing had been premeditated, 
 the murderer was executed, under the supervision of the proper 
 authorities, by the relatives of the murdered man. 
 
 It can readily be seen from this what a grave and often malicious 
 misrepresentation it is, to say that Judaism has always insisted upon 
 the principle of eye for eye and tooth for tooth. This was merely 
 a natural and necessary stage of moral and social evolution through 
 which Israel, like all other peoples, once passed. Judaism, as we 
 all know, has advanced far beyond this original principle of retri- 
 bution. Certainly every Jew 'should know how to refute this ig- 
 norant and unjust charge, whenever made. 
 
 V. 11. In consequence of the curse the soil becomes immediately 
 unproductive and ceases to respond to Cain's tillage. This is, of 
 course, comparable to the effect of a blessing (cf. note to I, 20). 
 
 Y. 14. The Hebrew word for soil, adamah, means "tilled ground" 
 as contrasted with the desert or the wilderness. 
 
 The question is often asked, if Cain and Abel were the first 
 children of the first man and woman, why need God have placed 
 the sign upon Cain's forehead to warn anyone against killing him? 
 The teacher should try to keep as far as possible from suggesting 
 this difficult question. But if by chance the children should ask it, 
 the teacher should be ready with the only truthful answer, that this 
 is merely a beautiful story, and may well therefore be unclear, or 
 even self-contradictory, in some of its details. The same answer 
 may also be given to the very common and troublesome question, 
 who were the wives of Cain and Abel? The rabbis had the tradi- 
 tion that each had married his twin sister, and that this was one 
 of the causes of Cain's jealousy of his brother. But there is no 
 Biblical basis at all for this tradition. 
 
 Vv. 16-24 contain ancient material, for the most part genealogical 
 
Cain and Abel 75 
 
 in character, which has absolutely no connection with the Cain and 
 Abel story. The picture of Cain, living with his wife arid begetting 
 children, and even building the. "first city, and consequently dwelling 
 among men, accords but ill with the preceding picture of Cain, the 
 child of the first pair of mortals, and the murderer of his brother, 
 who was driven out by God from association with other men. It is 
 patent that these verses come from some different source. They 
 have a decided cultural interest in that they seek to account, in true 
 folkloristic manner, for the origin of three of the most primitive 
 occupations or modes of life, viz. the nomad graziers, musicians, 
 and blacksmiths. 
 
 The mention of just these three occupations, and the silence of 
 the passage as to all other occupations, are interesting and significant. 
 Clearly the traditions recorded in these verses sprang from a social 
 environment in which these were the chief modes of life, and other 
 occupations were either unknown, or of altogether minor importance. 
 Unquestionably this was the desert, nomad environment, from which, 
 we have learned, the folk-tales of the garden of Eden and Cain 
 and Abel stories also sprang. Among the Beduins of the Arabian 
 Desert, still today as in ancient times, herding of camels, sheep, and 
 goats is the chief source of livelihood. Furthermore they frequently 
 have clan or tribe bards or rhapsodists, who, on every suitable oc- 
 casion, sing or chant the heroic deeds of the tribe. And at frequent 
 intervals there come to them itinerant blacksmiths or tinkers, mem- 
 bers of outcast tribes of ill repute, who mend their kettles or other 
 metal utensils, or even make new ones, in return for food or 
 other similar compensation. 
 
 V. 16. Since, according to this verse, the land of Nod is to the 
 east of Eden, it follows that here also Eden is located in the ex- 
 treme west; cf. note to III, 24. 
 
 Vv. 23f. These verses contain a fragment of a very ancient 
 poem, sometimes known as "The Song of the Sword". The meaning 
 of the verses is very obscure. Many interpretations have been sug- 
 gested, but all purely hypothetical and fanciful, and without the 
 slightest basis of fact. The verses probably refer to some old tribal 
 myth or legend which has otherwise been lost entirely. 
 
 V. 26. 'Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord"; 
 these words imply that with the first generation after creation the 
 true worship of the God of Israel under His own proper name 
 actually began. Other and contradictory accounts of the time and 
 manner of the beginning of the worship of the God of Israel are 
 found in other parts of the Bible. 
 
76 The Book of Genesis 
 
 IV 
 
 THE FLOOD 
 
 (Genesis VI-IX) 
 
 Noah was in his generations a man righteous and wholehearted; 
 Noah walked with God. (Genesis VI, 9.) 
 
 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the 
 Lord God; and not rather that he should return from his ways, and 
 live? (Ezekiel XVIII, 23.) 
 
 Read Isaiah LV, 6-9. 
 
 It has been said by eminent scholars that the thought of 
 a great flood which once swept over the entire earth, and 
 from which only one human pair escaped, to become the 
 progenitors of a new human race, is one of the most com- 
 mon and universal motives of mythology. A great German 
 scholar has shown in a well-known book, 1 that almost all 
 primitive peoples had a flood-myth in some form or other. 
 Our ancestors were no exceptions to this rule. The story 
 of the flood is for many reasons one of the most interesting 
 in the entire Bible. 
 
 A number of apparent difficulties exist in the Biblical 
 narrative. One verse (VI, 19; cf., also VII, 15), tells that 
 two of every kind of animal were brought into the ark, 
 while a verse somewhat later (VII, 3), puts the number at 
 seven pairs of every clean, and one pair of every unclean 
 animal. Now the flood is represented as lasting forty days 
 and forty nights (VII, 12, 17; VIII, 6), and again as con- 
 tinuing for exactly one year. Other, though not quite so 
 
 1 Hermann Usener, Die Sintflutsage. 
 
The Flood , 77 
 
 obvious, contradictions are also present. From this it may 
 be inferred that in ancient Israel more than one version of 
 this flood story existed, just as was the case with other 
 Biblical stories. The present narrative really contains details 
 taken from more than one of these ancient versions, and not 
 perfectly harmonized. 
 
 More significant is the fact that this story, like the crea- 
 tion story in Genesis I, has a striking parallel in Babylonian 
 literature. The Babylonian story told that one of the great 
 gods, Ellil, enraged at the inhabitants of a certain city, de- 
 termined to destroy them with a flood. But another god, 
 Ea, revealed the impending doom to Ut-Napishtim, and bade 
 him, in preparation for the flood, build a ship, the exact 
 dimensions of which he disclosed unto him. Just before the 
 flood began, Ut-Napishtim led into the ship all the members 
 of his family, sailors to work the ship, and animals of every 
 kind. Ea himself closed up the ship after all had entered. 
 The storm raged for six days, so frightfully that all living 
 creatures perished, and even the gods were terrified at the 
 destruction they had caused, and which they were powerless 
 to end. But on the seventh day all was still ; the ship floated 
 alone upon the face of the water. After twenty-four hours 
 a little island appeared. The ship grounded fast upon the 
 top of a high mountain. After seven days a dove was sent 
 forth, but soon returned. Later a swallow was sent forth, 
 but it, too, returned. At last a raven was sent forth, and 
 did not return. Thereupon Ut-Napishtim led forth all the 
 occupants of the ship. A sacrifice was offered, about which 
 the gods swarmed greedily like flies. Ellil was pacified by 
 the other gods, and finally bestowed upon Ut-Napishtim and 
 his wife the blessing of eternal life. 
 
 The similarity between this Babylonian myth and our 
 Biblical story is striking. Clearly one is borrowed from the 
 other. And since the Babylonian story is the older, it must 
 
78 The Book of Genesis 
 
 be that our Biblical story is borrowed from the Babylonian 
 original. 
 
 The Babylonian Flood Story 
 
 Actually, however, the points of similarity between the 
 original Babylonian version of the flood-story and the Biblical 
 version are of less significance than the numerous points of 
 difference. Since the Biblical story is borrowed from the 
 Babylonian, these points of difference were more probably 
 purposed than accidental. They must have been introduced 
 into the Biblical story deliberately, in order that it might 
 voice certain vital and fundamental Jewish truths. 
 
 The first essential difference is in the conception of the 
 Deity. The Babylonian gods are many ; they are depicted in 
 gross and anthropomorphic manner; they are subject to out- 
 bursts of anger, are powerless to control the storm which 
 they have caused, and are even terrified by it ; too late they 
 regret the evil consequences of their ill-considered act ; and 
 they swarm like flies greedily about the sacrifice. In direct 
 
The Flood 79 
 
 and significant contrast, the God of the Bible is only one, 
 supreme, all-wise and all-powerful, sublime and spiritual. 
 In the Babylonian story the ship is manned by sailors and 
 helmsman. But in the Biblical story the ark floats along, 
 cared for only by God, and in no danger of foundering, 
 guided by His providence, that at last His wise and loving 
 purpose might be fulfilled. 
 
 But one difference is significant above all others. The 
 flood is brought by the Babylonian gods and all mankind is 
 destroyed merely because one god has been personally an- 
 gered by the people of a single city. Only through the favor 
 of another god do one man and those with him escape. In 
 marked contrast, the Biblical story depicts the increasing 
 sinfulness of mankind, despite God's purpose of good. Only 
 after waiting patiently for ten long generations in the hope 
 that mankind would repent of its evil, and only when, at 
 last, convinced of the total and hopeless corruption of the 
 human race, does God, in sorrow, determine upon their de- 
 struction. But the one man who does not merit the common 
 fate, him alone with his family God saves. 
 
 "Noah was in his generation a man righteous and whole- 
 hearted; Noah walked with God." Thus the Bible charac- 
 terizes the hero of the flood-story, and at the same time 
 contrasts him with the rest of his generation. "Noah walked 
 with God". In this simple phrase the entire Jewish scheme 
 of life is summed up. God has placed us here on earth, we 
 have learned, for a definite purpose. He has endowed us 
 with rich gifts and powers, and has bidden us use these to 
 fulfil the purpose of existence. If we obey, then we live 
 as God has meant that we should live, and mankind is 
 blessed by our living. Such living the Bible calls walking 
 with God, treading the path of life which He has ordained. 
 
 To turn away from God and to cease to walk with Him 
 and in His path is rebellion against God and defiance of His 
 law of life. The Hebrew verb for to turn away is sur. 
 
80 The Book of Genesis 
 
 The noun derived from this verb-stem, sarah, means rebel- 
 lion, iniquity, sin. But this is not the end. Though we may 
 have departed far from God and His way, and be sunk 
 deeply in sin, still we are not hopelessly lost. We can still 
 return to God, and once more tread His path and walk -with 
 Him. The Hebrew verb for to return is slmv, and the 
 derivative noun, fshvtvah, means returning or repentance. 
 And that, Judaism teaches, is all that repentance is, a return- 
 ing to God, seeking Him out in deep contrition, and begin- 
 ning once more to walk with Him, with the firm resolve in 
 our hearts never again to turn away from His path. No 
 matter how far we may have strayed, we can still return to 
 Him if we will. Ever His pardoning love reaches out to us, 
 for He is a God of justice, yes, but a God whose justice is" 
 tempered by love and mercy and the desire, not to punish, 
 but to forgive. As the prophet Ezekiel said, "Have I any 
 pleasure at all that the wicked should die ? saith the Lord ; 
 and not rather that he should return from his ways, and 
 live?" 
 
 Such is our Jewish teaching of life and sin and repentance 
 and divine forgiveness, based upon our knowledge of God's 
 goodness and love, His all-wise purpose for men, and His 
 absolute justice in dealing with men. This is the fundamental 
 Jewish truth which the Biblical flood-story was made to 
 convey, and which shows its vast spiritual superiority over 
 its Babylonian original. 
 
 Beautifully illustrating God's love and His desire for the 
 repentance, rather than the death, of His sinning children, 
 the rabbis amplified the Biblical story by relating that God 
 had announced the flood to Noah one hundred and twenty 
 years before it began. So Noah, at God's bidding, planted 
 a forest, from which in time he might build the ark. When 
 the people gathered round- and asked what he was doing, 
 Noah told of the impending flood and urged them to repent 
 and live righteous lives, that God might forgive them, and 
 
The Flood 81 
 
 perhaps not bring the flood; for God is truly, as the Bible 
 says, "merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in 
 goodness and truth." (Exodus XXXIV, 6.) But they only 
 laughed at Noah and his words. Years passed and the trees 
 grew big and strong. Noah continued to urge the people to 
 repent, but still they laughed and mocked and persisted in 
 their evil ways. At last Noah began to cut down the trees 
 and build the ark. With only his three sons to help he 
 labored on, believing firmly in God's word, while the people 
 scoffed more loudly than ever. Soon the ark was completed 
 and Noah and his family and the animals entered. Seven 
 more days God allowed, as the final opportunity for the 
 people to repent. Though the clouds were dark and lightning 
 flashed, they refused to believe or to cease from their sinful 
 conduct. But when the flood began and the water rose 
 higher and higher, they crowded about the ark, and in fear 
 and anguish declared that now they believed and repented 
 and were sorry for their past, and begged to be taken in. 
 Thus sinners do always when the consequences of their sin 
 at last come upon them. But all in vain; God Himself had 
 closed up the ark, and it was not to be opened until the flood 
 had ceased. As the waters rose higher and higher, the 
 people in despair ascended the mountains. Soon, however, 
 the highest summits were covered and all living creatures 
 without the ark perished, and the race of sinners came to 
 an end. 
 
 But the one righteous, man in that generation, the one man 
 who walked with God and lived the life He intended that 
 man should live, and who tried by word and example to 
 lead others to righteousness, him and his family God kept 
 alive to become the parents of a new and better and more 
 righteous race. With him He established His covenant, and 
 sealed the covenant with His bow, the rainbow which shines 
 so beautifully in the sky, when the bright sun breaks through 
 and scatters the dark clouds, whose ends seem to rest upon 
 
82 The Book of Genesis 
 
 the earth, but whose arch spans God's heaven. Thus the 
 rainbow, which bridges heaven and earth, tells us that al- 
 though we live on earth,' we may still, through righteousness, 
 walk with God. It bids us hope and rejoice, for God's cove- 
 nant is with us, too, if only, like Noah, we strive to be 
 righteous and wholehearted in our generation. 
 
 The fundamental Jewish principles expressed in the story, and 
 therefore the thoughts to be emphasized in presenting it, are ac- 
 cordingly, God's justice and love, the life which He has ordained 
 that man should live, the sin in departing therefrom, the evil and 
 sorrowful consequences of sin, and the possibility of repentance, 
 which God, in His love, ever holds out to man. True, these are 
 really thoughts and doctrines to be rightly comprehended only by 
 mature minds. But there is very much in the story, and in the 
 accompanying rabbinical illustration, which can be brought home 
 convincingly and constructively, even to children, and which will 
 help to lay a firm foundation of Jewish righteousness, and teach 
 them to look out upon life through Jewish eyes, and to face its 
 temptations and solve its problems with the strong support of Jewish 
 character. 
 
 In presenting the story the teacher should emphasize its positive 
 lessons. Something must, of course, be said of the sinfulness of the 
 people and of the awfulness of their doom, and the children should 
 be made to feel real horror at the very thought of sin. But much 
 more emphasis should be laid upon the positive ideas of God's wise 
 and loving purpose for man, Noah's righteousness and God's pleasure 
 therein, God's covenant, and the promise of the new and purified 
 human race. 
 
 The teacher should dwell but little upon such inconsequential and 
 prosaic details as the dimensions of the ark, and the manner in which 
 the animals came into it. She must feel* the poetic and spiritual con- 
 tent of the story, and bring the children to feel this with her. Some 
 incidents may well be elaborated, as, for example, the incident of the 
 dove returning with the olive leaf, the almost universal symbol of 
 peace, brotherhood, cooperation, and industry, the virtues which were 
 to characterize the new race, in contrast to the sins and vices of 
 the old, destroyed race. M'any tales from the rabbis, illustrating 
 these thoughts can be found in the various compendia of rabbinical 
 stories cited in the bibliography. 
 
 Although long, the story is a unit It should, therefore, always 
 
The Flood 83 
 
 be presented completely in one lesson ; otherwise it will fail of its 
 purpose. In the succeeding lesson or lessons the teacher can return 
 to the story with profit, and amplify and reinterpret it in greater 
 detail, and with more direct and wider application. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 V. This chapter records the tradition that ten generations elapsed 
 from creation to the flood. This tradition, too, was borrowed from 
 an ancient Babylonian myth, which told of ten successive kings, 
 the ifirst men, who reigned in unbroken succession from creation to 
 the flood. The tenth and last of these kings was the hero of the 
 Babylonian flood story, just as Noah, the tenth in the Biblical list, 
 was the hero of the Biblical flood story. The names of several of 
 these mythical Babylonian kings seem to be identical with some of 
 the names in the Biblical list; this is additional proof of the rela- 
 tionship of these two traditions. The Babylonian myth, further- 
 more, represents these kings as ruling for inordinately long periods, 
 just as the Biblical tradition ascribes exceeding length of days to 
 each of these pre-diluvian patriarchs. For further consideration of 
 these legendary ages, cf. note to VI, 3 and VII, 6. The names of 
 the majority of these patriarchs here are practically identical with 
 those given in IV, 17-23. Undoubtedly these two passages record 
 varying versions of one and the same tradition, at one time current 
 in ancient Israel. 
 
 Vv. 21-23 contain a fragment of an ancient Israelite myth, of 
 which Enoch was the hero. The three hundred and sixty-five years 
 of his life suggest the three hundred and sixty-five days of a solar 
 year. In all likelihood Enoch was a solar hero, and the Enoch 
 story was a solar myth, similar in many respects to the solar myths 
 of other ancient peoples. Later Jewish tradition speculated quite 
 freely about this figure of Enoch and his translation to heaven. 
 Eventually it made Enoch the hero of one of the earliest, best known 
 and most important Jewish apocalyptic works, the Book of Enoch 
 (cf. Jewish Encyclopedia V, 178ff.). This book represents Enoch 
 as being taught by the angels, after he had been carried to heaven, 
 all the mysteries of heaven and earth, of time and eternity. 
 
 VI, 1-4. These verses, in their present form and position, are 
 intended to depict the increasing depravity of mankind. Actually 
 they constitute the remains of an ancient myth, which must have been 
 current in Israel, at a very early period. This myth must have told 
 of marriages of the sons of the gods with human maidens, and of 
 
84 The Book of Genesis 
 
 gigantic offspring therefrom. As v. 4 implies, these giants must 
 have been famous for mighty deeds. Of these the ancient myth 
 undoubtedly told in detail. The references remind forcibly of the 
 Greek myth of the Titans. The ancient Israelite myth may well 
 have been similar to that in many respects. The ancient myth, it is 
 clear, told of many gods and their offspring. But since this con- 
 ception was so diametrically opposed to the fundamental principles of 
 later Jewish monotheism, the ancient myth was allowed to gradually 
 disappear from Jewish tradition. We regret its loss, for naturally we 
 wish to know as much as possible of the beliefs, mythology and 
 folklore of our earliest ancestors. But at least we are grateful for 
 these few references, which enable us to vaguely reconstruct one of 
 the myths in which our fathers must have once delighted. 
 
 V. 3. Possibly there lurks in this verse some mythological idea 
 comparable to the Greek legend of the four ages, gold, silver, brass 
 and iron, and the reduction in each of the span of human life. 
 Similarly the Bible tells that before the flood the ages of men 
 ranged from the seven hundred and seventy-seven years of Lemech 
 to the nine hundred and sixty-nine of Methuselah (V). From the 
 fiood to Abraham the ages were reduced from the six hundred years 
 of Shem to the one- hundred and forty-eight of Nahor (XI, 10-32). 
 Abraham lived one hundred and seventy-five years (XXV, 7), 
 Ishmael one hundred and thirty-seven years (XXV, 17), Isaac, one 
 hundred and eighty years (XXXV, 28), Jacob, one hundred and 
 forty-seven years (XLVII, 28), Joseph, one hundred and ten years 
 (L, 26), Moses, one hundred and twenty years (Deuteronomy 
 XXXIV, 7), and Joshua, one hundred and ten years (Joshua XXIV, 
 29). By the time of David, according to Jewish tradition, based 
 upon Psalm XC, 10, the limit of human life had been ifixed by God 
 at seventy, or at the most eighty, years. The implication of the 
 tradition is that each reduction of the span of life was due to the 
 increasing sinfulness of man. 
 
 V. 4. Nephilim means etymologically, the fallen ones, or those 
 who were cast down. Chiefly upon the basis of this etymology and 
 this legend, the tradition of the fallen angels who were banished 
 from heaven developed in Jewish lore, and passed thence into the 
 beliefs and literatures of many peoples and creeds. This tradition 
 inspired Milton's Paradise Lost in part. 
 
 V. 14. The Hebrew word tebah, generally translated ark, really 
 means a kind of box. The same word is used for the little basket or 
 box in which the babe Moses was placed (Exodus II, 2). The use 
 of the word here shows how altogether deficient was our ancestors' 
 
The Flood 85 
 
 knowledge of seafaring. The ark is hers represented as a rectangu- 
 lar shaped box, divided into three stories, which floated with ex- 
 actly half its volume in the water and half above. Cf. note to 
 VII, 20. 
 
 Gopher was apparently a kind of wood used for building. The 
 pitch was used to calk the seams. 
 
 V. 15. The cubit was apparently slightly less than two feet in 
 length. Cf. Jeivish Encyclopedia, XII, 483. 
 
 V. 21. By "food that might be eaten," is meant only herbs. Ac- 
 cording to I, 29, permission was at "first given to men and animals 
 to eat only herbs. Not until after the flood was permission given 
 to eat flesh, with the restriction however that no blood might be eaten 
 (IX, 3). 
 
 VII, 6. The great age here ascribed to 'Noah, and in V, to 
 the other antediluvian patriarchs, is altogether mythical and theologi- 
 cal, and without the slightest historical basis (cf. note to VI, 3). 
 No stress should be laid upon this, however, in presenting the story, 
 unless the children ask whether these figures are true. But in such 
 case the teacher must not hesitate to give the only correct answer. 
 Under no condition should the impression be conveyed that this is 
 real history, or that it can in any way be harmonized with real 
 history. 
 
 V. 11. According to this verse and v. 24 and VIII, 4, 13, 14, 
 the flood lasted just 365 days, i. e. one solar year. A lunar year 
 consisted of approximately 354^ days, i. e. 12 x 29^ + days, the 
 duration of one cycle of the four phases of the moon. The flood 
 is said to have lasted altogether 365 days, from the 17th of the 
 second month of one year, to the 27th of the same month of the 
 next year. The Jewish calendar is reckoned according to the lunar 
 year. But since there is a difference of 10, or more approximately, 
 10^ days between a solar and a lunar year, the Jewish calendar 
 observes a leap year, consisting of one extra month of twenty-nine 
 days, seven times in every cycle of nineteen years. This makes pos- 
 sible a very close harmonization. It may be possible in this con- 
 nection to teach the children the names of the Hebrew months, and 
 the order of the festivals. 
 
 The explanation of the reference to the "springs of the great deep 
 and the windows of heaven" will be found in the note to I, 6. The 
 implication is that the original state of chaos, before the land had 
 appeared, as described in Genesis I, was for the moment reestab- 
 lished. 
 
 V. 20. The tops of the mountains are covered fifteen cubits deep, 
 
86 The Book of Genesis 
 
 i. e. just half the entire depth of the ark (cf. VI, 14-15, and note). 
 The .author means to say that the waters were just deep enough 
 for the ark, submerged to exactly half its depth, to float over the 
 tops of the highest mountains. Therefore at the very moment when 
 the waters begin to sink, the ark rests fast upon the summit of the 
 highest mountain. 
 
 V. 24. The waters increase for one hundred and fifty days, then 
 run off for one hundred and (fifty days, and sixty-fiive days are al- 
 lowed for the earth to dry. 
 
 Mt. Ararat in Armenia 
 
 VIII, 1. The winds blow down upon the waters, and keep them 
 from rising higher. 
 
 V. 3. Don't ask where the waters went to. Probably back into 
 the subterranean ocean, whence they were said to have come. If 
 the children ask, tell them that our ancestors probably imagined that 
 the waters ran off into the ocean, about which, not being experienced 
 sailors or travelers, they had very vague and peculiar notions. 
 
 V. 4. Ararat is really a very high mountain in Armenia. Prob- 
 ably it was the highest mountain known to the ancient Semites. 
 Probably, too, our ancestors had no definite idea of its location. 
 Many travelers have ascended Ararat in search of the remains of 
 the ark. Some, misled by vivid, orthodox imaginations, claim to have 
 found remains, or traces. But the majority admit that there is nothing 
 there. 
 
The Flood 87 
 
 V. 7. The statement that the raven was sent forth first and did 
 not return, is probably not an integral part of the story proper, but 
 must have come from some other version of the myth. For if the 
 raven did not return, Noah would presumably have at once inferred 
 that the waters had already abated, just as he did later when the 
 dove did not return. Lest the children ask this very embarrassing 
 and altogether unnecessary question, it is better to omit all refer- 
 ence to the raven in presenting the story. 
 
 V, 11. The freshly plucked olive leaf showed that the waters 
 had abated sufficiently for the olive trees, which do not reach a 
 great height, and do not flourish in high altitudes, to be above water, 
 and to be fresh and green once more. 
 
 In expounding the incident of the dove bringing back the olive 
 leaf, the rabbis told that this olive leaf came from out the garden 
 of Eden. For in God's mercy the gates of Paradise had been opened 
 to the dove, and she had been free to pluck whatever she wished. 
 And the wise rabbis asked, "If that were so, why then, did she not 
 pluck something sweet and fragrant and precious, rather than the 
 bitter, worthless olive leaf?" But questions like this they asked 
 only to answer them themselves in their wisdom. And so they said, 
 "She plucked the bitter olive leaf and brought it to Noah, to show 
 him that better far is the bitter which cometh from God than the 
 sweet and fragrant which come only from man". 
 
 V. 12. That the dove did not return, showed that she could feed 
 and care for herself, and consequently that the waters had com- 
 pletely run off. 
 
 V. 22. The blessing implied in this Terse is that the orderly 
 course of nature and of life shall never be interrupted again in order 
 to punish mankind for whatever sins it might commit in the future. 
 
 IX, 1-2. First God renews for Noah and his posterity the original 
 blessing of f ruitfulness, spoken over mankind at creation ; cf . I, 28. 
 
 V. 3. Cf. note to VI, 21. 
 
 V. 4. The ancient conception was that the soul, and hence the 
 life, dwelt in the blood (cf. IV, 10). Therefore the blood might not 
 be eaten, for that would be equivalent to eating the actual life and 
 soul of the animal. This is the basis of the old Jewish custom of 
 slaughtering animals by cutting their throats, in order that all the 
 blood might flow forth from the veins and .arteries, and of carefully 
 salting meat before it is cooked, in order to draw out all the re- 
 maining blood. In this way the command, not to eat the blood, is 
 kept most punctiliously. 
 
 V. 6. This verse seems to justify capital punishment for murder. 
 
 V. 9. The fulfillment of the promise of the covenant in VI, 18. 
 
88 The Book of Generis 
 
 V. 13. The rainbow is called God's bow. Probably this implied 
 that the lightning was conceived of as His arrows shot from His 
 bow. A vague, mythological conception seems to underlie all this. 
 
 The rainbow has played an important role in mythology, as is 
 shown by the Greek legend of Iris, and the Scandinavian conception 
 of the rainbow as the bridge to Walhalla, the abode of the gods. 
 
 Vv. 20-27. These verses have no connection at all with the 
 flood story. Instead, much after the manner of IV, 17-26, they tell 
 that Noah was the first man to plant a vineyard and to discover, 
 through shameful experience the nature and evil qualities of wine. 
 It is, of course, a typical folk-lore motive. On the basis of this 
 Biblical tradition the rabbis conceived of the following interesting 
 and suggestive story. They told that when Adam was driven forth 
 from Eden, he carried with him a shoot of the vine which grew in 
 the garden. Noah found this and determined to plant it. He was 
 assisted in this task by none other than Satan himself. But before 
 actually beginning the work, Satan first slaughtered in succession a 
 lamb, a lion, a pig and a monkey and let their blood flow over the 
 vine. When Noah asked what was the significance of this, Satan 
 answered that each of these four animals symbolized the qualities 
 of the vine. Before man drinks of its fruit he is innocent as a 
 lamb. If he drinks of it in moderation he becomes strong and bold, 
 like a lion. If he drinks too much, however, he becomes like a pig 
 in thought and act. And if he drinks to excess and becomes intoxi- 
 cated, he acts like a monkey, not knowing what he does, but be- 
 having in silly and foolish manner, making himself the object of the 
 raillery and contempt of all, and bringing shame upon himself, even 
 as Noah did. 
 
 Vv. 25-27 are poetic in character. They attempt to describe the 
 political and economic relations of the three different groups of 
 peoples known to ancient Israel. They also account for the condition 
 of subordination and practical servitude of the remnant of the 
 original Canaanite inhabitants of Palestine after the Israelite con- 
 quest; cf. Joshua IX. 
 
 X. Upon the basis of this chapter the Caucasian race has been 
 divided by scholars into three ethnic groups, named after the three 
 traditional sons of Noah, the Semitic, the Hamitic and the Japhitic 
 or Indo-Germanic, as it is more commonly called. This classifica- 
 tion is more convenient than exact and scientific. We know that the 
 Sabaeans (Sheba) and the Ethiopians (Cush), which vv. 6-7 in- 
 clude among the Hamites, really belonged to the Semitic group. On 
 the other hand, the Elamites and Lydians were not Semites, de- 
 spite the statement of v. 22. Israel is, of course, a Semitic people. 
 
"The Tower of Babel 89 
 
 THE TOWER OF BABEL 
 
 (Genesis XI, 1-9) 
 
 Let us make a name. (Genesis XI, 4.) 
 
 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. (Pro- 
 verbs XXII, 1.) 
 
 Read Mitfah IV, 1-4. 
 
 If the entire human race were descended from one man, 
 as the Bible tells, and as many people still believe, how did 
 it come to be divided into separate peoples and nations, and 
 how did these come to speak different languages? These 
 are interesting questions, which science is still asking today. 
 This little story of the Tower of Babel contains what our 
 ancestors conceived to be a satisfactory answer to these ques- 
 tions. The answer is, of course, in the form of a charming 
 folk-tale. For, naturally, our ancestors knew nothing of 
 science, and could not study these problems scientifically nor 
 give a scientific answer. But we are more thankful for this 
 beautiful folk-tale, with its wealth of inspiring thought and 
 spiritual truth, than we would have been for the most scien- 
 tific and correct answer to these questions that might ever 
 be given. In studying our Bible, we seek not natural science, 
 but thoughts and knowledge of God and of the life He has 
 meant that mankind should live. Of these this story is full. 
 
 The rabbis of old taught that for a long time after the 
 flood, mankind lived happily together, in peace and harmony 
 and love. Then they were only one people and spoke only 
 one language. This language, the first language ever spoken, 
 
90 The Book of Genesis 
 
 the language which even God and the angels used, so uur 
 fathers told, was Hebrew. Because of this, and also because 
 our Bible was written in it, they called this language rev- 
 erently the I'slwn hakkodesh, "the holy language", or "the 
 language of God". Many people today, who are not even 
 Jews, are happy to study and to know Hebrew. And surely 
 we Jews ourselves should be eager to know as much as 
 possible of this beautiful and holy language of our fathers. 
 
 In time, as mankind increased in numbers, a false am- 
 bition to make a name for themselves, seized them. They 
 began to build a great city and a tower so high that it would 
 reach up to heaven, for they thought that thus they might 
 get up to God. They labored on ceaselessly, and at last 
 the city was finished, and the tower was rising higher and 
 higher. But the higher the tower rose, so the wise rabbis 
 told, the more the old spirit of love, harmony and peace 
 disappeared. They were so eager to finish their task and 
 win their great name, that they ceased to care for each other. 
 If a man fell from the tower and was killed, no one grieved, 
 for there were plenty more men, and they could not take 
 time to stop. But if, perchance, a brick fell to the ground, 
 then they grieved exceedingly, for some one must climb down 
 to pick up the brick, since it was needed in building, and 
 thus much valuable time was lost. Because of their selfish 
 ambition and desire a brick now seemed to them more 
 precious than a human life. Thus they came to put a false 
 value upon things, and to misunderstand the purpose of life. 
 Small wonder, therefore, that God was displeased, and de- 
 termined to put an end to this state of things. So mankind 
 was scattered over the whole earth, and came to form sep- 
 arate peoples and to speak different languages. 
 
 But at this very same moment, so the Bible implies, and 
 so the rabbis also taught, God determined to create one 
 people as His very own, who should stand nearer to Him 
 than any other, and should speak His own holy language, 
 
The Tower of Babel 91 
 
 Hebrew. This people was Israel. But Israel was not to be 
 God's chosen people, merely that God might love it better 
 than all other peoples, and bestow upon it 3 larger share of 
 favor and blessing. Israel was to be God's servant and 
 messenger unto mankind, charged with the task of teaching 
 all the world about God, and His life of peace and brotherly 
 love and true worship. For this reason God taught Israel 
 first the knowledge of Himself, and revealed to it His law. 
 And if Israel, in turn, teaches this knowledge truly to man- 
 kind, and exemplifies by its life, by the life of every single 
 Jew, the way in which God wants all mankind to live, then 
 at last mankind will learn this knowledge, and come to live 
 in accordance with God's will. Then once more, through 
 Israel, peace and happiness and love will reign throughout 
 the world. In accordance with His promise, instead of 
 bringing another flood to destroy mankind when they became 
 wicked, God now prepared to create Israel, to teach men the 
 true way to live, and to bring mankind back to the right 
 path, and thus save them from the evil consequences of 
 their sin. And in time, through Israel the true unity of the 
 human race will be once more restored, the unity which will 
 rest upon a stronger and more enduring basis than consid- 
 erations of mere common language and dwelling together, 
 the unity of God's spirit in all men, which binds them to- 
 gether as one family, brothers, God's children, created in 
 His image, and fills them with the sincere desire to walk in 
 His way and to do His will. In the very next lesson we 
 shall learn of God's call of Israel for this glorious mission. 
 Another beautiful thought, too, is contained in this story. 
 The people imagined that by building a high tower they 
 could actually get up to God, and thus make for themselves 
 a name which would never perish. But they failed. Many 
 people still have ambitions like <this. They say to themselves, 
 "I will make myself famous, so that my name shall be on 
 every tongue, and people will call me 'Great' ". Others say, 
 
92 The Book of Genesis 
 
 "I will live a good life, free from all sin, in order that at 
 last I may get up to God". Perhaps, in order that they may 
 not sin, they go off and live by themselves, away from every- 
 body else. But they always fail. Why? Have you ever, 
 upon some beautiful, starry night, looked at the constellation 
 known as the Great Bear, or the Dipper? Six stars you 
 can see very plainly. But one star, the one which joins the 
 handle to the cup, is not easily seen. You know it is there; 
 but when you look at it directly you can not see it. But 
 turn your gaze slightly, and look at one of the other stars 
 nearby, and then, indirectly, you see the star you have been 
 seeking, shining out as brightly and beautifully as the rest. 
 Just so it is with consciously trying to be great and to be 
 good and to make a name for ourselves. With only this 
 one purpose and this one ambition we can never succeed. 
 We can never become great just by working to be great, for 
 this is a selfish end, and no one can become great by being 
 selfish. No one ever deserved to be called great merely 
 because of what he did for himself. Only those men and 
 women have been considered truly great by the world, who 
 have found some great and good work to do, some work 
 entirely unselfish, whose only purpose is to help others and 
 to make them better and happier. And they have done this 
 work, thinking only of the good and happiness they are 
 bringing to others, and never - of themselves or that they 
 may be called great. Thus these noble men and women do 
 much good and bring much happiness and blessing, until at 
 last the world begins to call them "Great", or even better, 
 "Good". Thus, and thus alone, do they make a name for 
 themselves. But such a name is the finest reward which 
 one can get, for it will never die; it lives on and on, even 
 after we are no more, and mankind honors and loves our 
 memory long, long after we 'have passed away. Therefore 
 the Bible says truly, 
 
The Tower of Babel 93 
 
 The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing (Proverbs 
 X, 7). 
 
 and again, 
 
 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. 
 
 And in the same spirit the rabbis taught that the great man 
 needs no tombstone to cause his name to be remembered. 
 His wise words and his deeds of loving-kindness are his 
 lasting monument. And they also said, "There are three 
 crowns, the crown of the Torah, the crown of the priest- 
 hood, and the crown of royalty; but the crown of a good 
 name surpasses them all". 
 
 And this story says even more, that we can not get up 
 to God merely by trying to get there, by saying, "I will do 
 nothing but think of God and pray to him day and night". 
 For this would mean thinking only of self and one's own 
 desires, and not of others. It would be just like the people 
 who did not care if a man fell from the tower and was 
 killed, but grieved if a brick fell down. Even the desire to 
 get up to God becomes selfish and wicked, when we think 
 only of self. Surely God did not intend that we should 
 live in this way. Of course we must think of God a great 
 deal, and pray to him for help and strength to do right, and 
 thank Him for all the happiness and blessing He bestows 
 upon us every day. But we must also do the work which 
 He has intended us to do, and particularly the work which 
 He has chosen Israel to do. By our words, and even more, 
 by our lives, we must teach the world all that God's life on 
 earth means, and thus help all men to live better and nobler. 
 We can get up to God ourselves only by helping others, 
 too, to get there. God does not want that only a few, but 
 that all His children, whom He loves equally, should come 
 close to Him. We can not be truly good just by going off 
 by ourselves and never doing wrong Such lives are alto- 
 gether useless and wasted, and miss entirely the purpose for 
 
94 The Book of Genesis 
 
 which God has created them. Man is a social being, Judaism 
 teaches, and must live in the world, among his brothers and 
 for his brothers, to realize the purpose of existence. Being 
 good means not only doing no wrong, but also, and even 
 more, doing much that is right. We can do this right only 
 by helping others, and never thinking of ourselves and the 
 reward we may get. We work not for the reward, but for 
 the good we can do and the happiness we can bring. As 
 one of the wise teachers of old used to say, "Be not as 
 servants who serve the Master in order to receive reward, 
 but be as servants who serve the Master not in order to re- 
 ceive reward; and let the fear of God be upon you." 
 
 With this story of the Tower of Babel the first group of 
 stories of Genesis comes to an end. As was stated in the 
 Introduction, they are decidedly universalistic in character. 
 They deal primarily with the question of the relation of all 
 peoples whom God has created to Him, the one, universal 
 God of all mankind. A logical and systematic unfolding of 
 this general theme can be readily perceived. From the 
 fundamental concept of the creation of the universe by God 
 for a definite purpose of good, and the institution by Him 
 of the two complimentary and proportionate phases of 
 human life, work and rest, the theme advances to a more 
 detailed consideration of the specific purpose of the creation 
 and existence of man, and of the peculiar nature of man as 
 fashioned by God. The Paradise story teaches that man is 
 possessed of a divine as well as of an earthly nature; that 
 right living means barkening to the call of the divine within, 
 and by choosing the good and using the gifts which God has 
 bestowed upon us rightly and for their destined end, to 
 become co-laborers with God in the exalted task of realizing 
 the purpose of good for which this universe was created. 
 But why should man labor thus, ofttimes painfully and with 
 great sacrifice? The answer, suggested by the Cain and 
 Abel story, is because we are our brothers' keepers, because 
 
The Tower of Babel 95 
 
 man is a social being, has been created by God not to seek 
 his own selfish ends, but to live with his fellowmen, his 
 brothers, and share with them the general responsibility, and 
 labor with them for the common good. But, since man is 
 endowed with the power to choose between right and wrong, 
 what happens if man chooses the wrong, and not only refuses 
 to apply his powers and gifts to their appointed uses, but 
 even applies them deliberately to base uses? The flood story 
 answers that man is responsible to God for the good or evil 
 of his life, and that God punishes the evil even as He 
 rewards the good, for-He is primarily a God of justice; but 
 His justice is tempered by mercy; therefore He punishes 
 only reluctantly and late, and constantly holds out to man 
 the possibility of repentance and forgiveness and renewed 
 right living. 
 
 Thus far these have been universal questions and prob- 
 lems. They deal with the relation of all mankind to God. 
 God has created all men for the same purpose of good, and 
 demands from all men certain positive standards of life and 
 conduct. There is a universal, ethical law for all men, and 
 even, in a way, also a certain universal ritual law, summed 
 up in the proper observance of the Sabbath and in the pro- 
 hibition of eating blood. All men must conform to these 
 laws. 
 
 But what if mankind forgets these laws, or does not 
 understand how to evaluate them correctly? The Tower of 
 Babel story hints that God has in His wisdom and love pro- 
 vided for even this contingency. He will not destroy sinning 
 mankind; instead He will raise up one little people, His 
 chosen people, whom He will train and discipline and pre- 
 pare to receive a full and concrete statement of His law of 
 life, that this people may first live in accordance with this 
 law and come to understand it thoroughly, and may then 
 undertake its appointed task of bringing the knowledge of 
 this law to the rest of mankind. Thereby all men will come 
 
96 The Book of Genesis 
 
 to live the life which God has intended, and the purpose of 
 creation and existence will be at last fulfilled. This little 
 people is Israel ; and through Israel, these stories of Genesis, 
 and in fact the entire Bible, imply, that golden age shall at 
 last be realized, so gloriously pictured by the inspired 
 prophet : 
 
 In the end of days it shall come to pass 
 
 That the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the 
 
 top of the mountains, 
 And it shall be exalted above the hills; 
 And peoples shall flow unto it. 
 And many nations shall go and say: 
 
 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, 
 And to the house .of the God of Jacob ; 
 And He will teach us of His ways, 
 And we will walk in His paths': 
 For out of Zion shall go forth the law, 
 And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 
 And He shall judge between many peoples, 
 And shall decide concerning mighty nations afar off; 
 And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, 
 And their spears into pruning-hooks ; 
 Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, 
 Neither shall they learn war any more. 
 
 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, 
 And none shall make them afraid; 
 For the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken. 
 
 The next thought in the logical unfolding of the general 
 theme is, of course, the election and training and disciplining 
 of Israel for its great mission. As was stated in the Intro- 
 duction, this is the thought of the Abraham cycle of stories. 
 The Tower of Babel story, therefore, is not only the con- 
 clusion of the first group of the stories of Genesis, but it 
 is also the connecting link between this first group of stories 
 and the Abraham cycle. With this introduction we are pre- 
 pared to consider the Abraham stories in detail. 
 
The Tower of Babel 97 
 
 NOTES 
 
 V. 2. "From the east'', is a very obscure expression, the exact 
 meaning of which can not be determined. It seems to imply that the 
 starting-point of the migration was not Ararat, but rather Eden, 
 which, according to II, 8, was situated in the extreme east. Cf. 
 the note to III, 24. 
 
 Sliinar, an ancient name for the Mesopotamian valley. 
 
 V. 3. In this valley stone suitable for building purposes is very 
 scarce. In consequence bricks, made of clay, and usually burned, 
 have always been used, even in the construction of the most magnifi- 
 cent structures of the ancient Babylonian empire. Asphalt or 
 bitumen, which is very plentiful in that region, was quite commonly 
 used for mortar in such construction. This is what is meant by 
 "slime." 
 
 V. 4. It is frequently claimed that the reason for building the 
 tower was that the people might have a place to which to flee, should 
 God ever bring another flood. Actually there is no such implication in 
 the Biblical story. There the purpose is clearly stated to have been to 
 enable the people to make a name for themselves, and also to prevent 
 their being scattered over the earth. Just how the latter purpose 
 would be served is not stated. However, if the teacher so wishes, 
 it is perfectly legitimate to read the idea of the tower as a place 
 of refuge in case of another flood, into the story, and then, per- 
 haps, from this point the thought that despite the people's fear and 
 distrust, God kept, and always keeps, His promise, even though the 
 people had become quite as wicked as those who lived before the 
 flood. In marked contrast to the faithfulness of God, in not bring- 
 ing another flood, although the people, perhaps, merited it, but in- 
 stead preparing to make Israel His servant for the redemption of 
 the rest of mankind, the people themselves had forgotten, or come 
 to distrust God's promise, and had perverted His way and acted 
 faithlessly and sinned against Him. The thoughts of God's faith- 
 fulness, and the mercy which tempers His absolute justice, are 
 fundamental in Judaism and can not be brought out too clearly and 
 strongly. This story lends itself admirably to this purpose, particu- 
 larly when it is contrasted with the picture of God's just punishment 
 in the flood story. 
 
 V. 4. The idea of a tower with its top in heaven was probably 
 based upon acquaintance with ancient Babylonian temples. These 
 were generally built in the form of immense pyramid or step towers. 
 They must have frequently reached a height of from two to three 
 hundred feet. To the nomad of the Arabian Desert accustomed 
 
98 The Book of Genesis 
 
 only to tents, or to the lowest and meanest of hovels, these Baby- 
 lonian temple towers must have seemed indeed to reach up to 
 heaven. From this it may perhaps be inferred that this legend of 
 the Tower of Babel had its origin in the days when Israel still 
 roamed the Arabian Desert as nomads, and either itself beheld, or 
 heard other nomads tell of these lofty Babylonian towers. 
 
 Temple Mound at Babylon 
 
 V. 5. According to this verse God dwells in heaven, but must 
 come down to earth to see what is going on here. It is clear that 
 at the time of the composition of this story, the conception of the 
 Deity had not yet reached the full height of its eventual spiritual 
 development in .Israel. 
 
 V. 9. The etymology of the name, Babel, here is' altogether in- 
 correct. The name Babel is the same as that of the city, Babylon. 
 This name was of course much older than the Hebrew language, and 
 naturally can be explained correctly only from the Babylonian 
 language. In Babylonian the name probably means "gate of the god", 
 or perhaps better, "gate of heaven". The explanation of the name 
 here is, of course, only a Hebrew folk-etymology, and entirely with- 
 out historical basis. 
 
 Vv. 10-32. The purpose of this genealogy, and of that in V and 
 IX, 28 and X, 1, is to trace the descent of Abraham, the traditional 
 ancestor of Israel, from Adam, and particularly to show thatj 
 
The Tower of Babel 99 
 
 Abraham, and therefore Israel also, were descended from the very 
 first man in the direct line of the eldest son, and were, therefore, 
 the very elite of mankind. This was a naive national conceit of 
 ancient Israel. 
 
 For the ages of these patriarchs cf. note to VI, 3. 
 
 V. 28. Ur was a very ancient city in the extreme south of the 
 Mesopotamian valley. It was the seat of one of the oldest Baby- 
 lonian kingdoms and cultures. Numerous interesting and valuable 
 Babylonian inscriptions have been unearthed there. 
 
 For the rabbinical tradition accounting for the death of Haran 
 cf. p. 107. 
 
 V. 31. Haran was an important city in northwestern Mesopo- 
 tamia, situated on the great highroad of antiquity which led from 
 Egypt and the Mediterranean coast to Assyria and Babylon. 
 
100 The Book of Genesis 
 
 VI 
 
 THE CALL OF ABRAHAM 
 (Genesis XII, 1-9) 
 
 Be thou a blessing. (Genesis XII, 2.) 
 
 Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, 
 
 And My servant whom I have chosen. (Isaiah XLIII, 10.) 
 
 Read Psalm CV, 1-10. 
 
 With chapter XII begins the second portion of the Book 
 of Genesis, which deals primarily with the questions of God's 
 relation with Israel, and Israel's relation with the rest of 
 mankind. What has been said in the Introduction in regard 
 to this section of "the Book (II, p. 19ff), need not be re- 
 peated. The reader is urged to review that portion of the 
 Introduction carefully, and to keep the thoughts presented 
 there constantly in mind, while studying the Abraham cycle 
 of stories. 
 
 In the last lesson we learned that the rabbis of old told 
 that when, after the flood, mankind once more became cor- 
 rupt, instead of causing another flood, God determined to 
 bring into the world one people, who should be, or become, 
 wholly righteous, and to whom, therefore, He might reveal 
 His law. This people He would take as His own, His 
 servant, charged to teach to all the world the real meaning 
 of His law and His life, and thus bring mankind to right- 
 eousness. Now we hear of God's call to Abraham, the 
 progenitor of this people, to leave land and birthplace and 
 father's house, and, accompanied only by his faithful wife, 
 Sarah, and his nephew, Lot, to set out upon a long and 
 
The Call of Abratuwt 101 
 
 weary pilgrimage. But while he did not know his journey's 
 goal, nor the hardships in store for him, still he did know 
 full well the reason for the journey and the purpose for 
 which God had called him. It was that he might be a bless- 
 ing. As we learned in the last lesson, being a blessing means 
 not caring only for self, but serving others and forgetting 
 self entirely. God even told him who these others would 
 be. "In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed". 
 Unto all mankind he was to bring blessing. 
 
 Abraham was not the only man whom God called. We 
 have already learned that He called Noah. We shall hear 
 later that He called Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and 
 many others. But this much we can see already, that when 
 God calls anyone, it is always for something very important 
 and very good, always that the person whom He calls may 
 be a blessing unto others. 
 
 Many people imagine that God called people only long 
 ago, in Bible times, but no longer calls people today. But 
 surely they are mistaken. God calls people still today to be 
 a blessing, though perhaps not in exactly the same way as 
 of yore. He must have called Washington and Lincoln, and 
 many other noble men and women, and they must have 
 understood and obeyed, just as Abraham did. 
 
 In fact, we may be sure that He calls everybody in some 
 way, and commands them to be a blessing. Only not every- 
 body hearkens to His call. The Bible tells of one man, 
 Jonah, whom God called to do a certain task, which was 
 very hard, but which would have brought much good and 
 happiness to many people. But Jonah thought only of him- 
 self and his own comfort, and of how difficult the work was, 
 and what it would cost him. So he cried to run away to a 
 distant country. But God brought him back and made him 
 do the work anyway. But it could hardly have been done 
 as well as if Jonah had done it willingly, in the same spirit 
 as Abraham. 
 
The Book of Genesis 
 
 It is always best to do the work gladly, to hearken to 
 God's call at once, and to answer, as we shall learn later 
 that Abraham answered, "Here am I", that is, "Here am I, 
 ready to do Thy work". There is so much good to be done, 
 and men have so many needs to serve, that God really calls 
 to every one. He calls when we are little children, and He 
 continues to call throughout our lives, to do His work?, what- 
 ever good we can, and thus be blessings to mankind. And 
 everyone can be like Abraham, if only he wills to be, and is 
 not too lazy and selfish. 
 
 But God's call was not to Abraham alone. It was not 
 just Abraham, the one man, through whom all mankind was 
 to learn about God, and was thus to be blessed, but the 
 whole people, Israel, Abraham's descendants. Abraham is, 
 as was said in the Introduction, the model and type of all 
 Israel. The words, "Be thou a blessing", were spoken quite 
 as much to all Israel, and therefore to every single Jew. 
 God has called all Jews at all times to be a blessing, to live 
 pure, noble and holy lives, and to teach the world, more by 
 example and influence than by actual words, what it means 
 to serve Him truly, and to live as He has meant that all 
 mankind should live. 
 
 Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, 
 And My servant whom I have chosen. 
 
 These words were spoken by God to all Israel through one 
 of His inspired prophets. They express fully and con- 
 vincingly the truth of God's choice of Israel and the service 
 He has called Israel to do. 
 
 Israel's history, too, has been like that of Abraham in 
 many respects. We may be sure that it was no easy journey 
 upon which Abraham had to go, until he at last found rest 
 and peace in Canaan. It meant the sacrifice at God's com- 
 mand of all that he then held dear, native land and birth- 
 place and father's house, all the loved ones at home, all the 
 
The Call of Abraham 103 
 
 companions of youth, all the ties of affection and loyalty, 
 which are among the most precious things in life. It meant, 
 also, journeying out at God's command, for no apparent 
 reason other than that God had commanded, into an unknown 
 and strange and, not improbably, hostile world, with no in- 
 timation of how long the journey would last, what obstacles 
 would have to be overcome, and when, if ever, and where it 
 would end. It was a sore test of Abraham's faith in God, 
 and of his fitness for the mission of blessing for which God 
 had called him. And Abraham stood the test. 
 
 To Israel, too, God's command came, almost two thou- 
 sand years ago, to leave country and birthplace in Palestine, 
 and wander out over the whole earth, not knowing whither 
 it was going, knowing only that God had ordained this, in 
 order that Israel might better be a blessing, and that through 
 it all the peoples, among whom it came to dwell, might learn 
 better the knowledge of God. Israel, too, has had to endure 
 much upon this journey. It has suffered cruel persecution 
 and misery, more almost than any other people that has ever 
 existed. But like Abraham, it has never allowed its suffer- 
 ings to turn it from its path. Israel, too, was strong in its 
 perfect faith in God ; it knew always that God was watching 
 over it and leading it on, and that everything which befell 
 it was in accordance with God's will and purpose for it. So 
 Israel has been faithful throughout the centuries, and still 
 today it is doing God's work. And we Jews should be 
 proud and happy that God has called us as His servants, to 
 bring blessing unto all mankind. Even though it is never 
 easy to be a blessing, even though it must cost us dear, as 
 it did Abraham and Moses and Jonah, and everyone else 
 whom God has ever called and who has barkened to the 
 call, still we should be proud and happy that we are Jews. 
 
 The knights of the middle ages had a significant watch- 
 word, noblesse oblige, "nobility obligates". It meant that 
 they must conform to a loftier standard of conduct and 
 
104 The Book of Genesis 
 
 morality than the average person. Things which the ordi- 
 nary man might permit himself to do, were forbidden to 
 them. Anything which was the least questionable, or had 
 the slightest taint of immorality or impropriety, was beneath 
 them. Whoever violated any of these principles, forfeited 
 his knighthood, at least in theory, because he had, by his 
 act already forfeited his claim to nobility. 
 
 So, too, with us Jews, "nobility obligates". In a very 
 positive sense we are the spiritual nobility of the world, and 
 ours is a proud heritage of honor. When the ancestors of 
 the present great nations of Europe were still roaming their 
 native woods as half-clad barbarians, unlearned in aught 
 save the chase and war, our fathers had long since accepted 
 God's law, had called the Bible into being, and had entered 
 upon their glorious mission of justice, brotherhood, and peace, 
 which is destined in time to redeem the world from the 
 consequences of savage lust for war, bloodshed, and power. 
 With us, even more than with the knights of old, "nobility 
 obligates". We Jews may not do many things which others 
 still allow themselves. Thanks to our three thousand years 
 of spiritual training, and to the consequent deeper insight 
 and knowledge which have come to us, we Jews should have, 
 and do have, a higher standard and ideal of righteous and 
 moral conduct than other peoples. This alone constitutes 
 our all-sufficient title to the spiritual leadership of the world. 
 But what we are not willing to live, we can not hope to 
 teach. For this reason with us, too, "nobility obligates", or, 
 much better and truer, "knowledge obligates". And he who 
 will not live as a Jew should live, and thereby do his part in 
 the great work of being a blessing, for which God has called 
 all Israel, has truly forfeited his right to the name and privi- 
 lege of being a Jew. But if only every Jew will live as Jews 
 ought to live, in accordance with the sublime, spiritual teach- 
 ings of Judaism, then surely the world must be greatly 
 blessed through us, and must come in turn to honor the 
 
The Call of Abraham 105 
 
 Jewish people, and to bless the name of Father Abraham, 
 through whom God's call first came to Israel. 
 
 Because Abraham was such a great and good man, very 
 many well-known stories were told about him by the rabbis, 
 in addition to those recorded in the Bible. 
 
 There is a charming story, which tells how Abraham 
 came to worship one God. In those days people thought 
 that there were many gods. They even made images, or 
 idols, of wood, stone or metal, and foolishly believed that 
 these were gods, who had made the universe, and had even 
 made them. One evening Abraham was walking about just 
 as the stars came out, one by one. He was struck by their 
 beauty, and thought, "Surely these are the gods". But soon 
 the moon rose, full and bright, and her radiance obscured 
 the stars. Then Abraham thought, "No, this must be god". 
 But at last the dawn came and the moon paled, and Abraham 
 said, "Surely the moon can not be god, for its light has be- 
 come dim and weak". Then the sun rose, majestic and 
 glorious, and Abraham thought, "At last this is the real 
 god". But at evening the sun sank, an.d once more the stars 
 appeared. Then Abraham thought long and hard ; and finally 
 the truth dawned upon him, that none of these, beautiful 
 though they were, could be god; that there must be some 
 power of good and love behind all theae, whose servants 
 they were and whose law they obeyed, and this must be 
 God. So he bowed down and worshipped the one God of 
 all the universe. Then it was that God first called to him 
 to be a blessing unto all mankind. 
 
 Thereupon Abraham began to teach the knowledge of the 
 one, true God. At first he sought to teach his own fellow- 
 townsmen. But this was a difficult task. His own father, 
 Terah, was a maker and trafficker of idols. One day he 
 left Abraham in charge of the shop, while he went out. A 
 man came in to buy an idol. Abraham asked him, "How 
 old art thou?" "Sixty years old", was the answer. "Alas", 
 
106 The Book of Genesis 
 
 replied Abraham, "for the man sixty years old, who would 
 worship an image made only yesterday". Realizing his folly, 
 the man left the shop. 
 
 Soon a woman entered with a vessel of fine flour, which 
 she gave to Abraham and bade him offer it as a sacrifice to 
 those gods. Instead Abraham took a stick and broke into 
 pieces all the idols except the largest. Into its hands he put 
 the stick, and set the vessel of fine flour before it. Soon 
 Terah returned. When he saw the damage, he stood aghast 
 for a moment, and then asked in angry voice, "Who did 
 this?" Abraham answered, "While you were out a woman 
 brought this vessel of fine flour as a sacrifice to all these 
 gods. But that big, greedy god there wanted it all for him- 
 self, so he took this stick and beat the others and broke 
 them in pieces". At this Terah became furious. "What is 
 this nonsense? Don't you know that these are only idols 
 of wood and stone, and can not move?" Then Abraham 
 calmly replied, "Let your ears harken to what your lips 
 have said. If these are only idols of wood and stone, which 
 can not even move, then what folly to think them gods and 
 worship them !" 
 
 Thus Abraham taught, and gradually many began to un- 
 derstand. At last the news of Abraham's teaching came to 
 the ears of Nimrod, the powerful and cruel king. He sent 
 for Abraham and said, "If thou wilt not worship the gods 
 which thy father makes, then worship the fire as I do".' 
 But Abraham answered, "Why not rather worship the water, 
 which can quench the fire?" "Very well", replied Nimrod, 
 "worship the water". But Abraham continued, "And why 
 not then the clouds which contain the water ; and why not 
 then the wind which drives the clouds before it? No, I can 
 worship neither fire, nor water, nor clouds, nor wind. I 
 can worship only the one God, the Creator and Master of 
 all these". At this the king became furious/ and commanded 
 that Abraham be cast into a great, fiery furnace, and that 
 
The Call of Abraham 107 
 
 his brother, Haran, also be cast into the furnace with him. 
 For Haran had been half persuaded of the truth of Abra- 
 ham's words, and this was known to the king. Yet Haran 
 did not yet trust in God completely. When Nimrod had 
 commanded that Abraham be cast into the furnace, Haran 
 had said to himself, "I will wait and see how this turns out. 
 If Abraham's God saves him, then I will believe in Him and 
 worship Him. But if not, then I will continue to worship 
 the gods of my father". 
 
 So both were cast into the terrible furnace. But the fire 
 could not harm Abraham. The ropes which bound him were 
 burned away, but his flesh was not even scorched, and he 
 walked about safe and unharmed in the midst of the fire. 
 After three days the furnace was opened. To the surprise 
 of all, Abraham came forth uninjured. He had been saved 
 by God, because he trusted in Him. But Haran, who had 
 not trusted, and was not ready to do God's will at all costs, 
 him the fire had consumed completely. But even this did 
 not open the eyes of the wicked king. He still sought Abra- 
 ham's life, and the people, in terror of the king, dared not 
 harken to Abraham's words. At last God commanded Abra- 
 ham to journey forth unto the place which He would show 
 him, and there begin anew his task of being a blessing to all 
 the families of the earth. 
 
 These stories of the rabbis may all be told to the children with 
 profit. The Biblical/story of the call of Abraham, and particularly 
 the incident of Abraham journeying on, not knowing whither he was 
 going, yet trusting implicitly in God, lends itself admirably to the 
 development of the lesson of faith in God. Something of this 
 thought should be presented here, and the children should be made 
 to understand that this is the real basis of the test of Abraham's 
 fitness for his mission. But this is not yet the place to present this 
 thought in its full significance. That will come later in the discus- 
 sion of the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, the climax of the Abraham 
 cycle of stories. Meanwhile the teacher should begin to carefully 
 lead up to that wonderful story by pointing out in the presentation 
 
108 The Book of Genesis 
 
 of this and the subsequent Abraham stories, the various tests of 
 Abraham's faith, and how he withstood them all. 
 
 Above all this story of the call of Abraham is splendidly adapted 
 to develop in the child something of Jewish consciousness and pride 
 r.nd the sense of the responsibility and privilege of being a Jew. 
 He must be made to feel that God called not only Abraham, but 
 also Israel. Therefore He calls all Jews collectively, and him in- 
 dividually, and lays upon him the task of becoming a blessing in 
 the sense in which Judaism interprets these words. This is the cen- 
 tral theme in the presentation outlined above. The teacher should 
 lose no opportunity to return to, and dwell upon this lesson in all 
 its manifold aspects. For here is summed up the central purpose 
 of the Jewish religious school, to develop the Jewish consciousness 
 and the sense of Jewish pride and responsibility. 
 
 XOTES 
 
 In this and the subsequent stories the name Abraham is used in 
 preference to Abram, and Sarah to Sarai. The incident of the 
 change of the names of Abram and Sarai, recounted in XVII, while 
 interesting, has for us, on the whole, no deep religious significance. 
 In ancient Israel, as among other primitive peoples, the name was 
 regarded as an essential and inseparable part of a person or thing. 
 Until it had received its proper name it did not fully exist (cf. note 
 to I, 5). The change of Abram's name implies a radical change in 
 his nature and personality, which makes him virtually a new being 
 with a larger and more important role in life and new duties and 
 obligations. He is no longer the simple Abram, but the great 
 Abraham, "the father of a multitude of nations" (XVII, 5). Like- 
 wise, in virtue of her correspondingly exalted position Sarai's name 
 is changed to Sarah, "princess" -(XVII, 15). Similarly, in recogni- 
 tion of the great change which had come over him, by reason of 
 which he had become in truth a being altogether different from what 
 he had been before, Jacob's name was changed from Jacob, "the 
 deceiver", to Israel, "the champion of God" (XXXII, 29 and cf. 
 Lesson XIX). 
 
 There is reason to think that this incident of the change of name 
 was not a part of the original Abraham story. It is not at all 
 essential to the main narrative. For this reason we use the name 
 Abraham throughout. 
 
 V. 1. The language here seems to imply that Haran was re- 
 garded by the author of this story as the birthplace of Abraham. 
 This, of course contradicts the statement of XI, 28-31 that Abraham 
 
The Call of Abraham 
 
 109 
 
 was born in Ur of the Chaldeans. 1 lowever, we have had similar 
 contradictions in the Biblical narrative before, and need not be 
 disconcerted by this. Manifestly these two contradictory statements 
 are the work of two different writers. 
 
 Ur of the Chaldees as it is Today 
 
 V. 5. The words, "to go to the land of Canaan", or rather the 
 Hebrew of which they are the translation, were not a part of the 
 original story, but were inserted by some late writer. It is easy to 
 see that they spoil the point of the story. The story, in its original 
 form, told that Abraham obeyed God's command, without knowing 
 whither he was going. He was led only by implicit faith in God. 
 As v. 7 clearly states, not until he had actually come to Canaan, to 
 the vicinity of Shechem, did God reveal to him that this was the goal 
 of his journey. This fact was perceived and admitted by the rabbis 
 of old, even despite the explicit statement of v. 5 that Abraham knew 
 from the outset that Canaan would be the end of his journey. 
 
 V. 6. In Palestine trees are not very common. In consequence 
 trees of unusual size and appearance have always been singled out 
 as landmarks. This tree near Shechem was particularly famous. 
 It is referred to again in Deuteronomy XI, 30. The name, March, 
 means "teacher" or "oracle". The ancient Canaanites, who gave 
 this tree its name, must have thought that a god dwelt in it, and fre- 
 
110 The Book of Genesis 
 
 quently communicated his will to mortals from there. Such a belief 
 was common among the Canaanites and also in ancient Israel; cf. 
 the story in II Samuel, V, 24. 
 
 V. 7. According to the ancient conception, an altar was indis- 
 pensable for worship. V. 8 speaks of another altar which Abraham 
 built between Bethel and Ai, and XIII, 18 tells of a third altar 
 erected by Abraham in the grove of Mamre, where he finally took 
 up his permanent abode. The Bible seems to imply that at every 
 stage of his journey Abraham erected an altar unto God, in order 
 to worship Him properly and to thank Him for His protection and 
 blessing. From this the thought of the necessity of prayer and 
 thanksgiving to God, may be developed by the teacher, and the op- 
 portunity seized to inquire what children recite at least night and 
 morning prayers regularly, and to teach such prayers to those 
 children who may not recite them. 
 
 V. 8. "To call upon the name of the Lord," i. e. "to worship 
 God," cf. XIII, 4. 
 
 V. 9. "Toward the South", literally, "toward the Negeb". The 
 extreme southern portion of Palestine, which borders upon the desert, 
 was known as the Negeb. It was in this district, in the vicinity of 
 Beer-sheba, that the Bible represents both Abraham and Isaac as 
 usually sojourning. 
 
 These verses tell that Abraham journeyed through the entire land 
 of Palestine, from north to south, implying that thereby he estab- 
 lished his claim to -possess it, in accordance with God's promise. 
 
 Vv. 10-20 record an ancient tradition, parallel versions of which 
 are found in XX and XXVI, 1-11. It is not absolutely essential to 
 the Abraham story. 
 
Abraham and Lot 111 
 
 VII 
 
 ABRAHAM AND LOT 
 
 (Genesis XIII-XIV) 
 
 Let there be no strife between me and thee. (Genesis XIII, 8.) 
 A soft answer turneth away wrath. (Proverbs, XV, 1.) 
 Read Psalm XXXIV, 12-15. 
 
 We said in the last lesson that Abraham was a great 
 man. He must have been very great to have heard the call 
 of God so plainly, and to have obeyed so promptly and so 
 completely. And the outcome of his hearing and obeying, 
 the existence of the Jewish people and of our Jewish reli- 
 gion today, is conclusive proof of his greatness. 
 
 But this is not the only proof. True greatness does not 
 consist only in doing great things. Opportunities to do great 
 things come only occasionally, even to great people. But 
 the little things which must be done, and done right, come 
 constantly to both great and small. If a man should do a 
 few big things well, but should fail in all the little things, 
 we could hardly consider him truly great. Perhaps the true 
 test of greatness is the way a man does the little things. If 
 he finds them hard, or if they take too long, or if he hesitates 
 too much, or does them in slip-shod manner, we may be sure 
 that he will never be able to do great things. But if he does 
 the little things right and promptly, without doubt and hesi- 
 tation, if he shows himself the master in little things, then 
 we may believe that he will be equal to the big things when 
 they come. 
 
 Thus we see that the great man must be always ready to 
 
112 The Book of Genesis 
 
 do the right thing in the right way. In childhood he must 
 train himself, possibly with the help of loving and wise 
 parents and teachers, to be always ready to do little things 
 aright, until gradually it becomes a habit. Just as the pianist 
 must first learn the position of the keys, but in time, through 
 constant practice, his fingers unconsciously always strike the 
 right key, so the person who has in him the making of a 
 truly great person and a true gentleman, comes in time to 
 always do the right thing in the right way, immediately, 
 unhesitatingly, and almost without having to stop ,and think. 
 It has become a part of his character. Perhaps just these 
 many little things, rather than the few big things, furnish 
 the best test of true greatness. 
 
 Just such a test, applied to Abraham, we read of in this 
 lesson. And the way in which he stood the test shows how 
 -truly great he was. When his shepherds and those of Lot 
 quarreled, he might have become angry. And when the time 
 came to separate, he might have said, "I am the older, and 
 you owe me very much already, for all the kindness I have 
 shown you. Therefore I am entitled to the first choice". 
 It would have been perfectly true, and Lot could not have 
 objected. But it would probably have caused jealousy, 
 hatred, and unhappiness between them. Abraham showed his 
 true greatness in wishing to avoid this at all costs. There- 
 fore he said, "Let there be no strife between me and thee". 
 And knowing Lot as he did, he allowed him the first choice. 
 Lot made a selfish choice, for he took the land which seemed 
 the more fertile and desirable, and left to Abraham what 
 he thought the poorer land. We shall see later that after 
 all he had made a bad choice, and that Abraham's land 
 turned out to be better. 
 
 Thus Abraham did the right thing and spoke the right 
 word at just the right time. Thereby all strife and trouble 
 were avoided, and he and Lot parted, not in anger, but in 
 love. The story goes on to show how Abraham's love for 
 
Abraham and Lot 
 
 113 
 
 A Nomad Chieftain 
 
114 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Lot continued thereafter, despite the latter's selfish choice. 
 When Lot was taken prisoner, it was Abraham who rescued 
 him. All this reveals the true greatness of Abraham. And 
 it proves the truth of the wise proverb from the Bible, 
 
 A soft answer turneth away wrath. 
 
 Turning away wrath and working for peace are always char- 
 acteristic of the truly great man. It is told of a certain 
 rabbi of old, that he used to walk up and down before any 
 person who had wronged him, in order to give that person 
 a chance to ask pardon. Instead of giving way to anger 
 himself, he sought to bring the other person to repent. In 
 this he was great like Abraham. Of men like these the 
 Bible wisely says, 
 
 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; 
 And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. 
 (Proverbs XVI, 32.) 
 
 And the rabbis sagely remarked, "Who is a hero? He who 
 subdueth his own evil inclination". 
 
 In this, as in everything else, Abraham is typical of Israel. 
 Frequently we hear it said, "Israel's mission is peace". 
 While this is by no means all of Israel's mission, none the 
 less it is a very important part thereof. Peace is the basis 
 of human brotherhood, which Judaism proclaims. Without 
 peace there can be no fellowship nor brotherly cooperation 
 in the work of the world. In the face of the jealousy, riv- 
 alry and hostility of the nations and races into which the 
 human family is divided, it is Israel's task to herald un- 
 ceasingly the principles of peace, brotherhood, cooperation 
 and unity as the foundation of true living. Peace, Judaism 
 teaches, is God's supreme blessing. The Bible makes the 
 pursuit of peace the highest duty of life when it says, 
 
 Come, ye children, hearken unto me; 
 I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 
 
Abraham and Lot 115 
 
 Who is the man that desireth life, 
 
 And loveth days, that he may see good therein? 
 
 Keep thy tongue from evil, 
 
 And thy lips from speaking guile. 
 
 Depart from evil and do good; 
 
 Seek peace and pursue it. 
 
 In ancient times, and even still today, one Jew would 
 greet another with the words, shalom alecha, "peace be upon 
 thee", and the answering greeting would be, alecha shalom, 
 "and upon thee be peace". And in departing from the house 
 of God the priests would invoke the divine blessing upon the 
 faithful worshipers, closing with the beautiful words, 
 
 The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace. 
 (Numbers V, 26.) 
 
 And the pious Psalmist pictured the supreme good which 
 can come to Israel and to all men, as the time when 
 
 Mercy and truth are met together; 
 Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 
 Truth springeth out of the earth; 
 
 And righteousness looketh down from heaven. (Psalm LXXXV, 
 11-12.) 
 
 Such is the teaching of peace, which Israel, following the 
 example of Father Abraham, has ever proclaimed to the 
 world. And through this teaching all the children of the 
 one Father must in the end be united into one loving family, 
 even as God intended. 
 
 Again we find evidence of true greatness in Abraham's 
 answer to the king of Sodom. He had done the right and 
 fought for the weak, and had rescued Lot and the other 
 captives, not thinking of reward, but only of duty. It was 
 a rich reward which the king of Sodom offered, and many 
 might think that Abraham was entitled to it, and might have 
 taken it without compunction. But Abraham did not hesi- 
 tate an instant. Of course he had no right to refuse the 
 
116 The Book of Genesis 
 
 reward for the three allies who had accompanied him ; they 
 must speak for themselves. But for himself, he would take 
 not so much as a shoestring. It was enough to know that 
 he had done his duty, and had made people happy. No 
 rewards could tempt him. It reminds us of the question 
 asked in one of our most beautiful psalms, 
 
 Lord, who shall sojourn in Thy tabernacle? 
 Who shall dwell upon Thy. holy mountain? 
 
 and the answer, 
 
 He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness. (Psalm 
 XV, 1-2.) 
 
 This is only a part of the answer given there. Yet we may 
 be sure from what we know of Abraham already, and what 
 we shall learn later, that he would be among those who may 
 dwell in the tabernacle of God. 
 
 Above all else, these two stories give further proof of 
 Abraham's fitness for the great mission upon which God had 
 sent him. He had stood the test of unquestioning faith in 
 God, the first indispensable requisite for one who would do 
 God's work. But that was not enough. One can serve God 
 only by serving fellowmen loyally and usefully, entirely for- 
 getful of self, and without thought of reward for the per- 
 formance of duty. The story of Abraham and Lot had 
 proved that Abraham could sacrifice his own interests in 
 order to preserve peace and love with his kinsman, and the 
 story of Abraham and the king of Sodom had proved equally, 
 that in the discharge of duty Abraham could not be swayed 
 by considerations of personal interest and reward. He had 
 stood these first three tests nobly. But they were not enough ; 
 other and more severe tests were to follow. 
 
 Stories very similar in character are told of one of the 
 wisest and noblest of the ancient rabbis, Hillel. He was 
 renowned throughout all Israel for his quiet, even, peace- 
 
Abraham and Lot 117 
 
 loving disposition. He was fond of using the saying, "Be 
 of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, 
 loving all men and bringing them near to the law (of God)". 
 One day, it is told, two men made a wager, one betting that 
 he could make Hillel angry, and the other betting that he 
 could not. It happened to be just before the beginning of 
 Sabbath, and Hillel was bathing himself and preparing to 
 welcome the Sabbath in true Jewish spirit. The man who 
 had made the wager came to Hillel's house and called out, 
 "Is Hillel at home?" Hillel heard and clothed himself and 
 came down. "What is it, my son?" he asked. "I would ask 
 a question ; "why have the Babylonians such pointed heads ?" 
 It was a very foolish question, but the man asked it pur- 
 posely, thinking that Hillel would resent being disturbed for 
 such a trivial thing. But Hillel answered, just as if it were 
 a wise question, "It is because they have no good physicians, 
 my son". The man departed and Hillel went back to his 
 bath. But soon the man returned and again called out, 
 "Is Hillel at home?" Again Hillel dressed and came down. 
 "I would ask another question ; why have the men of Tad- 
 mor (a famous city in the desert northeast of Palestine) 
 such narrow eyes ?" "Because they live in the sandy desert 
 (and the glare of the sun forces them to always keep their 
 eyes half closed), my son". Again the man went away and 
 Hillel returned to his bath. But a third time the man came 
 with another silly question, and once more Hillel clothed 
 himself and came down. "Why have the people of Africa 
 such big feet?" "Because they dwell in a swampy country, 
 my son", was the patient reply. Then the man said, "I 
 would ask many more questions, but I fear that thou mayest 
 become angry". At this Hillel sat down and said, "Ask all 
 thy questions, my son". Then the man himself became angry 
 and said in a loud voice, "Art thou indeed Hillel, whom 
 they call the Prince? Well, may there not be many more 
 like thee in Israel". In surprise Hillel asked, "Why, my 
 
118 The Book of Genesis 
 
 son?" "Because thou hast kept thy temper and hast caused 
 me this day to lose four hundred zuz (an ancient coin)". 
 But Hillel calmly answered, "Better, my son, that thou 
 shouldst lost thy four hundred zuz than that Hillel should 
 lose his temper". 
 
 At another time while deep in study, Hillel heard a knock 
 at his door. He opened and found a young, heathen boy 
 standing there, with an insolent smile on his face. "Teach 
 me the law", he said, "while I stand on one foot. If you 
 do, then I will become a Jew". His purpose was, of course, 
 to mock at the Jewish religion and its teachers. He had 
 already tried the same trick upon Shammai, another famous 
 teacher of the time. And Shammai, not noted for patience, 
 had become very angry and driven the boy away. Of course 
 this was just what the boy wanted. But instead of becom- 
 ing angry, Hillel looked at him kindly for a moment, and 
 then answered, "What is hateful unto thee thou shalt not 
 do unto thy neighbor. This is the whole of Judaism; every- 
 thing else merely explains it". We see from their conduct 
 that both Abraham and Hillel did nothing unto their neigh- 
 bors which was hateful unto themselves ; that instead, they 
 truly loved their neighbors as themselves. Thereby they 
 showed their true greatness. Our religion bids us all do 
 just this^ love our neighbors as ourselves, speak the soft 
 answer which turns away wrath, and makes for peace and 
 love and true happiness. Thereby we shall u each be doing 
 our part in fulfilling the mission of Israel, of being a bless- 
 ing unto all the families of the earth. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 The picture of Abraham and Lot here is one of nomads rather 
 than of city dwellers. Their possessions consist of sheep, and prob- 
 ably also of camels. They live in tents, and wander about from 
 place to place in search of pasturage and water for their flocks. 
 When these increase to a considerable extent, the pasturage and 
 water in a given district become insufficient. In consequence their 
 
Abraham and Lot 119 
 
 shepherds contend for the same wells and pastures. The southern 
 part of Palestine, in which Abraham is here represented as now dwell- 
 ing, has always been better suited for grazing than for agriculture, 
 chiefly because of its insufficient water supply. It is important to 
 make the children realize that our ancestors were ifirst of all shep- 
 herds, and continued as such for a long time. The sons of Jacob 
 in Egypt were still shepherds. And out in the desert, before they 
 entered Canaan, the tribes must have lived entirely as shepherds. 
 In fact this is the only life possible in the desert. This fact of early 
 desert, shepherd life had a far-reaching effect upon the subsequent 
 life and religion of Israel. This matter will become clear to the 
 teacher in time. 
 
 In this connection it might be pointed out that it was not un- 
 common for shepherds to quarrel, particularly for water. This is 
 shown by the stories of Jacob and Rachel and Moses and Zipporah. 
 
 V. 7. The Canaanites and Perizzites were two of the peoples 
 who inhabited Palestine before its conquest by the tribes of Israel. 
 
 V. 10. Show on the map the valley of the Jordan. Stimulate 
 the curiosity and interest of the children by telling them that they 
 can not see, for a very good reason, which they will learn soon, 
 the exact spot where Lot settled. 
 
 "Well-watered", because water was so scarce in Palestine, and so 
 highly valued; this fact made just this part of the country seem so 
 desirable to Lot. 
 
 "Garden of the Lord", probably a reference to the story of the 
 garden of Eden. (Cf. note to II, 8.) 
 
 The valley of the Nile in Egypt is one of the most fertile spots 
 upon the earth. 
 
 V. 11. Show on the map the relative locations of the two men. 
 
 V. 12. "The Plain", i. e. the low-lying valley of the Jordan, of 
 which the bed of the Dead Sea is the lowest part. 
 
 XIV, 1. Some modern scholars have tried to identify some of 
 the names of the kings given in these verses with names of early 
 Babylonian and Elamite kings known from other historical sources, 
 but with questionable success. This is a legend pure and simple, 
 without the slightest historical basis. 
 
 V. 2. Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim were legendary 
 cities in the lower Jordan valley, which, according to tradition, were 
 destroyed by God, and whose sites are now covered by the Dead 
 Sea. For Sodom and Gomorrah cf. XIX and also Lesson IX; for 
 Admah and Zeboiim cf. Deuteronomy XIX, 22; Hosea XI, 8. These 
 last two passages make it clear that a tradition about Admah and 
 
120 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Zeboiim, similar to that about Sodom and. Gomorrah, was current in 
 ancient Israel. The probable site of Zoar is occupied today by a 
 small Arabian village, still known by the similar and closely related 
 name, Seghur ; cf. XIX, 22f. and 30. 
 
 Vv. 5f. The Rephaim, Zuzim, Emim and the Horites were early 
 legendary inhabitants of Canaan and Edom ; cf . Deuteronomy II, 
 10-12; 20-23 (here the Zuzim are called by the fuller name, Zam- 
 zumim). 
 
 The Amalekites were a nomad people inhabiting the desert south 
 of Palestine. They were conquered by Saul and David (I Samuel 
 XV and XXX). The Amorites were a people dwelling in Palestine 
 and to the east of the Jordan before the Israelite conquest of the 
 land. 
 
 V. 10. Numerous asphalt or bitumen wells are found near the 
 Dead Sea. Some, in fact, exist in the bed of the sea itself, and in 
 places where the water is not deep, the asphalt rises and floats upon 
 the surface, where it is gathered by the Arabs of the neighborhood, 
 who carry it to market and sell it. By "slime pits" such asphalt 
 wells are meant ; cf. note to XI, 3. 
 
 V. 11. It will be well to point out on the map that, as vv. 
 14 and 15 show, they go northward. A glance at the map will show 
 why. To the east and south of Palestine is the great desert, which 
 because of scarcity of water and food, is almost impassable. Hence 
 to come from Babylon and Assyria in the far east, caravans and 
 armies had always to make a wide detour to the north, along the 
 Tigris and Euphrates rivers. For this reason the books of the Bible 
 always describe the enemies of Israel as coming from the north. 
 
 V. 13. Indicate on the map the location of Hebron and of the 
 grove of Mamre just outside the city. Abraham, of course, being a 
 nomad, would dwell not in the city, but outside in the grove, where 
 he could pitch his tent. We shall hear of this same grove again 
 very soon. Even today, not far from Hebron a very old and very 
 large oak tree is called "Abraham's Oak," and is supposed, though 
 probably incorrectly, to be the only tree remaining of this ancient 
 grove; cf. picture, p. 123. 
 
 "These were confederate with Abraham", i. e. they had entered 
 into a covenant with Abraham. Explain that a covenant means a 
 kind of alliance between two parties, which obligates each to help the 
 other in case of trouble, and makes them virtually brothers. In the 
 flood-story we read that God made a covenant with Noah and his 
 descendants. Explain what a covenant with God would mean. We 
 
Abraham and Lot 121 
 
 shall hear frequently of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac and 
 Jacob and with all Israel. 
 
 V. 14. His trained men, i. e. his herdsmen and other servants 
 who were of course also warriors. This number, three hundred and 
 eighteen, shows how wealthy and powerful Abraham was. Imagine 
 a man having that many servants today. 
 
 V. 15. A surprise attack at night is the usual method of nomad 
 warfare in the desert. With this may be compared Gideon's victory 
 over the Midianites and David's over the Amalekites. A hint of 
 these stories to come later, may be thrown out to the children. 
 
 "On the left hand", i. e. north. Among the ancient Semites 
 directions were reckoned according to the position of a man facing 
 the rising sun. Hence in Hebrew kedem, literally "in front", means 
 /'east", ahar, literally "behind", means "west", smol, "left", means 
 "north" and yamin, "right", means "south". 
 
 V. 16. For the use of the term "brother" here and in XIII, 8, 
 cf. the note to XXIX, 15. 
 
 VV. 18-20 in the Bible, giving the incident of Melchizedek, are an. 
 interpolation into the main story, difficult to understand, and serving 
 only to confuse the real narrative. Salem is generally thought to 
 mean Jerusalem. 
 
 V. 22. Oaths were usually confirmed by raising either the right 
 hand or both hands on high, as if calling God to witness; cf. 
 Deuteronomy XXXII, 40; Isaiah LXII, 8; Daniel XII, 7. 
 
 V. 24. "Their portion", according to common custom the booty 
 really belonged to those who had captured it. This makes Abraham's 
 magnanimity all the clearer, since it shows that he refused to accept 
 that, to which he was by custom fully entitled, 
 
122 The Book of Genesis 
 
 VIII 
 
 ABRAHAM'S HOSPITALITY 
 
 (Genesis XVIII 1-16) 
 
 When he saw them he ran to meet them. (Genesis XVIII, 2.) 
 
 He that is gracious unto the poor lendeth unto the Lord. (Pro- 
 verbs XIX, 17.) 
 
 Read Isaiah LVIII, 6-12. 
 
 Thus far Abraham had stood God's test. The incident 
 with Lot had proved his willingness to make great sacrifices 
 in order to preserve peace. Yet Lot was a near kinsman, 
 and frequently we will do for those who are close to us 
 things which we would be unwilling to do for others. Fur- 
 thermore, the duty of preserving peace with Lot had, as it 
 were, come of its own accord to Abraham's door, and could 
 not be put aside. He had had 1 to do something at once to 
 maintain the old relations of confidence and affection, or 
 these would have been severed forever. Indecision, or in- 
 action, or shutting the eyes would not have helped. 
 
 But there are many duties in life, which do not seek us 
 out, but which we must seek, if we would perform them. 
 It is so easy to shut our eyes to duties like these, and refuse 
 to see them, to fold our hands, and refuse to do them. 
 These are only sins of omission, as they are called, and to 
 many, if not most people such sins seem negligible, hardly 
 sins at all. However, one of the wisest of the ancient 
 rabbis used to say, "Be as diligent in the performance of a 
 small duty as in the performance of a great one". He who 
 would go upon the mission of God, and perform His service 
 
Abraham's Hospitality 
 
 123 
 
 gladly and loyally, can not wait for duties to seek him out, 
 nor discharge only those obligations imposed upon him by 
 the ties of kinship. He must be fully conscious of that 
 larger relationship, which, we have learned, Judaism teaches, 
 the brotherhood of all the children of God. And he must 
 be eager to perform all the duties of this larger brotherhood, 
 
 Abraham's Oak at Mamre 
 
 to serve his fellowmen in every way possible. Not only 
 must he discharge those duties which seek him out, but he 
 must himself search out all possible forms of service, and 
 when he finds them he must run eagerly to meet them. 
 Whoever can not stand this test, can be no true servant of 
 God. How did Abraham stand this test? 
 
 One day, while sitting at the door of his tent, Abraham 
 saw three strangers coming towards him, dusty and foot- 
 sore. It was just at noon, when the sun is hottest, and, in 
 
124 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Palestine, beats down cruelly upon the head of the venture- 
 some traveler, and consumes his energy and vitality. Then 
 people generally seek refuge from the heat. But apparently 
 these three men had no place whither they might turn, until 
 Abraham ran to them and urged them to rest and refresh 
 themselves in his tent. Then he prepared for them a sump- 
 tuous meal, from the standpoint of that day a veritable ban- 
 quet, and, as the final mark of respect, he waited upon them 
 himself. The rabbis of old called attention to the fact that 
 in his words Abraham invited the travelers to rest and re- 
 fresh themselves with a piece of bread, but actually he 
 offered them far more than he had promised. This, they 
 remarked, is the best hospitality and the truest sign of 
 worth, to promise little in words, but to give much in deeds. 
 Now why was Abraham so urgent that these travelers 
 accept his hospitality? Of course, partly because his heart 
 was touched by their plight; but even more, because hos- 
 pitality is indeed a great virtue. Because of this incident, 
 and many similar stories about him, Abraham has always 
 been regarded, not only by Jews, but by all men, as the pat- 
 tern of true hospitality. The wise rabbis used to tell that 
 Abraham's tent was so situated that he could look out on 
 all four sides to see if anyone was coming, to whom he 
 might offer his hospitality. And he always kept the sides 
 of his tent raised, so that he might not miss a single oppor- 
 tunity. Anyone who has ever traveled in the Orient, or 
 has read extensively about travel there, will appreciate what 
 this means. Until comparatively recently there were no 
 hotels at all in the East. Instead people would take the 
 stranger into their homes, and entertain him for as long as 
 he would stay. In fact it was thought that the stranger 
 had a right to be entertained. He might demand food and 
 lodging from anyone, and it would be a contemptible churl 
 who would refuse. Occasionally though there were such, 
 and we shall hear of some in our very next lesson. But in 
 
Abraham's Hospitality 125 
 
 the Orient they are not many, for hospitality is regarded as 
 the highest virtue, and the rights of the guest and the 
 stranger precede everything else. 
 
 But Abraham was not content merely to give the stranger 
 his rights, or to wait until he might claim entertainment. 
 He was eager rather to discharge the duty of hospitality 
 on every possible occasion. Therefore, as the story em- 
 phasizes, he did not wait for the men to come to him, but 
 he ran to meet them, and urged them to honor him by ac- 
 cepting his hospitality. It is another instance of Abraham's 
 greatness and large-heartedness. It shows that he was not 
 merely hospitable in the ordinary sense, but that he pos- 
 sessed this virtue in the highest degree. And even more, it 
 shows that Abraham would not wait for duties to seek him 
 out, but would run to meet and to serve his fellowmen in 
 every possible way. This test, too, Abraham had stood. 
 
 Abraham had no idea who the strangers were ; nor did 
 he ask. It was enough that they were tired and spent. But 
 unconsciously he was entertaining God Himself, or at least 
 three angels. It illustrates well the beautiful proverb from 
 our Bible, 
 
 He that is gracious unto the poor lendeth unto the Lord. 
 
 Whenever we help the poor and show true hospitality, it is 
 as if we gave unto God Himself. And true hospitality 
 consists, not merely in giving food and lodging to friends, 
 but in opening heart and hand to all, not asking who they 
 are, in sharing what we have, what God has given us, with 
 all who need, in truly loving our neighbor as ourselves. We 
 have seen repeatedly that Abraham lived and acted in just 
 this spirit ; therefore he has become the world's model of 
 hospitality and generosity. 
 
 But especially to us Jews is Abraham the model and 
 'inspiration of true hospitality. Hospitality means brother- 
 hood, and has always been a characteristic Jewish virtue. 
 
126 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Among our fathers the stranger was always welcome in 
 every Jewish home, and the household felt itself honored 
 when strangers accepted its hospitality. It was indeed a 
 poor and miserable household which, especially on Friday 
 night, when the Sabbath was ushered in with gladness 
 and rejoicing and with an unusually excellent supper, did 
 not have some stranger at the table to join in the glad- 
 ness, and to share, and thereby enrich, the blessing of the 
 Sabbath. Nor was the guest asked who he was. Some, 
 too, will remember how at the Seder service, which ushers 
 in every Pesach festival, the door is opened in the hope that 
 the Prophet Elijah might enter and partake of the family 
 hospitality. 
 
 But it is no wonder that, with the example of Father 
 Abraham to inspire us, hospitality should have become a 
 characteristic Jewish virtue. In commenting upon this act 
 of Abraham, the rabbis told this beautiful story. A trav- 
 eler was once journeying through the desert. He had wan- 
 dered for many days, without meeting anyone, or finding a 
 place where he could replenish his supply of food and 
 water. At last these were exhausted and he wandered 
 on despairingly, growing weaker and weaker. Suddenly 
 he found himself lying beneath a magnificent palm tree, 
 whose branches were laden with dates, and at whose foot 
 bubbled a softly murmuring spring. The traveler ate and 
 drank, and his strength returned. He filled his bottle and 
 pouch and prepared to depart. But first he turned to the 
 tree and said, "How can I reward thee for thy blessing? I 
 can not wish for thee anything that thou hast not t already. 
 I can wish only that thy offspring may be like thee". So, in 
 departing from Abraham, God said, "What can I offer thee 
 for thy kindness, since already thou art rich and hast every- 
 thing that thou' dost want ? I can grant only that thy de- 
 scendants, the people of Israel, may be like thee". There- 
 upon He announced to Abraham and Sarah the birth of 
 
Abraham's Hospitality 127 
 
 their long wished for son, Isaac. And through Isaac the 
 people Israel, Abraham's descendants, came to be ; and hos- 
 pitality has been, just as God blessed Abraham, one of the 
 greatest Jewish virtues. In its spirit the Bible teaches that 
 among the acts of service most pleasing to God are, 
 
 To deal thy bread to the hungry, 
 
 And that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house. 
 
 When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, 
 
 And that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh. 
 
 And the rabbis taught that the table which feeds the 
 stranger becomes an altar, meaning that this is the same as 
 giving unto God, as if God Himself were the guest at the 
 table, just as, unawares, He was Abraham's guest. They 
 also taught, "Let thy house be wide open to the poor, and 
 let the poor be as the members thereof". It is told that the 
 Prophet Elijah once sternly rebuked a renowned rabbi for 
 having built a porch, so large and so magnificent that he 
 could no longer hear the poor who stood at his door and 
 cried for help. 
 
 As the above story told, the reward of Abraham's hos- 
 pitality was Isaac. Not that Abraham expected a reward. 
 He had acted, just as in his dealings with the king of Sodom, 
 without thinking of reward. Yet every good deed brings a 
 reward of some kind, although not always immediately, and 
 not always recognized as the reward for that particular 
 deed. And Abraham's reward was Isaac. The rabbis told 
 that on the day of Isaac's birth the sun shone more brightly 
 than ever before or since, thereby proclaiming that he would 
 be a blessing to all mankind, that he and his descendants 
 would carry out faithfully God's command to Abraham to 
 be a blessing. Therefore it was a day of great rejoicing 
 for all mankind. 
 
128 
 
 The Book of Genesis 
 
 NOTES 
 
 The picture of Abraham sitting at his tent-door, and of the meal 
 which is served, and of the manner of serving it in the open space 
 before the tent-door, is typically nomadic. We have seen in a pre- 
 vious lesson that Abraham is represented as living the life of a 
 typical nomad, such as a wealthy Beduin sheikh would live today. 
 
 ^z_r^r 
 
 A Modern Nomad Tent 
 
 V. 2. There are various modes of bowing in the Orient. The 
 Hebrew verb used here denotes a complete prostration of the body. 
 In this the person bends the knees, and then gradually inclines the 
 body until the head touches the ground; cf. XXIII, 7, 12; XLII, 6; 
 XLIII, 26. This is the extreme form of bowing, and is indicative 
 of the desire to accord the highest possible honor. 
 
 V. 4. In the Orient where only sandals are worn, washing the 
 feet is one of the most indispensable acts of the toilet, and one of 
 the most characteristic services of hospitality; cf. XXIV, 42. 
 
 The tree here is the largest and most striking tree of the grove, 
 in whose shade Abraham's tent is pitched. Cf. note to XIV, 13. 
 
 V. 6. Bread or cakes (however, not cakes in our sense, but 
 small, round loaves of bread), are in the nomad households not 
 prepared in quantities and stored for several days, but are baked fresh 
 
Abraham's Hospitality 
 
 129 
 
 Oriental Bowing 
 
 for every meal. Here the bread is made from finely sifted wheat 
 flour, the finest flour then known. This is further evidence of the 
 high honor which Abraham shows his guests. 
 
 V. 7. Meat is eaten by the nomad only on very rare occasions. 
 That Abraham takes a young calf, the choicest of meats, shows the 
 honor he accords his guests and the extreme measure of his hos- 
 pitality. The host usually kills and dresses the animal himself, just 
 as here. 
 
 V. 8. In the Orient it is customary for the host to wait upon 
 the guests whom he most honors. He himself eats later of what 
 they leave. 
 
 V. 9. Sarah had remained in the tent, however, not because the 
 nomad women were forbidden to show their faces to strangers (this 
 custom is as a rule practiced only in the cities of the Orient, and 
 practically never among the nomads. This seems not to have been 
 an Israelite practice). But among the nomads woman is so lightly 
 esteemed that her presence is negligible. That the strangers ask 
 after Sarah is a distinct mark of honor. 
 
 V. 10. It is an altogether human trait of the story, that Sarah 
 is represented as standing behind the door of the tent, i. e. a skin 
 
130 The Book of Genesis 
 
 or rug suspended over the opening of the tent, curious to see and 
 hear everything that goes on. The curiosity of the nomad women, 
 manifested in ways such as this, is proverbial Therefore Sarah is 
 not at all confused when in vv. 12ff. it is discovered that she was 
 behind the door. She merely denies that she had laughed. 
 
 The Bible tells that the tent door was behind the speaker, to 
 show the supernatural knowledge and character of the latter. The 
 three strangers had come to Abraham in the guise of ordinary way- 
 farers, and he had received them as such, without the slightest 
 suspicion of their divine character. But this manifestation of super- 
 natural knowledge, and the further evidence that, even though this 
 stranger had never visited Abraham before, still he knew Sarah's 
 name, and could ask for her, and also, although he could not normally 
 have seen Sarah standing behind the tent door, he still knew that 
 she was there, and furthermore, that she had laughed at his words, 
 even though, as the Bible carefully states, Sarah had laughed only 
 to herself, all these manifestations of supernatural knowledge cause 
 Abraham to realize that he is entertaining no ordinary mortal being, 
 but one who partakes of divinity. This truth, it is implied, dawns 
 upon Abraham gradually, and leads him in the end to put complete 
 faith in the stranger's promise of a son, and in the further revelation 
 of the doom of Sodom and Gomorrah, 
 
 Vv. 12ff. The incident of Sarah's laughing here is intended to 
 explain the name Isaac. This name in Hebrew means "he laughs". 
 A parallel explanation of the same is given in XVII, 17, and still 
 another in XXI, 6. 
 
 For an able and illuminating discussion of the interesting subject 
 of Oriental hospitality, the reader is referred to Trumbull, Studies 
 in Oriental Social Life, pp. 73-142. 
 
Sodom and Gomorrah 131 
 
 IX 
 
 SODOM AND GOMORRAH 
 
 (Genesis XVIII, 17 XIX) 
 
 Shall not the Judge of all the earth do justly? (Genesis XVIII, 
 25.) 
 
 The Lord, the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering 
 and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy unto the thou- 
 sandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. 
 (Exodus XXXIV, 6-7.) 
 
 Read Psalm XCIV, 9-12. 
 
 We learned in the last lesson that Isaac was God's re- 
 ward for Abraham's hospitality. From this we inferred, 
 and experience proves it correct, that God always, sooner or 
 later, rewards righteous deeds. Likewise, from the story of 
 the flood we learned that God also punishes wicked deeds 
 just as they deserve. God has placed us here, and has given 
 us knowledge of right and wrong and many other precious 
 gifts, in order that we may live rightly, and bring good and 
 happiness to our fellow-creatures. To live thus and to do 
 God's will is good, and brings reward from God. Not to 
 live thus is disobedience of God, is wrong and sin, and must 
 bring punishment from God. So, we believe, God rules the 
 world in justice, noting the acts of men, and meting out 
 reward and punishment as men deserve. 
 
 In significant contrast to Abraham's righteousness and 
 God's reward therefor, the present story tells of the wicked- 
 ness of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of 
 God's punishment of them. We have previously heard of 
 these cities, of the beauty and fertility of their land, of 
 
132 , The Book of Genesis 
 
 their defeat by the four kings from the East, and of the 
 rescue of their captured men and women and the restoration 
 of the booty by Abraham. Tradition tells how very wicked 
 these cities were. Because of the productivity of their land, 
 they had become very wealthy. But unfortunately they had 
 not learned from experience the truth of the wise saying of 
 the rabbis, "Who is wise? He who rejoices in his portion." 
 They had not learned to rejoice in their portion, good and 
 pleasant though it was, but instead, as happens, alas, so 
 frequently, their very wealth had made them dissatisfied and 
 covetous. They did not understand that riches, too, are a 
 gift of God, given by Him only to be used, like all His gifts, 
 for some purpose of good, and never for injustice and op- 
 pression. Their greed had made them selfish, heartless and 
 unscrupulous. Having much, they thought only of how they 
 might get more. Nor did they care how they got it. They 
 were, so the rabbis told, particularly wicked in their treat- 
 ment of strangers. If a stranger came to their city, one 
 man would take some small thing, of so little value that it 
 would not be missed, or if missed, would not be worth com- 
 plaining about. Another would do the same, and still an- 
 other; and soon the poor stranger would be robbed of every- 
 thing, without being able to blame any one person. Or if, 
 perhaps, he did complain, it did not avail. For the judges 
 themselves were wicked and corrupt, and always received 
 a portion of the stolen goods. "Therefore they invariably 
 decided against the stranger. 
 
 And not only strangers did the Sodomites treat thus, but 
 even the poor and helpless of their own city. The rich and 
 powerful knew how to take advantage of them and despoil 
 them. And from the judges the poor received the same 
 treatment as strangers. In fact, we are told, a law had even 
 been made, that whoever would give food or lodging or as- 
 sistance to a poor man or a stranger, would be put to death. 
 How different from Abraham's righteous conduct, and how 
 
Sodom and Gomorrah 133 
 
 contrary to the fundamental principles of justice and hos- 
 pitality ! 
 
 This had been going on for many years. Even their 
 escape from the four hostile kings, and Abraham's noble 
 example in refusing the rich reward which the king of 
 Sodom had offered him, had failed to make them realize that 
 there is something in life far better than mere wealth. So 
 at last God felt that He must destroy them. But He remem- 
 bered His promise to Noah, never to bring another flood to 
 destroy all mankind. Instead He determined to punish only 
 the sinners, but to spare all the righteous in the city. 
 
 First, as we know, the angels came to Abraham to enjoy 
 his hospitality and to test him. Having tried and proved 
 him, they announced to him the birth of Isaac. At the same 
 time God revealed to Abraham His intention with regard to 
 the people of the wicked cities. This was in reality another 
 and a worthy test of Abraham's fitness for his great mis- 
 sion. Not the righteous and the well-doing have departed 
 farthest from God, and therefore stand in greatest need of 
 the ministrations and help and loving guidance of God's 
 servants, but the wicked and the evil-doers. As we have 
 learned, the principle underlying this service of God is that 
 of eternal, human brotherhood. All men are our brothers, 
 be they who they may, the righteous and the wicked alike. 
 It is easy to preserve the consciousness of brotherhood with 
 those who do well. But we are all too prone to condemn 
 the wicked, to cast them off and leave them to their fate, 
 and to feel that our relationship with them and our responsi- 
 bility for them have ceased. But it is not true, and we are 
 still our brother's keeper, and all the more the keeper of 
 that weak brother who can not keep himself, and who, with- 
 out our help, must be lost completely. He who would do 
 God's service and go as God's messenger unto his fellow- 
 men, must have a great heart, filled with love for those of 
 his brethren who need him most. He must be slow to con- 
 
134 The Book of Genesis 
 
 demn and quick to excuse and forgive. He must never 
 despair of the eventual regeneration of his brothers, no 
 matter how hopelessly wicked they may seem, but he must 
 have faith that with God's help his labors will not be in 
 vain, and that in the end all men must come to know God 
 truly and to live the life which He has appointed for men. 
 Only he who possesses such boundless love and compassion 
 for all his fellowmen is worthy to go upon the mission of 
 God. 
 
 Now Abraham knew full well the wickedness of the 
 people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Nevertheless his loving 
 heart overflowed with pity and compassion for them, and 
 the thought of their destruction moved him to intercede on 
 their behalf even with God Himself. Possibly some right- 
 eous men might be found in the cities, fifty, or forty, or 
 thirty, or twenty, or perhaps only ten. Yet for the sake of 
 these ten the city should be forgiven. For, on the one hand, 
 these few righteous men might yet convince the people of 
 the evil of their ways, and cause them to repent and return 
 to God. And, on the other hand, Abraham said, ''Shall not 
 the Judge of all the earth do justly?" And true justice 
 must always be tempered by mercy. For if God should 
 judge all men absolutely according to their merits, who 
 could stand before Him in judgment? What man doeth good 
 ever, and sinneth not? Everyone does wrong at times, for 
 no man is perfect, but only God. And unless God forgives, 
 all men, in strict justice, must perish. Surely not to punish 
 is God's desire, but to forgive; not to chastise in anger, but 
 to pardon and correct in love. So Abraham, we are told, 
 pleaded with God. And when he had made an end, God 
 caused all the generations of old, the wicked generation of 
 the flood, and the generation of the Tower of Babel, and 
 all those which came after that, to pass before his eyes. 
 Then Abraham saw that he was pleading needlessly, that God 
 had always judged, not in strict and absolute justice, but in 
 
Sodom and Gomorrah 135 
 
 that truer justice, which is ever tempered by love and mercy 
 and forgiveness, and that He had punished, as in the -story 
 of the flood, only at last, when He saw that the people had 
 become completely and hopelessly wicked and deaf to all 
 thoughts of correction and repentance. Nevertheless Abra- 
 ham had not pleaded entirely in vain. For this very plead- 
 ing had proved again his fitness for God's service. Even 
 the wicked inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were still 
 his brothers, and his heart was still filled with love and 
 compassion for them. 
 
 After revealing God's purpose to Abraham, the angels 
 went on, slowly and reluctantly, towards Sodom. So great 
 was God's sorrow at the thought of destroying His children, 
 even though they were wicked, and so eager His hope that 
 at the last moment ten, perhaps, might repent, and thus 
 justify His sparing the cky, that the angels' journey, which 
 ordinarily would have required but a short time, took many 
 hours. Thus, the good rabbis taught, the feet of God's mes- 
 sengers hasten on errands of mercy and blessing, but on 
 errands of punishment and sorrow they lag. 
 
 The angels reached Sodom just at dusk. But they did 
 not destroy the city immediately. God would give the people 
 one more chance to obtain forgiveness. So the angels de- 
 termined to pass the night in the city, to see what the people 
 would do. However, not a citizen of Sodom offered them 
 hospitality, but only Lot, himself a stranger, and therefore 
 in constant danger because of the Sodomites' habitual treat- 
 ment of strangers. In fact, we do not know just how they 
 happened to allow Lot to remain in their midst. Lot had 
 learned the lesson of hospitality from Abraham. And in 
 almost the same words as Abraham, he urged the strangers 
 to become his guests. Thus good example and helpful influ- 
 ence always beget righteousness. Lot's conduct was in 
 marked contrast to that of the Sodomites, for they tried to 
 work their evil desires upon the strangers and even threat- 
 
136 The Book of Genesis 
 
 ened Lot for protecting them. They had proved again how 
 hopelessly sinful they were, and had forfeited their last 
 opportunity to obtain forgiveness. So the destruction of the 
 city followed. First; however, God provided for the safety 
 of Lot and his family. But when Lot tried to persuade his 
 sons-in-law to hearken to the warning and to flee with him, 
 they refused and mocked at him. They shared completely 
 in the wickedness of the city, and therefore merited destruc- 
 tion. 
 
 So, at last, God was compelled in justice, though in 
 sorrow, to destroy the wicked cities. In contrast to the 
 judges of Sodom, His was true justice. Yet, just as Abra- 
 ham had pleaded, like all true justice it was tempered by 
 mercy and the desire to forgive. So God always judges, 
 our religion teaches. He delights to reward men for their 
 goodness. Only in sorrow, and only late, does He punish 
 for sin. Always He holds out the hope -and opportunity for 
 repentance, and always He longs for the return of the 
 sinner. Always His patient love guides the affairs of men, 
 and always He sends His word of truth and right and for- 
 giveness unto them. In His great love He has given us our 
 Yom Kippur, our Day of Atonement once each year. It is 
 the constantly recurring symbol of His love, and of the 
 opportunity He gives us to obtain forgiveness and begin 
 anew a -life of righteousness and of walking with Him. 
 Upon it we may turn to Him in sorrow, and implore pardon 
 for the sins of the past year, and earnestly resolve to live 
 the new year better. Even more than this, the rabbis told, 
 He fixed Yom Kippur ten days after Rosh Hashonah for 
 a wise and loving purpose. On Rosh Hashonah all the 
 world must pass for judgment before Him. The ten days 
 from Rosh Hashonah to Yom Kippur are given for repent- 
 ance and return to God. They are called the ascreth y'mai 
 fshuvah, "the Ten Days of Repentance" or "Return". If, 
 during these days, so the rabbis taught, one truly repents, 
 
Sodom and Gomorrah . 137 
 
 the sentence passed on Rosh Hashonah is not recorded ; for- 
 giveness is his. But if not, the sentence is recorded, to be 
 preserved for the final reckoning. But even this can be 
 atoned for and averted by repentance and righteous deeds, 
 for God's mercy and love endure forever, and ever, just as 
 with the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, He would rather 
 pardon than punish His beloved children. Therefore our 
 new year begins with joyful thoughts and hopes of pardon 
 and forgiveness. And in our prayers on Yom Kippur the 
 beautiful words from our Bible occur repeatedly, "The 
 Lord, the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, 
 and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy unto 
 the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgres- 
 sion and sin". 
 
 But true repentance means not merely saying, "I'm 
 sorry". It means not merely words of the lips, but also 
 deeds of the heart and the hand. God holds out the hope of 
 repentance and pardon. But man himself must truly repent, 
 and show by his life that he deserves pardon. The respon- 
 sibility for forgiveness rests, not upon God, but upon man 
 alone. The rabbis told of a wise father whose son had com- 
 mitted a grievous sin. The father said, "My son, you have 
 committed a great wrong and deserve punishment. Yet my 
 love prompts me not to punish you now. I will try you 
 again. If you never do wrong again, but learn from your 
 sin to live nobly and usefully, the sin shall be forgiven and 
 forgotten. But if not, and at last I see that you will not 
 do right, then I must punish you for this and all your sins". 
 So God, the loving Father, judges all His children, and 
 rewards in love where He can, but punishes, though in sor- 
 row, when He must. 
 
 We have learned how kind and generous Abraham was. 
 Yet this kindness and love may not be compared with God's. 
 One day, we are told, Abraham was sitting at his tent-door 
 as usual, watching for whom he might entertain. Suddenly 
 
138 The Book of Genesis 
 
 he saw an old, old man tottering along the road. Abraham 
 ran to him, took him by the arm, and helped him to his 
 tent. There he washed the old man's feet, clothed him in 
 fresh garments, and set a generous meal before him. But 
 to his surprise, the old man uttered no blessing over the 
 bread, nor spoke any word of thanks to the Giver of all for 
 the good he had received. Indignantly Abraham asked, 
 "Old man, why do you not thank God for these blessings?" 
 The old man replied, "I do not worship your God, but I 
 pray to the fire". Then in wrath Abraham seized the old 
 man and thrust him from the tent. There he lay all through 
 the long, dark, stormy night, groaning and suffering. At 
 dawn he slowly took his departure. Suddenly Abraham 
 heard God's voice, "Abraham, why didst thou treat this 
 poor, old man thus?" Abraham answered, "Because he 
 would not worship Thee". But God replied, "He, too, is 
 one of My children. I have borne with him for these one 
 hundred years ; couldst thou not have borne with him for 
 a single night?" 
 
 So the wicked cities were destroyed by God in justice, 
 for their wickedness and unwillingness to repent. Over 
 their site, tradition tells, lies the Dead Sea, so salty that no 
 living creature can exist in it, and no bird, it is said, ever 
 flies across it. The land which once had been like the garden 
 of the Lord is desolate now. So sin corrupts everything it 
 touches. 
 
 And Lot, who had done God's will, escaped with his 
 two daughters. Only his wife, who had disobeyed the angels' 
 last command, was destroyed. And in time Lot's reward for 
 his righteousness came. For among his descendants, as we 
 shall learn later, were to be the great King David, and also, 
 so the prophets and the rabbis told and many Jews still be- 
 lieve, the Messiah, who is at last to bring in the age when 
 sin and sorrow and punishment shall be no more, but only 
 
Sodom and Gomorrah 
 
 139 
 
140 The Book of Genesis 
 
 good and happiness and love shall obtain, when all men shall 
 truly walk with God, and, in the prophet's inspired words, 
 
 The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, 
 As the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah XI, 9.) 
 
 NOTES 
 
 The question is frequently asked whether this story of the de- 
 struction of Sodom and Gomorrah is literally true. Many devout 
 and enthusiastic travellers have laboriously sounded the waters of 
 the Dead Sea for some trace of the lost cities. But all in vain. The 
 reason is obvious. A little mature consideration must show that this 
 is not history but mythology. Just as with the creation and flood 
 stories, our ancestors laid hold of an ancient myth, adapted it to 
 their own use, and made it the vehicle for expressing the funda- 
 mental principle of Judaism, of God's justice, tempered by His desire 
 for mercy and forgiveness. Certainly it adds greatly to the value 
 of the story to understand and interpret it in this light. 
 
 However, inasmuch as the topography of the country east of the 
 Dead Sea, and probably also the deep depression of the Dead Sea 
 itself, is due to very remote volcanic activity and other geological 
 disturbances, it may well be that the ancient myth was based upon 
 a dim reminiscence of this fact. 
 
 Chapter XVIII, 22. The confusion to be noted here, as well as 
 in the earlier verses of this chapter, between God speaking as if 
 alone "and the three angels in human form, and the frequent, and 
 otherwise inexplicable, change from singular to plural, are due to 
 the fact that the story in its present literary form is the result of 
 the combination by some skillful editor of two ancient versions of 
 this myth. One version told that God alone visited Abraham, while 
 the other told of the visit of three angels. Otherwise the two ver- 
 sions seem to have been practically identical. 
 
 Chapter XIX, 1. Lot was sitting at the gate of the city, through 
 which, of course, all travellers had to enter. The rabbis inferred 
 from this that Lot practiced hospitality in the same manner as 
 Abraham. The gate of the city was and is still the common meeting- 
 place in Oriental towns and cities and there very much of the public 
 business is transacted; cf. XXIII, 10; XXXIV, 20; I Samuel IV, 8; 
 II Samuel XV, 2; Psalm LXIX, 13; Proverbs I, 21; Job XXIX, 7. 
 
 V. 3. By "the broad place" the public square of the city is 
 meant. The gate of the city generally opened upon this, just as 
 
Sodom and Gomorrah 
 
 141 
 
 here. It should be always borne in mind that, as the excavations 
 have shown, with but very few exceptions the towns and cities of 
 ancient Palestine covered comparatively small areas. Therefore the 
 public square itself was never very large, nor, at the most, far from 
 
 The Gate of an Oriental City 
 
 the city gate. Sodom seems to have been a larger city than ordinary, 
 since, as v. 4 tells, it was divided into a number of quarters. Gen- 
 erally in large cities the people of -various occupations had each their 
 own quarter; cf. Isaiah XLVII, 15; Jeremiah XXXVII, 21. 
 
 V. 17. For "the Plain" cf. the note to XIII, 12. The mountains 
 on either side of the Jordan valley rise quite abruptly to an average 
 height of approximately 3,500 feet above the surface of the Dead Sea. 
 
142 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Vv. 18-23 are really an interpolation into the original story, and 
 not an integral part of it. They were, inserted probably to explain 
 the etymology of the name of the village of Zoar, which seemed 
 miraculously to have escaped the general destruction. Actually they 
 have no relation to the story proper, and even seem to contradict 
 some of its details. Zoar is represented as derived from the Hebrew 
 stem sa'ar, "to be little." 
 
 V. 26. Very much has been told and written about this incident 
 of the pillar of salt. Most of this is altogether fanciful, and with- 
 
 The Pillar of Salt 
 
 out the slightest basis of fact or history. This verse is probably also an 
 interpolation, similar to the Zoar episode. Near the southern end 
 of the Dead Sea is a large hill of salt, today known to the Arabs of 
 the vicinity as Gebel Usdum (Mountain of Sodom). It is, of course, 
 the product of centuries of deposit of salt from the Dead Sea. Vivid 
 imaginations have from the earliest times professed to see the like- 
 ness of a woman in the configuration of this salt hill. Gradually the 
 tradition arose that it was actually a woman who had been changed 
 into salt. Ancient Israelite folk-lore identified this woman with Lot's 
 wife. Of course there is not the slightest historical basis to this 
 tradition. 
 
 Vv. 27f. From the highlands of Judah one can easily look 
 across the valley of the Dead Sea -to the mountains of Moab on the 
 east. 
 
Sodom and Gomorrah 143 
 
 V. 29 is a late interpolation into the original story. It seeks to 
 tell that God saved Lot, -not because of his own merits, but altogether 
 for Abraham's sake. 
 
 Vv. 30-38. These verses are undoubtedly intended to be an ac- 
 count, from the Israelite standpoint of course, of the origin of the 
 two kindred peoples, Moab and Ammon. Inasmuch as, throughout 
 Israel's history, Moab and Ammon were among Israel's most con- 
 stant and troublesome enemies, it is not at all surprising that 
 Israelite tradition should ascribe to them this base and immoral 
 origin. 
 
144 The Book of Genesis 
 
 X 
 
 HAGAR AND ISHMAEL 
 (Genesis XVI and XXI, 9-21) 
 
 And God heard the voice of the lad. (Genesis XXI, 17.) 
 
 My son, keep the commandment of thy father, 
 And forsake not the teaching of thy mother; 
 Bind them continually upon thy heart, 
 Tie them about thy neck. 
 
 For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, 
 And reproofs of instruction are the way of life. (Proverbs VI, 
 20-24.) 
 
 Read Psalm CXIV, 14-19. 
 
 The story of Hagar and Ishmael was probably first con- 
 ceived to account for the well-recognized kinship of Israel 
 with the nomad, Ishmaelite tribes of the desert. The tribes 
 of Israel, which later came out of the Arabian Desert and 
 settled in Palestine, were of the same, or kindred, stock as 
 the Ishmaelite tribes, which remained behind and continued 
 to live as wandering nomads with their sheep and camels. 
 The consciousness of this common stock continued until 
 comparatively late in Israel's history. The present story 
 accounts for this relationship by tracing the descent of both 
 Ishmael and Israel from one common ancestor, Abraham. 
 The traditional relationship between Israel and Moab and 
 Ammon has already been accounted for by a similar tradi- 
 tion of descent from a common ancestor (XIX, 3.0-38). 
 We shall learn later another similar tradition which ac- 
 counted for the relationship between Israel and Edom. 
 
 But even more, the story of Hagar and Ishmael illus- 
 
Hagar and Ishmael 145 
 
 trates for us one of the simplest, yet also one of the most 
 fundamental, beautiful, and eternal of human- virtues, a 
 mother's love. The picture of Hagar s love, and of her 
 despair and anguish at the thought of the impending death 
 of her child and of her helplessness to relieve his suffering, 
 touches us to the quick. We may be sure that Hagar had 
 spared no effort to keep her little one alive, and that she 
 had denied herself of the food and water in order to give 
 it to him. And childlike, he had accepted it unquestioningly, 
 not understanding nor appreciating his mother's sacrifice, nor 
 realizing that she was giving her very life for him. So 
 children always do more or less. The .fulness of a mother's 
 love and a mother's sacrifice is too great to be appreciated 
 ever. We begin to understand something of it only when 
 we become parents ourselves, and make our own loving sac- 
 rifices for our own children. Yet even then we do not com- 
 prehend all that our dear parents have done for us, all the 
 tender love they have showered upon us. 
 
 The more we read the story and the more we respond to 
 its irresistible call for sympathy, the more, too, the realiza- 
 tion grows, that Hagar and Hagar's love are types, types 
 of true motherhood and true mother's love. Especially are 
 they types of the Jewish mother' and Jewish parental love 
 and capacity for sacrifice. True, Hagar was not a Jewess 
 by birth. But inasmuch as Jewish law and lore taught that 
 the wife lives in the tent or house of her husband and fol- 
 lows completely after him, the Bible undoubtedly meant to 
 imply that, despite the accident of Egyptian birth, Hagar 
 was nevertheless a Jewess in thought and act. Similarly 
 Joseph's wife was an Egyptian and dwelt in Egypt, yet her 
 offspring, Ephraim and Manasseh, are represented through- 
 out the Bible as quite as thoroughly Jewish as any of the 
 sons oi Jacob. So, too, here it is the God of Israel who 
 cares for Hagar and her son. And the sentiments and vir- 
 tues which this story illustrates have always been recognized 
 
146 The Book of Genesis 
 
 by our ancestors and by the world as animating the Jewish 
 people to an unusually high degree. As Hagar, so every 
 Jewish mother, and every Jewish father, too, act, and of 
 such sacrifice for their children they have ever shown them- 
 selves capable. Therefore the expression has become prover- 
 bial, "a mother in Israel", i. e., the true Jewish mother, the 
 highest type of motherhood the world has ever known. It 
 is indeed something to be proud of, that throughout all ages 
 our Jewish mothers and fathers have set before the world 
 the standard of true motherhood, and fatherhood. Our Bible 
 is rich in stories of Jewish fathers and Jewish mothers. It 
 tells of Jacob and his undying love for his son Joseph, of 
 the tender love of the mother of Moses for her little baby, 
 of Hannah and her earnest prayer that God might bless her 
 with a child, upon whom she might bestow her mother love, 
 of the old king David, whose love for his son could not be 
 quenched, even despite the latter's heartless . treatment of 
 his aged and trusting father. We shall hear all these stories 
 in time, and therefore need not recount them here. 
 
 However, two stories, told by the rabbis of old, to illus- 
 trate how true and undying is a Jewish parent's love, may 
 be related here. They told that when Joseph was sold as 
 a slave, and was being brought down to Egypt, the road led 
 past the tomb of Rachel, his mother, who had died when 
 he was a mere baby. Just opposite the tomb he suddenly 
 broke away from his captors, and ran and threw himself 
 down upon his mother's grave and wept bitterly, and called 
 upon her for help, even- though he knew that she could 
 not hear. But the rabbis told; and they were very wise and 
 knew best, that still she did hear, for her love for her boy 
 was not dead. And from out the tomb, it seemed to him, 
 there came words of comfort and cheer, bidding him not 
 despair, for this was all in accordance with God's will, and 
 success and blessing were still in store for him. The story 
 is true ; a mother's love, at least, never dies. Long after 
 
Hagar and Ishmael 147 
 
 she has passed to her eternal reward, her love lives on and 
 on in the lives of her children, and her gentle words of coun- 
 sel and admonition are a lamp, which guides them through 
 all the darkness upon the way of life. Therefore the Bible 
 says truly, 
 
 My son, keep the commandment of thy father, 
 
 And forsake not the teaching of thy mother ; 
 
 Bind them continually upon thy heart, 
 
 Tie them about thy neck. 
 
 For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, 
 
 And reproofs of instruction are the way of life. 
 
 The other story told that when God called to Moses for 
 the first time, He did not speak in His own voice, for He 
 feared that this might frighten Moses. Nor would He use 
 too weak a voice, lest Moses should pay little attention, or 
 fail to recognize His true glory. So He called to Moses in 
 the voice of his father, for He knew that to this gentle 
 and loving voice Moses could answer only in accents of 
 respect and tender affection. If only we are observant, we 
 can see our father's love and our mother's love, and can 
 hear it, too, not only in their actions and in the many things 
 they do for us, but even in the sound and inflection of their 
 voices, when they speak to us or about us, and in the light 
 which shines in their eyes when they look at us, or even 
 think of us. This is the traditional love of Jewish fathers 
 and Jewish mothers, which has ever made them happy in 
 their many sacrifices for the sake of their children. Many, 
 many stories may be told of this love, and many examples 
 may be given. Each child, if only made to think for a mo- 
 ment, must know some instances of father love and mother 
 love from his own experience. And we can understand 
 that in wisdom and truth the Bible commands, "Honor thy 
 father and thy mother". 
 
 One more thought this story suggests. God had prom- 
 ised that Ishmael, too, like Isaac, should become the pro- 
 
148 The Book of Genesis 
 
 gcnitor of a numerous and mighty people. Yet despite this 
 promise, it seemed at one moment that the child was on the 
 point of perishing of thirst. In vain the distracted mother 
 sought to still his cries ; in vain she called upon God for 
 help; in vain she besought Him to be mindful of His prom- 
 ise. It seemed to her as if God did not hear, or would not 
 hear Small wonder if she doubted or lost faith. But just 
 when it seemed that in another moment the child must die, 
 God opened her eyes, and she beheld the life-giving well of 
 water for which she had prayed. God had heard her cries ; 
 He was indeed a God of mercy and faithfulness, who cares 
 for the suffering, the outcast, and the helpless, and none of 
 His promises remain unfulfilled. Nay more, the well had 
 been there continually, only in her blindness she had not 
 seen it until God opened her eyes. 
 
 So it is with many people. Our eyes are closed to God's 
 countless blessings, and we vainly call upon Him to satisfy 
 our needs. Yet if we would but open our eyes and see all 
 the blessings which God does shower upon us, all His boun- 
 ties with which we may satisfy our needs, we would not 
 doubt, nor murmur, nor cry for more, but we would bravely 
 set to work to use what God has given us, and to strengthen 
 ourselves thereby for the great tasks for which He has 
 created us. 
 
 The word of God is sure. As one of the greatest of the 
 prophets said, 
 
 As the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, 
 
 And returneth not thither, 
 
 Except it water the earth, 
 
 And maketh it bring forth and bud, 
 
 And give seed to the sower and bread to the eater ; 
 
 So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: 
 
 It shall not return unto Me void, 
 
 Except it accomplish that which I please, 
 
 And make the thing whereto I sent it prosper. (Isaiah IV, 10-11.) 
 
 The truth of this we learned in the story of the flood, 
 
Hagar and Ishmael 149 
 
 when God watched over all those in the ark, and though it 
 had neither sail nor rudder nor helmsman nor sailors, still 
 it floated along upon the mighty waters, safe and firm under 
 God's protection. We learn this truth, too, from the story 
 of the exodus from Egypt. Though the mighty Pharaoh 
 and his army shut the people in behind, and the beating sea 
 barred their way in front, and to go either backward or for- 
 ward, it seemed, meant destruction, still God, in His mercy 
 and faithful to His promise, made a path for Israel through 
 the depths of the sea, and led His people on to safety and 
 freedom. We learn it also from the story of the prophet 
 Elijah. Though the whole land hungered because of the 
 drought, and though he had to flee and hide for his life 
 before the vengeful king and queen, none the less he was 
 safe in God's loving care, and was fed by the ravens who 
 did God's bidding. And we learn this truth, too, from this 
 story of Hagar and Ishmael, from the significant words, 
 "And God heard the voice of the lad", and from the name, 
 Ishmael, "God hears". 
 
 The wise teachers and rabbis in Israel used to tell many 
 wonderful tales, which showed God's never-failing provi- 
 dence and loving care of all His creatures. But far more 
 than in such stories and miracles, which seemed to exemplify 
 a special providence of God, they delighted in pointing to 
 the manifold instances of God's bounty and blessing, which 
 come to us ceaselessly day by day, and which alone make 
 living* possible. They told, for example, that even though 
 the farmer wears himself out with plowing, harrowing, sow- 
 ing, pulling weeds, harvesting, binding the sheaves, and 
 threshing, still all his labor would be vain, did not ( God send 
 a little wind to help winnow the grain and separate the 
 wheat from the chaff. "And God heard the voice of the 
 lad". As the Psalmist said, 
 
 He giveth to the beast his food, 
 
 And to the young ravens which cry. (Psalm CXLVIT, 9.) 
 
150 The Book of Genesis 
 
 He hearkens to our voice when we call upon Him ; He sat- 
 isfies our needs and gives us strength to do His work. Day 
 by day His love -watches over us and His providence never 
 fails us. His countless blessings come to us constantly in 
 overflowing measure, if only we open our eyes to see and 
 our minds to understand. Again in the Psalmist's words, 
 
 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, 
 
 And raiseth all those that are bowed down. 
 
 The eyes of^all wait for Thee, 
 
 And Thou givest them their food in due season. 
 
 Thou openest fhy hand, 
 
 And satisifiest every living thing with favor. 
 
 The Lord is righteous in all His ways, 
 
 And gracious in all his works. 
 
 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, 
 
 To all that call upon Him in truth. 
 
 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him; 
 
 He also will' hear their cry, and will save them. 
 
 And the story suggests still one other thought. God's 
 command had come to Abraham to send away Hagar and 
 Ishmael. His heart was torn, for Hagar was his wife and 
 the mother of Ishmael, and Ishmael was his son, and he 
 loved them. Nay more, he felt a stern sense of duty to 
 provide for them and protect them, just as the true husband 
 and father always feels. But according to the standards and 
 practices of those days, Sarah had the right to derrland that 
 Hagar, her handmaid, be put away because of her arrogant 
 conduct, and her son, Ishmael, with her. And God had 
 bidden Abraham do as Sarah had demanded. He was torn 
 between two duties, the duty to protect and cherish Hagar 
 and Ishmael, and the duty to do as Sarah, his first and chief 
 wife, had the right to demand, and as God Himself had bid- 
 den him do. Which duty should he perform? His own 
 desire and feeling for his offspring bade him keep Hagar 
 and Ishmael, and care for them at all costs, even in defiance 
 of Sarah's right and of God's bidding. A voice within kept 
 
Hagar and Ishmael 151 
 
 whispering, "This is your duty quite as much as that". But 
 another voice answered sternly, "Yes, that is a duty; but it 
 is a greater duty to hearken to God's word, and to give to 
 Sarah, who has the first claim upon you, and who has ever 
 shared with you, faithfully and loyally, all the hardships and 
 trials which have come to you, that which she has a perfect 
 right to demand." As the wise prophet told Saul, the king, 
 when the latter had disobeyed God's command, and had of- 
 fered sacrifices which he thought would be pleasing unto God, 
 
 Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and -sacrifices, 
 
 As in hearkening -to the 'voice of the Lord? 
 
 Behold, to obey 'is better than sacrifice, 
 
 And to- hearken than the fat of -rams. (I Samuel XV, 22.) 
 
 It is hard to resist temptation, when it comes in the 
 alluring garb of pleasure and gratification of desire. But it 
 is harder far to resist temptation when it comes in the guise 
 of duty, and bids us do it and neglect the greater, harder, 
 less pleasing, and more costly duty. Time and again we are 
 confronted with conflicting duties and are forced to make 
 our choice between them. A voice within keeps urging us to 
 choose the easier and more agreeable duty ; after all, that is 
 duty, too, and little duties must be performed as well as 
 great duties ; there is equal merit in both, and both are pleas- 
 ing to God. But the other voice keeps insisting that this is 
 the greater and more urgent duty, and it must be per- 
 formed first at all costs. It is the hardest choice in life to 
 make. Nevertheless we must all make this choice time and 
 again. How shall we decide? There is but one way, the 
 way which Abraham chose, to put aside all selfish consid- 
 erations of ease and pleasure and personal desire, and deter- 
 mine honestly and uncompromisingly which is the greater 
 and more urgent duty, which is truly God's bidding, and 
 then to do that duty steadfastly and conscientiously, regard- 
 less of the cost. It is a hard and bitter trial, which must 
 
152 The Book of Genesis 
 
 come to all of us repeatedly, to prove our true worth and 
 fitness for God's service. It always means pain and sorrow, 
 and leaves a scar which never heals, as the mark of the 
 battle of the soul which we have had to fight. But all life 
 is in a very true sense a ceaseless battle in the cause of 
 duty, and we can not go through this battle unwounded and 
 without scars. It is the battle which tries and proves us, 
 and purges the evil of weakness, selfishness, and cowardice 
 from our souls, and makes us men and warriors and true 
 servants of God. This was another and a severe trial of 
 Abraham, possibly the most severe which he, had had to 
 endure thus far. And again he had withstood the test 
 nobly, and had proved himself worthy to go upon the mis- 
 sion of God. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 The question is often raised, but more often by the thoughtless 
 teacher than by the thoughtful pupil, "Did Abraham do right in 
 yielding to Sarah's request, and sending Hagar and Ishmael away?" 
 Judging by modern standards, of course he did wrong. But it is 
 ridiculous, as well as unfair, to apply modern standards to ancient 
 conditions. According to modern standards it was wrong, also, for 
 Abraham to take more than one wife. But we knc<v. T that it was in 
 full accord with ancient practice. Equally, Sarah's request that 
 Hagar and Ishmael be sent away, and Abraham's compliance, were 
 in accord with ancient law and standards. Certainly the Biblical 
 authors had no feeling that Abraham had done anything at all wrong. 
 The story betrays not the least indication thereof. On the contrary, 
 the Bible tells that Abraham was induced to hearken to Sarah's re- 
 quest by the very word of God, and by the divine assurance that God 
 would protect Ishmael and make of him also a great people. The 
 story depicts no more than Abraham's touching grief and solicitude 
 at the thought of sending his two loved ones away, and also repre- 
 sents. Abraham as enduring another bitter trial and test of faith and 
 worth. It is good to know that the rabbis told that Abraham was 
 later reunited with Ishmael in a way (cf. Ginzberg, The Legends 
 of the Jews, I, 266), and that the Bible itself tells that at Abraham's 
 death Ishmael rejoined Isaac, in order to share with him the sad 
 
Hagar and Ishmael 153 
 
 but loving duty of laying the body of their father in its eternal rest- 
 ing-place (XXV, 9). In view of all this, the good teacher will know 
 how to present this story in the spirit in which it was written. And 
 should some thoughtful child question Abraham's conduct, she will 
 understand how to answer. 
 
 For the general understanding of the story it should be borne in 
 mind that in the Orient, and also in the true Jewish household, 
 children are considered the supreme blessing. A childless couple is 
 regarded as unfortunate and unhappy indeed. Hence the longing of 
 Rachel and of Hannah for a child. It seems to have been a not 
 uncommon practice for a childless woman to give one of her maids 
 to her husband as a second wife, and to regard the children of this 
 union as her own. The story of Jacob and Leah and Rachel fur- 
 nishes another instance of this practice. The maid, in such case, 
 continued subject to her mistress, even though she had actually born 
 children. A similar practice existed among the ancient Babylonians, 
 and still today obtains among certain Arab tribes; cf. Musil, Arabia 
 Petraea, III, 225. 
 
 XVI, 7. Shur is the district at the Isthmus o Suez on the border 
 of Egypt. 
 
 V. 12 pictures the wild, tribal state of the nomad tribes in the 
 Arabian Desert. 
 
 XXI, 6. Another attempt to account for the name Isaac; cf. note 
 to XVIII, 12. 
 
 V. 8. In the Orient children are weaned generally at about the 
 age of three years. This is usually an occasion for rejoicing and 
 feasting, just as is described here. 
 
 V. 9. The rabbis told that Sarah beheld Ishmael mocking Isaac 
 as he wept; hence her sudden hatred of the boy. 
 
 Vv. 13 and 14 are very difficult of exact translation, and their 
 meaning is altogether uncertain. They picture the most primitive 
 conception of the deity in ancient Israel, that of a god who lives in 
 one fixed place, and whose power extends only over the immediate 
 vicinity of his abode. Such a god was ordinarily conceived of as 
 dwelling in a spring, a rock of unusual appearance, or a tree of 
 extraordinary size. Here the deity is represented as being actually 
 the god of the well; hence the peculiar name of the latter, "The well 
 of the Living One who seeth me". The story in its original form 
 implied that not only did Hagar not see .the well at ifirst, but also 
 that she had no intimation that a god dwelt in this spot until he- 
 revealed himself to her. A strikingly similar idea is contained ir 
 the original form of the. story of Jacob at Bethel, XXVIII. 10-22 
 
154 The Book of Genesis 
 
 com- 
 
 This primitive conception of local gods Israel outgrew at a 
 paratively early period of its religious evolution. Those wishing to 
 investigate tbis subject in greater detail may consult Robertson Smith, 
 The Religion of the Semites (2nd edition). The exact location of 
 the well can not be determined. For the probable locations of Kadesh 
 and Bered consult the articles under these headings in Hastings' 
 Dictionary of the Bible, and also the biblical geographies cited in 
 the bibliography, pp. 35f. 
 
 V. 19. "And God opened her eyes", i. e. caused her to see the 
 well, which had been there constantly, but which she had somehow 
 not noticed. It does .not mean that God suddenly created this wel 
 
 V. 20. The Ishmaelites were supposedly renowned archers. 
 
 V. 21. The Wilderness of Paran was the ancient name for the 
 desert of the Sinaitic Peninsula. The Bible represents it as the 
 traditional wandering ground of the Ishmaelite tribes. Actually, 
 however, these tribes wandered over the northern half or two thirds 
 of the vast Arabian Peninsula. The Mohammedan Arabs claim 
 descent from Ishmael, and Mohammedan tradition holds that the 
 well which God revealed to Hagar was the sacred well of Zemzem 
 at Mecca, the holy city of the Mohammedans. 
 
 It is now recognized by scholars that XVI and XXI contain, not 
 the accounts of two separate flights of Hagar from Sarah's house- 
 hold, but two independent versions of one and the same event. 
 This is clear from the fact that the same incidents, such as the an- 
 nouncement of the glorious future of Ishmael and his descendants, 
 are found in each version. 
 
 A few discrepancies and anachronisms are readily apparent, such 
 as that in the opening verses of XX Ishmael is represented as a lad 
 of thirteen years, and therefore practically grown to man's estate, 
 according to Oriental standards, whereas in the story proper he is 
 still an infant, unable to care for himself, and cast away, helplessly, 
 to die under a bush. Of course these two passages are the work 
 of two different writers and belong to two originally distinct versions 
 of the Ishmael story. In presenting the story the teacher must use 
 judgment in avoiding all such difficulties. 
 
The Sacrifice of Isaac 15' 
 
 XI 
 
 THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC 
 (Genesis XXII, 1-19) 
 
 Here am I. (Genesis XXII, 1.) 
 
 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, 
 
 Neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. 
 
 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 
 
 So are My ways higher than your ways, 
 
 And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah IV, 8-9.) 
 
 Read Psalm CXXI. 
 
 As was stated in the Introduction, one central theme runs 
 through the entire Abraham cycle of stories. It is the 
 thought that God tried Abraham repeatedly, to prove his fit- 
 ness for the great task for which he had been called. Each 
 trial thus far had tested Abraham in a different way. He 
 had stood the first test of faith ; he had proved his ability to 
 subdue his own inclinations and passions in order to pre- 
 serve peace with kinsmen and f ellowmen ; he had shown 
 conclusively that he would serve for the sake of duty alone, 
 and without thought of reward ; he had demonstrated his 
 hospitality, generosity, and consciousness of brotherhood, his 
 eagerness to pursue after duty, as well as to perform it 
 when it came to him, his all-embracing love and compassion 
 for his fellowmen, even when they were sinners, his readi- 
 ness to put duty to God above everything else. But one test 
 more was necessary to complete God's trial of Abraham. 
 Would he give up at God's behest that which was to him the 
 very dearest thing in all life? The story of the sa^- : ficr of 
 
156 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Isaac is the answer to this question. It is the climax of 
 the Abraham cycle of stories. 
 
 This story, like that of the garden of Eden, is recognized 
 as one of the classics of the world's literature. The author's 
 art is incomparable. Although the story proper is told in 
 only fifteen short verses, it is complete and perfect in every 
 detail. The little artless child, with his simple, naive ques- 
 tions, trusting so implicitly in his old father, and the father, 
 silent and grief-stricken, yet steadfast in his faith in God, 
 command our admiration and sympathy. We constantly ask 
 ourselves, "Will the old man actually sacrifice his beloved 
 son, and will God allow him to do so?" Isaac's simple ques- 
 tion, "Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" is dramatic in 
 the extreme. It expresses the very point of the story. And 
 equally dramatic is Abraham's answer, "God will provide 
 the lamb". For all unconsciously, in these words, as well as 
 in those to the two servants, "I and the lad will go yonder; 
 and we will worship and come back to you", Abraham has 
 hinted at the real outcome of the story. He thought at the 
 moment that he alone would come back. But actually both 
 were to return. The ancient rabbis said that through pro- 
 phetic inspiration Abraham foretold the true end of the 
 journey. But had Abraham thus foreseen the outcome of 
 this adventure, there would have been no real trial of his 
 faith, and no point to this story. And so we know that the 
 dramatic effect of his words is due entirely to the author's 
 consummate art. 
 
 But besides surpassing artistic merit, the story itself is, 
 because of the spiritual lesson it conveys, sublime and in- 
 spiring to the highest degree. Hardly any other story in 
 the Bible equals, and certainly none - surpasses it in this re- 
 spect. Partly because of this, this chapter has become the 
 traditional passage from the Torah read in every synagogue 
 on Rosh Hashonah. 
 
 Historically the story had a twofold purpose. On the 
 
The Sacrifice of Isaac 157 
 
 one hand, as has been stated in the Introduction, it was de- 
 signed to combat what was in the 9th, 8th and 7th centuries 
 B. C, an ever-growing evil, the horrible practice of child- 
 sacrifice. The Books of Kings tell how prevalent this prac- 
 tice was in Israel at this time. This story was first conceived 
 and written down in the 9th century B. C. as a strong 
 protest against this awful custom, and to show that God 
 does not demand child-sacrifice, but, at the most, only some 
 fitting animal, as, for instance, a ram or a lamb. And on 
 the other hand, the story was in time expanded and spirit- 
 ualized, and made to show that dearer to God than even the 
 richest animal sacrifice is the sacrifice of the heart, perfect 
 faith in Him and willingness to obey His word, readiness to 
 answer His call, even before its purpose be known, with the 
 unfailing "Here am I", and to give up for Him what is best 
 and dearest, even one's only, beloved child. As the Psalmist 
 said, 
 
 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, 
 
 And put your trust in the Lord. (Psalm IV, 6.) 
 
 How well the story succeeded in its twofold purpose, is self- 
 evident. 
 
 When God had commanded Abraham to leave forever 
 birthplace and father's house and loved ones at home, and 
 wander forth, he knew not whither, it had been a severe 
 trial. It had been a more severe trial when God had bidden 
 him hearken to Sarah's word, and send Hagar and Ishmael 
 forth into the barren wilderness, to what fate he knew not. 
 But this trial was harder far, for now God demanded his 
 and Sarah's only son, for whom they had hoped and prayed 
 for so many years, and who had been granted to them only 
 in old age, after they had long given up all hope. Now, 
 after but a few years of happiness, in which they had learned 
 to idolize the boy, and had conceived the fondest hopes for 
 his future, came the command to sacrifice him. It meant 
 
158 The Book of Genesis 
 
 the end of all their hopes and happiness ; it meant that their 
 old age must be dark and cheerless, and that, when at last 
 their end would come, there would be no loved one to follow 
 them sorrowfully to their last resting-place. Surely they 
 could hope for no more children. Small wonder had they 
 hesitated, and even refused to make the sacrifice. But Abra- 
 ham did not falter nor question God's will. His faith in 
 God was stronger even than his love for his son. Slowly 
 and sorrowfully he obeyed the divine command, and never 
 once did he doubt or seek to turn back on his sad and hope- 
 less journey. 
 
 It might be asked, "Why should God try Abraham again, 
 and so cruelly? Was not the first hard test of his faith, 
 which he had stood so well, sufficient?" It is a difficult ques- 
 tion to answer. We can not understand, nor judge, nor 
 even question God's motives and God's ways. This story 
 brings home the full truth of the prophet's words, 
 
 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, 
 Neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. 
 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 
 So are My ways higher than your ways, 
 And My thoughts than your thoughts. . 
 
 We can not understand God's ways, nor dare we even 
 question them. We can only trust with absolute faith that 
 He knows best, and that His purpose is good and wise, even 
 though we may not understand, and even though it may 
 seem hard and harsh. This is what Abraham did, and he 
 has deservedly become Israel's and the world's inspiring 
 model of true faith in God. 
 
 Yet the rabbis did ask themselves, "Why did God try 
 Abraham again and again?" And they gave a very wise 
 answer. "When the potter bakes his vessels in the kiln, 
 which does he test to see if they are well made, the best or 
 the worst? Surely the best, from which he expects the most. 
 So, too, God tried Abraham severely, just because He ex- 
 
The Sacrifice of Isaac 159 
 
 pected so much from him and from his descendants, the 
 children of Israel". 
 
 But not only Abraham did God try thus. He tries every- 
 one in some way. Some He tries just as severely as He 
 tried Abraham. Others, from whom, perhaps, He expects 
 not quite so much, He tries less severely. But all people 
 must be tried in some way, and their fitness for God's serv- 
 ice proved. A wise and good rabbi of old, it is told, suf- 
 fered very much. He was blind and crippled in hands and 
 feet, and was dependent upon others for everything. Many 
 additional misfortunes, too, befell him. Yet of everything 
 he said, gam zu I'tovah, "This, also, is for good". That 
 was complete trust in God. 
 
 *- The following story is told of his pupil, the well-known 
 Rabbi Akiba. He was compelled by persecution to leave 
 his home and wander about in a sparsely settled country, 
 with only an ass, upon which he rode, a cock which would 
 wake him in the morning, and a lamp, by the light of which 
 he used to study the Torah until late into the night. Once, 
 just at nightfall, he came to a village and asked for lodging. 
 But the churlish people, very much like the inhabitants of 
 Sodom, refused, and Rabbi Akiba was compelled to spend 
 the night shelterless in a nearby wood. He consoled himself 
 with the thought, "God is just ; no doubt, as my beloved 
 master taught me, this, too, is for good". He lit his lamp 
 and prepared to study. But scarcely had he commenced, 
 when a sudden gust of wind blew out the light, and he 
 could not rekindle it. So he lay down to sleep. Soon a 
 wolf came and killed the cock ; then a lion carried away 
 the ass. But Rabbi Akiba piously remarked, "This, too, 
 must be for good", and he thanked God for having spared 
 his life. Early in the morning he arose and went back to 
 the village to purchase food. But to his surprise, he found 
 not a single person alive. During the night robbers had 
 killed all the inhabitants and carried away all their property. 
 
160 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Then Rabbi Akiba understood, and once more he thanked 
 God for having- saved his life. For he said, "Had they not 
 refused me lodging, I would have been killed with them. 
 And had not the wind put out my light, and the animals 
 killed my companions, the robbers might have seen me study- 
 ing, or heard the cock crow or the ass bray, and would have 
 captured me. Praised be God, who does everything for 
 good". 
 
 God tries everyone in some way. Nor must we imagine 
 at, as with Abraham, at the last moment our sacrifice will 
 not be required. Generally our sacrifice is accepted. And 
 the real test is in the way we offer our sacrifice, the willing- 
 ness with which we give up what is dear, the perfect faith 
 in God which we still preserve, and which keeps us from 
 doubting His wisdom and goodness. 
 
 At times God even demands the very same sacrifice which 
 He asked of Abraham, dearly beloved children, or even an 
 only child. Of course He does not ask that the parent sac- 
 rifice his child with knife in hand. Nevertheless it is a sac- 
 rifice indeed to give up a darling child or some other loved 
 one at God's behest, probably the very greatest sacrifice. 
 Just as with Abraham, it is always the hardest test of faith. 
 Some make the sacrifice, not willingly, of course, -but with 
 resignation and perfect faith that God knows best, even as 
 Abraham did. Others doubt and question, and say, "God 
 can not have done this", or "God is unjust and cruel", or 
 "There can be no God, for, otherwise, He would not have 
 let this sorrow befall me". But we must remember that we 
 can not understand God's motives nor His ways. 
 
 As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
 So are My ways higher than your ways, 
 And My thoughts than your thoughts. 
 
 This is the true faith, which enables us to endure all trials 
 and stand all tests, and prove ourselves fit and ready for the 
 
The Sacrifice of Isaac 161 
 
 great work for which, sooner or later, God calls everyone 
 of us. 
 
 To everyone some trials must come. We may not realize 
 that they are trials, and we may rebel and refuse to make 
 our sacrifices ; and we, too, may doubt whether God has 
 done this, or whether a just God could allow this misfortune 
 or unhappiness ; or we may ask complainingly, ''What have 
 we done to deserve all this?" But if we would only think, 
 "Perhaps God is trying us, to see how much of real faith 
 and real manhood we have,, and how fit and ready we are 
 to do the great and worthy tasks which He has in store for 
 us ; perhaps this, too, is for good, even though we can not 
 understand it fully", if only we would think this, it would 
 help us bear our burdens and grow stronger, better, and 
 wiser from all our trials. 
 
 One other thought suggests itself. God has placed us 
 here, we have learned, not for mere pleasure, but for a 
 definite purpose, to do His work and make the world better 
 and happier. God's purpose is sure. And we are the tools 
 with which He accomplishes His purpose. Now, have you 
 ever stood before the watchmaker's shop, and seen Him 
 wield his little, delicate tools so softly and so gently that 
 they barely seem to move or to feel his touch? And then 
 have you stood before the blacksmith's, shop and seen him 
 lift his heavy hammer aloft, with muscles stretched and 
 taut, and bring it down with all his might, until the sparks 
 fly in all directions, and both hammer and anvil ring and 
 quiver? We are, all of us, the tools in God's hands, some, 
 perhaps, the little, watchmaker's tools, which He wields so 
 softly and gently that we barely feel His touch, and our 
 trials and sorrows are light and easily borne. And others 
 are the blacksmith's hammer and anvil, with which He deals 
 His mighty blows, and we, too, must suffer and writhe and 
 groan at the stroke. But neither hammer nor anvil nor 
 watchmaker's tool can know the purpose of its master, why 
 
162 The Book of Genesis 
 
 it is used as it is; nor can we know the purpose of our 
 Master, why some He tries so lightly that they barely feel 
 His touch, and to others He deals His heavy blows, blow 
 upon blow, until they tremble and writhe and cry out in 
 pain. Yet the Master's purpose is sure, is wise and good, 
 and laden with blessing for all mankind, greater far than 
 all our suffering. Of this we may be certain, and in Him 
 we should ever trust. And perhaps, as the rabbis suggested, 
 those whom He is calling for His greatest work, He tries 
 most severely, to see if they are ready and fit. 
 
 And, as the story implied, not only Abraham was tried, 
 but also Isaac. For it must have been indeed a severe trial 
 and test of Isaac's faith and courage, when he felt himself 
 bound upon the altar, and beheld the knife in his father's 
 hand, upraised to take his life. In that moment he might 
 well have - doubted his father's love, and questioned God's 
 wisdom and providence. But the rabbis told that, although 
 only a lad, Isaac never faltered nor lost faith, not even for 
 a single moment. Bravely and loyally he urged his father 
 to be steadfast in the performance of his duty, and to strike 
 the blow which would sacrifice him at God's command. 
 Thereby he proved himself a worthy son of Abraham, equal 
 to his father in faith in God and unflinching devotion to 
 duty, and fit to become his successor in the service for which 
 God had called Abraham and his posterity. 
 
 And not Abraham and Isaac alone has God tested by 
 this most bitter trial, but also their descendants, the children 
 of Israel. All Israel God has called as His servant, and 
 charged to do His work and be a blessing unto all mankind, 
 even as He called to Abraham. And all Israel God has tried 
 continually, to learn whether they were ready and fit. Israel 
 has suffered greater hardship and oppression than any other 
 people upon the earth. For thousands of years Israel has 
 been driven from place to place, homeless, friendless, and 
 persecuted. Time and again Jewish fathers and mothers 
 
The Sacrifice of Isaac 163 
 
 have had to sacrifice even their beloved children, and time 
 and again they have made the sacrifice unhesitatingly and 
 unquestioningly, in the spirit of Abraham of old. Israel 
 has never lost faith in God. Ever it has 'trusted and ever 
 it has repeated, "This, too, is for good; this, too, is God's 
 will, and in accordance with His divine purpose of wisdom, 
 goodness, and love for all men". Ever, when the clouds 
 seemed darkest, and their sufferings too heavy to bear, they 
 comforted themselves with the thought of God's protection 
 and promise, and repeated in perfect faith the words of the 
 Psalmist, 
 
 I will lift, up mine eyes unto the mountains : 
 
 From whence shall my help come? 
 
 My help cometh from the Lord, 
 
 Who made heaven and earth. 
 
 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved ; 
 
 He that keepeth thee will not slumber. 
 
 Behold, He that keepeth Israel 
 
 Doth neither slumber nor sleep. 
 
 This has ever been Israel's faith in God, exemplified in this 
 beautiful story of Abraham, our great father. 
 
 And on Rosh Hashonah, our sacred New Year's Day, 
 the blasts of the Shofar remind us of Abraham's sacrifice, 
 and of God's promise to him. According to tradition, the 
 Shofar was first made from the horn of the very ram which 
 Abraham sacrificed in place of Isaac. Therefore the Shofar 
 on New Year's Day proclaims, unto Israel and all mankind, 
 peace and forgiveness, and a new period of life and faith 
 in God. 
 
 The spot on Mt. Moriah where Abraham erected his altar 
 became later, so the rabbis told, the field of the two brothers, 
 about whom we have already heard, and the site of the 
 glorious Temple of Solomon. The spot which was sanctified 
 by Abraham's faith and devotion, and by the mutual love 
 of the two brothers, was deemed worthy of becoming the 
 
164 The Book of Genesis 
 
 place where Abraham's descendants might later bring their 
 sacrifices to God, and consecrate themselves to His service, 
 just as Father Abraham did of old. 
 
 XOTES 
 
 V. 2. The land of Moriah; presumably in the vicinity of Jeru- 
 salem, where, in historical times, Mt. Moriah, the Temple mount, was 
 located. 
 
 Here, too, just as in the story of his call, Abraham does not 
 know exactly whither he is going. But he relies on God's word, that 
 at the right moment He will point out the proper mountain upon 
 which to offer the sacrifice. The rabbis told that as Abraham drew 
 near the end of his journey, he saw the pillar of fire, in which God 
 was later to lead Israel through the desert, upon the top of one of 
 the mountains. He asked Isaac if he saw it too, and Isaac answered 
 that he did. But the two servants, when questioned, replied that they 
 saw nothing. Then Abraham realized that this was no ordinary 
 mountain, but the one destined for the sacrifice, and that the pillar 
 of fire symbolized God's presence, revealed to him and Isaac alone. 
 It is a beautiful thought that God's presence is revealed to those who 
 live and work in perfect faith in Him, and who seek Him with their 
 whole heart. 
 
 V. 3. The saddle consisted only of a small piece of cloth fastened 
 to the animal's back. Elaborate saddles with stirrups were unknown 
 in the East. As is still customary in the Orient, only the old man 
 rode; the others accompanied him on foot. 
 
 V. 6. It was necessary to carry ifire from the hearth at home, 
 since in those days fire was not easily kindled. Wood, too, had to 
 be carried with them, since in Palestine wood is very scarce, and so 
 not easily gathered. 
 
 V. 13. The rabbis told that this ram had been one of the things 
 created by God at twilight of the eve of the Sabbath of creation. 
 It was created, they fold, just that it might offer itself at this 
 moment for sacrifice in place of Isaac. 
 
 Vv. .14-18 are really an interpolation into the original story, and, 
 on the whole, rather detract from than add to the merit of the 
 narration. The story is, much more complete and artistic if we read 
 v. 19 immediately after v. 13. This must have been the original 
 form of the story. 
 
The Death of Sarah 165 
 
 XII 
 THE DEATH OF SARAH 
 
 (Genesis XXIII) 
 
 And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. 
 (Genesis XXIII, 2.) 
 
 The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing. (Proverbs 
 X, 7.) 
 
 Read II Samuel XIX, 1-5. 
 
 It is told of a rabbi of old that he boasted, "Never have 
 I called my wife 'Wife' nor my home 'Home', but I have 
 always called my wife 'Home' and my home 'Wife' ". It is 
 indeed a beautiful thought, for above all else, our Jewish 
 women, our Jewish wives and mothers, make the true Jew- 
 ish home, recognized by all the world as the truest, noblest, 
 and most beautiful and inspiring example of all that the 
 home can and should be. All the love and holiness and in- 
 spiration, which radiate from our Jewish wives and mothers, 
 sanctify our homes, and make of them temples hallowed by 
 God's very presence. 
 
 An ancient, rabbinical legend beautifully illustrates the 
 influence of the wife and mother in the home. While the 
 father goes to the synagogue on Friday eve to offer homage 
 unto God, and to thank Him for the blessings of the past 
 week, and to implore His protection and favor for the week 
 to come, the mother usually remains at home to supervise 
 all preparations for the joyous Sabbath, and just at dusk 
 to kindle the Sabbath lights, the symbols of Sabbath glad- 
 ness and Sabbath blessing in the home. -Then she and the 
 
166 The Book of Genesis 
 
 children wait expectantly to greet their loved one. And as 
 he enters the home and feels its holy spirit of love enfolding 
 him, reverently he lays his hand in blessing, first upon the 
 head of his wife, and then upon each child, and silently he 
 thanks God once more for all this love and blessing. But, 
 the wise rabbis told, the man never returns home alone ; 
 two angels always accompany him, his angels of good and 
 of evil. If he finds the table beautifully spread, as it should 
 be, the Sabbath candles kindled, and wife and children in 
 festive array and festive spirit, joyfully awaiting his bless- 
 ing, then the good angel says, "May this Sabbath and all 
 thy Sabbaths be for blessing. Peace be on this house, peace 
 and joy to every soul therein". And the angel of evil must 
 respond, "Amen". But if the house be not ready, if the 
 table be not spread, nor the Sabbath lights kindled, and if 
 wife and children be not waiting with the smile of love upon 
 their lips, then the angel of evil speaks, "May this Sabbath 
 and all thy Sabbaths be for sorrow, and may no blessing 
 abide within this home". And to this the angel of good 
 must sadly whisper, "Amen". Truly it is the wife and 
 mother who makes our Jewish home all that it is, and brings 
 the manifold blessing of love and happiness to it. And when 
 God, in His wisdom, takes her unto Himself, then it seems 
 that all that was good and precious in life has departed. 
 
 So Abraham must have thought when the moment of 
 separation from his beloved Sarah, the wife of his bosom, 
 the companion of his trials and perils, the partner of his 
 love and grief, she who was his own other self, and dearer 
 to him than self, came. The whole story is told in one little 
 sentence, "And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to 
 weep for her". Yet the little sentence overflows with mean- 
 ing. We feel all Abraham's grief and sense of loss and 
 loneliness. The rabbis told that with Sarah's death the cloud 
 which symbolized God's presence, which had hovered over 
 the tent of Abraham and filled it with the blessings of con- 
 
The Death of Sarah 167 
 
 tentment and peace, departed; the light which Sarah had 
 kindled on the Sabbath eve, and whose radiance glorified the 
 tent throughout the entire week, was extinguished ; the bless- 
 ing which had rested upon the dough and other food, and 
 ensured plenty and abundance for both the inmates and the 
 stranger who might seek its shelter, ceased; and the doors 
 of the tent, which had ever stood wide open for the poor 
 and needy, inviting and summoning them to hospitality and 
 protection, were closed tightly. She who had sanctified, the 
 tent by her presence, and had made of it a true, Jewish 
 home, was gone. And Abraham grieved. 
 
 Yet even in his grief he did not complain. Still he trusted 
 in God and His goodness, and still he realized that this, too, 
 must be for good. He thought of all the long, happy years 
 he and Sarah had. had together, and of the great blessing 
 which had come to them in their old age, in the person of 
 their beloved son, Isaac. And he realized that all this hap- 
 piness and blessing had come from God, that Sarah herself, 
 and her love and companionship had been given to Him by 
 God as the greatest blessing of his life. And so he must 
 have murmured, as has every pious, God-fearing Jew since 
 then, 
 
 The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; 
 
 Blessed be the name of the Lord. (Job 1, 21.) 
 
 These words, our Bible tells us, were first spoken by the 
 greatest sufferer of all. And ever in sorrow and separation, 
 our fathers have trustingly repeated them, and thanked God 
 for all the blessing which was theirs from Him for so long 
 a time. It is a beautiful view of life, and the truest view 
 too. 
 
 All that is good and precious, even the love of dear ones, 
 comes from God, is but lent to us for a time, and must be 
 given back when He in His wisdom, demands. Not even 
 our loved ones may we keep with us forever. Yet when the 
 moment of separation comes, instead of complaining, or 
 
168 The Book of Genesis 
 
 doubting, or questioning, should we not thank God for all 
 the love and blessing which He has given us for so many 
 years ; and should we not still trust in Him, as did Abraham, 
 and believe that even this, hard though it be, must also be 
 for good, even though we can not understand? We may 
 grieve and mourn, as Abraham did, but still we must trust 
 in God, and thank Him for all His goodness and love. 
 
 The following story is told of Rabbi Meir, the greatest 
 disciple of Rabbi Akiba, and his beloved wife, Beruria. One 
 Friday evening Rabbi Meir came home from the synagogue, 
 expecting to be met at the door as usual by his beloved wife, 
 and their two boys, the idols of their eyes, all waiting to 
 receive his Sabbath blessing. But on this evening Beruria 
 alone welcomed him. In answer to his question where the 
 boys were, she said that they had gone away for a moment, 
 but that they two would meanwhile eat their evening meal. 
 So they sat down together. Suddenly Beruria said, "Rabbi, 
 I must ask a question. Some time ago a friend entrusted 
 to me some priceless jewels for safekeeping. I had them so 
 long that I thought he would never want them again, and 
 that I might keep them forever. Now he has demanded them 
 back. Must I return them?" "Surely you must", said her 
 husband. Without a word she took him by the hand and 
 led him into the next room, where, upon the bed, cold in 
 death, lay the two boys, the priceless jewels which the 
 Friend of all had entrusted to them for a time, and had 
 taken back when He needed them. The wise rabbi under- 
 stood, and together they bowed their heads and thanked 
 God for the love and happiness He had given them in their 
 boys during all these precious years. Truly the Lord giveth, 
 and taketh away again, and truly for all this, for all the 
 happiness and blessing, which come with the love and com- 
 panionship of our dear ones, may the name of the Lord be 
 praised. 
 
 One more lesson this story teaches, a truth upon which 
 
The Death of Sarah 169 
 
 Judaism has ever laid great emphasis. The Bible tells that 
 Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. 
 But it tells, too, that after the first strong passion of grief 
 was spent, "Abraham rose up from before his dead". True 
 grief is beautiful and sacred. It is the token of thankful 
 appreciation of the rich blessing, which God has given us 
 for a time in the love of our dear ones; our tears 'are the 
 tender tribute of affection for those who might be with us 
 but a while. True grief hallows and ennobles and clears the 
 vision, so that we may see deeper and with greater under- 
 standing and broader sympathy into the problems and sor- 
 rows and needs of life. 
 
 But grief, indulged in too long, becomes base, ignoble and 
 selfish. It loses its sanctifying power; it narrows and ob- 
 structs the vision, and confines and stunts the soul. We 
 become self -centered; we think only of our own grief and 
 our own sorrow, and indulge ourselves in them, until this 
 becomes the normal course of our life, and to depart there- 
 from is difficult and painful, and causes unrest and discon- 
 tent. We refuse to believe that others have grief and sor- 
 rows, too, like ours, or even surpassing ours, and we cease 
 to feel for them and to think of them. We wrap ourselves 
 up in the dark, forbidding cloud of our grief, and live apart 
 by ourselves, and lose entirely the consciousness of brother- 
 hood with our fellowmen and of the duty of serving them. 
 We forget that God has created us for a purpose, and that 
 this purpose is not to indulge ourselves in grief, but like 
 Abraham, after the first bitter pain of sorrow has passed, 
 to rise up from before our dead, and resume the ordinary 
 tasks and duties of life, to live in the world among our 
 fellowmen, and bring unto them help and cheer and blessing. 
 We are here on this earth, not to grieve too much, but to 
 serve. And though our loved ones were precious to us, and 
 our grief is sincere and deep, and can never cease com- 
 pletely, nevertheless it is our duty to thank God for the 
 
170 The Book of Genesis 
 
 love which was ours, to rejoice in the hallowing memory of 
 our dear ones, which abides with us forever, and to ap- 
 proach the tasks of life, which still exist for us, with stronger 
 faith, deeper insight, and holier consecration to the service 
 of God. Thus alone can we rear unto our loved ones an 
 imperishable monument in the hearts and lives of men, so 
 that their memory shall be for a blessing, even as the Bible 
 says. 
 
 So Abraham mourned and grieved. But bravely he 
 faced the years of loneliness ahead, and prepared to bury 
 his beloved Sarah. It must be a fitting sepulchre. So he 
 bought the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron for four hundred 
 shekels of silver, a very large sum of money for those days. 
 Thus the Cave of Machpelah passed into the possession of 
 Abraham and his descendants, and there not only Sarah, but 
 Abraham, too, and his children after him for three genera- 
 tions, were buried. Ever since the Cave of Machpelah has 
 been a place of veneration for the descendants of Abraham, 
 and ever they have pilgrimed thither and shown their rever- 
 ence for the memory of their great and noble ancestors. 
 
 And our religion teaches that after all, death is not the 
 end, but only the beginning of another existence. When one 
 of our great ancestors passed away, the Bible says, "He 
 was gathered to his fathers", not only in the family sepul- 
 chre, where their bodies were laid to rest, but in the great, 
 eternal life of the spirit, which knows no end and no separa- 
 tion, but only God's reward and God's blessing. And some- 
 how, even here on earth, death is not the end. The rabbis 
 said of Jacob, "Jacob, our father, never died". And in a 
 sense this is true of every righteous man. For the blessing 
 he has wrought during lifetime still continues among those 
 who knew and loved him, and his memory lives on for years 
 and generations, inspiring all to lives of nobility and useful- 
 ness similar to his. Truly our Bible says, 
 
 The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing. 
 
The Death of Sarah 171 
 
 And when our time comes to go hence and stand at last 
 in the presence of our Maker, may we go like Sarah and 
 Abraham and Jacob and all the patriarchs of old, leaving 
 behind us some to mourn for us and to weep, and a memory 
 which shall be for a blessing unto those who come after us. 
 Then we shall not have lived in vain, but shall have realized 
 the purpose for which God placed us here on earth and gave 
 us life; then through us will all the families of the earth be 
 blessed. 
 
 So Sarah died and Abraham mourned for her. And so 
 every Jew has mourned who has lost the companion of his 
 days and the source of his truest blessing. And to this day 
 when the husband comes home joyous and expectant on 
 Friday eve from the sanctuary of the synagogue to the even 
 greater sanctuary of the home, reverently and thankfully 
 he lays his hand upon the bowed head of his wife with the 
 softly-murmured words, "May God make thee like Sarah 
 and Rebekah, like Leah and Rachel". 
 
 NOTES 
 
 In ancient Palestine it was customary to bury the dead in caves. 
 There are many famous, ancient sepulchres in Palestine, visited by 
 thousands of pilgrims today. But the most famous of all is the Cave 
 of Machpelah near Hebron. Until the war in 1918 it was in the 
 possession of the Mohammedans, who believe themselves descendants 
 of Ishmael and consequently also descendants of Abraham. There- 
 fore they have quite as much veneration for the place, as we Jews. 
 And unfortunately, being very fanatical in their religious beliefs 
 and practices, they have allowed none but Mohammedans to approach 
 the sepulchre. They regard it as a sacred shrine and have erected 
 a sanctuary over it. Into this none but Mohammedans were for many 
 centuries permitted to enter. Perhaps Jews will soon be once again 
 allowed to approach close to the sepulchre of Father Abraham and 
 there show their reverence for his great memory. Machpelah means 
 "double". Actually the Cave of Machpelah consists of two parts, 
 one of which projects from the other. 
 
 V. 2. Kiriath-arba was the ancient, pre-Israelite name for Hebron ; 
 cf. Joshua XIV, 15 ; Judges I, 10. The name means either "city of 
 
172 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Arba" (Joshua XIV, 15) or, probably better, "city of the four" 
 (either four heroes [cf. the names of the three heroes in Judges I, 
 10] or four quarters). 
 
 V. 3. "The children of Heth"; in early, pre-Israelite times the 
 Hittites overran northern Babylonia and western Asia as far south 
 as the border of the desert, below Hebron. They were a non- 
 Semitic, warlike people, whose original home was in the highlands 
 of Asia Minor, where they had established a powerful kingdom. 
 Excavations have been recently conducted on the site of the ancient 
 Hittite capital, and valuable 'finds have been made. The Hittites were 
 gradually pushed back and eventually driven out of Palestine in the 
 14th and 13th centuries B. C. E. by the great kings of the powerful 
 nineteenth dynasty of Egypt. In the early period, to which the 
 story' of Abraham is assigned, Hebron may have been an important 
 Hittite settlement. 
 
 V. 8. In the Orient a bargain is seldom concluded between the 
 two parties to the transaction directly. Almost invariably the serv- 
 ices of one or more mediators are invoked by each side. All 'then 
 participate in the haggling and chaffering, seeking, on the one hand, 
 to reduce the price demanded, and, on the other hand, to induce the 
 prospective purchaser to increase his offer. Finally, after consider- 
 able time and much excitement, the bargain is concluded to the 
 satisfaction of all concerned. Thus Abraham now entreats the 
 Hittites to act as his mediators with Ephron. 
 
 V. 10. Ephron is sitting among the other elders of the city at 
 the city gate. There the elders were wont to gather, and there busi- 
 ness transactions were carried on, court was 'held, and the public 
 life of the city was administered; cf. note to XIX, 1. 
 
 V. 16. In the ancient Orient, since the art of coining money was 
 unknown, money was weighed instead of counted (cf. Jeremiah 
 XXXII, 9f; Zechariah XI, 12). In fact the same practice still ex- 
 ists today. The word shekel literally means "weight". Silver was 
 the metal regularly employed for currency. The silver shekel was 
 the standard of value in ancient Israel. Its value varied at different 
 periods (cf. Jewish Encyclopedia XI, 257f.). 
 
 As has been said, this was a very large sum of money for that 
 time. Ephron seems to have made a very good bargain. The scene 
 is typically Oriental. The Oriental loves a bargain more than any- 
 thing else. In commercial transactions it is still customary for the 
 seller when fiirst asked the price of an article, to offer to give it to 
 the would-be purchaser. When this offer is refused and he is 
 pressed for the price, he names one greatly in excess of the real value 
 
The Death of Sarah 
 
 173 
 
 Weighing Money 
 
 of the article. Then begins a process of haggling until the price is 
 finally reduced to what seems reasonable to both parties. Here, too, 
 Ephron begins in the usual manner. At first he is unwilling to part 
 with his field and cave, he says, and then when pushed, he offers 
 to give it to Abraham. When this offer, too, is refused, he names 
 a price probably far in excess of the real value of the property. 
 Abraham's generosity and magnanimity are shown in that he im- 
 mediately accepts this first-named price, even though he must feel 
 that it is probably excessive. 
 
 V. 17. Everything in the field is specified as being included in 
 the sale. This is still customary in the Orient. One of best authori- 
 ties on Eastern life has written, "The contract must mention every- 
 thing that belongs to it (the lot), and certify that fountains or wells 
 in it, trees upon it, etc., are sold with the .field. If you rent a home, 
 not only the building itself, but every room in it, above and below, 
 down to the kitchen, pantry, stable and hen-coop, must be specified". 
 (Thomson, The Land and the Book, II, 383.) 
 
 V. 18. To be binding contracts in the ancient Orient had to be 
 duly witnessed. Ancient Babylonian contracts have been unearthed, 
 to which the names of ten or even more witnesses are affixed. So 
 here, all who are passing by at the moment are made witnesses to 
 this contract. 
 
174 The Book of Genesis 
 
 XIII 
 
 THE WOOING OF REBEKAH 
 
 (Genesis XXIV) 
 
 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent and he loved 
 her. And Isaac was comforted for his mother. (Genesis XXIV, 67). 
 
 A woman of valor who can find? 
 
 For her price is far above rubies. 
 
 Her children rise up, and call her blessed ; 
 
 Her husband also, and he praiseth her: 
 
 'Many daughters have done valiantly, ' 
 
 But thou excellest them all'. (Proverbs XXXI, 10 and 28f.) 
 
 Read Proverbs XXXI, 10-31 (selected verses). 
 
 The story which we consider today is the first real ro- 
 mance which we have found in our study of the Bible, and 
 one of the oldest and most beautiful of the many love idyls 
 of the world's literature. It, too, is a classic of narrative 
 art, comparable in every way with the stories of the Garden 
 of Eden and of the sacrifice of Isaac. The author was par- 
 ticularly happy in his delineation of the characters of the 
 faithful, devoted, efficient, old servant, and of the young, 
 virtuous, tender-hearted, high-minded maiden, ready at the 
 call of love to leave home and kindred, and to journey forth 
 into the strange world, to meet the husband who had sent 
 for her, and who was also her own choice. We are face to 
 face with a real heroine, whose beauty, charm, and nobility 
 command our admiration and love. 
 
 She seems more real, human and sympathetic than Sarah, 
 and eminently fit to be the wife of Isaac and the successor 
 of Sarah as the second great mother in Israel. As the Bible 
 
The Wooing of Rebekah 175 
 
 says so beautifully and expressively, "Isaac brought her into 
 his mother Sarah's tent, and he loved her", In her answer- 
 ing love he found solace for the loss of his mother. And, as 
 the rabbis told, the cloud, symbolizing the presence of God, 
 which had hovered Over the tent throughout Sarah's lifetime, 
 but had departed at her death,, once more returned; the 
 light which Sarah had kindled on the eve of every Sabbath, 
 again shone forth ; the blessing which had rested upon the 
 dough was renewed, and the doors of the tent were again 
 opened wide for the needy. Once more God's blessing of 
 love and happiness rested upon that home, and radiated far 
 and wide to all who came under its influence. It was the 
 type of what the true Jewish home has ever been, just as 
 Sarah and Rebekah were the types of the true Jewish wife 
 and mother. Of them, as of every such wife and mother 
 in Israel the beautiful words of Proverbs are eternally true, 
 
 A woman of valor who can .find? 
 
 For her price is far above rubies. 
 
 Her children rise up, and call her blessed; 
 
 Her husband also, and he praiseth her : 
 
 'Many daughters have done valiantly, 
 
 But thou excellest them all'. 
 
 For, as was said in the last lesson, it is above all else 
 our Jewish wives and mothers who make the real Jewish 
 home. From them radiate all our sacred home love and 
 joy and blessing, and all the noble influences which help 
 to make of their sons and daughters true Jewish men and 
 women. As they kindle the Sabbath lights on Friday eve, 
 they symbolize all that it pure, noble, and holy in our indi- 
 vidual lives and in the collective life of the Jewish people. 
 The Kiddush ceremony on Sabbath eve in every pious Jewish 
 household is a sanctification, not only of the home, but of 
 the wife and mother, the guardian angel who makes and 
 protects and blesses the home, who keeps far from its doors 
 all evil and defilement, and permits only beauty, holiness, and 
 
176 The Book of Genesis 
 
 joy to enter. And as in the Kiddush service the beautiful 
 chapter from Proverbs is read, and those sacred words ring 
 forth, 
 
 A woman of valor who can find? 
 
 For her price is far above rubies. 
 
 Many daughters have done valiantly, 
 
 But thou exceilest them all. 
 
 
 every Jewish husband and every Jewish child knows full 
 well that it is to just his wife and his mother that these 
 words apply so truly. Our Jewish wives and mothers amj 
 homes are the greatest blessings which God has given unto 
 His Jewish people, and, more than aught else, they have 
 served, through all Israel's long years of trial and sorrow 
 and persecution, to keep the light of hope and faith and 
 devotion to the God of our fathers burning in our hearts, 
 even as they have kept the Sabbath light of peace and joy 
 and sanctity burning in our Jewish homes. 
 
 Many true, beautiful and inspiring stories of Jewish 
 mothers, and of their nobility, idealism, arid capacity for 
 sacrifice for husband and children might be told. However, 
 the following romantic story of Rabbi Akiba and his faithful 
 wife will suffice. Rabbi Akiba, during the first forty years 
 of his life, was a poor shepherd, uneducated and ignorant. 
 He kept the sheep of Kalba Sabua, a man renowned for 
 wealth and philanthropy. And, as is so often the case, he 
 fell in love with Rachel, the gentle and beautiful daughter 
 of his master, and his love was returned. Unknown to her 
 father, they were married. But first Rachel made Akiba 
 promise that he would study and become a wise man and 
 a leader in Israel ; for she had already recognized his latent 
 ability. When her father heard of the marriage he was 
 furious. He cast his daughter from his house, and vowed 
 that she should never again receive aught from him. 
 
 Then began pitiful days, days of want and hunger, es- 
 pecially hard for the young wife, reared in plenty and lux- 
 
The Wooing of Rebekah 177 
 
 ury. Still her love and faith in her husband buoyed her up 
 and made her happy. But Akiba's heart was torn with grief 
 as he saw his loved one suffering so bravely and uncom- 
 plainingly, and thought of all that she had sacrificed for his 
 sake. They were compelled to live in a miserable hovel and 
 sleep upon a couch of straw even in midwinter. 
 
 One cold day they heard a knock on their door. A poor 
 man, trembling and in rags worse than theirs, asked for a 
 little straw, that he might have a bed for his sick wife. 
 Then they realized that there were human beings even poorer 
 and more wretched than themselves, and they thanked God, 
 despite their poverty, for all His blessings. The poor man, 
 so the rabbis told, was the prophet Elijah, who had come 
 in this guise to comfort and encourage them in their misery. 
 
 And he had encouraged them. Up to this time Akiba 
 had not had the heart to leave his beloved young wife, to 
 go and study in the great schools. It seemed hopeless for 
 a man of forty to begin to study. Nor had his brave, young 
 wife been quite brave enough to bid him leave her. Now 
 courage came to both. Bravely she sent him forth, and 
 bravely he set out to study and learn, and to become a wise 
 man, teacher and leader in Israel. It was a difficult under- 
 taking. He had to begin with the little children to learn his 
 letters. But the thought of his noble wife and of all her 
 loving sacrifice spurred him on. And at last, at the end of 
 twelve long years, he thought he had learned enough to 
 warrant his returning to her. 
 
 Meanwhile things had gone badly with her. Sternly her 
 father had kept his vow. Time and again she was on the 
 verge of starvation. Yet she labored on and sent all that 
 she could earn in one way or another to her husband, that 
 he might continue untroubled at his studies. And one win- 
 ter, when her earnings had been less than usual, she even 
 stole forth into the market place and sold her oeautiful, long 
 tresses, that she might send him some assistance. 
 
178 The Book of Genesis 
 
 At last Akiba was coming back witb joy in his heart at 
 the thought of being once more united with his devoted 
 wife, and being able to alleviate her hardships and give her 
 happiness in return for all her deprivations and sacrifices. 
 But just as he set foot within the door, he heard his Rachel 
 in conversation with a neighbor, and the latter say, "It serves 
 thee right for having married beneath thee ; thy husband has 
 forsaken thee and will never return". And the brave Rachel 
 answered, "If only he would hearken to me, he would remain 
 away another twelve years in order to study and grow, and 
 become the leader in Israel that I know he can be". When 
 Akiba heard these brave words he thought, "I will do her 
 bidding; surely this is her desire". So without a word he 
 went away again, and remained another twelve years. Dur- 
 ing these years his knowledge grew in every direction, and 
 the fame of the new rabbi spread far and wide. His teachers 
 and colleagues came to respect his opinions and seek his 
 advice, and at last he was looked upon by all who knew 
 him as the wisest man and the true spiritual leader of all 
 Israel. But his real name was as yet unknown. 
 
 Then one day word came that the great rabbi was com- 
 ing to the city in which Rachel dwelt. The news penetrated 
 even to her hovel, and with it her heart beat fast. Somehow 
 the thought grew upon her, that this great rabbi would 
 prove to be her husband, gone now these twenty-four years. 
 Trembling and expectant she went out with the crowds 
 to greet the master. At last she beheld him among all his 
 disciples, and lo, it was he. Sobbing for joy she fell to the 
 ground and kissed his feet. Indignantly the disciples sought 
 to push the seeming beggar away. But the master raised 
 her in his arms before all the people and kissed her tenderly 
 and reverently. And softly the words fell from his lips, 
 "Let her be. All the knowledge which I have, and all which 
 you have, are* due to her alone". So Rachel's husband came 
 back to her, the great Rabbi Akiba, .the wisest man of his 
 
The Wooing of Rcbekah 179 
 
 day, the leader of Israel in tl>c period of almost its greatest 
 trial. And Rachel had her reward. 
 
 But this was not the end. Among the crowd who had 
 come to greet the great rabbi was Kalba Sabua. Little did 
 he dream that the man whom he sought to honor was his 
 own son-in-law, whom he had driven away in anger. He 
 had intended to ask the great rabbi to free him from his 
 cruel vow, if this were possible. His heart had gone out 
 to his daughter in all her misery, and he longed to help her, 
 but his vow held him back. Now perhaps the wise rabbi 
 could find some way to release him from the vow. And 
 when he asked the rabbi, and the latter answered, "H'adst 
 thou known that thy son-in-law would become a renowned 
 rabbi, wouldst thou have made thy vow?" he replied, "Had 
 I thought that he would be able to learn even one chapter 
 of the Torah, I would have been satisfied". "I am thy son- 
 in-law", said Rabbi Akiba simply. For a moment the rich 
 man stared in amazement. Then he, too, threw himself at 
 the feet of his son-in-law and begged forgiveness. But 
 Rabbi Akiba raised him up with words of comfort and 
 cheer. "It was all God's will", he said, "all for the best". 
 And thereafter they lived happily together. The fortune of 
 Kalba Sabua became Akiba's and Rachel's in time. The 
 poverty and suffering of their early days were succeeded by 
 plenty and happiness. Nor did they fail to give of their 
 abundance to the poor. Of Rabbi Akiba we shall hear from 
 time to time. But of his noble wife, Rachel, we know no 
 more Nor do we need to learn more. Her story and her 
 example are typical of the Jewish wife and mother, just as 
 are those of Sarah and Rebekah. And of her, and of them, 
 and of all true Jewish wives and mothers we may say, 
 
 Many daughters have done valiantly, 
 But thou excellest them all. 
 
 But to return to Rebekah. Not every maiden, even among 
 
180 The Book of Genesis 
 
 the relatives of Abraham, was worthy to become the wife of 
 Isaac. The task of being a blessing unto all the families of 
 the earth was to descend from Abraham to Isaac as a 
 precious birthright. Isaac was to become God's servant and 
 messenger of truth and blessing after his father. In this 
 task his wife must share. And quite as much as Isaac, she, 
 too, must possess all the qualities and virtues indispensable 
 for the fulfilment of the mission, kindness of heart, gen- 
 erosity, hospitality, tireless industry, willingness to serve and 
 to satisfy the needs of even the humblest of God's creatures. 
 And so the wise servant determined upon a test, which 
 should adequately measure the maiden's real worth and fit- 
 ness to become the wife of his young master. If, in answer 
 to his request for water, she should bethink herself also of 
 his thirsting camels, and if she should respond whole-heart- 
 edly and generously to his appeal for entertainment for him- 
 self and his attendants, and should not spare herself in the 
 sincerity of her hospitality, it would prove that this maiden 
 was worthy in every way to become the wife of Isaac, and 
 to share in the glorious birthright of service which was to 
 be theirs. How well Rebekah stood this test, the story tells. 
 
 But a word of caution must be spoken here. This motive of the 
 test, and particularly of Rebekah's watering the camels, is the most 
 striking incident of the early part of the story, and its moral lesson 
 is obvious. For this reason in presenting this story the religious 
 school teacher frequently attempts to bring home the very valuable 
 lesson of kindness to animals. But this is not enough. This is by 
 no means the main theme of the story, and certainly the author 
 intended it to be no more than a passing incident in the larger 
 narrative. Therefore to over-emphasize this thought means to miss 
 the real point of the story, and to fail to bring out its essential 
 Jewish message. 
 
 Not that the opportunity to speak of the virtue of kindness to 
 animals should be neglected. It should be dwelt upon forcibly, but 
 in due proportion, as the best proof of Rebekah's true worth. The 
 teacher should show that kindness to animals, and to all creatures 
 lower and weaker than ourselves has always been a virtue of the true 
 
The Wooing of Rebekah 181 
 
 Jewish wife and mother, and of every true Jew, and has always 
 been insisted upon by our Jewish religion. The Bible contains many 
 prescriptions enjoining considerate treatment of animals. And other 
 laws, while possibly originating in some different conception, have 
 come to be interpreted entirely from a humanitarian standpoint. 
 Among such laws We find, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he 
 treadeth out the corn" (Deuteronomy XXV, 4), "Thou shalt not see. 
 thy brother's ass or his ox fallen by the way, and hide thyself from 
 them" (Deuteronomy XXII, 4), "Thou shalt not plow with an ox 
 and an ass together (Deuteronomy XXII, 10), "Thou shalt not 
 seethe a kid in its mother's milk" (Exodus XXIII, 19; XXXIV, 26: 
 Deuteronomy XIV, 21) and the rabbis taught, "First feed thy beast 
 and then thyself." An old, rabbinical legend, illustrating this teaching 
 of kindness to animals is beautifully told in Whittier's poem, "Solomon 
 and the Ants." All these and many similar laws and legends are 
 summed up in the significant words, 
 
 "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast" (Proverbs XII, 1). 
 In presenting this lesson the teacher should not fail to lay due stress 
 upon this thought of kindness to animals. But it should be presented 
 not as the main theme, but as incidental to the picture of the true 
 Jewish wife and mother, and the true Jewish woman and man. 
 This must remain the main theme of the lesson, just as it is of the 
 story itself. 
 
 Second only to Rebekah in effectiveness of portrayal and 
 in the interest and sympathy evoked in the mind of the 
 reader, is the faithful, old servant. Loyally and efficiently 
 he discharges the responsible mission upon which he has 
 been sent. His thoughts are not for himself at all, but only 
 for his master's welfare. Even before he will touch a 
 morsel of food or satisfy his other physical needs, he will 
 tell his errand. His faith in God is unbounded; he is sure, 
 even as Abraham was, that his journey can not be in vain, 
 but that it is in accordance with God's will and will . be 
 under God's guidance. 
 
 Far too frequently the term, servant, is thought to be 
 indicative of inferiority and degradation. We would all be 
 masters ; but few are willing to be servants. Yet we have 
 learned that God has created us, not to be masters, but to 
 
182 The Book of Genesis 
 
 be servants, to serve Him and our fellowmen loyally and 
 faithfully, like this servant of Abraham, without thought 
 of reward, but with the consciousness of duty in our hearts 
 and the fear of God upon us. Only by serving can we 
 realize the purpose of existence. And "servant of the Lord" 
 is the proudest and most honorable title the world can know. 
 This title God bestowed upon Israel, when he spoke through 
 His prophet, 
 
 Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, 
 
 And My servant whom I have chosen. (Isaiah XLIII, 10.) 
 
 and again, 
 
 Remember these things, O Jacob, 
 
 And Israel, for thou art My servant; 
 
 I have formed thee, thou art Mine own servant. (Isaiah XLIV, 21.) 
 
 And just as Abraham sent his faithful servant upon a diffi- 
 cult and responsible journey, and assured him that God's 
 angel would go before him to guide him upon the way, so 
 has God sent His servant, Israel, upon a long and difficult 
 and exacting mission, and charged him to serve fearlessly 
 and faithfully, until his work shall be accomplished and his 
 mission of service and blessing shall be fulfilled. 
 
 But thou, Israel, My. servant, 
 Jacob whom I have chosen, 
 The seed of Abraham, My friend ; 
 
 Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, 
 And called thee from the uttermost parts thereof, 
 And said unto thee: Thou art My servant, 
 I have chosen thee and not cast thee away'; 
 Fear thou not, for I am with thee, 
 Be not dismayed, for I am thy God; 
 I strengthen thee, yea, I help thee; 
 
 Yea, I uphold thee with My victorious right hand. (Isaiah XLI 
 8-10.) 
 
The Wooing of Rebekah 183 
 
 NOTES 
 
 V. 2. The servant here would seem to be the same Eliezer men- 
 tioned in XV, 2. "Elder of the house" is probably a technical term 
 for steward or chief servant. 
 
 Vv. 2-3. Solemnizing an oath by putting the hand upon the loins 
 or the thigh of the person to whom the oath was given, was a 
 common practice in the ancient Semitic world. It was probably 
 based upon the conception of the peculiar sanctity of certain parts or 
 members of the body. Cf. also XLVII, 29. 
 
 V. 4. In the Orient a man's parents generally choose a wife 
 for him. Cf. XXI, 21; XXVIII, If; XXXVIII, 6. 
 
 An interesting and illuminating parallel 'to this mission of the 
 servant to secure a suitable wife for Isaac from the relatives of his 
 father, is to be found in Blunt, A Pilgrimage to Nejd. The Blunts 
 undertook a long and dangerous journey from Tadmor, the site of an 
 ancient and important city in the wilderness of northern Syria, to 
 Nejd in central Arabia, partly in order "to secure for a young Arab 
 attendant whom they valued, a wife from among his blood relatives, 
 the Ibn Arooks, whom he had never seen." 
 
 V. 10. Aram Naharaim, i. e. Mesopotamia, the country lying 
 between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The name means "Aram 
 of the two rivers". The city of Nahor here referred to must have 
 been located somewhere in the northwestern part of Mesopotamia, in 
 the vicinity of the large and important city of Haran. It might 
 stimulate the children's interest to point out on the map the course 
 taken by the servant, and by him and Rebekah on the return trip. 
 It must have led northwards by way of Damascus, and then north- 
 eastward, until the Euphrates was reached and crossed at Carchemish, 
 and then eastward to the appointed spot. 
 
 V. 11. Camels kneel for their riders to mount or dismount, and 
 !o be loaded or unloaded. 
 
 As has been said before, in many parts of the Orient water is 
 scarce. Frequently a village or city gets all its water from one well. 
 And since cities are generally located on the tops of hills for pur- 
 poses of defense, and the wells or springs, from which they draw 
 water are usually at the lowest point, at the foot of the hills, it 
 happens frequently, as here, that the wells are outside the city walls 
 or limits. Often the water must be carried for considerable distances. 
 This work generally falls to the women or girls. As a rule they go 
 for water once or twice a day, generally, as here, in the evening, 
 or in the morning and evening; hence the expression, "at the time of 
 evening the time that women o out to draw Avater". 
 
184 
 
 The Book of Genesis 
 
 At the Well 
 
 V. 15. The full genealogy of Rebekah is given in XXII, 20-24. 
 
 V. 16. Not infrequently the water of wells or springs does not 
 rise to the level of the ground, and must either be drawn up labori- 
 ously by buckets, or, if the opening of the well be large, steps lead 
 either all or part of the way down to the water. Here the steps 
 seem to have led down to the water's edge, so that the jars could be 
 filled by hand. 
 
 Vv. 16ff. What might be considered a suggestive parallel to a 
 part of this story, is recounted by Niebuhr (Reisebeschreibung nach 
 ^Arabien und andern umliegenden Laendern, II, 410). He says that 
 while traveling in the vicinity of ancient Haran, "We found on this 
 road numerous wells, at which the maidens of the neighboring villages 
 . . watered their cattle. As soon as we had 
 
The Wooing of Rebekah 185 
 
 greeted then and dismounted from our horses, they brought us water, 
 and also watered our horses. Similar attentions had been shown me 
 in other districts also". 
 
 V. 18. Maidens in the Orient generally carry their 
 water-jars on their shoulders or heads. Cf. XXI, 14. 
 Therefore Rebekah lets her jar down upon her hand 
 that the servant might drink. 
 
 V. 19. A camel can drink an unusually large amount 
 of water. Consequently to draw water for ten camels 
 and carry each jarful up the steps from the water's 
 edge to the troughs was a heavy task, and the test 
 correspondingly severe. 
 An Oriental ^' ^' Beside suc ^ village wells in the Orient are 
 W ter T r ^ e trou ns from which the animals of the village 
 drink. It is simpler to drive the animals to the well 
 and water them there, than to carry the water home; cf. XXIX, 2ff; 
 Exodus II, 15ff. In watering the camels Rebekah performed what 
 was regularly the task of the camel attendants. Probably they were 
 overwearied by their journey. Rebekah thus shows kindness not 
 only to the animals but to the men as well. 
 
 V. 23. In accordance with the principles of oriental hospitality 
 the servant does not ask whether he may pass the night in Rebekah's 
 house. This is self-understood, provided of course that there be 
 room. Hence his question. 
 
 V. 25. Rebekah answers that not only is there room to lodge, 
 but also provisions for himself, and even for his animals. It must 
 have been a large and well-provided household which could at a 
 moment's notice shelter and feed a stranger with ten camels and the 
 number of servants necessitated by these. 
 
 V. 30 seems to imply that in significant contrast to Rebekah's 
 sincere and generous hospitality, Laban was influenced by considera- 
 tion of the rich gifts which his sister had received and the desire 
 to obtain similar presents for himself. This is an effective hint at 
 Laban's avaricious nature, of which we shall have further instances 
 in the Jacob story. 
 
 V. 31. In the typical semi-nomadic home, such as is here pic- 
 tured, still today as in ancient times, animals are housed, not in 
 separate stables, but in the very house in which the family resides. 
 Usually the floor of such a house is divided into two parts,, one for 
 the animals, and the other, a few steps higher than the first, for 
 the family. 
 
 V. 32. Laban furnishes the provision for the camels and the 
 water for the men. 
 
186 The Book of Genesis 
 
 In the Orient, where only sandals are worn, washing the feet is 
 the first act of hospitality; cf. XVIII, 4. 
 
 V. 33. A part of the regular procedure of securing a wife for a 
 young man in the East, as described by Trumbull, Studies in Oriental 
 Social Ltfe, 18, is as follows; "Arriving at the house, the deputy 
 asks if 'the father of Maryam' or whatever the young woman's 
 name may be is at home. When the latter appears to greet his 
 guests, he is told that the deputy will speak for the party. As coffee 
 is proffered, the deputy says that the visitors have come upon a very 
 important mission, and that they can neither eat nor drink until that 
 mission is accomplished. It is now as it was in the days of Abraham." 
 
 Vv. 34f. The teacher should picture the surprise and pleasure 
 of Rebekah's family at so unexpectedly hearing of their long-de- 
 parted relative, Abraham. They had probably almost completely 
 forgotten about him. This was their first word about him in many 
 years. Now they learn to their joy that he is well and prosperous, 
 and that he still thinks of them, and desires a maiden from among 
 them for his son. Notice, too, the simple but extremely effective way 
 in which the servant says, -"I am Abraham's servant". The name falls 
 unexpectedly on their ears. And now the rich presents have a 
 double value in their eyes, for they are the concrete proof that 
 Abraham has prospered exceedingly. 
 
 V. 47. In the Orient, still today as in ancient times, women com- 
 monly wear rings in their noses. 
 
 V. 50 implies that Laban and Bethuel are conscious of divine 
 intervention in this incident, and therefore are willing to forego 
 the usual right of parent or brother of disposing of the daughter's 
 or sister's hand, and to leave the matter to Rebekah herself. At the 
 -same time it should be understood that in Israel women always en- 
 joyed rights and privileges unusual in the modern Orient. From a 
 considerable mass of evidence we infer that it must have been not 
 uncommon in Israel to secure the maiden's consent before giving her 
 in marriage. Nor do the present-day oriental customs of the harem 
 and" of the veiling of women seem to have been common in ancient 
 Israel. Throughout the Bible we hear constantly of the high posi- 
 tion, power, and privileges of women. 
 
 V. 53. In the qase of a betrothal, such as this was, presents 
 to the bride and her family from the side of the groom were, and 
 still are, the rule. They serve to bind the marriage contract, as it 
 were. 
 
 V. 55. It is customary in the Orient to urge a departing guest 
 to remain longer and enjoy further hospitality. Here, of course, this 
 sentiment is coupled with the thought that they might never see 
 
The Wooing of Rcbckah 
 
 187 
 
 Noserings, Bracelets and Anklets 
 
 Rebekah again, in consequence of which they were loathe to let her 
 depart. 
 
 V. 59. In the Orient the nurse in childhood remains a woman's 
 personal attendant and conifidant throughout life. Cf. XXXV, 8. 
 
 V. 64. To alight from the animal or chariot upon which one is 
 riding, in the presence of one who is walking, is considered in the 
 Orient a mark of respect. Cf. Joshua XV, 18; Judges I, 14; I 
 Samuel XXV, 23; II Kings V, 21. 
 
 V. 65. In the East the hride should not be seen by the groom 
 unveiled before marriage, or at least between betrothal and mar- 
 riage. Therefore Rebekah lets down her veil. 
 
 V. 67. Sarah's tent was nothing more than the women's apart- 
 ment of the principal tent of the encampment; cf. XV1TI, 9f and 
 
188 The Book of Genesis 
 
 A Veiled Woman in the Orient 
 
 Judges IV, 18. Occasionally, howe>ver, when there was more than 
 one wife, and particularly when the relations between them were 
 not altogether amicable, a separate tent was assigned to each; cf. 
 XXXI, 33. 
 
 Bringing the bride into the tent or house of the groom has al- 
 ways constituted the essential marriage ceremony in the Orient. 
 Religious rites, such as we observe today, were unknown in ancient 
 Israel. The removal of the bride's veil by the groom, when they 
 were left alone together for the first time, was the culminating rite 
 of the marriage ceremony. 
 
 It should be remarked, also, that in ancient Israel, as in fact 
 throughout the entire Semitic world, marriage between cousins was 
 regarded as the highest type of union. Occasionally a man was 
 thought to have an inalienable right to his cousin's hand, and she 
 could marry no one else until he had publicly waived his right. We 
 shall have another instance of marriage of cousins in the story of 
 Jacob and Leah and Rachel. Readers of The Arabian Nights will 
 remember numerous instances of this same custom in that work, so 
 illuminative of oriental customs and manners. 
 
 An interesting discussion of the subject, "Weddings and Be- 
 trothals in the East", which throws considerable light upon the details 
 of this story, will be found in Trumbull, Studies in Oriental Social 
 Life, 1-72. 
 
The Well of the Covenant 189 
 
 XIV 
 THE WELL OF THE COVENANT 
 
 (Genesis XXVI, 12-33) 
 
 Let there now be an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, 
 and let us make a covenant with thee. (Genesis XXVI, 28.) 
 
 Hatred stirreth up strifes; 
 
 But love covereth all transgressions. (Proverbs X, 12.) 
 
 Read Micah IV, 1-4. 
 
 The thoughtful student of the Bible can not but observe 
 that although the last portion of the Abraham story implied 
 that Isaac was destined, under God's providence, to play an 
 important role in the history of Israel, actually the Bible 
 tells very little of Isaac's life and work. In only one story 
 is he the chief actor. Otherwise his is a role second to 
 those of Abraham, Rebekah, and Jacob, the three persons 
 with whom he is most intimately associated. 
 
 And even this one story duplicates in almost every detail 
 what has been previously told about Abraham. The story 
 itself consists of two episodes, that of Rebekah passing as 
 the sister of Isaac, and that of Isaac's covenant with 
 Abimelech. Two other versions of the first episode occur 
 in the Bible, in XII, 10-20, and XX, in both of which, how- 
 ever, Abraham and Sarah are the chief actors. It is note- 
 worthy that in the second of these two versions Abimelech 
 of Gerar plays the same part as in this Isaac-Rebekah ver- 
 sion. It is altogether unlikely that so unpleasant an event 
 could have occurred in one family on three separate occa- 
 sions, and that one king should have twice played the same 
 
190 The Book of Genesis 
 
 unfortunate and discreditable role. More probably we have 
 here an instance of the well-known fact, that very frequently 
 one and the same tradition attaches itself in slightly varying 
 forms to several historical figures. In this case it would 
 seem that, inasmuch as the central motive of this episode is 
 that the wife passes as the sister of her husband, and since 
 the Bible tells that Sarah was actually Abraham's half- 
 sister (XX, 12), whereas Rebekah was only Isaac's cousin, 
 this portion of the story was originally told about Abraham 
 and Sarah, and came only secondarily to be told of Isaac 
 and Rebekah also. 
 
 Similarly the episode of Isaac's covenant with Abimelech 
 has its complete parallel in the account of Abraham's cove- 
 nant with the same king (XXI, 22-34). One significant fact 
 proves conclusively that XXVI does not imply that Isaac 
 merely renewed the covenant with Abimelech which Abra- 
 ham had made previously, but that it states clearly that 
 Isaac's covenant with Abimelech was the first such covenant 
 made. XXI tells of a well which had been dug by the 
 servants of Abraham, but which the servants of Abimelech 
 had seized. Abraham proves his title to the well, and in 
 token thereof he gives to Abimelech seven ewe-lambs. The 
 Hebrew words for "seven" is sheba. It is closely akin to 
 shebuah, "oath" or "covenant". Therefore the story says, 
 Abraham called that well Beer-sheba. The story is some- 
 what confused as to whether this name should be interpreted 
 as "the well of the seven", i. e., the seven ewe-lambs, or 
 "the well of the covenant". On the other hand, XXVI tells 
 that Isaac dug four wells, at the last of which he made a 
 covenant with Abimelech. Therefore Isaac gave to this well, 
 which his servants had just dug, the name Beer-sheba, here 
 meaning unmistakably, "the well of the covenant". This 
 story implies both that this was a new well, just discovered 
 by the servants of Isaac, and also that this spot had never 
 been called Beer-sheba before, but first received this name 
 
The Well of the Covenant 191 
 
 from Isaac. It knows nothing 1 , therefore, of a well previ- 
 ously dug by Abraham at this same place and given this 
 same name by him. It is clear that these are actually two 
 different and independent versions of the story of the 
 covenant with Abimelech ; the one version tells that Abra- 
 ham made the covenant, and the other ascribes this role to 
 Isaac. Since the Isaac version of the story is apparently 
 more complete, and explains the name Beer-sheba, more 
 logically and satisfactorily than the Abraham version, it is 
 probable, though by no means absolutely certain, that in the 
 original form of this story Isaac playe'd the leading role, 
 and that this was ascribed only secondarily to Abraham also. 
 If so, then, as has been stated, this is the only story in the 
 entire Bible in which Isaac is really the principal actor. 
 
 It is interesting to note that some late Biblical writer 
 sought to harmonize these two versions by telling that Isaac 
 merely reopened the wells which Abraham had previously 
 dug, and which the Philistines had filled up. Accordingly 
 he inserted vv. 15 and 18 into XXVI. Not only do these 
 two verses confuse the story and disturb its continuity, but 
 this writer failed also to insert a third verse, necessitated 
 by his attempted harmonization, stating that Isaac merely 
 renewed the covenant with Abimelech which Abraham had 
 made before him. Manifestly this writer did not succeed 
 in his task. Certainly the story in XXVI reads more 
 smoothly without vv. 15 and 18. 
 
 But while it is true that the Bible records only this one 
 original Isaac story, and even in this, as in everything else, 
 it makes Isaac the counterpart of his father, nevertheless 
 by this very fact it voices a significant truth. God had 
 called Abraham to be His servant, to be a blessing unto all 
 the families of the earth, and to bring to them the knowledge 
 of Him and His law. He had tested Abraham by bitter 
 trials, and had proved his fitness for this exalted and exact- 
 ing mission. After Abraham's death this mission of service 
 
192 The Book of Genesis 
 
 had descended to Isaac as a precious birthright. The same 
 duties and obligations which had rested upon Abraham, now 
 devolved upon Isaac. He must possess the same qualities 
 and virtues as Abraham, if he, too, was to be fit for God's 
 service. And so the Bible tells that some of the same trials 
 which Abraham had endured, also befell Isaac, and that he, 
 too, withstood them as his father had done. But even more 
 than this, the Bible implies that just because he was Abra- 
 ham's son, and had been brought up by his father, and had 
 lived in intimate association with him, he had inherited 
 Abraham's virtues. We have already learned that the rabbis 
 called attention to the fact that Lot greeted the angels and 
 proffered his hospitality in almost the same words with 
 which Abraham had greeted them earlier in the day. They 
 explained this remarkable coincidence by saying that Lot 
 had learned -the lesson of hospitality from Abraham. Sim- 
 ilarly Isaac must have acquired his virtues, which made him 
 so like his father, as the result of the latter's gentle but 
 compelling example and influence. The rabbis used to liken 
 good deeds and helpful influence to a lamp whose flame can 
 kindle one thousand other lamps yet grow not one whit 
 smaller or weaker thereby. Or as our own poet, Lowell, has 
 put it, 
 
 As one lamp lights another, nor grows less, 
 So nobleness enkindleth nobleness. 
 
 This story shows how completely Isaac had inherited his 
 father's peace-loving disposition. When the shepherds of 
 Abraham and Lot had quarreled, Abraham had yielded to 
 Lot, and had allowed him to choose the more desirable land. 
 Here, too, the shepherds of Isaac quarrel with those of 
 Abimelech for the wells of water. But this case was more 
 aggravated. For Isaac's servants had discovered and dug 
 the wells, and according to desert practice the wells be- 
 longed to them. But the servants of Abimelech claimed 
 
The Well of the Covenant 193 
 
 them, probably upon the rather questionable grounds that 
 the land belonged to them. But the story implies that this 
 was no valid claim, and that Isaac had by far the better 
 right to the wells. Nevertheless he yielded his rights, as 
 Abraham had done, in order to preserve peace. 
 
 Peace is the greatest blessing of life. When all men 
 shall live in perfect peace with one another, then they will 
 also live completely in accordance with God's law. The 
 fundamental task of the servant of the Lord is to preserve 
 and promote peace at all costs. And whoever does this is 
 a true servant of the Lord. Rights are precious, and should 
 be guarded most jealously. Yet more precious at times even 
 than the safeguarding of rights and mere, mechanical jus- 
 tice is peace ; and men, and nations, too, must learn to make 
 sacrifices and yield rights once and yet again for the sake of 
 peace. 
 
 Doubtless it was not easy for Isaac to yield. It would 
 have been far more natural, and possibly more agreeable, too, 
 to say at the very commencement of the trouble, "This well 
 is mine, for I dug it, and I shall defend my rights at all 
 costs". Not improbably, too, he could have defended him- 
 self successfully, had the men of Gerar attacked him, for he 
 had many servants and followers. But he was mindful of 
 the teaching and example of his father and of his precious 
 birthright of service. Therefore he resisted the temptation 
 to hold the well at all costs, and yielded ; and not only once, 
 but a second and a third time. Thus he proved himself a 
 man of peace like his father, and worthy of his birthright. 
 And thus he established peace and friendship with his 
 neighbors, the people of Gerar. As the Bible says, 
 
 Hatred stirreth up strifes; 
 
 But love covereth all transgressions. 
 
 Here, just as in the majority of cases, hatred and opposi- 
 tion would have meant strife and bloodshed and eternal 
 
194 The Book of Genesis 
 
 enmity ; it would have meant that Isaac brought, not peace, 
 but warfare to his fellowmen, and was unworthy to be the 
 servant of the Lord. But love and forgiveness and patient 
 forbearance meant peace and fellowship and an eternal cove- 
 nant of brotherhood. The weak and selfish are only too 
 prone to fight ; only the strong and generous can forgive and 
 yield. The wise rabbis used to say, "If one refrains from 
 sin once, twice and thrice, God will guard him thereafter, 
 and he will triumph over sin". So it was with Isaac. 
 
 A charming story about Rabbi Meir, the greatest disciple 
 of Rabbi Akiba, shows the limits to which the true servant 
 of the Lord will go in order to preserve peace. Rabbi Meir 
 used to hold his lectures until late in the evening. A certain 
 woman, whose soul thirsted for knowledge of the law of 
 God, used to attend his lectures. . One evening she returned 
 home from the school later than usual, and found her hus- 
 band there before her, and enraged because she was not yet 
 at home and the evening meal had not been prepared. He 
 was a boor, altogether without appreciation of the Torah, 
 and thought only of his appetites and pleasures. When he 
 heard that she had remained away so long just to listen to 
 Rabbi Meir's lecture, his rage became extreme, and he drove 
 her from the house and vowed that she should never return 
 until she had first spat in the face of her revered teacher. 
 In sorrow and shame the woman left the house. Almost 
 unconsciously her feet carried her back to the school, whence 
 she had departed so joyously only a short time before. 
 Slowly and sadly she entered the room where the great 
 teacher still sat with a few of his chosen disciples. Now 
 the prophet Elijah had appeared to Rabbi Meir, and had 
 revealed to him how the cruel husband had treated his wife. 
 When Rabbi Meir saw the woman, he began to blink his 
 eyes and to rub them as if they troubled him. Then he 
 called out, "Does not someone here know a remedy for 
 sore eyes?" In those days it was a common belief that if 
 
The Well of the Covenant 195 
 
 certain persons would spit upon sore eyes, they would be 
 healed. Therefore Rabbi Meir called out what he did. At 
 first there was no response. But when he had called again 
 the woman came forward, trembling and abashed, and said, 
 "Master, I can heal thine eyes". "Do so", said Rabbi Meir. 
 With that she spat in his eyes, and immediately he ceased 
 to blink. He looked at her for a moment mildly and benev- 
 olently, and then he said, "Go home and tell thy husband 
 that thou hast spat in the face of Rabbi Meir". 
 
 It is also told that at one time the people of Jerusalem 
 were divided into two factions, which hated each other bit- 
 terly and sought each other's destruction by every possible 
 means. At this time there was in Jerusalem a man named 
 Onias, who belonged to neither party. He was very old 
 and frail, and so pious that it was commonly believed that 
 his prayers were certain to be answered by God. One day 
 the leaders of one of the parties dragged him from his home 
 and bade him pray for the destruction of the other faction. 
 They offered him rich rewards if he would do their bid- 
 ding, and threatened him with dire punishment, should he 
 refuse. But the old man knew only how to supplicate God 
 for good and not for evil. Unmoved by either promises or 
 threats, he quietly kneeled down amid the surging mob, and 
 with eyes raised aloft he prayed, "O God of Israel, since 
 these are Thy children, and those are Thy children also, 
 hearken to the evil prayers of neither the one nor the other, 
 but grant them all Thy blessings of peace and love".- His 
 prayer was drowned by the shouts of the angry mob. Stones 
 fell thick and fast about him, and the life was speedily 
 crushed from the frail body. He died for the sake of the 
 peace for which he had prayed. Thus do the true servants 
 of the Lord ever strive to preserve peace. 
 
 Like Abraham,- Isaac, too, is typical of Israel. His love 
 of peace and his willingness to yield his rights repeatedly, 
 exemplify the love of peace which Israel has constantly ex- 
 
196 The Book of Genesis 
 
 amplified among the nations of the earth. Even as the 
 Philistines envied and hated Isaac because they saw that 
 the Lord was with him and had blessed him, and bade 
 him depart from their land, whither they cared not, even 
 out into the burning desert, if need be, to perish of thirst 
 and hunger, so, too, the nations have again and again envied 
 and hated Israel because the Lord was with it, and have 
 bidden it begone, they cared not whither nor to what fate. 
 And time and again Israel has yielded its rights to the wells 
 of life-giving water which it has dug, and has moved on- 
 ward and ever onward. It has cost it dear, and its suf- 
 ferings have been bitter. , But God has always been with 
 it, and it has always found new wells from which it 
 might drink ; and not it alone, but the whole world might 
 drink with it. For Israel has dug wells, not for itself 
 alone, but for all mankind. It is Israel's sacred task, im- 
 posed upon it by its religious genius, to dig the spiritual 
 wells which the world shall seize, and from which it shall 
 drink. Israel yields its wells for the sake of peace and 
 of the knowledge of God. And still we repeat reverently 
 the time-honored prayer of our fathers, "Grant us peace, 
 Thy most precious gift, O Thou eternal source of peace, 
 and enable Israel to be a messenger of peace unto the peo- 
 ples of the earth". 
 
 And today, it seems, the wells of "Contention" and 
 "Enmity" have been left far behind, and we are draw- 
 ing close to Beer-Sheba, "The Well of the Covenant", 
 where all the world will come together and say, "Let us 
 make with one another a covenant of peace and brotherly 
 love, whereby we shall no more seek one another's hurt nor 
 disadvantage, but we shall ever dwell together in peace and 
 unison, helping one another, and living the life which God 
 has meant that we should live". It seems as if this blessed 
 time is approaching slowly but surely. And if only Israel 
 remains worthy of its birthright, and performs its God- 
 appointed task faithfully and loyally, then God will continue 
 
The Well of the Covenant 
 
 197 
 
 to be with it as He was with the patriarchs of old, and 
 in the end Israel's mission must be fulfilled, and the world 
 be filled with peace and love and knowledge of God. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 V. 1. In time of famine it was not uncommon for the people of 
 Palestine to migrate in search of food. Usually they sought refuge 
 in Egypt, or, as here, in the fertile Philistine plain. The monuments 
 of ancient Egypt record many instances of Semitic peoples coming 
 
 A Semitic Family Seeking Entrance into Egypt 
 
 down to Egypt for this purpose. Similarly the Bible tells that Abra- 
 ham went down to Egypt in time of famine (XII, 10), as did like- 
 wise Jacob and his sons (XLV, 9ff), and that on a similar occasion 
 Elimelech and his family sought refuge in Moab (Ruth I, 1). 
 
 The Bible commits a very noticeable anachronism here in calling 
 Abimelech king of the Philistines. From a great mass of evidence, 
 much of which is derived from the Bible itself, we know that the 
 Philistines were not natives of Palestine, but like the Israelites 
 entered the land as strangers and invaders, and conquered the south- 
 western portion of the country and settled there. They came over 
 the sea from the west, and seem to have been of Cretan, and there- 
 fore non-Semitic stock. They entered Palestine probably during the 
 12th century B. C, shortly after the great body of Israelite tribes 
 had gained a firm foothold in the country. Consequently they. could 
 not have been in the land already in the time of Abraham. XX is 
 
198 
 
 The Book of Genesis 
 
 historically more correct in omitting all reference to the Philistines 
 and calling Abimelech simply king of Gerar. 
 
 The exact location of Gerar is unknown. It was, however, prob- 
 ably located near the southeastern border of the Philistine plain, 
 touching upon the desert (cf. Jewish Encyclopedia V, 629f). It was 
 not a large kingdom, but only a small town, whose dominion extended 
 over the immediately adjacent country. The boundary-lines of such 
 a little city-state were rather elastic; therefore the shepherds of 
 Gerar ventured to claim the wells which Isaac had dug, as being 
 within their territory, even though they were probably outside of the 
 normal boundary-lines. 
 
 V. 7. As was stated in the lesson proper, XX, 12 says that 
 Sarah was actually Abraham's half-sister, being the daughter of his 
 father, but not of his mother. In very ancient Israel marriage 
 between half-brother and half-sister on the father's side was not 
 unknown. II Samuel XIII gives an instance of the possibility of 
 such marriage as late as the time of David. However this form of 
 marriage was ultimately forbidden in Israel (cf. Leviticus XVIII, 9V 
 
 V. 12. A crop of a hundredfold was exceedingly large; cf. 
 Thomson, The Land and the Book, I, 116ff. 
 
 "In the same year"; the year began in the fall. The seed was 
 planted shortly after new year's day, and the grain was harvested in 
 the sipring of the same year. 
 
 The Great Well at Beersheba 
 
 V. 19. By "living water" (Hebrew, mayim hayyim} the Bible 
 means a spring or well which bubbles up out of the earth. 
 
 V. 20. The names of the wells are symbolic of Isaac's relations 
 with the people of Gerar. Esek means "contention," sitnah, "enmity," 
 and rehoboth, "room, expansion'. 
 
 V. 25. Cf. note to XII, 7. 
 
The Well of the Covenant 199 
 
 V. 30. Among the ancient Semites a covenant was frequently 
 solemnized by the contracting parties partaking together of a meal. 
 So Isaac now prepares the covenant meal for himself and Abimelech. 
 Cf. also XXXI, 46 and 54. For a most illuminating account of the 
 nature and effect of such a food-covenant cf. Thomson, The Land 
 and the Book, U. 41 f. 
 
 V. 33. "Unto this day", i. e., of course, until the time of the 
 writer of this narrative. 
 
 In addition to the two explanations of the name Beer-sheba cited 
 in the lesson, the rabbis suggested a third explanation. They said 
 that this was the same well which, so XXI, 25 tells, Abraham had 
 dug. According to their tradition Abraham had had to dig in three 
 different places before he located this well. And according to XXVI 
 this was the fourth well which Isaac had dug; hence the name Beer- 
 sheba, "The well of the seven diggings". They also said that this 
 well accompanied the patriarchs upon all their wanderings, and is 
 also to supply Jerusalem with water when the Messiah shall come 
 and establish his kingdom there. (Cf. Ginsburg, Legends of the 
 Jcivs, I, 324). Of course this tradition is altogether without his- 
 torical and philological grounds, and is purely fanciful. 
 
 It has been frequently suggested that there were originally seven 
 wells at this spot, and therefore the place received its name, Beer- 
 sheba, i. e. "the seven wells". However, while it is true that there 
 are a number of wells, some three or four, at this place, there is 
 not the slightest evidence that there were ever as many as seven. 
 Xor does Beer-sheba mean "the seven wells", but at the most, only 
 "the well of seven". 
 
 Abraham's Well, Beersheba 
 
200 The Book of Genesis 
 
 THE UNITY OF THE JACOB STORY 
 
 As was stated in the Introduction (pp. 1-13), the Jacob 
 cycle of stories consists of a group of ancient traditions and 
 legends, which center about the figure of Jacob. These tra- 
 ditions were originally independent of each other, and arose 
 at different times, in different localities, and for different 
 purposes. Thus, for example, the story of Jacob wrestling 
 with the "angel" (XXXII, 25-33), told originally of an evil 
 spirit of the night, which attacked Jacob and sought to kill 
 him, but Jacob proved more powerful than it and wrested 
 a blessing from it. 1 However, Jacob did not emerge from 
 
 1 Arabic tradition records an interesting and significant parallel 
 to this legend. Damiri tells in the Musnad that one of the com- 
 panions of the Pjophet Mohammed met one of the genii, who 
 wrestled with him and sought to throw him to the ground. The 
 man said to him; "I see that you are slender as though your arms 
 were the forelegs of a dog; are all you genii like this, or are you 
 alone among them so?" To this the genius replied, "I alone am so 
 strong; .but resume the contact, and if you throw me down, I shall 
 teach you something beneficial to you". They wrestled again, and 
 the man threw the genius to the ground. Thereupon the latter said, 
 "Recite, 'Allah, there is no deity but him, the living, the self-sub- 
 sistent!' There is no house in which you recite this, but out of it 
 Satan will come, and will not reenter until morning". Damiri, JJayat 
 al-Hayawan, Trans. Jayakar, I, 463. 
 
The Unity of the Jacob Story 201 
 
 the contest unscathed. He was wounded in the hip and 
 limped. Therefore his descendants, the children of Israel, 
 do not eat the sinew of the thigh. Quite a number of Arab 
 tribes, who are of the same Semitic race as Israel, and have 
 many similar customs, still today do not eat the chief 
 muscle of the hindquarter out of superstitious fear that it 
 will make them ill. 1 The same custom was practiced by 
 certain North American Indian tribes, who accounted for 
 the origin of this rite by a very interesting story. 2 " There 
 can be no doubt that this same practice existed in Israel 
 from antiquity so remote that its real origin and purpose 
 were forgotten at a comparatively early date, and that this 
 tradition of Jacob limping after his bout with the evil spirit 
 of the night arose in time to account for it. 
 
 1 Musil, Arabia Petraea, III, 150. 
 
 2 The story as recorded by Frazer (The Golden Bough; The 
 Spirits of the Corn and the Wild, II, 265), is as follows: "Once 
 upon a time a man found a burrow of porcupines, and going down 
 into it after the porcupines he lost his way in the darkness, till a 
 kind giant, called 'He who sees before and behind', released him by 
 cleaving open the earth. So the man, whose name was Tireless and 
 Homeless', lived with the kind giant, and the giant hunted elans and 
 beavers for him, and carried him about in the sheath of his flint 
 knife. 'But know, my son,' said the giant, 'that he 'who uses the 
 sky as his head is angry with me and has sworn my destruction. 
 If he slays me the clouds will be tinged with my blood; they will 
 be red with it, probably.' Then he gave the man an axe made of 
 the tooth of a gigantic beaver, and went forth to meet his foe. But 
 from under the ice the man heard a dull muffled sound. It was a 
 whale which was making this noise because it was naked and cold. 
 Warned by the man, the giant went toward the whale, which took 
 human shape, and rushed upon the giant. It was the wicked giant, 
 the kind giant's enemy. The two struggled together for a long 
 time, till the kind giant cried, 'Oh, my son! cut, cut the sinew of the 
 leg/ The man cut the sinew, and the wicked giant fell down and 
 was slain. That is why the Indians do not eat the sinew of the leg. 
 Afterwards, one day the sky suddenly flushed a ifiery red, so Fireless 
 and Homeless knew that the kind giant was no more, and he wept". 
 Cf. ibid. 264-267 for further instances of the same custom. 
 
202 The Book of Genesis 
 
 A few of these traditions were local in character. Thus 
 the story of Jacob asleep in the field, of his dream and his 
 subsequent realization that this spot in which he had inad- 
 vertently lain down to sleep was a sacred place, in which 
 the (or a) Deity was present (XXVIII, 10-22), arose to 
 account for the origin and sanctity of the great northern 
 national shrine at Bethel. The story implies that Jacob dis- 
 covered the presence of the Deity at Bethel, and therefore 
 set up the sacred stone pillar there, and founded the original 
 sanctuary, and instituted the practice of bringing tithes 
 thither. 
 
 The story of the covenant between Jacob and Laban 
 (XXXI, 22-54), centers about the place east of the Jordan, 
 probably known as Mizpeh in Gilead, which marked the 
 boundary line between the territory of Israel, typified by 
 Jacob, the traditional ancestor of Israel, and the territory of 
 the Syrians or Aramaeans to the north, typified by Laban 
 the Aramaean. Such a treaty was, in all likelihood, actually 
 made between Israel and Syria during the reign of Ahab 
 (875-854 B. C.). This story must have had its origin in 
 this period. 
 
 The story of Jacob at Shechem (XXXIII, 18-XXV, 4), 
 probably arose to account for, or to justify, Israelite posses- 
 sion of the important and powerful Canaanite city of She- 
 chem in central Palestine. Since Shechem was still a Canaan- 
 ite city, and had not yet passed into Israelite hands in the 
 days of Gideon and his son Abimelech (Judges IX), it fol- 
 lows that this story, at least in its present form, could not 
 have been conceived until after that time, at the very earliest, 
 therefore, not before the 12th century B. C. 
 
 Likewise XXXII, 2-3, tells of a place east of the Jordan 
 to which Jacob gave the name Mahanaim. This place later 
 became the seat of government of the petty kingdom of 
 Ishbosheth, after the death of Saul and his other sons at 
 the hands of the Philistines (II Samuel II, 8fL). The verses 
 
The Unity of the Jacob Story 203 
 
 tell that Jacob called the place Mafianaim, i. e., "the two 
 camps", because he was met there by angels, and when he 
 saw them he said, "This is God's camp". It is clear that 
 these angels did not merely meet Jacob, but that something 
 must have transpired on the occasion, and that there must 
 have been not one, but two camps. In other words, there 
 must have been a considerable legend of Jacob at Mahanaim, 
 and of what befell him when he was met by the angels, or 
 whatever these may have been in the original legend, to 
 which the compilers of the Jacob cycle of stories merely 
 refer, but which unfortunately, for some unknown reason, 
 they do not preserve in full. 
 
 A moment's consideration suggests also that the stories 
 of Jacob securing his brother's birthright by selfish cunning, 
 and of his obtaining, likewise by cunning and deceit, the 
 blessing of his father, which was intended for his older 
 brother, were originally parallel versions of one and the 
 same incident. There is actually little or no difference in 
 practical effect between the birthright and the blessing. Both 
 were intended for the older son, and both secured for the 
 recipient the same advantages, lordship over the other 
 brother and an undue portion of the bounties of the earth. 
 
 It is clear, therefore, that, as has been stated, these vari- 
 ous Jacob traditions and legends arose independently of each 
 other, at different times and places, and as the result of 
 varying forces and conditions in ancient Israel, and that the 
 present Jacob cycle is the product of a process of literary 
 compilation and editing, rather than of creative authorship. 
 We have already learned that the creation-flood and the 
 Abraham cycles of stories were also the products of similar 
 processes, and that in both the compilers did their work in 
 accordance with set plan and purpose, in order to give con- 
 crete expression to what they conceived to be fundamental 
 principles of Judaism. Inasmuch as the Jacob cycle is the 
 product of a similar process of compilation, it is to be in- 
 
204 The Book of Genesis 
 
 f erred that it, too, is not the result of random, unsystematic 
 effort, but is animated by a definite purpose and one central 
 theme. 
 
 One important fact must be noted at the outset. This 
 Jacob cycle of stones differs in a very essential respect from 
 either the creation-flood cycle or the Abraham cycle. In the 
 Abraham cycle the various stories are but loosely connected. 
 Almost any one, with the possible exception of the stories of 
 the call of Abraham and of the sacrifice of Isaac, might 
 have been omitted without having seriously impaired the 
 unity of the Abraham story as a whole, and without our 
 being conscious that anything was lacking. Thus, for ex- 
 ample, all the stories referring to Lot might have been re- 
 jected by the compilers, and while it is true that thereby the 
 accounts of several trials of Abraham would have been lost, 
 and the story would thereby be much poorer spiritually, 
 nevertheless the Abraham cycle as a whole would have pre- 
 sented a perfectly complete and well-rounded story. 
 
 To a somewhat less degree this is true of the creation- 
 flood cycle also. A slight dependence of one story upon its 
 predecessor is manifest there. Thus the story of the Tower 
 of Babel would be almost meaningless except as the sequel, 
 as it were, of the story of the flood. Yet the dependence 
 here, and throughout this creation-flood cycle, is a dependence 
 of thought rather than of incident. Each story is in itself 
 a unit of narration, which can be told by itself and convey 
 the impression of completeness. The unity of the creation- 
 flood cycle is purely a unity of the Jewish thought and doc- 
 trine which animate and correlate all these stories. 
 
 But the Jacob cycle is different. While the unity of 
 thought is not immediately apparent, the unity of narration 
 becomes manifest at once. Hardly a single incident of the 
 Jacob story could be told by itself and be perfectly intel- 
 ligible. One event flows out of another, and in turn leads 
 up to something else. For example, to tell the story of 
 
The Unity of the Jacob Story 205 
 
 Jacob's winning of Rachel without having first told of 
 Esau's hatred of Jacob and of the latter's consequent flight 
 from home, would be tantamount to^ beginning a long serial 
 story in the middle without knowing anything of the causes 
 and events which preceded and paved the way for this 
 episode. Or, even more indicative, the story of Jacob's final 
 meeting and reconciliation with Esau would be absolutely 
 unintelligible without a full knowledge of their previous 
 relations. In other words, unlike the creation-flood and 
 Abraham cycles of stories, we have here, in the present 
 Biblical form, not a group of independent Jacob stories, 
 united by a common theme, but one single Jacob story, which 
 is a unit of narration as well as of thought. 
 
 The procedure of the compilers is easily perceived. They 
 took the old, independent Jacob traditions, and wove them 
 together into one complex and highly dramatic narrative. 
 The legend of the struggles of the two brothers in the 
 womb of their mother serves as an effective introduction or 
 prelude to the story, in that it foreshadows dramatically the 
 future relations of the two men. The story of the father's 
 blessing, originally, in all likelihood, a parallel version of the 
 birthright story, they presented as a subsequent and supple- 
 mentary incident in the relations of Jacob and Esau. Thereby 
 they heightened the dramatic effect of the situation and 
 brought out the contrasted characters of the two men more 
 pointedly and emphatically. Esau unspiritual, rash, lacking 
 in foresight and judgment, revengeful, animal in his uncon- 
 trolled desires and passions, yet not without the saving grace 
 of loving consideration for his father. And Jacob restrained, 
 foresighted, selfish, cunning and deceitful, unscrupulous in 
 securing his ends, yet managing always to justify himself in 
 some way, and to secure illegitimate gains by dubious, yet 
 superficially legitimate methods. Hence Esau hates his 
 brother, and Jacob must flee for his life. But at the very- 
 beginning of his journey God reveals Himself to him and 
 
206 The Book of Genesis 
 
 promises to be with him upon the journey, and in time t-o 
 bring him back to his home land and to his father's house. 
 And, as these writers constantly imply, God does not mani- 
 fest Himself to individuals out of mere personal interest in 
 them or solicitude for their individual welfare, but only 
 because He has some deep, yet unrevealed purpose with 
 them. 
 
 Already a change is manifest in Jacob. He had been 
 willing to hazard his relations with his family in order to 
 secure his own selfish ends. But now his one desire and 
 prayer are that he may return, and in peace, to his father's 
 house. He seems vaguely conscious that this journey, the 
 real duration of which he can not suspect, is to be the neces- 
 sary preparation for this return and reconciliation. His 
 mother had bidden him leave home for a few days, until 
 his brother's anger should have passed. Little did either 
 imagine that these few days would become twenty years, and 
 that they should never see each other again. The ironic 
 tragedy of the situation is readily apparent. 
 
 But even more is implied in this situation, and in the 
 words of Jacob's prayer (XXVIII, 20-22). God had said 
 that He would be with Jacob on all this journey. The. sub- 
 sequent story shows how faithfully God kept His word. It 
 tells also that only at the end of twenty years did God bid 
 Jacob return to his home land and to his father's house. It 
 implies thereby that Jacob had remained away all these years 
 under God's providence and in accordance with God's will 
 and purpose. What God's purpose was, must be determined 
 later. 
 
 The story continues with the account of Jacob's meeting 
 with Rachel and their mutual love. The delicate touch of 
 romance, which the compilers understood so well how to 
 employ, is apparent in the picture of Jacob serving seven 
 years for Rachel, and in the words, "And they seemed unto 
 him but a few days, for the love he had to her" (XXIX, 20). 
 
The Unity of the Jacob Story 207 
 
 Another dramatic situation, of which the compilers did not 
 fail to take full advantage, exists in the substitution of Leah 
 for Rachel, and in the simple, yet direct and forceful words, 
 "And it came to pass in the morning- that, behold, it was 
 Leah" (XXIX, 25). This is really the reversal of an earlier 
 situation of the story. Just as Jacob had impersonated his 
 brother to- secure the coveted blessing, which belonged by 
 right to Esau, so here Leah impersonates her sister to secure 
 for herself the husband who should have been Rachel's. 
 This motive of the deceiver being deceived is common in all 
 literature. 
 
 Furthermore, we have learned that in ancient Israel mar- 
 riage with a cousin was considered the highest type of mar- 
 riage. The story of Isaac's obtaining his cousin Rebekah, 
 artistic and spiritual though it is, is nevertheless in itself 
 an independent incident of the Abraham cycle of stories, 
 without which the unity of the Abraham story would never- 
 theless have been complete. It is merely the connecting link 
 between the Abraham cycle and the Jacob cycle, and shows 
 that the patriarch Isaac found the very best possible wife, 
 and that his descendants sprang from a marriage of the 
 highest type. But here the motive of Jacob's marriage with, 
 not one, but two cousins, is integral and vital. Without it 
 the story would limp exceedingly, or would, in fact, be no 
 story. 
 
 And still more is implied. God had said that He would 
 be with Jacob upon this journey." Jacob must have regarded 
 his meeting with Rachel at the very moment of his arrival, 
 and the love which immediately sprang up between them, as 
 a sign that God was true to His word. Time and again the 
 story affirms that Jacob knew with ever-increasing conviction 
 that God was with him. He could not but see in the de- 
 ception whereby the hated Leah had become his wife, in- 
 stead of the beloved Rachel, only the counterpart of his own 
 deception practiced upon his unsuspecting brother. How 
 
208 The Book of Genesis 
 
 would lie bear this deception? Would he seek revenge as 
 Esau had done, or would he regard it as merited, and sub- 
 mit without further question or strife? The story tells that 
 Jacob chose the latter course, and implies that he was con- 
 scious that in this, as in everything, God was with him, and 
 that this was a part of God's discipline. 
 
 Then follows the account of Jacob's marriage with 
 Rachel also, and of the children which were born to him. 
 Thus passed the first two seven-year periods in the service 
 of Laban. With the third period a new moment in the 
 drama of Jacob's life begins. In his distress Jacob had 
 learned to rely upon God's promise to be with him, and to 
 see God's hand in everything which befell him. But these 
 last years of satisfied desire and family happiness had tended 
 to reawaken the old dormant Jacob, to make him once again 
 self -centered, self-reliant and self-seeking. As his family 
 grew, the conviction became stronger that he must himself 
 begin to provide for them and their future. Material 
 thoughts and desires once more filled his mind, and he knew 
 of only one way to satisfy them. Laban had deceived him 
 in regard to Leah, yet Jacob had held his peace. But now 
 Jacob in turn practiced a trick upon his uncle, whereby he 
 secured for himself an undue portion of the flocks. It was 
 a trick, the secret of which seemingly was known only to 
 him, and therefore it could not be detected. But it was a 
 deception none the less. True, Laban met this deception 
 with faithlessness, and changed Jacob's wages repeatedly. 
 Yet Jacob, it is implied, knew always how to gain the ad- 
 vantage. Thus his wealth increased exceedingly, until La- 
 ban's sons began to eye him enviously and suspiciously, and 
 it seemed that they could not abide together much longer. 
 Then God's command came to return to his home land and 
 to his father's house. 
 
 But how does Jacob return? He might have expected, 
 in the normal course of things, to depart honorably and in 
 
The Unity of the Jacob Story 209 
 
 peace. Ostensibly he had fulfilled his compact with Laban. 
 Yet he slinks away in fear and unknown to Laban. And 
 when Laban at last overtakes him, and chides him for hav- 
 ing stolen away, Jacob can offer only a lame excuse. Yet 
 in the end, after Laban had failed to find his stolen gods, 
 they make a covenant and part in friendship, to Jacob's 
 great relief. 
 
 Here, too, the dramatic sense of the compilers is readily 
 manifest. Jacob had said, "With whomsoever thou findest 
 thy gods, he shall not live" (XXXI, 32). Unconsciously he 
 had pronounced the death sentence; and upon whom? here 
 again is real tragedy upon his beloved Rachel. When 
 Laban fails to find the stolen gods, the danger seems past. 
 But divine retribution can not be escaped, and the words of 
 an oath, such as Jacob had uttered, must, according to an- 
 cient belief, be fulfilled. And so the story tells in its sequel, 
 that Rachel died in childbirth, shortly before the end of the 
 journey (XXXV, 16-20). Without this conclusion the story 
 would be incomplete. 
 
 Furthermore, just as Laban's earlier relations with Jacob 
 but mirror the latter's previous relations with Esau, so now 
 Jacob's later relations with Laban foreshadow the reception 
 which he might expect from his brother. Jacob had de- 
 ceived Laban ; but Laban had first deceived him. But if 
 Laban had been so enraged at having been deceived, even 
 though he must have felt that it was not altogether un- 
 merited, how must Esau feel, who had been so innocently 
 and cruelly deceived by Jacob? 
 
 During the first part of his sojourn with Laban, Jacob 
 had relied upon God's promise that He would be with him, 
 and he had been fortunate and happy. But during these 
 last six years increasing prosperity had led him to trust 
 more and more in his own strength and cunning. And 
 materially he had prospered thereby, even though he had 
 
210 The Book of Genesis 
 
 almost perished at Laban's hands, and would have perished 
 had not God intervened. 
 
 Now that the danger was past, Jacob must prepare for 
 the greater danger of the meeting with Esau. We would 
 expect that now he would remember God's word that he 
 should return in peace to his father's house. But the habits 
 of the last six years were too strong to be shaken off in a 
 moment. He failed to realize that only through God's inter- 
 vention had he escaped this last danger, and his mind was 
 full of plans how he might meet Esau, and avert his wrath 
 ;with as little sacrifice as possible. He would send mes- 
 [sengers to apprise Esau of his coming, and with instructions 
 to notice carefully and bring back speedy report of how 
 Esau received this news, and what were the prospects of 
 reconciliation. They might hint, too, that Jacob had pros- 
 pered exceedingly, and would make due compensation, if 
 necessary, for the wrong done to Esau. And at the actual 
 meeting with his brother, Jacob would act warily and 
 craftily. 
 
 Unfortunately for Jacob, his plans miscarried from the 
 outset. The messengers brought back word that Esau was 
 hastening to meet him with four hundred men. Their pur- 
 pose was unmistakable. It was too late to flee with all his 
 family and possessions. Esau could have overtaken him as 
 easily as Laban had done. Nothing remained but to meet 
 him, and to take every possible precaution. And now, in his 
 distress, when all his planning and scheming had availed 
 naught, Jacob bethought himself of that other source of help 
 and protection, whom he had well nigh forgotten during 
 these six years of material prosperity, God. And he turned 
 to Him with a fervent prayer, acknowledging his littleness 
 and unworthiness, and imploring help and protection in this 
 moment of peril. Yet how could he tell whether his prayer 
 would be answered? Prosperity through deceit during these 
 six years had dulled the edge of his faith. If God would 
 
The Unity of the Jacob Story 211 
 
 save him, well and good; but if not, then all the more must 
 he endeavor to save himself. So he prepared his present 
 for Esau, and marshalled it to best advantage, and sent it 
 on before him. His wives and children and the entire camp 
 he set over the stream. He himself remained alone upon the 
 farther bank. 
 
 The Bible gives not the slightest intimation of why Jacob 
 remained alone upon the farther bank, instead of crossing 
 with the rest. Clearly he wanted to be alone. But why? 
 The next morning he must surely meet Esau. If he would 
 still escape, it was his last chance. Obviously here is the 
 climax of the story. 
 
 There follows that mysterious incident of Jacob wrestling. 
 The compilers have purposely changed the original evil 
 spirit of the night into a man, as they call it. Yet he, too, 
 must be gone by dawn. Unconsciously we feel that it is 
 no real man, but a supernatural something, which, if con- 
 quered, can be made to bestow blessing. We do not know 
 what it was, nor just how the compilers themselves con- 
 ceived of it. We know only this, that Jacob emerged from 
 the conflict a different man, weary and limping, yet victor 
 withal. And in symbol thereof, and in true blessing, his 
 name was changed from Jacob (Ya'akob)' "the Deceiver", 
 to Israel (Yisra'cl), "the Conqueror", "for thou hast striven 
 with God and with men, and hast prevailed" (XXXII, 29). 
 Unconsciously we feel that the words, "thou hast striven 
 with God and with men, and hast prevailed", refer not 
 merely to this one night of combat, but also to the past 
 twenty years, of sojourn with Laban, and the purgation and 
 preparation which he had undergone there. The effects of 
 the last six years are shaken off, and the old Jacob is gone 
 forever. The new, purified Israel now steps forth, and hum- 
 bly now, and supplicatingly he goes tc meet his brother, pre- 
 pared to accept unresistingly whatever his brother might put 
 upon him. 
 
212 The Book of Genesis 
 
 But to his glad surprise his hrother meets him, not in 
 anger, but in peace. He, too, has prospered, and he, too, 
 seeks only reconciliation. So Jacob returned in peace to his 
 father's house, and God was with him and fulfilled His 
 word. But it was no more the old, deceitful Jacob, but a 
 new, purified Israel, "the Champion of God". 
 
 Such is the Jacob story in its present form. It is no 
 longer a mere collection or cycle of stories, but the skillful 
 hands of the compilers have welded it together into one 
 single story, or, possibly better, in view of the marked dra- 
 matic, and at times even tragic, note, one single, powerful 
 drama. In fact, it might well be arranged for dramatic 
 presentation thus : 
 
 Prelude The pre-natal struggles of the brothers. 
 
 Act I, Scene 1 The birthright. 
 
 Scene 2 The father's blessing. 
 
 Act II Jacob's vision of God at Bethel. 
 
 Act III Jacob's family, and the beginning of his puri- 
 fication during the first fourteen years with Laban. 
 
 Act IV Jacob and Laban. 
 
 Act V The night of wrestling and the morning there- 
 after. 
 
 This scheme shows the unmistakable, unified, dramatic 
 form and character of the Jacob story. 
 
 It is inconceivable, as has been said, that these compilers 
 should have done their work aimlessly, or moved only by 
 inner compulsion to satisfy an artistic and dramatic impulse. 
 The creation-flood and the Abraham cycles have shown that 
 they were actuated by deep religious purpose and conviction, 
 and that dramatic effects were merely incidental products of 
 their unmistakable artistic genius. The Joseph story will 
 prove this even more conclusively. And did the Moses story 
 come within the province of this work, it would add con- 
 vincing and irrefutable proof thereto. The compilers of the 
 
The Unity of the Jacob Story 213 
 
 creation-flood and the Abraham cycles, and of the Joseph 
 and Moses stories, were likewise the compilers of the Jacob 
 story. Unquestionably in this drama they were animated by 
 a like purpose. 
 
 After having analyzed the Jacob story and proved its 
 essential unity, it is not at all difficult to determine what 
 the purpose of the compilers was. The central figure is 
 Jacob. The story begins with his deception of his brother, 
 and concludes with their reconciliation. Jacob had wronged 
 Esau because of his own deceitful nature and selfish im- 
 pulses. He was enabled to become reconciled with Esau 
 only by having battled with, and having at last triumphed 
 over his base impulses, or, as the story puts it very literally, 
 by actually becoming a different man, no longer Jacob, "the 
 Deceiver", but Israel, "the Champion of God". Throughout 
 his twenty years' sojourn in a foreign land, God had been 
 with him, not merely to protect and prosper him in material 
 things, but, by allowing trials, disappointments, deceptions, 
 and sufferings to befall him as a necessary part of his dis- 
 cipline, to help him purify himself of his base inclinations, 
 and to transform him from the old Jacob to the new Israel. 
 During the last six years of his sojourn with Laban, Jacob 
 had thought that he could rely upon his own efforts and 
 cunning, and the old Jacob had reasserted himself. But this 
 had led him near to destruction. Just in time did he come 
 to realize that only by trusting implicitly in God's promise, 
 and in following the course, which, it seemed, God had 
 marked out for him, could he prosper truly, and could last- 
 ing happiness and blessing be his. The climax of the story 
 is that dramatic scene where Jacob wrestles through all the 
 long, dark night, and as the dawn breaks, he emerges from 
 the combat victorious, with the old Jacob gone forever, and 
 the new Israel ready now to live the life which the true 
 servant of the Lord, who inherited the birthright of Abra- 
 ham and Isaac, must live. The story of Jacob is the unmis- 
 
214 The Book of Genesis 
 
 takable, powerful, and convincing drama of a repentant and 
 regenerate soul. 
 
 The stories of the flood, of the Tower of Babel and of 
 Sodom and Gomorrah have taught much about the Jewish 
 conception of sin, repentance, and atonement. But they have 
 all presented this thought from the standpoint of God. God 
 desires not the death of the sinner, but that he return and 
 live, and He constantly holds out to man the possibility of 
 repentance and pardon. But how may men repent? Is it 
 easy or difficult, accomplished in a moment, or requiring 
 days and years of trial and purgation? In ancient Israel the 
 belief was universal that repentance was an easy thing, and 
 a matter of ritual alone. Let one but offer a sacrifice, a sin- 
 offering, and the Deity would be immediately placated. Or, 
 if not immediately, then let him continue to offer sin-offer- 
 ings in sufficient measure, and to pour out prayers, and 
 acknowledge his iniquity ceaselessly, and in the end the 
 Deity must surely be appeased. 
 
 It was the prophet Hosea who, about 735 B. C., first 
 taught the truth, till then unheard in all the earth, that re- 
 pentance is no easy nor speedy thing. It requires a long 
 and bitter period of trial and purification and constant test- 
 ing, until the dross of evil inclination be purged from the 
 soul, and we can return to God, not merely with words of 
 repentance on our lips, but with sincere, humble, and contrite 
 / hearts. Repentance is not a matter of mere, mechanical 
 prayer and sin-offering, but of purification of character, 
 motive, and deed, a remaking of the old, sinful self into a 
 new being, whether that old self be an individual man or a 
 whole people. Nor does this true repentance mean momen- 
 tary righteousness and service of God, which permits of 
 later relapse into the old, evil habits and practices. Half- 
 righteousness and partial purification are but futile shams. 
 True repentance must reach to the very depths of the soul, 
 and purge and purify of every inclination to evil. Thus 
 
The Unity of the Jacob Story 215 
 
 Hosea contrasts the old, popular, false idea of ritual re- 
 pentance with the true repentance and spiritual regeneration, 
 which he was the first to proclaim. He pictures the people 
 as saying in their shortsightedness, 
 
 Come, and let us return unto the Lord ; 
 
 P'or He hath torn, and He will heal us, 
 
 He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. 
 
 After two days will He revive us, 
 
 On the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His 
 
 presence. 
 
 And let us know, eagerly strive to know the Lord, 
 His going forth is sure as the morning; 
 And He shall come unto us as the rain, 
 As the latter rain that watereth the earth. 
 
 And to all this sham, artificial repentance the prophet rep- 
 resents God as answering with infinite longing and pathos, 
 
 O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? 
 
 Judah, what shall I do unto thee? 
 For your goodness is as a morning cloud, 
 And as the dew that early passeth away. 
 Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets, 
 
 1 have slain them by the words of My mouth ; 
 And thy judgment goeth forth as the light. 
 For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, 
 
 And the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings. (Hosea 
 VI, 1-6.) 
 
 Even more drastically the prophet Micah, a generation or so 
 later, proclaimed in the southern kingdom, 
 
 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, 
 
 And bow myself before God on high? 
 
 Shall I come before Him with burnt-offerings, 
 
 With calves of a year old? 
 
 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, 
 
 With ten thousands of rivers of oil? 
 
 Shall I give my fiirst-born for my transgression, 
 
 The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 
 
216 The Book of Genesis 
 
 It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, 
 And what the^Lord doth require of thee: 
 
 Only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with 
 thy God. (Micah VI, 6-8.) 
 
 Just this conception of repentance the Jacob story illus- 
 trates concretely, dramatically, and convincingly. Repentance 
 is no easy thing- to be won in a day. Twenty years of bitter 
 trial and suffering and purgation in a foreign land are not 
 too much. Nor can a half-won repentance, even though it 
 endure for fourteen years, when followed by a relapse into 
 former evil habits, suffice. The purification must be com- 
 plete and permanent. But with him who would truly repent, 
 God is ever present, strengthening and helping him to over- 
 come and to conquer in the struggle through the long, dark 
 night with the evil power which seeks his destruction. And 
 at last, with the dawn of the new day, which ushers in the 
 new life of righteousness, he must emerge a regenerate man, 
 no longer Jacob, "the Deceiver", but Israel, "the Champion 
 of God", strong in the knowledge of God which has come 
 to him, and ready and eager to do God's service. That is 
 the true repentance, which the Jacob story illustrates so 
 forcibly. In this way alone may repentance be worked. 
 
 There can be no further question that this is the central 
 theme of the story in its present form. Its compilers must 
 have been followers of the prophetic party who worked in 
 the spirit of Hosea, and sought in their own way to illustrate 
 his message concretely, and to enforce it practically. They 
 must have lived somewhat later than Hosea, and in all like- 
 lihood in the southern kingdom of Judah, since the northern 
 kingdom of Israel was overthrown by the Assyrians in 722 
 B. C., shortly after Hosea's time. The southern kingdom 
 had become the spiritual and cultural heir of its more ad- 
 vanced sister kingdom. Many, though undoubtedly not all, 
 of the literary treasures of the north had come into the pos- 
 session of the south. A group of northern Jacob stones 
 
The Unity of the. Jacob Story 217 
 
 came in time to be fused with a number of similar stories 
 about the same patriarch current in the south, and these were 
 later recast by these prophetic compilers into our present 
 Jacob story. It is interesting to note in this connection that 
 Hosea himself refers to various traditional episodes in the 
 life of Jacob, and denounces the patriarch for his deceitful 
 nature and his wrongful treatment of his brother (Hosea 
 XII, 4, 5 and 13). Of course to the prophet Jacob sym- 
 bolized the whole nation Israel. 
 
 And these compilers had still more in mind. In their 
 hands not alone the Jacob story became a unit, nor also the 
 creation-flood and Abraham cycles, and the Joseph story, but, 
 in a very positive sense, the entire Book of Genesis and 
 even the entire Torah. Their ultimate aim was to show 
 how Israel was chosen by God as His servant, was given the 
 Law, and was disciplined and prepared for his mission as 
 the herald of this Law and of God's truth unto mankind. 
 They had told how God had called Abraham and had bidden 
 him become a blessing unto all the families of the earth. 
 They had told, too, that Isaac had received the birthright 
 from Abraham. Now they told that the birthright de- 
 scended in turn to Jacob. True he acquired it by taking 
 base advantage of his brother's need and weakness of char- 
 acter. But as the Bible so carefully emphasizes, Esau de- 
 spised the birthright ; it implies thereby that Jacob eagerly 
 desired it. By thus despising the birthright and by his weak 
 and passionate nature, Esau had proved his unworthiness of 
 the birthright. And although Jacob was far from perfect, 
 none the less the implication is that he was more worthy of 
 this birthright than was Esau. What was this birthright, as 
 these compilers conceived it? 
 
 It was not merely the right to a double portion of their 
 father's estate, the usual privileges of the firstborn. The 
 Bible nowhere states that Jacob received this, but implies 
 that he acquired all his wealth during his sojourn with 
 
218 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Laban. On the other hand, the Bible states that Esau, too, 
 had become wealthy at home, as if he had had the enjoyment 
 of his father's property. No, the birthright was something 
 other than this, something which the materialist and sensu- 
 alist Esau despised. To these compilers, writing in the pro- 
 phetic spirit from the standpoint of Israel as God's chosen 
 people, the birthright could have meant nothing other than 
 the mission of Abraham, the right to become God's servant 
 and messenger after Abraham and Isaac. It was this which 
 Esau despised and which Jacob, eagerly desired. And of 
 this Jacob's regeneration, these compilers would have us 
 understand, made him worthy. He was to be transformed 
 from Jacob, "the Deceiver", into Israel, "the Champion of 
 God", in order that he might truly contend with evil gods 
 and with men, and triumph over them in God's name and 
 for God's cause. All this these compilers sought to teach, 
 and they adapted the old, loosely connected Jacob traditions 
 and legends to their purpose. How well they succeeded is 
 best evidenced by the dramatic unity, power and conviction 
 of the story itself. 
 
 However, with all their artistic and dramatic powers and 
 definite purpose, certain difficulties confronted them which 
 could not be fully overcome. To them Jacob, Esau, and 
 Laban were types, quite as much as Abraham, Isaac, and 
 Ishmael. To the prophet Hosea, Jacob had been less a 
 single, historical, or even traditional, individual than the 
 type of all Israel. Time and again Hosea denounced Israel 
 for its sins under the name Jacob. In the minds of these 
 compilers, too, Jacob stood for Israel, but not as with Hosea, 
 only as a deceitful people, faithless to its God, but as the 
 future servant of the Lord, who was to be made fit and 
 ready for His service by spiritual regeneration. Laban, too, 
 was the type of the arch-enemy of the northern kingdom, 
 Syria, the Aramaean state. The very name Arami, the 
 Aramaean, probably suggested to Israelite minds a connec- 
 
The Unity of the Jacob Story 219 
 
 tion with the word ramai', "deceitful". The covenant at 
 Mizpeh, as has been stated, depicts the relations between 
 Israel and Syria during the reign of Ahab. 
 
 On the other hand, Esau typified the nation traditionally 
 descended from him, Edom, still in the compilers' days the 
 arch-enemy of their own nation Judah. In their task they 
 were too much patriotic Judeans to be altogether prophet- 
 ically objective. They could not do as Hosea had done, and 
 paint Jacob in hopelessly black colors. They could not but 
 feel, too, a certain sense of national gratification in picturing 
 Jacob's triumph over Esau and Laban, even while at the 
 same time -from a purely moral standpoint they condemned 
 Jacob's deception. Even today deception within the limits 
 of international law is often regarded as praiseworthy diplo- 
 macy. These compilers were too much children of their 
 own times not to exult a bit in the picture they had drawn 
 of Jacob the Israelite outwitting and triumphing over Esau 
 the Edomite and Laban the Aramaean. 
 
 But this caused the one great weakness of their drama. 
 For after Jacob's regeneration and reconciliation with Esau, 
 they still represented him as not trusting Esau implicitly, and 
 outwitting him once more by promising to join him in his 
 home land, Seir, and then instead journeying on elsewhere. 
 It is an illogical sequel to the story. We would expect it to 
 conclude with the perfect reconciliation of the two brothers 
 and their mutual trust in each other, their return together 
 to their father's house and subsequent dwelling together in 
 peace and love. Probably the compilers would have con- 
 cluded their story thus had they been able. But actual his- 
 torical conditions made this impossible. Judah and Edom 
 did not dwell together, nor were their relations peaceful and 
 brotherly. Instead they dwelt apart in different lands, and 
 were constantly divided by mutual distrust, hatred, and strife. 
 And so the most these compilers could do was to make Jacob 
 and Esau meet and part again amicably. And even here 
 
220 The Book of Genesis 
 
 national pride impelled them to picture Jacob as finally tri- 
 umphing over Esau. Israelite chauvinism whispered to them 
 that the Edomite might not be trusted too implicitly, and so 
 there could be no harm in making Jacob realize this and be 
 on his guard. It was an insurmountable obstacle for them. 
 But we must admit that it has weakened the otherwise well- 
 nigh perfect drama. 
 
 One other difficulty confronted them and tended to ren- 
 der their story somewhat obscure. In a certain sense they 
 were historians; not objective historians it is true, whose 
 task was to record all the events of history in proper se- 
 quence and proportion, but rather prophetic historians, who 
 sought to reinterpret the facts and traditions of Israel's his- 
 tory in such manner as to illustrate and enforce the message 
 of the great prophets. Nevertheless they had a certain his- 
 toric consciousness which bade them make some reference 
 at least to all traditions which centered about the figure with 
 which they were dealing. They could not resist the tempta- 
 tion to introduce certain traditions which had no direct con- 
 nection with the main story other than that they, too, dealt 
 with Jacob, and which actually impede and obscure the log- 
 ical and dramatic evolution of plot and thought. 
 
 Thus the Mahanaim incident has no connection with the 
 main story. As students of Jewish history and tradition, we 
 are grateful for the reference, and regret only that the com- 
 plete tradition has not been preserved. But we must admit 
 that the Jacob story as a piece of narrative or dramatic 
 literature would be more complete and perfect without it. 
 This is true also of the brief reference to Reuben's incest 
 with Bilhah, his father's concubine (XXXV, 22). 
 
 And to a far greater degree is this true of the episode of 
 Jacob at Shechem. The natural and logical course of the 
 story would have been for Jacob, immediately after his recon- 
 ciliation with Esau, to proceed to his father's house, for 
 which he had so eagerly longed and prayed. This protracted 
 
The Unity of 'the Jacob Story 221 
 
 sojourn at Shechem is disturbing and disappointing in the 
 extreme. On the one hand it interrupts the continuity of the 
 story, and delays unnecessarily, illogically and undramatically 
 the visiting of divine retribution, in accordance with Jacob's 
 words, upon Rachel, for having stolen her father's idols. 
 And on the other hand, it accords but poorly with the rest 
 of the story. This told that Jacob had been but twenty years 
 with Laban, and had married Leah only after seven years. 
 Therefore his oldest child could have been at this time not 
 more than twelve years of age, and the others must have 
 been correspondingly younger. Yet the Shechem episode 
 makes all the children of Jacob, including Dinah, the daugh- 
 ter, of adult age. This proves that the Shechem episode was 
 not a part of the original story, as arranged by these com- 
 pilers, but was inserted later, probably because of the impulse 
 of some quasi-historian to preserve a Jacob tradition from 
 oblivion. 
 
 Facts like these obscure the meaning and purpose of the 
 main narrative somewhat. But when they are stripped away, 
 the main Jacob story stands out clearly and unmistakably as 
 a unit of both narration and thought, the central theme of 
 which is easily determined. With this introduction we are 
 ready to consider the Jacob story in detail, 
 
222 The Book of Genesis 
 
 XV 
 
 THE BIRTHRIGHT 
 (Genesis XXV, 27-34) 
 
 So Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis XXV, 34.) 
 
 For I am become a father to Israel, 
 
 And Ephraim is My first-born. (Jeremiah XXXI, 9.) 
 
 Read Ecclesiastes, VII, 1, 8, 9, 11, 12. 
 
 The episode of 'the birthright constitutes the opening act 
 in the Jacob drama. It introduces the two principal char- 
 acters, and establishes their relations with each other. They 
 are twin brothers, presumably starting in life with similar, 
 and almost equal endowments. Yet how different were their 
 lives to be. The rabbis said that Jacob and Esau were like 
 the myrtle and the thornbush respectively, which at first re- 
 semble each other closely. But after they are fully grown 
 the thorn-bush puts forth only destructive and poisonous 
 thorns, while the myrtle sends its fragrance far and wide. 
 
 As twin brothers their relations should have been par- 
 ticularly intimate and loving. But already at birth they had 
 striven together, and this but augured the contention of later 
 years. Now, when the story opens, they have already grown 
 far apart, and have developed characters and habits diamet- 
 rically opposed to each other. "Esau was a cunning hunter, 
 a man of the field; and Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in 
 tents". Esau the hunter and Jacob the shepherd, two con- 
 trasted types. Esau was the man of the chase; of quick, 
 unpremeditated, improvident action ; seeking speedy returns 
 from everything, and ready to stake all life's prospects upon 
 
The Birthright 223 
 
 the uncertain chances of the chase; eager to satisfy the 
 appetites of the moment, regardless of the cost; with no eye 
 to the future and no power to govern his inclinations or 
 restrain his passion ; rash, impetuous, vengeful, possibly even 
 cruel, or at least pitiless, as the pursuit of the chase was apt 
 to make him ; and above all else, unspiritual, materialistic, 
 with no appreciation of the privilege of the birthright, but 
 despising it because it could not fill his belly when hungry, 
 and only laid obligations upon him. 
 
 And Jacob was the man of the tents, quiet and home- 
 abiding, and therefore beloved of his mother; able to control 
 his appetites and to govern his passions in order to secure 
 a desired end; with a keen eye to the future, carefully weigh- 
 ing all chances, and deliberate and patient in the attainment 
 of ambitions; all admirable qualities indeed, provided they 
 be applied to right aims and uses, and destining their pos- 
 sessor for great things either in good or evil, whichever he 
 might choose. Unfortunately at this moment Jacob applied 
 these powers to base uses. He combined them with cold, 
 calculating selfishness, cunning, and deceit, pitiless disregard 
 for the rights and sufferings of others, and ignoble willing- 
 ness to take advantage of their weakness, need, and indulgent 
 love, in order to secure his own selfish desires. 
 
 But one quality Jacob did possess, at present undeveloped, 
 yet capable under proper unfolding and guidance of becom- 
 ing productive of great good. "Esau despised his birthright", 
 the Bible says ; and it implies thereby, and develops this 
 thought in the story itself, that Jacob eagerly desired it. 
 This birthright was, as we have intimated, not merely the 
 usual privilege of the firstborn, of a double portion of the 
 paternal estate, and the right to act as the clan leader and 
 priest, but rather the spiritual heritage of being the servant 
 and messenger of God, and of bringing blessing unto all 
 the families of the earth. For this God had called Abraham. 
 And the Bible told that Abraham had purposely sent Ishmael 
 
224 The Book of Genesis 
 
 
 ,-ui(l his later children away, after providing for them prop- 
 erly, in order that they might not inherit along with Isaac 
 (XXI, lOff.; XXV, 5f.). In the case of Ishmael this meant, 
 of course, that the right of firstborn fell to Isaac. Now 
 Esau and Jacob must divide their father's estate, and the 
 birthright with it. There was but a few moments' difference 
 in their ages ; yet Esau was nominally the elder, and to him 
 therefore the birthright formally belonged. 
 
 But Esau despised his birthright. He had no appreciation 
 of spiritual things, no desire to bring blessing unto all the 
 families of the earth, and no ambition to become a bene- 
 factor of the human race. Perhaps he might have been will- 
 ing to accept his birthright, had it been an easy thing, and 
 laid no burden upon him. But it was no easy thing; it 
 meant endless toil and sacrifice, and bearing the burdens of 
 others, and infinite love for fellowmen. And of these Esau 
 was incapable. And "so Esau despised his birthright", but 
 Jacob eagerly desired it. 
 
 In all likelihood Jacob, too, had at this moment no full 
 appreciation of the true nature of the birthright and of the 
 obligations it entailed. True, it meant service, sacrifice, and 
 blessing for others, but it also meant dignity, honor, leader- 
 ship, and privilege for himself, a worthy reward indeed. 
 Probably Jacob thought at first rather of this reward than 
 of the service he might render. It is a common trait of self- 
 centered and ambitious youth. Nor is there anything dis- 
 creditable in this ; rightly disciplined and directed, the ambi- 
 tion for leadership may become an unqualified blessing. It 
 was not that Jacob's desires and ambitions were altogether 
 wrong, but rather that the means he chose to gain his ends, 
 were ignoble and blameworthy. The story of Jacob is the 
 best proof of the truth that the end never justifies the means. 
 All Jacob's sufferings, and those he brought upon others, 
 were but the outcome of the means he employed to gain his 
 ends. Ultimately what he had gained was established as his. 
 
The Birthright 225 
 
 But before he could become worthy of the birthright, he had 
 first to be purified of the base impulses which prompted him 
 to employ such ignoble means. 
 
 The compilers of the Jacob story have done their work 
 well, and have displayed artistic powers of the highest order. 
 With a few masterful strokes they have depicted the two 
 characters most effectively. The Jacob story does not stand 
 by itself. It is the continuation of the Abraham and Isaac 
 stories. The birthright is the connecting link. God's word 
 to Abraham and his descendants must be fulfilled. The 
 birthright of Abraham and Isaac must descend to that son 
 who is the better fitted for it. The compilers of the Jacob 
 story have drawn the two characters with this one thought 
 in mind. Esau's character is simple, and stamped him as 
 unfit and hopeless for the acceptance and fulfillment of the 
 obligations of the birthright. He is a materialist through 
 and through, without the slightest possibility of such change 
 of character as might fit him for the birthright. 
 
 On the other hand, Jacob's character is complex. Two 
 forces are already struggling within him for the mastery. 
 If the evil, selfish, deceitful nature prevail, Jacob is destined 
 by his very powers to become a curse to mankind. But if 
 the more spiritual side of his nature, his ambition for leader- 
 ship, power, and honor, can be purified of its selfishness, and 
 can be applied to proper ends, he is destined to become a 
 blessing unto mankind, and truly worthy of the birthright 
 of his fathers. At the present moment the evil nature is in 
 the ascendancy, and the prospects of his regeneration seem 
 dark and hopeless. The episode of the birthright, and its 
 sequel, the episode of the father's blessing, constitute a most 
 effective and dramatic introduction to the whole story of 
 Jacob's purification and preparation for the real birthright. 
 
 A word of caution here. In- presenting the story of Jacob care 
 should be taken not to excuse nor seek to justify Jacob's conduct. 
 As Jews, traditional descendants of the patriarchs, and also because 
 
226 The Book of Genesis 
 
 lie must later appear as the hero of the drama, our sympathies are 
 with him, and we feel an almost irresistihle impulse to palliate his 
 offense in whatever way we can. Many text-books and many teachers 
 do this, but it is a serious mistake. Certainly the compilers depicted 
 Jacob as they did for very definite reasons. And to present him 
 otherwise is not only to take unwarranted liberties, but also to miss 
 the point of the story entirely. It might tend to encourage the 
 children to excuse their own selfish and wicked conduct in the most 
 sophistic ways. However, the teacher must be careful not to overdo 
 the picture and paint Jacob too black. His virtues and the possibilities 
 of his character should also be properly dw'elt upon. A timely hint 
 may also be thrown out that this is only our first acquaintance with 
 Jacob, and that later he changed completely. It may also be sug- 
 gested that he had to pay dearly for his sin of selfishness and lack 
 of brotherly feeling. Of this the children will hear later. It will 
 serve to whet their curiosity and interest. 
 
 . It might be asked, why did not God make Esau a good 
 and noble man from the very beginning, or at least make 
 Jacob so? The rabbis anticipated this question. It might 
 in fact be answered by the equally appropriate question, 
 why did not God create men so that they would always do 
 right and enjoy happiness? God has, we know, purposely 
 created man as he is, in order that he may be forced to 
 strive to become perfect, and not be perfect unavoidably, 
 and without ambition or effort on his part. Perfection must 
 be worked for and striven for. And still, even if men are 
 not perfect, God does not reject them nor refuse to use them 
 for His purposes. If we have a broken tool, yet need it 
 for our work, we first mend it and then use it. It was so 
 with Jacob. He was the very tool which God selected, to 
 carry on the mission of service for which He had called 
 Abraham. And just because he was not perfect, we shall 
 see that God mended him first, . or rather helped him to 
 mend himself, and then at last, when he was ready and fit, 
 used him for His purpose of blessing. 
 
 One thought in particular this story of Jacob suggests. 
 The Book of Ecclesiastes says: 
 
The Birthright 227 
 
 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof. 
 
 Far too often we pride ourselves on vain things and boast 
 of trivial achievements. We are prone to judge by begin- 
 nings and promises rather than by ends and results. We 
 parade the accomplishments of children and prophesy great 
 things for them ; and it often happens in consequence that 
 the child's head is turned, and his powers are checked in 
 development by injudicious praise. We make much of early 
 success, and fail to realize that it is only a part of our train- 
 ing for greater things, when our powers shall have reached 
 their full growth. We are ever ready to measure our 
 strength and our achievements with those of our superiors 
 in experience and wisdom. And we loudly proclaim that this 
 is the age of the young man, and do not see that thereby 
 we seal our own death warrant, and condemn ourselves to 
 a long and inglorious middle and old age of decreasing use- 
 fulness and wisdom, and increasing burden upon society. 
 
 The story of Jacob should indeed give us pause. Were 
 we to judge the patriarch by these first two incidents of 
 his life, or even by some which follow, we should condemn 
 him unqualifiedly as a villain and a scourge to society. But 
 all life is not measured by the years of childhood and youth 
 alone, nor is it to be judged only by early inclinations and 
 promises. A life's true worth can not be ascertained until 
 its complete course is run, and its full work is done, or .left 
 undone. Then alone may we say, "This life was well lived, 
 and this was not ; this one brought blessing to mankind, and 
 this one was a burden and a curse. The world is better 
 for this one's having lived,- and worse for that". And even 
 though we start wrong, as Jacob, and the evil nature, the 
 voice of earth within us, it seems, must triumph, none the 
 less it is possible, with wisdom, courage, and strength of 
 will, and with God's help, to purge ourselves of the evil 
 inclination, and become true servants of the Lord, worthy 
 
228 The Book of Genesis 
 
 of the birthright of service and blessing which is ours. 
 Wisely, therefore, does the Bible say : 
 
 A good name is better than precious oil ; 
 
 And the day of death than the day of one's birth. 
 
 The rabbis likened life to ships which sail the troubled 
 sea. One sails forth from the harbor upon a long and haz- 
 ardous voyage, and every one is anxious, for they know 
 not what the outcome will be, nor even whether the ship 
 will ever return. And another ship sails slowly and 
 quietly into port, weatherbeaten and worn, yet stately withal ; 
 and every one rejoices, for the voyage is done, and the ship 
 comes home laden with precious stores. Truly 
 
 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof. 
 
 So it was with the life of our father Jacob. 
 
 One thing above all must be clearly understood, that just 
 as Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, so Jacob arid Esau, too, 
 are types. Jacob is the type of Israel and Esau of Edom. 
 Not that the compilers of the story meant to imply that all 
 the evil qualities which they ascribed to Jacob in the be- 
 ginning were characteristic of Israel. They had to depict 
 Jacob thus in order to bring out their thought of the nature 
 and power of repentance and spiritual regeneration. But 
 they meant to imply that in their contrasted qualities Esau 
 and Jacob were types, Esau, the Edomite, the violent hunter, 
 the materialist and sensualist, who despised his birthright 
 and thought only of filling his belly ; and Jacob, the Israelite, 
 the "quiet man, dwelling in tents", who desired the birth- 
 right and was ready to restrain his passions and make all 
 necessary sacrifices to obtain and keep it. The virtues at- 
 tributed to Jacob here are really qualities which Israel has 
 always possessed and cherished, though in a loftier way and 
 for a nobler purpose. Israel, too, has aspired to spiritual 
 dignity, honor, and leadership. Israel, too, has ever pre- 
 
The Birthright 229 
 
 f erred the quiet life of the home to the wild life of the 
 chase, camp, or battlefield. Israel, too/ has ever, cared for 
 the inmates of its homes, for parents, wives, and children, 
 provided for their comfort and happiness, and ministered to 
 their needs and sufferings. Israel, too, has at times had 
 evil inclinations, and now and then has employed its powers 
 for selfish ends. But under God's guidance, Israel has 
 been purified, generally through bitter suffering and punish- 
 ment, and has come to appreciate its real purpose in life 
 and the true meaning of its spiritual birthright. And so 
 God has, we believe, taken Israel to be His people, and con- 
 firmed -the birthright unto him, and spoken of him lovingly, 
 "Israel is My son, My first-born" (Exodus IV, 22) ; and 
 again, 
 
 For I am become a father to Israel, 
 And Ephraim is My first-born. 
 
 Israel is God's firstborn of the spirit. And to us, the chil- 
 dren of Israel, have descended not only the privileges of the 
 birthright of the firstborn, but also its duties and responsi- 
 bilities, to be a blessing unto all mankind, likewise God's 
 children and our brothers. 
 
 In rabbinical tradition Esau and Edom came to symbolize 
 Rome, the colossal, temporal, material power, which sought 
 to crush nations, which overran the earth with warfare and 
 bloodshed, and found its highest pleasure in murderous 
 gladiatorial combats. And Jacob continued to represent 
 Israel ; the spiritual people, the servant of the Lord, whose 
 mission was to bind up the bleeding wounds of cruelty and 
 oppression, and to bring law and order, peace and brother- 
 hood, and the knowledge of God unto all mankind. Rome 
 lias perished; its temples and palaces are heaps of buried 
 ruins ; and the order of things and the standards of life and 
 conduct, both individual and national, which it championed, 
 are rapidly passing. Israel lives on ; its law is beginning to 
 
230 The Book of Genesis 
 
 reign supreme in the hearts and lives of men; and its dream 
 of universal peace and brotherhood and love, is fast becom- 
 ing a living reality. Though conquered by Rome physically, 
 Israel has triumphed over Rome spiritually. And in its 
 history the words of the Bible are again verified, 
 
 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; 
 And the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 XXV, 22f. This ancient tradition was employed by the compilers 
 of the Jacob story to show that the conflict between the two brothers 
 began at, or even before their birth. Since it foreshadows the actual 
 future relations of the brothers, it is an integral part, and a highly 
 dramatic introduction or prelude to the Jacob story. Unfortunately 
 its nature forbids its presentation in the class-room. This motive of 
 the struggles of twin brothers in the womb, or immediately after 
 birth, is quite common in folklore and mythology; cf. for example 
 the Greek legend of Akrisios and Proitos, and the somewhat similar 
 Roman legend of Romulus and Remus. 
 
 V. 22. "She went to inquire of the Lord", i. e. she went to con- 
 sult the oracle at some important shrine. In ancient Israel the belief 
 was general that the oracle was one of the means by which the 
 Deity revealed His will; cf. Exodus XVIII, 19; II Kings I, 2. The 
 Urim and Tummim were one form of the oracle (Exodus XXVIII, 
 30; Leviticus VIII, 8; Deuteronomy XXXIII, 8; I Samuel XIV, 41 
 [note in particular the fuller Septuagint version of this chapter] ; 
 XXVIII, 6). That the oracle was usually consulted through the 
 mediation of a priest is certain, but beyond this we know nothing 
 of the procedure. 
 
 V. 23. This verse contains a fragment of a very ancient Hebrew 
 poem, which, seemingly, forecast the destinies of the two nations, 
 Israel and Edom. It is significant that already at the (very remote 
 period when this poem was composed, Jacob and Esau were conceived 
 of as two nations, rather than as two individual men. 
 
 V. 25. The tradition that Esau was covered with hair already 
 at birth, was probably based upon the common by-name, Seir, for the 
 country of Edom. Seir seems to be derived from the stem sa'ar, "to 
 be hairy", and therefore to mean "the hairy one". 
 
 Similarly the tradition that Esau was ruddy, was, in all likeli- 
 hood, derived from the by-name, Edom. This was thought to be 
 
The Birthright 231 
 
 related to the stem adaui, "to be red". V. 30 records a parallel tradi- 
 tion, that Esau was given the by-name, Edom, because he said to 
 Jacob, "Let me swallow some of this red, red pottage" (adorn}. 
 
 V. 26. The tradition that Jacob was born holding fast to his 
 brother's heel offers one explanation of the name Jacob. The He- 
 brew word for heel is akeb. The verb akab therefore means (a) "to 
 follow on the heel" (hence Ya'akob, "he who follows on the (his 
 brother's) heel"), (b) "to supplant" (hence Jacob as the supplanter 
 of Esau; cf. XXVIII, 36), and (c) "to deceive" (hence' Ya'akob, 
 "the Deceiver"). Thus the Bible itself accounts for the origin of 
 the name Jacob by these three different and mutually contradictory 
 traditions. 
 
 V. 27. "Dwelling in tents", i. e. a semi-nomad, and consequently 
 a shepherd, just as Abraham is also pictured (XII, 8; XVIII, 1). 
 
 V. 31. In ancient Israel the firstborn was thought to possess 
 an undue portion of his father's nature (cf. XLIX, 3). Therefore 
 he received a double portion of his father's estate (Deuteronomy 
 XXI, 17). Above all he enjoyed the privileges of succeeding his 
 father as the head of the family or clan, and of functioning as its 
 priest and the arbiter of its life and policies. 
 
 V. 32. A bargain was usually confirmed and made binding by 
 an oath. 
 
 V. 34. The rabbis told that this transaction between Jacob and 
 Esau took place on the day of the death of Abraham. Jacob had 
 been as a boy the favorite companion of his grandfather during the 
 latter's last years, and was with him at the very moment of his death. 
 And understanding the true nature of the boy and his latent possi- 
 bilities, Abraham had charged Isaac that the birthright descend to 
 him rather than to Esau. They told further that Jacob was pre- 
 paring this dish of lentils for Isaac as a pious duty, because since 
 lentils were thought to symbolize immortality, it was customary to 
 give them to mourners to eat, 
 
232 The Book of Genesis 
 
 XVI 
 A FATHER'S BLESSING 
 
 (Genesis XXVII) 
 
 "Bless me, even me also, O my father." (Genesis XXVII, 34 and 
 38.) 
 
 A wise son maketh a glad father ; 
 
 But a foolish son is the grief of his mother. (Proverbs X, 1.) 
 
 Read Psalm XXIV, 3-5. 
 
 The story of Isaac's blessing carries us one stage further 
 in the unfolding of the Jacob drama. It completes the open- 
 ing picture of the relations of the two brothers, and the 
 presentation of the problem with which the drama deals. 
 The iniquitous conduct and selfish and deceitful nature of 
 Jacob are clearly portrayed, and the question is suggested, 
 "Can Jacob be purified of his evil inclination, and be made 
 fit for, and worthy of the birthright; and if so, how?" .The 
 succeeding acts of the drama offer the positive answer to 
 this question. 
 
 The story of the birthright pictured Jacob as a selfish 
 schemer, ready to take advantage of another's weakness and 
 need, and to drive a hard bargain, and that other his twin 
 brother. Yet the entire transaction was strictly within the 
 law, and Jacob had nominally given full value for what he 
 had received. The story of Isaac's blessing reveals the full 
 possibilities of Jacob's evil nature. He is guilty of a sin 
 greater far than that of selfishness and unbrotherliness. He 
 is ready to deceive a blind, helpless, trusting father, to rob 
 an innocent brother of that which is dearest to him in life, 
 
A Fathers Blessing 233 
 
 while the latter is absent upon a mission of mercy and love, 
 and to take selfish and base advantage of a mother's love, 
 and allow a curse, bringing misfortune and sorrow, to come 
 upon her, provided only that he himself escape unharmed. 
 Lower than this a man can hardly sink. 
 
 Yet this merely shows how great and true his final re- 
 pentance must have been, that from such depths of iniquity 
 he could rise to such heights of manhood. It shows, too, 
 the greatness and eternity of God's love, that He can pardon 
 one who had sinned as Jacob had, and ever desires the return 
 of even the vilest sinner, rather than to punish him for his 
 sin. It bids us realize that in God's sight no one can ever 
 be so bad, as to be beyond hope of betterment; even the 
 basest may still repent and return to God, and become an 
 instrument for good. It bids us realize, too, that we are all 
 brothers, even of the lowest and most wicked, and that it 
 is our duty ever to be ready to forgive, like God, and ever 
 to help our brothers live noble, righteous, and useful lives. 
 
 In ancient times the belief existed, and in a way still 
 exists today, that a solemn word of blessing, spoken at sacred 
 moments, particularly just before death, by someone close 
 and beloved, was more than a mere wish. It was thought 
 that at such times a person stood in intimate communion 
 with God. Therefore words of blessing possessed a mys- 
 terious power, which made them certain of fulfillment. 
 Accordingly it was customary for a man, just before death, 
 to bestow his blessing upon his children, and particularly 
 upon his firstborn son. In fact, the blessing of the dying 
 father was often regarded as the actual right of the first- 
 born. So it was in this case. 
 
 Just as Jacob desired the birthright, so also he coveted 
 Isaac's dying blessing. The birthright he had obtained 
 through selfishness and hard bargaining. The blessing be- 
 came his through falsehood and theft. True, Rebekah 
 helped Jacob, and even suggested the plan, by which he 
 
234 The Book of Genesis 
 
 might obtain the blessing. But this does not justify nor 
 mitigate Jacob's offense. Besides, Rebekah was blinded by 
 her passionate love for Jacob. What she did, was not done 
 for herself at all. She was even willing that the curse 
 should come upon her, if need be, in order that Jacob might 
 have the blessing. Her action was wrong in every way. 
 But while we can not excuse Rebekah's conduct, we can still 
 sympathize with her to an extent. We shall see, too, how 
 grievously she had to pay for her share in this sin. 
 
 And just as Rebekah was made to sorrow because of her 
 love for Jacob, so, the rabbis told, Isaac also suffered be- 
 cause of his love for Esau. Probably in order to justify 
 Jacob somewhat, they told, what the Bible nowhere implies 
 directly, that Esau was very wicked. And God had made 
 Isaac blind as a blessing, that he might not see how wicked 
 Esau was. Probably Isaac did not count it a blessing. We 
 do not always know what is really for our good, or that 
 blessing may come even with grief and pain. Could Isaac 
 have seen all the evil which Esau wrought, he would have 
 grieved even more than he did because of his blindness. So, 
 frequently, loving parents must suffer because of the evil 
 deeds of their children. Therefore the Bible says truly, 
 
 A wise son maketh a glad father; 
 
 But a foolish son is the grief of his mother. 
 
 Esau's conduct contrasts most effectively and dramatically 
 with Jacob's. Whereas the latter was willing that a curse 
 befall his mother, just so that he secure the blessing, Esau 
 was engaged upon a task of affection and kindness for his 
 blind father. His love for his father was sincere and un- 
 failing. Even though his hatred of Jacob was all-compelling, 
 none the less it did not equal his love for his father. For 
 once this enabled him to control his passion, and prompted 
 him to defer his vengeance upon his brother until after 
 Isaac's death, in order that the latter might be spared the 
 
A Fathers Blessing 235 
 
 grief and suffering which the knowledge of the strife of his 
 two sons would otherwise cause. The dramatic pathos of 
 Esau's cry, when he returns from the chase, and the quiet 
 satisfaction of having found the food his father loves, and 
 being able to satisfy the old man's craving, and to receive 
 his blessing is changed to dismay when he learns that his 
 brother has treacherously supplanted him, "Hast thou but 
 one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my 
 father", can not escape even the most obtuse reader. Our 
 sympathy, for the moment at least, is with Esau, and not 
 with Jacob. 
 
 As has been said, the rabbis purposely represented Esau 
 in the worst possible light, as guilty of every conceivable 
 crime, partly to justify Jacob, and partly because to them 
 Esau typified the dread, oppressive power of hated Rome. 
 Nevertheless they were compelled to show him a certain 
 measure of justice. And so, they told that although Esau 
 broke every other commandment, this one, "Honor thy 
 father", he kept most piously. He was ever kind and con- 
 siderate of Isaac, and thought chiefly of his comfort and 
 happiness. He brought him always the best portions of the 
 animals which he killed in hunting, and prepared them al- 
 ways just as he knew his father liked them best. Moreover, 
 the rabbis told that the reason why Rebekah gave Jacob 
 Esau's garments to wear, was not merely to help deceive 
 Isaac, but because Esau was accustomed, whenever he 
 brought food to his father and waited upon him, to show 
 his respect by putting on his finest raiment. For he said to 
 himself, "In my eyes my father is a king, and it would be- 
 come me ill to serve him other than as I would serve a king, 
 with my very best". Such was the honor and love of Esau 
 for his father. And the rabbis told that God spared his 
 descendants much hardship and suffering as the reward for 
 this one good act. 
 
 This, too, bids us realize that no one is wholly bad; that 
 
236 The Book of Genesis 
 
 some good can be found in everyone, if only we look for it. 
 Ofttimes the man who has been the worst criminal or the 
 basest sinner, when given another chance, shows himself a 
 hero and a benefactor. In fact, as we have indicated, it 
 happened so with Jacob himself. It warns us to be careful 
 in judging others, and not to be too hasty to condemn them 
 or think them wholly bad. Be quick to think good of others, 
 and slow to think evil. This is an excellent motto, which 
 must greatly multiply human happiness and brotherly love. 
 Hillel used to say, "Judge not another until thou hast stood 
 in his place". Who can tell whether we should do better 
 under similar conditions? The story is told that the home 
 of Rabbi Meir was surrounded by evil neighbors, who 
 greatly annoyed the good rabbi and his noble wife. One 
 day, when particularly vexed, Beruria exclaimed, "Would to 
 God that all sinners might perish from the earth !" But the 
 gentle rabbi mildly rebuked her, "Pray not to God that the 
 sinners perish, for they are still thy fellowmen. But pray 
 to Him that sin may perish from the earth, for then sinners 
 will be no more". This is the mission of Israel, not to judge 
 and condemn sinners, but to labor and to teach, that sin may 
 at last perish from the earth, and all men be united in a 
 covenant of peace, righteousness and love, to do the will 
 of God. 
 
 Esau's loving conduct towards his father reminds us 
 strongly of Isaac's trusting love in, and obedience to his 
 father Abraham. It reminds us also of another charming 
 story of the rabbis. In the city of Askelon, in ancient 
 Palestine, lived a young man named Dama, who dealt in 
 precious stones. One day some of the elders came to buy 
 a certain stone for the breastplate of the highpriest. They 
 offered one thousand gold pieces. Dama went to the inner 
 room, where his jewels were kept, to get the stone. But in 
 a moment he returned and told the elders that he could 
 not let them have it. They thought that they had not offered 
 
A Fathers Blessing 237 
 
 enough, and since they needed the stone, they doubled their 
 offer. When this did not induce Dama to change his mind, 
 they offered still more, even ten thousand gold pieces, but 
 all in vain. So they left the shop. Later in the day, how- 
 ever, they returned and renewed their offer of ten thousand 
 gold pieces. Without a word Dama went into the inner 
 room, brought out the stone and handed it to the chief of 
 the elders. "Here is the stone", he said; "you may have it 
 for your first offer of one thousand gold pieces". Unable 
 to explain this strange conduct the elders asked what he 
 meant. He answered, "When I went this morning to .get 
 the stone, I saw that my father was asleep with his foot 
 upon the box in which the stone was. He is old and needs 
 his sleep, and I would not disturb him for ten times the 
 amount you offered. Now he is awake, so here is the 
 stone". The wise elders, struck by this reply, urged him to 
 take the ten thousand gold pieces, which they had offered. 
 But he refused; for he said, "I was satisfied with the first 
 price, and will not make any profit from my love for my 
 father". So the elders paid one thousand gold pieces and 
 took the stone. But first they laid their hands in blessing 
 upon his head. "For surely", they said, "the son who 
 honors his father thus, merits God's choicest blessing". So, 
 the rabbis taught, did Esau also honor his father. 
 
 When we contrast Jacob's conduct in this one instance 
 with Esau's, we can not but recall the beautiful words of 
 the Psalmist: 
 
 Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord? 
 
 And who shall stand in His holy place? 
 
 He that hath clean hands and a pure heart ; 
 
 Who hath not taken My name in vain, 
 
 And hath not sworn deceitfully. 
 
 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, 
 
 And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 
 
 Jacob had deceived his father and gained his blessing. 
 
238 The Book of Genesis 
 
 But it brought with it sin and sorrow and suffering for him 
 and all his family. But to him who doeth righteousness and 
 worketh good, who lifteth not up his soul to falsehood nor 
 sweareth deceitfully, nor taketh God's name in vain, who 
 honoreth father and mother, and bringeth peace and kind- 
 ness to brothers and fellowmen, to him cometh the greatest 
 blessing, the blessing of God, the Father of all men. And 
 he is fit to ascend into the mountain of the Lord, and to 
 stand in God's very presence. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 V. 13. A curse, like a blessing, if once uttered, could not be 
 recalled. But it might be diverted to some person other than the 
 one for whom it was intended, particularly if that second person 
 were willing to take it upon himself. Therefore Rebekah says, "Upon 
 me be the curse". -These words alone sufficed to turn any curse which 
 Isaac might utter against Jacob upon her. And Jacob selfishly per- 
 mitted this great sacrifice on the part of his mother. 
 
 V. 21. This verse seems to imply that Isaac suddenly became 
 suspicious of Jacob, of course, as the next verse tells, because his 
 voice sounded so little like Esau's. But the rabbis told that the 
 reason for Isaac's suspicion was because Jacob had mentioned the 
 name of the Lord (v. 20), which Esau had never done. 
 
 V. 22. The expression, "The -voice is the voice of Jacob, but the 
 hands are the hands of Esau", has become proverbial for any harsh, 
 deceitful act which follows fair promises. This may be explained to 
 the children. 
 
 V. 23 tells that Isaac blessed Jacob even before his suspicions were 
 completely quieted, and before he had eaten of the food which Jacob 
 had brought. It is clear that this verse comes too soon, and disturbs 
 the continuity of the story, and is therefore a late insertion. The 
 blessing is recounted in its proper place in vv. 27ff. 
 
 V. 28. In Palestine, where the rainfall is frequently deficient, 
 the heavy dewfall is of extreme importance in agricultural life. 
 Hence the reference to the dew of heaven here. Palestine is primarily 
 an agricultural country; and this first verse of the blessing invokes 
 agricultural abundance. 
 
 V. 29. By "mother's sons" and again by "brethren" in v. 37 is 
 meant not brothers other than Esau, for there were none such, but 
 only other relatives and descendants. Similarly Abraham calls Lot 
 
A Father's Blessing 239 
 
 his "brother" (XIII, 8), and the same term designates the relationship 
 between Laban and Jacob (XXIX, 12 and 15), although in both cases 
 they were actually only uncle and nephew. Kinship is very frequently 
 expressed in this manner in the Semitic Orient. 
 
 The last portion of Isaac's blessing reminds us strongly of God's 
 word to Abraham, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and him 
 that curseth thee will I curse" (XII, 3). The implication would seem 
 to be that by these words God's blessing of Abraham is transmitted 
 to Jacob. 
 
 V. 30. The dramatic effect of the statement that Esau comes in 
 just as Jacob goes out after receiving the blessing, is readily per- 
 ceived. The implication is that had Esau come but a moment sooner, 
 he might still have circumvented Jacob and secured the blessing for 
 himself. "A moment too late" is a common motive in drama. 
 
 Vv. 32 and 37 imply that a blessing once uttered, could not be re- 
 called or altered. 
 
 V. 36. For the play upon the name Jacob here, cf. the note to 
 XXV, 26. 
 
 V. 40 has been thought by historians to refer to the revolution 
 by which Edom succeeded, during the reign of Joram, about 849 
 B. C. in casting, off the yoke of Judah and gaining its independence 
 (II Kings VIII, 20-22). 
 
 V. 41. The implication of this verse and of the entire story is 
 that the death of Isaac is imminent. This is in contrast to XXXV, 29. 
 
 V. 46 and XXVIII, 1-9 introduce an altogether new and disturb- 
 ing element into the story. They are the direct continuation of XXVI, 
 34f. They imply that Jacob left his home, not because of Esau's 
 hatred and desire for vengeance and at the bidding of Rebekah alone, 
 but at the bidding of Isaac, and after having peacably received, or 
 received a second time, his father's blessing, because Isaac and Re- 
 bekah disapproved of Esau's marriage with Hittite women, and 
 wished to ensure Jacob's making a proper marriage with some kins- 
 woman, just as his father had done. This version is, of course, a 
 protest against intermarriage. This and other incontrovertible evi- 
 dence make it certain that this entire passage was not a part of the 
 original narrative, but was inserted during, or shortly after the Baby- 
 lonian exile, about which time opposition to intermarriage first became 
 acute in Israel. The passage is contradictory of the main narrative, 
 and disturbs the continuity and obscures the real question at issue. 
 XXVIII, 10 is the direct continuation of XXVII, 45. 
 
240 The Book of Genesis 
 
 XVII 
 GOD IS WITH US 
 
 (Genesis XXVIII, 10-22) 
 
 Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. (Genesis 
 XXVIII, 16.) 
 
 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, 
 To all that call upon Him in truth. (Psalm CXLV, 18.) 
 
 Read Psalm XXIII. 
 
 So, because of his sin against his old, blind father and 
 his twin brother, Jacob had to leave home and dear ones, 
 even his beloved mother. She had sinned that he might gain 
 the blessing; in his happiness and success she would find her 
 own greatest joy. But happiness and pleasure which come 
 through sinning are never real nor lasting. The pleasure of 
 a moment must be succeeded by long hours of sorrow, suf- 
 fering and endless regret. It is a part of God's punishment 
 of sin. 
 
 Jacob had gained his father's blessing as Rebekah had 
 wished. But to both it brought only suffering and separa- 
 tion. She had expected that he would be gone but a few 
 days. But neither was to see the other again. It was a 
 hard punishment indeed. Perhaps it was harder upon 
 Rebekah, because of her great, unselfish mother love. We 
 can picture her sitting at the door of her tent almost every 
 day toward evening, looking out steadily in the direction in 
 which Jacob had gone, and from which he must come again ; 
 looking out day by day with ever-growing hopelessness in 
 her eyes, wondering if he would ever come back, that once 
 
God is With Us 241 
 
 more, before she died, she might feel his strong, loving arms 
 about her. He never came; and at last she closed her eyes 
 and was laid to rest, without her beloved son present to 
 receive her last kiss, and to shed a tear as the doors of the 
 tomb were closed above her. She had gained for Jacob a 
 father's blessing; but she had lost thereby the opportunity to 
 give unto him all of a mother's love and a mother's blessing. 
 It was hard indeed, yet it was just, as God's decrees are 
 always just. 
 
 But it was hard for Jacob, too. As he went forth from 
 his home, not knowing what fate was in store for him, nor 
 whether he should ever return thither, he began to realize 
 all that he had lost, a mother's love and a father's love and 
 a brother's love, all sacrificed to selfish, wicked ambition. 
 As he wandered on, ever farther from his father's house, 
 he felt more and more alone in the world. It seemed as if 
 there was no one at all to care for him, to cheer him in his 
 trials, to comfort him in his grief, to help lighten the journey 
 he must go, and lift the burden for a moment from his 
 tired shoulders. He must have thought of his beloved grand- 
 father, Abraham, who had, years ago, gone over this same 
 road, though in an opposite direction. Yet how differently 
 had Abraham journeyed. He had had with him his beloved 
 Sarah and Lot, his nephew, and all his household. Above 
 all he had journeyed on at God's command, and strong in 
 his faith that God was with him. And God had been with 
 him. But with him, Jacob, it was different. He was all 
 alone, and even God, he felt, must have forsaken him be- 
 cause of his sin. Now he realized as never before, the full 
 wrong he had done to his brother. He must have thought, 
 too, of Cain, driven out because of his crime against his 
 brother, from the presence of God and men, and forced to 
 wander on and on, solitary and hopeless, until death at last 
 overtook him. He was like Cain, not like Abraham, and 
 God had forsaken him, too, and left him to his fate. 
 
242 The Book of Genesis 
 
 So he wandered on throughout that long and bitter day. 
 At last darkness came upon him in a wild, desolate, forsaken 
 spot. He looked anxiously about him. Rocks on all sides, 
 as far as eye could see, and no sign of living being in any 
 direction. More than ever he realized his loneliness ; and 
 fear, too, began to lay hold upon him of what might befall 
 him in this awful place, with not even God to protect him. 
 So the sinner always fears, when the consciousness of his 
 sin dawns upon him, and he feels that even God has for- 
 saken him. 
 
 But at last weariness overcame fear, and he fell asleep, 
 with his head pillowed upon a great stone. But it was no 
 easy, restful sleep. The consciousness of his sin, the realiza- 
 tion of all that he had lost, and the longing for his loved 
 ones were still upon him, and his fears still troubled him. 
 But suddenly a glorious vision came to him in a dream. He 
 saw a ladder reaching up to heaven from the very spot 
 upon which he was lying, with angels ascending and descend- 
 ing, and God Himself standing above him. And he heard 
 God's words addressed to him, "I am the Lord, the God of 
 Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land 
 whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. 
 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou 
 shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the 
 north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall 
 all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am 
 with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and 
 will bring thee back into this land ; for I will not leave thee, 
 until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of". 
 And with these words there came to Jacob peace and rest, 
 and he slept quietly until morning. 
 
 When he awoke the dream was still with him. He felt 
 that it must have been sent by God, to make him realize 
 that God had not forsaken him, even despite his sin ; that 
 He was still with him, and would be with him throughout 
 
God is With Us 243 
 
 his long and weary journey, and would bring him back in 
 His own time to this very land, perhaps even 'to his father's 
 house. Desolate as this place seemed, and forsaken of all 
 living creatures, none the less God was here too. "Surely 
 the Lord is in this place ; and I knew it not". So Jacob 
 spoke. And unconsciously he had uttered a great, eternal 
 truth. For God is in every place; this whole universe which 
 He has created is filled with His presence. As the Psalmist 
 has said : 
 
 \Yhither shall I go from Thy spirit? 
 
 Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? 
 
 If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; 
 
 If I make my' bed in the netherworld, behold, Thou art there. 
 
 If I take the wings of the morning, 
 
 And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 
 
 Even there would Thy hand lead me, 
 
 And Thy right hand would hold me. 
 
 And if I say ; 'Surely the darkness shall envelop me, 
 
 And the light about me shall be night' ; 
 
 Even the darkness is not too dark for Thee, 
 
 But the night shineth as the day ; 
 
 The darkness is even as the light. (Psalm CXXXIX, 7-12.) 
 
 God is in every place and at all times. He is with all 
 His children to care for and guide and protect them, and 
 lead them ever in His path, as long as they will but hearken 
 to His gentle word and follow His loving call. In the 
 words of the Psalmist: 
 
 The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want. 
 
 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; 
 
 He leadeth me beside the still waters. 
 
 He restoreth my soul ; 
 
 He guideth me in straight paths for His name's sake. 
 
 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 
 
 I will fear no evil, 
 
 For thou art with me ; 
 
 Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. 
 
244 The Book of Genesis 
 
 This was the truth which Jacob now realized, that even 
 in this desolate spot, which had seemed in the gathering 
 gloom like the very valley of the shadow of death, God was 
 still with him, and though he had lain down in fear and 
 trembling, God still watched over him. 
 
 Jacob is the type of all Israel. Israel, too, has learned 
 this truth through bitter experience. Time and again he has 
 had to leave home, like Jacob, lest he suffer and perish at 
 the hands of those who should have been his brothers. And 
 he has wandered forth into the strange world, not knowing 
 whither he was going, nor whether the journey must be long 
 or short, nor whether he should ever find rest and peace. 
 At times he must have doubted and wondered, as did Jacob, 
 whether God was with him, or whether he was not alone in 
 the world, forsaken of God and men. But it was only for 
 a moment. Always the conviction returned, stronger because 
 of the moment's doubt, that God was in this place, too, al- 
 though he knew it not, that He was still with him, and had 
 not forsaken him, nor would ever forsake him, that He 
 would be with him upon the long and bitter journey which 
 he must go, and at last, when the goal should be reached 
 and his mission be fulfilled, he would, through God's bless- 
 ing, find the rest and peace and reconciliation with his 
 brethren for which he craved. In this quiet trust and undy- 
 ing faith in the God of his fathers, though enemies raged 
 and danger threatened, and he must wander on and on, 
 Israel has repeated those inspiring words of the closing verse 
 of the beautiful Hebrew song in our prayer-book (Union 
 Prayer Book, I, 52-53) : 
 
 My spirit in His hands I trust, B'yodo afkid ruhi 
 Both when I sleep and when I stir; B'eth ishan tfo'iro; 
 
 My body, too, this frame of dust : Vim ruhi g'inyothi. 
 The Lord is with me, I do not fear. Adonoi li, i/lo iro. 
 
 But even more had Jacob realized ; not merely that God 
 
God is With Us 245 
 
 is everywhere and with all his children at all times, but 
 even with His sinning children He is ever present, yearning 
 for their repentance, seeking to turn them again to Himself 
 in His great love, longing for their regeneration, that they 
 depart from their evil ways, and walk again in His path of 
 righteousness. And ever He is ready to hearken unto the 
 sinner's prayer for forgiveness and help. Again, in the 
 Psalmist's words : 
 
 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, 
 To all that call upon Him in truth. 
 
 To Jacob this truth came like the dawn of hope; he was 
 not alone in the world. Though no human being might ac- 
 company him, yet God was with him, and would be eyer 
 with him, whithersoever he might go, and would at last 
 bring him back to this land, and fulfil through him His 
 promise to Abraham. Yes, it was God's very promise to 
 Abraham, that through him and his descendants all mankind 
 should be blessed, which had been renewed to Jacob. God 
 had confirmed the birthright to him. But now, purified and 
 with vision made clear by this long day and night of suffer- 
 ing and fear and sorrow, he had come to perceive what this 
 birthright really was. In this vision by night the gate of 
 heaven had opened for Jacob, through which he might once 
 more rise up to God. The way of repentance, atonement, 
 and pardon had been shown him, whereby true peace and 
 blessing might once more become his. It was not to be an 
 easy way nor short. It must be long and hard, must take 
 many years and bring much additional suffering and bitter 
 trial. True repentance can not come speedily, in a single 
 night, nor can perfect righteousness be attained in a passing 
 moment. As the sage of old said, "For gold is tried by 
 fire, and acceptable man in the furnace of adversity". All 
 this Jacob now realized fully. But with this realization came 
 the comforting and inspiring thought that God had not for- 
 
246 The Book of Genesis 
 
 saken him. It was the beginning of Jacob's regeneration. 
 He had lain down a trembling, fearful sinner. He arose, a 
 brave, strong man, firm in his faith in God's love, and strong 
 in his determination to walk henceforth in God's path, that 
 through him and his descendants God's promise might be 
 fulfilled, and all mankind be blessed. 
 
 And as he rose from his hard bed, the very first sign of 
 true repentance was manifested in him. Once more, with 
 unutterable longing, his thoughts reverted to those dear ones 
 at home whom he had wronged, his mother, upon whom he 
 had been willing to let the evil curse come, his brother, whom 
 he had cheated and robbed, and above all, his old, blind 
 father, whom he had so basely deceived. Almost uncon- 
 sciously the prayer welled forth from his heart that God 
 might not only be with him upon this journey, and provide 
 for his needs, and bring him back to this land, but, above 
 all, that He might at last bring him again even to his father's 
 house, no more in discord and deceit, but in peace with all 
 the loved ones whom he had wronged, that he might labor 
 to right the wrong, and return unto them love in fullest 
 measure. That is always the first step toward true repent- 
 ance. The rabbis taught that, despite His great love, God 
 does not forgive the sins we commit against others, until 
 we have ourselves first made every effort to right the wrong 
 and obtain the wronged one's pardon. 
 
 We have heard very much thus far of God's unfailing 
 love, and of how He bears constantly with men, seeking 
 ever that they may return to Him and live. We remember 
 the beautiful story of Abraham, who could not bear with the 
 poor, ignorant, old fire-worshiper for a single night, though 
 God had borne with him for a hundred years. We think, 
 too, of the beautiful allegory, that God has given to every 
 man two angels, who accompany him, one at his right 
 shoulder and one at his left, wherever he goes. Whenever 
 he does a good deed, the angel on the right smiles, and 
 
God is With Us 247 
 
 writes it in his book, and seals the record for all time. But 
 whenever he does an evil deed, the angel on the left grows 
 sad while he writes it in his book. But he does not seal his 
 record until midnight. If during the rest of the day, the 
 man repents, and bows his head and prays, "O God, I have 
 sinned; forgive", the record is erased. But if he does not 
 repent and acknowledge his sin, the evil record, too, is sealed 
 forever. And both the angel on the right and the angel on 
 the left weep sadly for the sin which had to be recorded. 
 We have heard much thus far of repentance, but now for 
 the first time we have learned of one who repented. We 
 shall see how he was purified, and how God pardoned him, 
 and was with him upon all his journey. So God is with us 
 and never forsakes us even if we sin. Ever He calls unto 
 us to repent and return to Him. Ever He is with us and 
 leads us on, and we need not fear. Ever He is our shep- 
 herd, and we do not want. Ever His great, eternal, won- 
 drous love watches over us, both when we sleep and when 
 we stir. And ever when we forget and turn from Him, and 
 go astray from His path, still He is with us, and we can 
 return to Him, as Father Jacob did, and be assured of His 
 forgiveness and His help and His blessing. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 V. 11. Notice that Jacob came to this place by chance, and had 
 known absolutely nothing of it previously. The use of the definite 
 article in the Hebrew, reproduced in the English, "the place", instead 
 of "a place", as we would expect, is difficult and mystifying. 
 
 In the Orient it is not uncommon for shepherds to use a con- 
 veniently shaped stone as a pillow; cf. National Geographic Magazine, 
 March, 1914, 270. 
 
 Vv. 13-15 renew to Jacob God's promise to Abraham; cf. XII, 
 3, 7; XIII, 14-17; XXII, 18; XXIV, 7. 
 
 V. 17. According to the ancient Semitic conception, there was a 
 gate to heaven, through which the gods passed when they visited the 
 earth ; cf. the note to XI, 9. Occasionally heaven was conceived as 
 having two gates, one in the extreme east, through which the sun 
 
248 The Book of Genesis 
 
 emerged in the morning, and one in the extreme west, into which 
 the sun entered in the evening. 
 
 V. 18. The verse implies that the stone was consecrated by Jacob 
 as a sacred object. Pouring oil upon a person or object was the 
 usual method of consecration; cf. XXXV, 14; Exodus XXIX, 21; 
 XXX, 25-33 ; XL, 9. In ancient Semitic religion sacred stones were 
 commonly used. It was thought, in the earliest stages of religious be- 
 lief that a god actually dwelt within such a sacred stone, which was 
 therefore called a beth-el, i. e. a "house of god". In time Judaism out- 
 grew this ancient belief, and the use of sacred stones was forbidden 
 (Deuteronomy XVI, 22). But this belief is still reflected in v. 22 
 of this chapter. 
 
 V. 19. As has been said, beth-el means "house of god". Bethel 
 was originally an important Canaanite city and shrine. Luz seems to 
 have been its Canaanite name. The account of the capture of Bethel 
 by the Israelites is contained in Judges I, 22-25. After the division 
 of the kingdom Bethel became one of the national shrines of the 
 northern kingdom (I Kings XII, 28-33). At Bethel the prophet Amos 
 uttered his prophecies (Amos VII, 10). XII, 8 ascribes the found- 
 ing of the sanctuary at Bethel, not to Jacob, but to Abraham. Cf. 
 Jewish Encyclopedia III, 119b. 
 
 V. 22. The practice of giving tithes to the deity of the sanctuary 
 was well established in ancient Israel; cf. Deuteronomy XIV, 22-29. 
 
Jacob and Lab an 249 
 
 XVIII 
 
 JACOB AND LABAN 
 
 (Genesis XXIX-XXXII, 2) 
 
 Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will 
 be with thee. (Genesis XXXI, 3.) 
 
 Create me a clean heart, O God; 
 
 And renew a steadfast spirit within me. * (Psalm LI, 12.) 
 
 Read Proverbs III, 1-7. 
 
 At dawn Jacob rose, a new man. Once more he set out 
 upon his long, solitary journey. Yet how different was this 
 from that awful yesterday. Then he felt alone and terror- 
 stricken, forsaken both of men and God; today God was 
 with him. Bravely, cheerfully, even happily he journeyed 
 on, and at last he came to Haran, his beloved mother's birth- 
 place, where his uncle Laban was dwelling. It seemed -to 
 him, so the wise rabbis told, that he had journeyed but a 
 single day. So it is always when we know that God is with 
 us. Then true happiness fills our souls ; then days seem mo- 
 ments, and no worthy task is too hard, no obstacle too great. 
 In the inspiring word's of Mattathia to his brave son Judah 
 Maccabee, "With God everything is possible". 
 
 The change which had come over Jacob, the rabbis taught, 
 was manifest in his words to the very first persons he met 
 upon his journey, the shepherds of Haran. For he greeted 
 them by the significant title, "My brethren". The conscious- 
 ness that all men are brothers, they taught, is the beginning 
 of unselfishness. So it was with Jacob. He had deceived 
 and defrauded his own brother, nor felt himself in any way 
 
250 The Book of Genesis 
 
 his brother's keeper, nor responsible for his welfare and 
 happiness. Now he was a different man, and so he hailed 
 the shepherds, "My brethren, whence are ye?" And when 
 the flocks had gathered, his cousin Rachel's among them, 
 Jacob showed himself eager to help in the only way be could. 
 Unaided, he rolled the great stone from the mouth of the 
 well, that the shepherds might water their flocks. It was a 
 little thing, but it showed the change in Jacob. 
 
 The rabbis told that when God saw this evidence of the 
 change in Jacob, He was so pleased, that a miracle happened. 
 For previously the well had been very deep, and its water 
 had to be drawn up laboriously in buckets. Now, of its own 
 accord, the water rose to the surface, so that the flocks could 
 drink thereof themselves. There it remained during the 
 entire twenty years of Jacob's sojourn in Haran. And the 
 people knew that this had happened only because of Jacob, 
 that he had brought blessing unto them, and therefore they 
 loved him and were eager to keep him always with them. 
 They felt him to be their brother, even as he had addressed 
 them at first. One of the wise, old rabbis used to say, "One 
 good deed causes another". So it was now with Jacob. 
 But to him this wonder meant even more than to the people 
 of Haran ; he knew that God had done this, and that it was 
 a sign that God would fulfil His promise, and would be 
 with him, even here in this distant country. 
 
 The rabbis taught also that not only were Jacob's first 
 words to the shepherds indicative of the change which had 
 come over him, but also his second words, "Lo, it is yet 
 high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered 
 together; water ye the sheep, and go and feed them". He 
 had merely expressed his surprise at their procedure ; yet it 
 was also a partial rebuke of their laziness and indifference 
 to their masters' interests. It indicated, too, that in his own 
 labors for his uncle Laban, his conduct would be above re- 
 proach. He would not shirk a single task, no matter how 
 
Jacob and Laban 251 
 
 hard; day and night he would guard the flock, and willingly 
 sacrifice his own comfort and desires for his master's wel- 
 fare. That is the true spirit of service, and Jacob had al- 
 ready begun to learn his lesson well. For his twenty years' 
 service of his uncle Laban, bitter and hard .and exacting, 
 was to be but the training and preparation for a lifelong 
 service of the supreme Master, in which there is no room 
 for laziness, selfishness and self-indulgence, a service which 
 would also prove hard and exacting, but never bitter, when 
 performed in the right spirit of unselfishness, brotherhood, 
 and love. 
 
 And there at the well Jacob met Rachel, his beloved. It 
 must have seemed to him almost as if God had sent her, 
 another proof that God was with him. The story of the 
 love of Jacob and Rachel is one of the most romantic and 
 beautiful in the entire Bible. The simple statement that the 
 many years of hard labor which he served for her seemed 
 but a few days, so great was his love for her, shows the 
 human side of the authors, and makes us realize that Jacob 
 is not altogether an imaginary, allegorical figure, but is 
 depicted as a real man of flesh and blood, of love and selfish- 
 ness, of strength and weakness, like ourselves, and that his 
 struggles to conquer his evil inclinations differ not one whit 
 from our own. We are indeed grateful for this delicate and 
 delightful, human touch. 
 
 At last the seven years of service for Rachel were com- 
 pleted. Joyously Jacob prepared to receive his beloved re- 
 ward. We can picture the expectant rapture with which he 
 approaches the loved one and draws back the veil from her 
 face, and the surprise, disappointment, and grief, when he 
 finds that it is not Rachel at all, but Leah, the unbeloved. 
 Bitterly he reproached her and her father for deceiving him. 
 He had labored faithfully, and had fulfilled his part of the 
 compact honorably and well. Had he deserved this treat- 
 ment from either Laban or Leah? Why had Leah answered 
 
252 The Book of Genesis 
 
 to the name of Rachel when he called unto her during the 
 marriage? But Leah's answer, as related by the rabbis, 
 silenced him forever. "Is there a teacher without a pupil?" 
 she asked. "I merely profited by thy instruction. When 
 thy father called thee Esau, didst thou not answer, 'Here 
 am F ?" Then Jacob understood that he had been dealt with 
 but in the same manner as he had dealt with his own blind 
 father and his own brother; he could not complain. As the 
 sage of old said, "The deceiver will himself be deceived". 
 Sadly, but with the consciousness that it was deserved, Jacob 
 accepted Leah as his wife, and then entered upon another 
 period of seven years' hard service for Rachel. 
 
 The wise rabbi of old had said not merely that "One 
 good deed causes another good deed", but also "And one 
 evil deed causes another evil deed". So it was with Jacob, 
 in the evil deed as well as in the good. . For the deception 
 which he had practiced upon Isaac and Esau had been only 
 paralleled by, and had in a way justified the deception put 
 upon him by Laban and Leah. Nevertheless God, in His 
 justice, lets no evil deed go unpunished. We can easily see 
 that Jacob's dislike of Leah, even though she was his wife, 
 and all the unhappiness this brought her, were but the just 
 punishment for her part in deceiving her husband. That 
 which is gotten through deceit can never bring happiness. 
 The end can never justify the means. We have seen this 
 in the case of Jacob's getting the birthright and the blessing. 
 We see it again here in the story of Leah. 
 
 We may be sure, however, that God had allowed Jacob 
 to be deceived in this cruel manner, not merely as a punish- 
 ment for the deceit he had himself practiced, but still more, 
 as a test of his real worth, and to measure the change which 
 had come over him during these seven years. On the whole 
 it would seem that Jacob had stood this test well. He had 
 realized that this was but a fit return for his own deception, 
 and had accepted Leah as his wife, if not lovingly, at least 
 
Jacob and La-ban 253 
 
 loyally. Apparently he was well on his way toward com- 
 plete purification and regeneration. And with this peace 
 and happiness and quiet contentment were his during the 
 first fourteen years of his service for Leah and Rachel. 
 He discharged his obligations to Laban faithfully and loy- 
 ally; and always there is the peace and joy of a satisfied 
 and approving conscience in the knowledge that a task is 
 well done. During these years, too, children were born to 
 him, and all in all he had ample proof that God was with 
 him, as He had promised, and was watching over him and 
 providing for his needs, was indeed giving him "food to eat, 
 and raiment to put on", even as Jacob had prayed. 
 
 But with the end of these fourteen years of faithful 
 service, and the beginning of the third period of his sojourn 
 with Laban, a change took place in Jacob. Continued suc- 
 cess had tended to make him self-centered once more. Grad- 
 ually the consciousness of God's blessing, and reliance upon 
 God's help and providence gave way to reliance upon self 
 and desire for material gain. As his family increased, the 
 necessity of making proper provision for them pressed upon 
 him. "When shall I provide for mine own house?" became 
 his cry toward Laban. More and more his thoughts dealt 
 with material things, and sought material rewards. And 
 more and*" more he came to resent Laban's deceit and 
 treachery, and to seek revenge in kind. 
 
 When the fourteen years of service for his two wives 
 had passed, and it became necessary for Laban to negotiate 
 other terms for Jacob's services, Jacob's opportunity had 
 come. He knew that Laban realized that only through 
 Jacob had he prospered so exceedingly, and therefore could 
 not dispense with his services. He would make a cunning 
 bargain with his uncle, and would show himself the shrewder 
 of the two. He would offer terms which would seem to 
 Laban's advantage, and which his grasping uncle would ac- 
 cept eagerly. But he knew many shepherd's tricks, by which 
 
254 The Book of Genesis 
 
 he could turn the bargain to his advantage, and thereby he 
 would provide for himself and his family, and would also 
 have his revenge. The old, deceitful Jacob was not dead; 
 he had merely lain dormant during all these years. Now 
 he was again awake and active. Apparently these fourteen 
 years of trial and suffering and seeming purification had 
 availed naught. Only the outer surface of his nature had 
 been altered ; but the depths of his soul had not yet been 
 reached. 
 
 So these six years passed and Jacob prospered materially. 
 And whenever his perplexed and enraged uncle deceived him 
 again, and changed his wages, as he did repeatedly, Jacob 
 knew how to profit thereby. And he accounted for his suc- 
 cess to his uncle, and possibly also to himself, by the old, 
 oft-repeated claim that God was with him. Truly God was 
 still with him, despite his deceit. But Jacob had now come 
 to understand and interpret it, that God was with him only 
 to protect and prosper him in his cunning. He had almost 
 forgotten during these six years of prosperity through de- 
 ceit, what the real purpose of God's being with him was. 
 
 Not improbably, too, during these six years his thoughts 
 of home and his longing for the dear ones there had grown 
 weaker and weaker. His desires and ambitions were cen- 
 tered upon something else. In all likelihood he had ceased 
 to condemn himself for his treatment of his brother. After 
 all it differed but little from his conduct toward his uncle 
 Laban, and of this his present course of life approved. 
 What mattered it that Laban's sons were beginning to eye 
 him askance, and to mutter suspicions that they were being 
 defrauded? It was clear that sooner or later they must 
 separate; under present conditions they could not abide to- 
 gether long; and the parting must be in enmity and hatred. 
 But meanwhile Jacob would push his advantage to the ut- 
 most. And if his conscience at times reproved him, or his 
 better nature sought to reassert itself, he knew how to 
 
Jacob and Laban 255 
 
 silence them, and to justify himself with the thought that 
 Laban had first deceived him, and so merited this treatment, 
 and he was only protecting himself. "Deceit can be met 
 only by. deceit". It is a common adage even today. But 
 the story of Jacob proves its falsity. The sole truth in it 
 is that in practice deceit is but too often countered by deceit ; 
 even as the wise rabbi of old said, "One evil deed causes 
 another evil deed". Two wrongs can never make one right, 
 but remain always two wrongs, and pave the way for fur- 
 ther evil and unhappiness. 
 
 At last, after twenty years, when Jacob could- abide with 
 Laban and his sons no longer, God's command came, "Re- 
 turn unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and 
 I will be with thee". It was the answer to his prayer, 
 spoken twenty years before. Had the word come six years 
 sooner, at the end of his first fourteen years of service, how 
 gladly would he have availed himself of it. Even though 
 he was then poor in worldly goods, still he was rich in a 
 clear conscience, in the satisfaction of faithful and loyal 
 service, and in the love of wives and children. And during 
 all those years thoughts of the dear ones at home and of 
 reunion and reconciliation had been uppermost in his mind. 
 
 But now it was different. Now he was rich and pros- 
 perous. But was he truly happy? He must send for his wives 
 to come to him to the field, where no one might hear him 
 reveal his plans to theni. And he must lie to them in order 
 to justify his conduct, and claim that he had served their 
 father faithfully, and that he had prospered only though 
 God's blessing, and not through his own deceit. And he 
 must steal away stealthily and in fear', lest his father-in-law 
 prevent his departure, or at least keep back his daughters 
 and their children and the flocks, and send him away empty- 
 handed, as he had come twenty years before. His was 
 indeed a guilty conscience. And with a guilty conscience 
 there can be no true happiness. 
 
256 The Book of Genesis 
 
 At this moment his conduct must have begun to appear 
 to him in a new light. And if he did not, as yet, condemn 
 himself unqualifiedly, at least he must have had the feeling 
 that even though he had prospered materially, none the less 
 he had missed the real purpose of his sojourn in this foreign 
 land, and was returning home but little better than when 
 he had set out. Now he understood that it was not so much 
 that God had prospered him, as his own deceit which had 
 made him rich during the last six years. Nevertheless he 
 could not but realize that even despite, his deceit God had 
 been with him, as He had promised. 
 
 And this realization was confirmed when Laban finally 
 overtook him, and was prevented from wreaking his wrath 
 upon him only by the vision of God which had come to him 
 the previous night, and had bidden him refrain from violence 
 in his dealings with Jacob. This, together with Laban's 
 failure to find his stolen gods, had proved the superior 
 power of Jacob's God over the gods of Laban, and that He 
 was, at the end of these twenty years, still true to His word 
 that He would be with Jacob and would protect him, and 
 would bring him back to his father's house. The covenant 
 was made with Laban, and they parted in peace and amity, 
 instead of in hatred and strife. Jacob's eyes were opened 
 somewhat and his spirit was chastened. He realized that 
 without God's intervention his own strength would have 
 availed little, and he must surely have perished. It was a 
 humble and thoughtful man who journeyed onward, thankful 
 that he had escaped this danger from Laban, and had parted 
 from him in friendship, and wondering how he should meet 
 the even greater danger, which, he now perceived, must con- 
 front him from Esau. Once more he must have prayed in 
 the deep recesses of his heart, as he had prayed twenty 
 years before, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in 
 this way that I go". Truly he had need of God's protec- 
 tion now. And with this prayer something of the spirit of 
 
Jacob and Laban 257 
 
 humility and repentance of those first fourteen years must 
 have returned to him. And there must have welled forth 
 the additional prayer, the longing of those first years, 
 couched in the Psalmist's beautiful words : 
 
 Create me a clean heart, O God; 
 
 And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 
 
 So Jacob journeyed on to meet Esau. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 XXIX, 1. "The children of the east", i. e. nomads or semi- 
 nomads, dwelling in northern Mesopotamia. Laban's tribe is evidently 
 , regarded as belonging to this group. 
 
 V. 2. In the Orient, particularly in the desert itself, and the 
 country bordering on the desert, water is scarce, and consequently 
 very precious. Therefore it is not uncommon that wells should be 
 covered, as this one was, by a great stone, which frequently requires 
 the combined efforts of many men to move, in order to prevent the 
 water from being used by strangers or those not entitled to it, and 
 also to keep out the sand and other things, which might otherwise 
 choke the well. Whether this was the same well as that from which 
 Rebekah had drawn the water for the camels of Abraham's servant, 
 is not stated. Apparently, however, it was not, since that well seems 
 to have been approached by a flight of steps (cf. note to XXIV, 16), 
 while the water of this well was drawn up by buckets in the hands 
 of the shepherds who stood at the mouth of the well. 
 
 V. 5. XXII, 3 and XXIV, 24 call Rebekah the daughter of 
 Bethuel and the granddaughter of Nahor. Therefore by "son of 
 Nahor" is meant presumably only "descendant". 
 
 V. 7. Sheep were usually watered toward evening, preparatory 
 to being penned up for the night. 
 
 V. 8. Watering many flocks of sheep from one well is a slow 
 task. Therefore the verse pictures the custom of these shepherds to 
 assemble still early in the afternoon. It is also customary that the 
 first shepherds to arrive at a well, water their flocks first, while the 
 late-comers must wait. This was an additional reason for these 
 shepherds coming early to the well. Cf. Burckhardt, Travels in Syria 
 and the Holy Land, 63. 
 
 V. 9. Among the nomad Semites girls are very frequently em- 
 ployed as shepherdesses, particularly of the flocks of their own fami- 
 lies. 
 
258 The Book of Genesis 
 
 V. 10. Jacob, by his great strength, alone rolls away the huge 
 stone. This usually required the combined efforts of all the shepherds. 
 
 V. 11. Among the Orientals weeping because of joy, even on the 
 part of men, is a common practice. There is nothing of the occi- 
 dental conception of tears as unmanly. 
 
 V. 12. For the meaning of "brother" here and in v. 15, cf. the 
 note to XXVII, 29. 
 
 V. 13. It must be understood that this was the first word which 
 Laban had heard of his sister in all these years since she had de- 
 parted with the servant of Abraham. Furthermore, in the Orient 
 blood kinship establishes an undeniable bond between men. Hence 
 Laban's joy at beholding his sister's son. It is a common practice in 
 the Orient, and in many other parts of the world, for relatives who 
 have not seen each other for a long time, regardless of sex, to kiss 
 each, other upon meeting. 
 
 V. 17. In selecting a wife in the Orient especial attention is paid 
 to beauty of the eyes. One with unprepossessing eyes would not be 
 greatly sought after; cf. National Geographic Magazine, March, 1914, 
 170. 
 
 V. 18. Among the ancient Semites, as among so many other 
 peoples, girls are regarded as the property of their fathers, and must 
 therefore be purchased from him by their future husbands. Where 
 the latter is unable to pay the bride-price demanded, it is not un- 
 common for him, as here, to pledge his services to his father-in-law 
 for a fixed period of years, usually ifive to seven ; cf. National Geo- 
 graphic Magazine, March, 1914, 295 f. ; Musil, Arabia Petraea, III, 284. 
 A most interesting and illuminating parallel to the Jacob story is 
 recorded by Burckhardt (Travels in Syria and the Holy Land, 297 f.) ; 
 "I once met with a young man who had served eight years for his 
 food only; at the expiration of that period he obtained in marriage 
 trie daughter of his master, for whom he would, otherwise, have had 
 to pay seven or eight hundred piastres. When I saw him he had 
 been married three years ; but he complained bitterly of his father-in- 
 law, who continued to require of him the performance of the most 
 servile offices, without paying him anything; and thus prevented him 
 from setting up for himself and family". (Cf. also ibid. 385.) 
 
 As a rule the bride-price, or at least a considerable portion there- 
 of, is given by the father to his daughter, and becomes her inalienable 
 property. But if the father be avaricious, he frequently retains the 
 entire bride-price for himself. XXXI, ISf. stated that Laban was 
 guilty of this departure from common and approved practice; this 
 enabled Leah and Rachel to justify Jacob's possession of a large 
 
 
Jacob and Laban 259 
 
 part of their father's flocks, by the implication that this portion of 
 the return for Jacob's services should have been given to them. 
 
 V. 19. For the practice of marriage between cousins cf. the 
 final note to XXV. 
 
 V. 26. Among many peoples in various parts of the world, the 
 3 r ounger daughter may not be given in marriage before her older sister. 
 This was probably an actual practice in Laban's tribe, and not merely 
 a plausible excuse invented by him for the occasion, and in order to 
 dispose of both his daughters for a good -price and at one stroke. 
 
 V. 27. In the Orient marriage festivities, as in this instance, 
 generally continue for an entire week. Jacob is not to repudiate 
 Leah, but is to complete the marriage festivities with her during this 
 week. Then next week Rachel shall be given to him, and in return 
 for her he shall serve a further term of seven years. Leah was given 
 to him at the end of the 'first period of seven years, and Rachel one 
 week later, at the beginning of the second period. According to 
 XXX, 25, Joseph was born to Rachel at the end of the second period 
 of seven years ; in other words she had been barren for six years. 
 
 V. 31. Children are considered in the Orient as a gift of the 
 Deity; cf. XXX, 2. Numerous offspring therefore imply particular 
 divine favor; cf. I Samuel I and II, 21 and Psalm CXXVII, 3-5. 
 
 V. 32. In ancient Israel it was the mother's privilege to name 
 her children; cf. IV, 1 and 25; I Samuel I, 20. Later this privilege 
 passed to the father; cf. V, 3; XVI, 15. Names given to children 
 were generally descriptive of some thought or incident attendant 
 upon their birth; cf. I Samuel IV, 19-22. 
 
 Sons are more desired than daughters, and a woman who has borne 
 a son can reasonably expect better treatment and greater affection on 
 the part of her husband. 
 
 XXX, 1. With Rachel's desire for offspring may be compared that 
 of Hannah (I Samuel I, 1-20). In the Orient a childless- wife is 
 liable to be treated in time with little regard, and may even be 
 divorced. The desire, therefore, to safeguard her position in the 
 home, as well as the Oriental woman's natural and unrepressed 
 longing for offspring, make her eagerly desirous of a large family. 
 
 V. 3. Cf. the note to XVI. The child born to a handmaid, when 
 laid upon her mistress' knees, was regarded as formally adopted by 
 the latter, and as actually her child. 
 
 Vv. 14ff. It is a common superstition in many parts of the earth 
 that mandrakes possess magical properties, conducive to the promo- 
 tion of childbirth; cf. Hartland, Primitive Paternity, I, 44-47. 
 
260 The Book of Genesis 
 
 The Mandrake 
 
 V. 27. "I have observed the signs", Hebrew, nityashti, i. e. "I 
 have ascertained by the practice of ceremonies of divination". 
 
 Vv. 32ff. The customary wage of a shepherd in the Orient is a 
 certain percentage of the newborn lambs or kids. Generally this is 
 ten percent, half male and half female; cf. Musil, Arabia Petraca, 
 III, 284, and Dalman, Palaestinischcr Diwan, 33f. In this case Jacob 
 asked for what would prove under normal conditions less than the 
 customary wage, and Laban, suspecting nothing, was only too pleased 
 to accept the preferred terms. As XXX, 38f. implies, the shepherd 
 was expected to feed himself from his own share of the flock, and 
 I to restore all losses incurred by theft or wild beasts. 
 
 Vv. 35-42. The account of Jacob's trick seems to us obscure. 
 But we must remember that a considerable portion of the people of 
 ancient Israel, particularly in the southern kingdom, were shepherds, 
 who would both understand and appreciate the cleverness of this 
 trick. Apparently something of homeopathic magic, based upon the 
 idea that like invariably causes like, lies, at the bottom of this 
 practice. 
 
 XXXI, 7 implies that during these last six years Laban, seeing 
 Jacob growing wealthy by the terms of their bargain, had deliberately 
 and faithlessly repudiated these terms and offered others, seemingly 
 more advantageous to himself, which, however, Jacob knew how to 
 turn to his own benefit. He represents this, half-deceitfully at least, 
 as being the result of God's favor. 
 
 Vv. 10-12. These verses are apparently based upon a slightly 
 varying version of Jacob's trick, which must have been current in 
 ancient Israel along with the version recorded in XXX, 35-42. 
 
 V. 15. Cf. note to XXIX, 18. 
 
Jacob and Lab an 
 
 261 
 
 Y. 19. The teraphim were the family or household gods repre- 
 sented in the form of idols. They varied considerably in size. These 
 of Laban were small enough to be put in the pack-saddle of a camel, 
 upon which Rachel sat, while I Samuel XIX, 13 speaks of such an 
 image in the house of David, which was approximately of human 
 size and shape. In ancient Israel the use of these teraphim seems to 
 have been common, and not at all inconsistent with the pure worship 
 
 Teraphim 
 
 of Israel's God; cf. Judges XVII; XVIII, 14. 17, 18, 20; I Samuel 
 XIX, 13; Hosea III, 4. The teraphim were apparently employed partic- 
 ularly in the practice of divination; cf. Ezekiel XXI, 26; Zechariah X, 
 2. Accordingly the rabbis sought to excuse Rachel's theft, by saying 
 that she took the tcraphim because she feared that they might dis- 
 close Jacob's whereabouts to Laban. Actually the story gives no 
 motive for Rachel's theft, unless it be that suggested in the lesson, 
 to prove the superiority of Jacob's God over the gods of Laban. For 
 
262 The Book of Genesis 
 
 this reason probably the story told with considerable gusto not only 
 that Rachel stole these gods, which were powerless to defend them- 
 selves, but also that she even subjected them to the greatest possible 
 indignity by sitting upon them. In time the use of teraphim came 
 to be regarded as inconsistent with the pure worship of God, and 
 was prohibited (II Kings XXIII, 24; cf. I Samuel XV, 23). Cf. 
 Jewish Encyclopedia, XII, 108f. 
 
 V. 21. "The River", i. e. the Euphrates. 
 
 V. 23. "The mountain of Gilead". Gilead was the common name 
 for that portion of Palestine lying east of the Jordan and north of 
 the Jabbok. Its actual boundaries seem to have been rather un- 
 certain, and to have varied at different times. It is a rough, moun- 
 tainous country. Vv. 47f. seem to offer a popular tradition, ascribing 
 the origin of the name Gilead to Jacob, who called the heap of 
 stones, which he erected on the boundary line between Syria and 
 Gilead, gal-ed literally "the heap of the witness". 
 
 V. 24. The Aramaeans were an important branch of the Semitic 
 race, and closely akin to the Israelites. The kingdom of Damascus, 
 or Syria, during the 9th and 8th centuries B. C. the most powerful 
 and dangerous rival of the northern kingdom of Israel, was the lead- 
 ing Aramaean state. The language of the Aramaean tribes and 
 states consisted of a great many closely related dialects. After the 
 Babylonian exile Aramaic gradually superseded Hebrew as the ver- 
 nacular of the Jewish people. Certain portions of the Bible, viz. 
 Jeremiah X, 11, Daniel II, 4b-VII, 28, and Ezra IV, 8-VI, 18 and 
 VII, 12-26, are written in Aramaic, as are likewise considerable por- 
 tions of rabbinic literature. 
 
 V. 33. Each of Jacob's wives had her own tent, in which she 
 lived with her children. Jacob, of course, had no tent of his own, 
 but abode with whichever wife he chose. As XXX, 16 implies, 
 this was usually Rachel, his favorite. 
 
 Vv. 38f. Cf. note to XXX, 32ff. 
 
 V. 40. In certain parts of the Orient during considerable por- 
 tions of the year, even though the days may be quite hot, the nights 
 are frequently cold, and frost is not uncommon. 
 
 Vv. 45ff. The custom of setting up a memorial stone or heap of 
 stones as the permanent reminder of a covenant or of some memor- 
 able event, was common in Semitic practice ; cf. Doughty, Arabia 
 Deserta, II, 538 and Pierotti, Customs and Traditions of Palestine, 
 95f. It is occasionally mentioned in the Bible; cf. Exodus XXIV, 4; 
 Joshua IV, 3, 20-24; XXIV, 26f. 
 
Jacob and Laban 263 
 
 V. 46. "And they did eat there by the heap"; this was the ritual 
 meal by which the covenant was ratified ; cf . note to XXVI, 30. 
 
 V. 47 Yegar-sahadutha is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew 
 gal-ed. 
 
 V. 48. Mizfreh is apparently represented here as a secondary 
 name of this heap of stones. It means "watchpost", or "place of 
 lookout". Actually the district was called Gilead, while Mizpeh 
 was probably the name of the particular spot in Gilead where this 
 covenant between Jacob and Laban, was thought to have been made. 
 It probably lay close to the boundary line between Syria and Gilead. 
 As was suggested in the introductory chapter to the Jacob story, this 
 incident of the covenant made between Labarr the Aramaean and 
 Jacob the Israelite, by which the boundary line between the territories 
 of the two peoples was fixed, may very well be based upon some 
 historical compact of similar nature, entered into between Syria and 
 Israel, most probably during the reign of Ahab (875-854 B. C). 
 During the greater part of Ahab's reign the hegemony of Israel in 
 the affairs of the numerous little states of western Asia seems to 
 have been nominally acknowledged by Syria ; cf . I Kings XX. 
 
 V. 53. "And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac"; 
 this is an obscure and difficult expression. The compilers probably 
 meant to designate the God of Israel by this term. Not improbably, 
 however, in the pldest version of this story the actual name of a 
 (or the) Deity stood here, and the compilers substituted the present 
 non-committal expression in order to avoid the appearance of poly- 
 theism. 
 
 V. 54. This is probably a repetition, or a second version, of 
 the incident of the covenant meal, already referred to in v. 46. 
 Certain forms of sacrifice were accompanied by a ritual meal partici- 
 pated in by the sacrificer and his guests, 
 
264 The Book of Genesis 
 
 XIX 
 
 JACOB AND ESAU 
 (Genesis XXXII, 4 XXXIII, 17; XXXV, 16-20, 27-29) 
 
 Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast 
 striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed. (Genesis XXXII, 
 29.) 
 
 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; 
 
 A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. 
 (Psalm LI, 19.) 
 
 Read Psalm XLVI, 2, 3, 4, 12. 
 
 Laban had departed. He had kissed his daughters and 
 his grand-children farewell, and had set out upon his return 
 to Haran. Now, at last Jacob could breathe freely. The 
 danger from Laban was past; they had parted in peace, as 
 alone befitted close relatives. Had it been otherwise, had 
 Jacob been compelled to leave his uncle Laban, just as he 
 had left his brother Esau twenty years before, with anger 
 and enmity between them as the result of his deception, he 
 might well have felt that these twenty years of trial and 
 suffering in a foreign land had been all in vain, and that 
 he was returning home but little changed from what he had 
 been on setting out. His prayer then had been to return in 
 peace to his father's house. He realized now that although 
 Laban had deceived him, he, too, had not been altogether 
 blameless in his dealings with Laban during these last six 
 years. But their differences had been smoothed away, their 
 quarrels settled, their misunderstandings adjusted ; now there 
 was peace between them, the peace which Jacob had learned 
 
Jacob and Esau 265 
 
 to regard as life's greatest blessing. Now he stood upon the 
 border of his native land, prepared to enter and to come 
 to his father's house. It was the moment for which he had 
 prayed and longed. Surely Jacob should have been happy. 
 
 But Jacob was far from happy. The quarrel with Laban, 
 so narrowly averted, had opened his eyes. If Laban had 
 been so enraged at having been deceived, even though he 
 had himself first and repeatedly deceived Jacob, then how 
 much more reason had Esau, so cruelly betrayed and de- 
 frauded of life's dearest blessings by his own brother, to 
 still cherish his anger and to seek revenge! Now that he 
 had escaped Laban's wrath, and the inevitable meeting with 
 Esau drew closer, Jacob realized more clearly than at any 
 time previously the full measure and import of the wrong 
 which he had done to his brother. He had hoped that these 
 twenty years might have allowed Esau's anger to cool; or 
 if not, that he might appease Esau with a rich present of 
 flocks and herds, such as he could easily spare out of his 
 great abundance. Now he suddenly remembered that Esau 
 was not of a forgiving nature, and, above all, that he had 
 ample reason for hatred and revenge. And as he stood 
 upon the border of the home land fear seized him, fear of 
 his brother and his anger, but even more, fear of himself 
 and his sin. In this connection the wise rabbis sagely asked, 
 why should Jacob have feared so greatly before Esau, when 
 he did not fear at all to fight the angel, or whatever it was, 
 throughout the entire night? And they answered that he 
 feared Esau because he knew how greatly he had wronged 
 him. So we always fear before those whom we have 
 wronged. And the rabbis also taught that before a man 
 sins everyone fears him ; after he sins he fears everyone. 
 Thus, as the great poet said, "Conscience doth make cow- 
 ards of us all". 
 
 But this very fear showed Jacob's real nature and char- 
 acter at this moment. For he was judging Esau entirely by 
 
266 The Book of Genesis 
 
 himself. He, too, had been deceived by Laban. And how 
 had he requited him? Only with counter-deceit. And how 
 much worse was his conduct than Laban's ! For he knew 
 by bitter experience what deceit meant. Yet if, knowing 
 all this, he had still met deceit with deceit, why expect Esau 
 to act at all differently? Surely he dared hope for naught 
 but hatred and revenge from Esau, and surely, too, he de- 
 served no more. Now, too, he realized how 7 he had fallen 
 short in his dealings with Laban, and that two wrongs never 
 make one right ; that Laban's deceit had probably been the 
 last trial sent by God to determine his real worth and the 
 extent of his self-purification. Now he knew that he had 
 fallen short. And if he, then why not Esau too? What 
 reason had he to expect better treatment from Esau than 
 he had accorded to Laban? He was judging Esau only by 
 himself; and the evil light in which he now saw Esau, was 
 but the reflection of, the light in which he saw himself. So 
 it is constantly with us; we judge our neighbors largely by 
 ourselves. Often the faults we see in them are but the re- 
 flection of greater faults in ourselves. And often our con- 
 demnation of our neighbor should be a condemnation of 
 ourselves. 
 
 So Jacob feared; and he took what precautions he could, 
 the poor precautions which his fear suggested. He sent 
 messengers to Esau to announce his coming, and, if possible, 
 to sound Esau and bring back word of his probable reception 
 of Jacob. In all likelihood had the report been unfavorable, 
 Jacob would still have turned aside, even despite God's com- 
 mand to return, and His promise that He would still be 
 with him. But all this Esau frustrated by coming himself 
 with all dispatch, and attended by four hundred men, to 
 meet Jacob. There could be no mistaking his evil intentions. 
 The messengers reported all this but little before Esau him- 
 self arrived. It was too late for Jacob to turn aside. He 
 must meet Esau, and that on the very next day. 
 
Jacob and Esau 267 
 
 Now even more did Jacob fear, for there seemed little 
 chance of escape. But he would take what chance there 
 was. Better to sacrifice half his possessions, than that every- 
 thing be lost. So he divided his camp, the people who were 
 with him and the flocks, the herds, and the camels, into two 
 camps, so that, if Esau should attack the one camp, the 
 other might still escape. It was a cunning plan, although 
 even it seemed to offer little promise. Nor did it serve to 
 restore Jacob's confidence or lessen his fear. 
 
 And then, suddenly, he bethought himself of the "one 
 source of protection and help, which had never failed him 
 in all these years of trial, God. During the last six years 
 of his sojourn with Laban he had come to rely more and 
 more upon himself and his own strength and cunning, and 
 less and less upon God's promise to be with him. But his 
 narrow escape from Laban's wrath had made him realize 
 once again what he had almost forgotten, that without God 
 human strength and earthly devices avail little. Now, in this 
 moment of greatest peril, when it seemed that his clever 
 plans had come to naught, he turned to God with a prayer 
 of humility and supplication, acknowledging his unworthi- 
 ness of all God's guidance and bounty, and imploring His 
 help and protection against Esau. 
 
 How typical is Jacob's conduct ! We are all too prone 
 to commit the very error against which the Bible warns, and 
 to say in prosperity, "My power and the might of my hand 
 have gotten me this wealth" (Deuteronomy VIII, 17f.). 
 But when distress and danger confront us, and all earthly 
 help seems weak and futile, then we, too, become mindful 
 of God, and we turn to Him, as Jacob did, with prayers of 
 humility and supplication. It is not too late; it is never too 
 late for prayer, for we may be sure that God hears all 
 prayers, when offered in sincerity of heart and purity of 
 motive. As the Psalmist says, 
 
268 The Book of Genesis 
 
 God is our refuge and strength, 
 
 A very present help in trouble. 
 
 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, 
 
 And though the mountains be moved into the heart of the seas. 
 
 And as the rabbis told, the gates of heaven are constantly 
 opened wide, that the prayers of those who seek Him truly 
 may come unto God. 
 
 The pity of it is that many pray so little, and that most 
 of us turn to God only in moments of need, peril and dis- 
 tress. We have so much for which to thank God and to 
 utter His praise. Day by day and hour by hour our lives 
 are enriched with His bounties. And surely it were not 
 too much if every day we would turn to God to thank Him 
 for all His boundless love, and, even as Jacob did, to ac- 
 knowledge our littleness and unworthiness, and to pray to 
 Him for help and strength and wisdom, that we may use all 
 His precious gifts aright, for the purpose for which He 
 gives them. So our fathers prayed in ages past. Thrice 
 daily they acknowledged God's greatness and besought the 
 continuance of His favor. And their prayers and their faith 
 in God kept them and kept Judaism alive. Verily their ex- 
 ample should inspire us, their children, to like faith and 
 devotion. 
 
 So Jacob prayed. But even prayer alone is not enough. 
 Prayer must lead to renewed faith and nobility of action. 
 Some prayer is actuated 1 chiefly by selfish fear, or equally 
 selfish desire, and springs from the lips rather than from 
 the heart. But the true prayer, which is most pleasing to 
 God, is that prayer which wells forth from the depths of a 
 trusting, God-seeking soul, and brings with it that strength 
 of faith and exaltation of purpose, which find their only 
 expression in right and noble living. Was Jacob's an al- 
 together true prayer? He had uttered beautiful words and 
 noble sentiments, and had properly acknowledged God's 
 greatness and goodness and his own unworthiness. But 
 
Jacob and Esau 269 
 
 instead of the absolute trust in God, which should have 
 followed upon this prayer, and unshaken reliance upon God's 
 promise to be with him and bring him back to his kindred 
 and his father's house, Jacob now resumed his cunning 
 plans for his own defense. It would seem that beautiful 
 though this prayer was, and true in every word, it was 
 still of the lips rather than of the heart, and was born more 
 of fear of Esau than of love of God and firm faith in Him. 
 It would almost seem as if Jacob had thought, "If God can 
 and will save me from this dire peril, well and good ; but 
 if not, then all the more must I spare no effort to save 
 myself". 
 
 Then followed an anxious night. Redoubled preparations 
 were made to meet Esau the next morning. A rich present 
 was sent on in advance, with the hope that Esau's anger 
 might possibly be appeased with this. Then Jacob's wives 
 and children were set across the stream, that they might 
 be the first to meet Esau in the morning, and that the sight 
 of these weak and suppliant beings, his own flesh and blood, 
 might help to still Esau's anger. Jacob himself remained on 
 this side of the stream. He would cross only at the very 
 last moment; possibly he might still turn back and flee; 
 without sheep and cattle, wives and children to hinder him, 
 he might still escape. True, it would mean setting out on 
 his lonesome journey anew, just as twenty years before. 
 Even worse, now he would have no place whither he might 
 turn; and surely God would no longer be with him. But 
 at least he would be safe from Esau's wrath. Such must 
 have been the thoughts which thronged Jacob's guilt-laden 
 mind throughout this long night. For the moment he was 
 completely the old, crafty, self-centered Jacob once more. 
 He had expected that on this one last night at least, he 
 would be safe, and would find rest and comfort. But there 
 were no rest and comfort for him. As the Bible says, all 
 through that night there wrestled with him, someone or 
 
270 The Book of Genesis 
 
 something. The Bible calls it a man; but this may be for 
 want of a better term. Tradition has come to call it an 
 angel (cf. Hosea XII, 5), and perhaps it was that. But 
 if so, the story in Genesis gives no hint thereof. We know 
 only that it was something powerful and eager to conquer. 
 Yet it could be conquered, too ; by morning dawn it" could 
 be overcome. And if once overcome, it could- be made to 
 bestow blessing. What could it have been? 
 
 May we not say that it was Jacob's other self, his wicked, 
 selfish, earthly nature, with which he strove during the 
 entire night? We have learned that man is the child of 
 two worlds, of earth and heaven. His body is of the dust, 
 but his spirit is inbreathed by God Himself. Ever these 
 two natures strive within him for the mastery, until at last 
 one is completely conquered. All through Jacob's life they 
 had striven. At first, in his early years, the earthly nature, 
 which seeks for selfish pleasure and gain had had the upper 
 hand, and it seemed as if the godlike spirit within were com- 
 pletely crushed. But we know that it was not dead, but 
 was only sleeping. Then throughout these twenty long years 
 the two natures had striven earnestly. At first it had seemed 
 as if the divine element would triumph. But in these last 
 six years once more the earthly nature had gained the upper 
 hand. Now had come the moment of the last and most 
 bitter struggle, when complete and final victory or defeat 
 must come for one or the other. All through the night the 
 earthly, selfish nature kept whispering, "Flee now; leave 
 the sheep and cattle to Esau ; leave the wives and children 
 to their fate; better that they alone perish, than that thou 
 perish with them. Perhaps thou canst still find rest and 
 peace in some other land. And perhaps thou wilt in time 
 be able to avenge thyself upon Esau. He is a villain, and 
 thou canst expect no good at his hands". But to all this 
 the divine voice within kept answering in ever stronger 
 accents, "They are thy wives and thy children, and they look 
 
Jacob and Esau 271 
 
 to thee for help and protection, and thou mayest not desert 
 them. And after all, without them what would life be 
 worth? Hast thou not already betrayed and sacrificed thy 
 family enough, and only suffered thereby? Remember, Esau 
 is thy brother, and even as thou dost still love him, and 
 seek peace with him, so he, too, may still love thee and long 
 to forgive thee. Remember, too, that it was thou who didst 
 wrong him, and therefore it must be thou who dost ask 
 pardon ; without pardon there can be no peace. And con- 
 sider that thou hast come hither at God's command, and 
 that He has promised to be with thee still, as He was with 
 thee during these twenty years past. And thou mayest not 
 disobey. And above all, think that thine is the birthright of 
 Abraham and of Isaac, thy father; thou art charged to 
 become a blessing unto mankind. This birthright thou didst 
 eagerly desire for thyself, and win at great cost. But never 
 canst thou be worthy of it, never canst thou become a 
 blessing, if thou dost flee as a coward and shirk thy re- 
 sponsibilities. At the most, thou canst but die, but never 
 canst thou escape or flee from God's commands". 
 
 All through the night the battle raged. Time and again 
 the tempter seemed almost to conquer ; ever and again Jacob 
 was on the point of fleeing. But always something held 
 him back; now it was the memory of father and mother, 
 now of wives and children, now of God's promise, and the 
 realization that God had truly been with him these twenty 
 years, and had suffered no word of His to go unfulfilled. 
 All through the long, dark night the battle raged. But with 
 the morning da^wn came victory, victory and blessing. "Thy 
 name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel ; for thou 
 hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed". 
 With this earthly nature, to the voice of which men so often 
 hearken, Jacob had striven during these twenty years, and 
 particularly during this last night, and it had not prevailed; 
 he had conquered it. With the divine voice within, the voice 
 
272 The Book of Genesis 
 
 of God, Jacob had striven, too, and at last, after a bitter 
 struggle, it had prevailed. He had entered upon the struggle 
 twenty years before, a selfish, deceitful, young man. Now 
 he emerged from it, purified, noble, victorious, but also old, 
 wearied and limping; yet erect and happy withal. He was 
 a different, a new, a better man ; and as symbol thereof came 
 the new name; no longer Jacob, "the Deceiver", but Israel, 
 "the Champion of God", who was henceforth to fight the 
 battles of the Lord, and become a blessing unto all mankind. 
 
 Jacob's struggle, too, is typical. Almost from the very 
 moment of birth the two natures within us strive for the 
 mastery. In youth especially we are apt to lend a willing 
 ear to the seductive whisperings of our earthly nature, and 
 allow it to prevail. But to most of us maturity, experience, 
 and wisdom bring the awakening, when we become con- 
 scious of the deeper meaning and possibilities of life, when 
 we come to understand that God has put us here on earth, 
 not for the satisfaction of our appetites and pursuit after 
 the will-o'-the-wisps of pleasure, but that we may live 
 among our fellowmen, and by the right use of the powers 
 and gifts which God bestows upon us in such boundless 
 measure, help the world to grow better and mankind to live 
 wiser, nobler, and happier lives. 
 
 Some awaken only to slumber again, and to let the world 
 take its course, so long as it does not interfere with their 
 own selfish desires. For them there is no struggle. They 
 are conquered even before the combat can begin; and they 
 must remain ever creatures of the dust, over whom the 
 earthly nature has triumphed, and within whom the spirit 
 of God is dead. 
 
 But others awake, and remain awake, throughout the 
 long, dark night, while the battle rages, the battle with the 
 other self. At first one combatant seems about to prevail, 
 and then the other. The better nature may gain the upper 
 hand for awhile, even as with Jacob during the. first four- 
 
Jacob and Esau 273 
 
 lecn years, only to succumb in the end. There is no assur- 
 ance that good will triumph of itself. It must be backed 
 by unfailing trust in God, and strength of will and determi- 
 nation for the right, which endure for all time and under 
 all circumstances, which can withstand the allurements of 
 fortune and prosperity and smug self-complacency, as well 
 as the discouragements of adversity and failure and self- 
 condemnation. But when the faith be firm, the courage 
 dauntless and the will steadfast, then victory is assured in 
 the end. And with the first ray of the dawn, which heralds 
 our new day, we step forth from the combat, changed men, 
 blessed by the very evil powers with which we have striven, 
 no longer the old Jacob, but now the new Israel, God's 
 champion. 
 
 Yet we never emerge unscathed. The battle is too long 
 and hard and exacting. Some of our strength is sapped, 
 some of our vigor is abated, some of our youth is fled ; if 
 is the inevitable price of experience and wisdom; and we 
 limp upon the thigh as we go ; for this battle, too, must 
 leave its wounds and scars. And if thereafter we go for- 
 ward more slowly upon the course of life, which leads 
 toward the goal of existence which God has appointed for 
 each of us, and if we limp, and at times even halt and falter, 
 still it is all in accordance with God's plan, and we can only 
 continue to push on as best we may.. After all, as the Bible 
 so wisely says, "the race is not always to the swift" (Ec- 
 clesiastes IX, 11) ; and he who limps in God's service will 
 attain the goal of life more surely and speedily than he who 
 runs after evil. True living consists in striving rather than 
 in attaining, in fighting bravely and manfully throughout the 
 long, dark hours of the night against the powers of evil 
 which seek to conquer and submerge mankind, and in con- 
 quering just as the dawn breaks. Victory over evil can not 
 be gained in the darkness of the night. Evil is the child of 
 night, and lives and grows ever stronger in the black shad- 
 
274 The Book of Genesis 
 
 ows. It is only the radiant, illuminating, searching light of 
 day which it can not withstand, before which it must flee and 
 vanish. The battle must endure through all the long night. 
 Victory is but the crowning triumph of a single, final mo- 
 ment. True existence means to strive steadfastly with God 
 and 'with men for the right, and with the morning dawn, 
 which marks the close of life's struggle, even while it ushers 
 in the new day of radiant, eternal light, to step forth vic- 
 toriously as Israel, "the Champion of God", to receive God's 
 blessing, and to return in peace to the Father's house. This 
 is the true life of struggle and of service, which God, in His 
 wisdom and love, has bidden each one of His children to live. 
 So with the dawn Jacob became a new man. Jacob, "the 
 Deceiver", was gone forever; Israel, "the Champion of God", 
 had taken his place. And he crossed the river to rejoin his 
 family and to meet his brother, however he might receive 
 him. There would be no more fear nor deceit, nor unworthy 
 attempts to appease his brother's just anger. He would sub- 
 mit himself to Esau and accept whatever punishment the 
 latter might inflict. So he went to meet his brother, no 
 longer fearful, but humble and repentant. And imagine his 
 surprise when Esau, in turn, ran to meet him and threw his 
 arms around his neck and kissed him. It was so much 
 more than he dared expect that he could not but see God's 
 hand in it. And we may be sure that God's hand was in 
 it. But we may be sure, too, that it was Jacob himself, 
 above all else, who had brought about the change in Esau. 
 In all likelihod Esau had come with his four hundred men 
 to seek revenge. He, too, could picture Jacob only as the 
 deceiver of twenty years before. But when Jacob approached 
 humbly and submissively, his anger was disarmed; he forgot 
 all, save that this was his brother, with whom he had grown 
 up as a child, and whom, he now acknowledged, he had 
 missed during these twenty years, and whom deep down in 
 his heart he still loved. Anger and revenge were forgotten 
 
Jacob and Esau 275 
 
 in a moment, and peace and happiness were restored between 
 them. 
 
 So at last Jacob's sin was forgiven, not only by Esau, 
 but also by God, just because, as the wise rabbis taught, 
 Jacob had done all he could to right his wrong, and had at 
 last obtained Esau's pardon. Then God, too, was free to 
 forgive. The hardest thing in the world is to acknowledge 
 that we have done wrong and to ask pardon. Yet, strangely 
 enough, it is the one thing which shows a truly great nature, 
 and which is certain to abate anger and bring peace. If only 
 people were quicker to acknowledge their sins and seek for- 
 giveness, surely men would be nobler, and this world would 
 be a better and happier place to live in. 
 
 Thus Jacob became a true man at last, worthy of the 
 birthright and of God's love and blessing. And at last, as 
 he had prayed, he returned in peace to his father's house. 
 It must have been a joyful as well as a sad home coming; 
 sad because of the absence of "the beloved mother, who had 
 made such a great sacrifice for him, as he now realized, and 
 whom he could never repay ; but happy to find his old 
 father still alive, and to be able to recompense him somewhat 
 for the great wrong done to him. We can picture Jacob 
 now a loving, dutiful son, seeking only to bring happiness 
 to his old father. And Isaac must have been truly happy 
 in his last years. At last Isaac was gathered to his fathers 
 in a ripe old age, and was laid to rest by his two sons, 
 Jacob and Esau, in the Cave of Machpelah, at the side of 
 the companion of his life and his love, Rebekah. 
 
 But Jacob lived on for many years, purified and ennobled, 
 doing the will of God, working blessing in every way he 
 could, and living worthy of the birthright of his fathers. 
 We have heard much in these lessons of repentance, and of 
 people who did not repent, and therefore had to suffer the 
 inevitable consequences of their sins. Now we have come 
 to know one who truly repented ; and we realize all that 
 
276 The Book of Genesis 
 
 repentance means, and that, even though it be difficult and 
 exacting, it is not beyond human strength. And we under- 
 stand fully the words of the Psalmist, 
 
 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; 
 
 A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 
 
 Such a spirit and such a heart were Jacob's, and we know 
 that his sacrifice was acceptable to the Lord, and that his 
 repentance was true . and lasting. And we understand, too, 
 the words of the wise, old rabbi, "Who is a hero? He who 
 conquereth his own evil inclinations". 
 
 In thinking of Jacob's entire life, and of repentance and 
 all that it means, and how alone God's forgiveness can be 
 attained, we are reminded of a beautiful story, which used 
 to be told by the rabbis. A certain man, EHezer ben Dordeja 
 by name, had sinned greatly. Throughout his life he had 
 committed sins without number, nor even once, had felt the 
 slightest compunction or fear before God. But one day an 
 old woman said to him, "EHezer ben Dordeja, thy wicked- 
 ness is great, and thy sins are without number; never canst 
 thou find pardon or work atonement; thou art hopelessly 
 lost, and condemned by God to eternal punishment". With 
 that terror seized upon EHezer ben Dordeja. Suddenly he 
 realized the magnitude of his offense and his utter hopeless- 
 ness. Immediately the desire to sin left him completely, 
 and only the desire to atone remained. But how might he 
 atone; he understood nothing about this. In despair he fled 
 out into the wilderness. There he beheld the mountains 
 towering above him until their tops seemed to penetrate into 
 God's very heaven. He sank down at their feet and prayed, 
 "Ye mountains and hills, forgive my transgressions and seek 
 pardon for me from God". But the mountains sadly an- 
 swered, "Rather than seek pardon for thee must we implore 
 mercy for ourselves from the Creator". Then EHezer wrung 
 his hands, and in despair he raised his eyes aloft to heaven. 
 
Jacob and JSsau 277 
 
 "O ye heavens so high, the dwelling-place of God", he whis- 
 pered, "do you implore pardon for me". But the heavens, 
 too, answered, "Nay, for thee may we not implore pardon; 
 for ourselves must we seek God's favor". Then Eliezer 
 turned to the sun and moon. "Ye orbs of heaven, which 
 give light and blessing to men", he prayed, "seek pardon 
 for me of the Lord". But they, too, answered, "Nay, only 
 for ourselves alone may we seek pardon". Then Eliezer 
 understood, and to himself he said, "I know that each must 
 seek pardon for himself of God, the Creator of all. Per- 
 haps He, in His love, will still hearken to my prayer, sinner 
 though I am". So he sat down upon the ground, with head 
 bowed between his knees, and humbly he prayed to God. 
 Long he sat, with broken and contrite heart, never moving 
 nor stirring, but with thoughts turned ever to God and with 
 unutterable longing filling his heart. At last his soul passed 
 from his body. But even in that moment a voice was heard 
 from heaven above, resounding throughout the world, "Eli- 
 ezer ben Dordeja is reconciled to his God; his sins are for- 
 given, and he is called to eternal life with his Father in 
 heaven". Such is true repentance, and only so may God's 
 pardon be at last attained. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 XXXII, 4. This verse makes Esau dwell far to the south in the 
 land of Edom, the land of his traditional descendants, the Edomites. 
 The story would have been more dramatically complete and perfect, 
 had it told that Esau and Jacob dwelt together at home with their 
 father. But as was stated in the introductory chapter, actual historical 
 conditions forbade this. 
 
 V. 23. The Jabbok is a small stream which rises in the moun- 
 tains of Gilead, east of the Jordan, flows westward, and empties into 
 the Jordan. Its current is very swift. During the greater part of 
 its course it flows through a deep and narrow valley, with steep, 
 precipitous sides. It is therefore quite an undertaking to cross this 
 stream at any time. In this case this was all the more difficult, be- 
 cause Jacob had to transport his entire camp over the river, and 
 
278 
 
 The Book of Genesis 
 
 that at night. Peniel was apparently situated at or near this stream. 
 The exact site, however, is not known. 
 
 Vv. 31 f. are not an integral part of the story, but rather an 
 editorial note explaining the name of the place where the struggle 
 is supposed to have taken place. Peniel, "face of God". According 
 to the common belief in ancient Israel, no mortal could behold God's 
 face and live; cf. Exodus XXXIII, 20. Peniel (also called Penuel), 
 was one of the two towns east of the Jordan which was destroyed 
 by Gideon because it had refused to aid him in his pursuit of the 
 Midianites (Judges VIII, 8f. and 17). 
 
 V. 33. For the origin and meaning of this strange rite, cf. above, 
 p. 201. 
 
 XXXIII, 3. Bowing to the ground seven times shows the degree 
 of Jacob's humility before Esau. 
 
 V. 10. Ordinarily mortals might not look upon the face of a 
 deity (cf. XXXII, 31; Exodus XXXIII, 20). To be permitted to do 
 so was a mark of divine favor (cf. Exodus XXIV, 9-11) ; hence the 
 comparison here. 
 
 V. 17 is also an editorial note, inserted to account for the tradi- 
 tional origin of the name Succoth, "booths", the other town east 
 of the Jordan destroyed by Gideon (Judges VIII, 5-7, 14-16). 
 
 Jacob's Well as Seen Today 
 
Jacob and Esau 279 
 
 XXXIII, 18-XXXV, 5. As was stated in the introductory chapter, 
 this whole episode of Jacob at Shechem is hardly an integral part 
 of the Jacob story as prepared by the compilers. The tradition may 
 have some historical basis in an actual attack upon the important 
 and powerful Canaanite city of Shechem by the tribes of Simeon 
 and Levi, acting conjointly, in early prehistoric days. An echo of 
 this may be found in XLIX, 5-8. In its present form the whole 
 story is obscure and difficult. 
 
 XXXV, 4. This incident of the burial of the foreign idols is 
 likewise obscure. Tradition maintains that these idols were the 
 teraphim of Laban, which Rachel had stolen and kept until now. 
 This is, however, only a conjecture. Probably the verse means to 
 imply that the servants of Jacob had brought with them from their 
 home land their own household gods. Jacob now compels them to 
 give these up and accept the worship of the God of Israel. 
 
 Earrings were, and still are, worn in the Orient as amulets or 
 charms against evil. In ancient times they had ritual significance ; 
 cf. Judges VIII, 24-27. 
 
 V. 8. The mention here of Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, is a notable 
 anachronism. For she could have been with Jacob's camp only if she 
 had set out with him from his father's house twenty years before 
 (cf. XXIV, 59). But according to XXVIII, lOff. Jacob was entirely 
 alone upon this journey. There is undoubtedly confusion between 
 this tradition of the great tree near Bethel, sacred, or at least re- 
 nowned, because of its association with a certain Deborah, and the 
 tradition recorded in Judges IV, 5 of the sacred "palm-tree of 
 Deborah", also located near Bethel, so-called because Deborah, the 
 prophetess, was supposed to have sat beneath it, while revealing the 
 oracle to Israel. It is clear that, as was stated in the introduction, 
 this chapter, as well as the two preceding chapters, contains a brief 
 summary of various Jacob traditions, not a part of the main Jacob 
 story. 
 
 Vv. 9-15. These verses contain a late, artificial version of the 
 two incidents of Jacob at Bethel (XXVIII, 10-22) and of the change 
 of his name to Israel (XXXIII, 23-33). 
 
 V. 19. There is considerable confusion as to the exact location 
 of Rachel's tomb. Bethel is situated north of Jerusalem upon the 
 border line between Ephraim and Benjamin. Ephrath must be near 
 by. This is borne out by I Samuel I, 1, which calls Elkanah, who 
 
280 
 
 The Book of 
 
 
 Rachel's Tomb 
 
Jacob and Esau 
 
 came from Ramah, upon the western border of Ephraim, an Ephra- 
 thite. Likewise Jeremiah XXXI, 15 locates the grave of Rachel at 
 Ramah as does also I Samuel X, 2. This, however, accords but ill 
 with the statement of v. 19, that Ephrath was merely another name 
 for Bethlehem, an important city six miles south of Jerusalem, and 
 which would accordingly locate the burial-place of Rachel in the 
 vicinity of this town. The solution of this difficulty is that there 
 were probably in ancient Israel two places called Ephrath, one be- 
 tween Bethel and Ramah, and the other Bethlehem itself. The real 
 burial-place of Rachel was near the former place. V 19 therefore 
 records a mistaken tradition, due to confusing Bethlehem-Ephrath 
 (cf. Micah V, 1) with the more northern Ephrath. 
 
 V. 27. Mamre was the name of the grove near Hebron where 
 Abraham had dwelt (XIII, 18). This verse does not agree alto- 
 gether with previous passages, which represent Isaac as dwelling, not 
 at Mamre, but at Beer-sheba (XXVI, 23-33; XXVIII, 10). 
 
 XXXVI contains the genealogical table of the Edomites the tra- 
 ditional descendants of Esau, their various tribes and clans, and 
 tribal leaders. The chapter is probably inserted here because of the 
 natural interest of ancient Israel in Esau, the brother of Jacob, and in 
 the Edomites their remote kinsmen. 
 
 V. 31 is of particular historical and literary significance because 
 of its obvious reference to Saul, the first king of Israel. This 
 reference proves absolutely that this chapter at least could not have 
 been written by Moses, as tradition tells, but must have been com- 
 posed, at the very earliest, some time after the reign of Saul. 
 
282 The Book of Genesis 
 
 XX 
 
 JOSEPH THE DREAMER 
 
 (Genesis XXXVII) 
 
 I seek my brethren. (Genesis XXXVII, 16.) 
 
 Death and life are in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs XVIII, 
 21.) 
 
 Read Proverbs III, 1-7. 
 
 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue", the 
 wise Book of Proverbs says. It is told that Rabban Simon 
 ben Gamaliel once ordered his servant to bring from the 
 market the test thing to be found there. To the good rabbi's 
 surprise he brought a tongue. At another time the rabbi 
 commanded him to bring the worst thing the market could 
 offer. To his still greater surprise the servant again brought 
 a tongue. "How is this", the master asked; "when I bade 
 thee bring the best thing the market provided, thou didst 
 bring a tongue. And now that I have ordered the worst 
 thing, thou dost still bring a tongue?" "Good master", 
 answered the wise servant, "dost thou not know that a 
 tongue may be either the best or the worst thing in this 
 world accordingly as its owner uses it?" 
 
 How true this is! Our tongues are gifts from God, given 
 for blessing, to be used to further God's wise and good 
 purpose, for which, we believe, He has placed us all here 
 on earth. How much good can the tongue do, how much 
 happiness can it bring, when it speaks words of kindness, 
 love and truth ! And how much evil can it work, and how 
 much unhappiness can it cause, if it speaks words of false- 
 
Joseph the Dreamer 283 
 
 hood, anger, o* envy! Therefore the Bible says, "Death and 
 life are in the power of the tongue". And the rabbis taught 
 that though the tongue speaks in Rome, it can kill in Syria, 
 and the slanderous words it utters are like a coal which can 
 never be completely extinguished. And the Bible also says, 
 "Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy 
 people" (Leviticus XIX, 16). 
 
 Yet just this is what Joseph did. Even against his -own 
 brothers he brought evil tales unto his father. Possibly 
 they were true, and possibly they were exaggerated, for that 
 is generally the way with evil reports. Had Joseph been 
 inspired by sincere love for his brothers, and by the desire 
 to help them correct their faults, his motives might have 
 been commendable. But he seems merely to have delighted 
 in telling all the evil things about his brothers he could, and 
 in representing himself thereby as better than they. His 
 dreams, too, seem to have suggested the same idea to his 
 father and brothers, and most of all to himself, and for this 
 reason especially he seems to have taken delight in recount- 
 ing them. As yet none of them could have the least intima- 
 tion of all that the dreams really meant. His father chided 
 him for the assumption of authority implied in the dreams, 
 and his brothers hated him, and little wonder. For there is 
 no being more contemptible than a tale-bearer of this kind. 
 Joseph was far from a lovely character when we first make 
 his acquaintance. But we shall see how he, too, like his 
 father, Jacob, was chastened and purified by the sufferings 
 which his own misdeeds brought upon him, until at last he 
 became a noble man and a worthy servant of the Lord, 
 through whom God did a wonderful work. It has been 
 said, that the worth of a man depends upon his two smallest 
 organs, his heart and his tongue. The truth of this adage 
 is well exemplified in the story of Joseph. 
 
 Probably Joseph was not altogether to blame, or rather 
 he was not the only one to blame. In the first place, Jacob 
 
284 The Book of Genesis 
 
 himself was at fault for manifesting greater love for Joseph 
 than for his other sons, and for spoiling him as he did. 
 Partiality is always a form of injustice, and injustice is 
 always wrong and causes evil. We have seen this already 
 in Isaac's greater love for Esau and Rebekah's greater love 
 for Jacob. 
 
 And then, too, Joseph's brothers, it is clear, envied him 
 his father's greater love and his ease and comfort at home, 
 even though he was younger than they. Envy is always 
 wicked, and it, too, always brings evil and sorrow, no matter 
 what its cause. The rabbis told the following wise fable to 
 account for the awkward hop in the gait of the raven. 
 Originally he walked much more gracefully, yet not as 
 much so as he wished. He observed the graceful step of 
 the dove, and enviously tried to imitate it. But all in vain. 
 He succeeded only in toppling over repeatedly and almost 
 breaking his bones. And in consequence he made himself 
 ridiculous in the eyes of the other birds. Then, realizing 
 that all his efforts were useless, he decided to resume his 
 former gait. But to his surprise and distress, he found that 
 in his envious efforts to be something else, he had unlearned 
 even how to walk. And ever since then he has had to hop 
 along in his own awkward, graceless manner, despised and 
 ridiculed by birds and men. Such is the evil and folly of 
 envy and covetousness. Therefore our Bible says, as the 
 last of the great Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt not 
 covet". The truly great are those who can overcome envy 
 and covetousness, and rejoice in the success and happiness 
 of others. 
 
 The rabbis used likewise to tell this story. When the 
 word of the Lord came to Moses, "Get thee up unto the 
 mountain, for there thou must die; henceforth Joshua shall 
 lead My people", Moses prayed, "O let me live and be the 
 servant of Joshua, even as he was my servant ; only let me 
 cross the river with him and come to the Promised Land". 
 
Joseph the Dreamer 285 
 
 .And God answered, "So be it as them hast asked". Then 
 the two men went to the tabernacle, and the cloud of God 
 descended and separated them. When it rose again, Moses 
 said, "J osnua > ni Y master, what word did the Lord reveal 
 to thee?" But Joshua answered, "Didst thou not hear it 
 thyself? How strange; for whenever the Lord spoke to 
 thee, I, too, heard His word and understood His bidding". 
 Then Moses bowed his head, and his face reddened with 
 shame, as envy whispered thoughts of evil. But only for a 
 moment. Quickly he fell upon his face and cried, "O Lord, 
 rather a hundred deaths than one thought of envy". Then 
 Moses ascended the mountain and entered a cave and lay 
 down upon the rocky floor. And the Lord came, and with 
 a gentle kiss freed Moses' soul from his body and took it 
 once more unto Himself, the true Promised Land, the goal 
 of all life. Thus did Moses overcome envy. 
 
 We may be sure that Jacob suffered greatly in thus being 
 compelled to witness the lack of love and brotherly feeling 
 among his children. Perhaps he was reminded thereby of 
 his own early treatment of his brother, Esau, and perhaps, 
 too, he may have felt that he deserved this unhappiness as a 
 further punishment for his youthful sin. We feel deeply 
 for the old man in his sorrow. The picture of Jacob's grief, 
 when his sons bring him Joseph's blood-stained coat, is 
 pathetic indeed In fact, the entire story of Joseph is an- 
 other masterpiece of the story-teller's art. 
 
 It begins with a rather foreboding picture, a father, old, 
 doting, and partial, deceived in heartless manner by his own 
 sons, and subjected to the deepest sorrow; the sons envious, 
 deceitful and cruel beyond measure ; and the one lad a tale- 
 bearer, and supercilious and arrogant toward his older 
 brothers. But it is only the beginning of the story, and 
 serves but to whet the interest. Already this opening chap- 
 ter hints that things will gradually, under God's wise and 
 loving guidance, right themselves. Joseph's dreams point 
 
286 The Book of Genesis 
 
 to a satisfactory outcome to the story. Above all, the words 
 of Joseph to the stranger, "I seek my brethren", contain a 
 world of meaning. For, as we shall see, they foreshadow 
 his entire future life; his brothers will he indeed seek in 
 the land of his bondage and glory, and their salvation will 
 he work after he shall have himself become purified. And 
 not this alone, but they also, will seek him, after their na- 
 tures, too, shall have been purified and ennobled. Best of 
 all, once more the aged father will be reunited with his 
 darling son, and supreme joy will succeed to deepest sor- 
 row. And throughout the story we shall see God's provi- 
 dence and divine purpose running, like a thread of gold 
 through a web of silver, and God somehow, in a way which 
 we can not fully comprehend, but still can realize and be- 
 lieve in, out of all the evil of Joseph and his brothers, at 
 last bringing greater good for them and all about them, 
 keeping alive may people, and enabling Joseph to fulfill the 
 birthright of Israel, to be a blessing unto mankind. 
 
 We have already seen that the Jacob story is a unit of 
 thought and narration, cast in dramatic form, and animated 
 by one single, central theme. To a much more pronounced 
 and perceptible degree is this the case with the Joseph story. 
 When we omit such extraneous passages as the genealogical 
 table in XLVI, 8-27, which, a moment's consideration will 
 show, could not have been a part of the original narrative, 
 but which was clearly inserted by some late writer or editor, 
 the dramatic unity becomes immediately apparent. Like the 
 Jacob story, the Joseph story, too, could very easily be cast 
 into perfect dramatic form. It mjight be arranged thus : 
 
 Act I Joseph the boy and his relations with his 
 brothers. 
 
 Act II Joseph in Potiphar's house. 
 
 Act III Joseph in prison. 
 
 Act IV Joseph the viceroy, and his first meeting with 
 his brothers. 
 
Joseph the Dreamer 287 
 
 Act V Joseph's second meeting with his brothers and 
 the reunion of the family. 
 
 Not only may the story be easily cast into dramatic form, 
 but the dramatic note pervades the entire narrative. The 
 dreams of Joseph's boyhood but foreshadow the actual rela- 
 tions which are later to obtain between him and his brothers. 
 Similarly the casting of Joseph into the pit by his brothers 
 is dramatically reversed when Joseph puts one of his brothers 
 into prison as hostage for the return of the other brothers, 
 including the youngest. Likewise there is dramatic paral- 
 lelism, vaguely felt by the old, grief-stricken father, but 
 more clearly perceived by the remorseful brothers, who 
 knew somewhat of Joseph's fate, between Joseph's going 
 down to Egypt as a slave, doomed apparently to a life of 
 hopeless toil and suffering, and Benjamin's coming to the 
 same country, and, because of the pitcher being found in his 
 sack, being doomed seemingly to the same fate. They had 
 deliberately sold Joseph as' a slave; and now when they 
 would save Benjamin from this very fate, they are power- 
 less. Dramatically, too, is their consciousness of guilt de- 
 picted, when Simeon is cast into prison, and they feel it to 
 be but the just punishment for the wrong they had done to 
 Joseph (XLII, 19-24). And equally dramatic is the scene 
 where the brothers converse openly before Joseph, and 
 reveal their innermost thoughts, and acknowledge their guilt 
 and express their remorse for their crime, unaware that 
 Joseph understands their every word. 
 
 Above all, the tragic pathos of the scene where Judah 
 seeps forth before the mighty, and seemingly implacable 
 Egyptian lord, and offers himself for the lad Benjamin, in 
 order that the latter might be saved from slavery, and their 
 father might be spared the killing grief of the additional 
 loss of his youngest son, is unsurpassed, not only in the 
 Bible, but in all literature. It, too, constitutes a dramatic 
 reversal of an earlier situation. The brothers had sold 
 
288 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Joseph as a slave almost without hesitation, and with only 
 two of them willing to speak a mild word on his behalf, 
 and with no thought of the grief they must thereby cause 
 their aged father. Now one of them is ready to yield him- 
 self to the awful lot of Egyptian slavery, in order that the 
 other brother might be saved from the very fate of Joseph, 
 and that their father might be spared the renewal of his 
 grief. 
 
 It were futile to attempt to record all the points of artistic 
 excellence of the Joseph story. Suffice it to say as a piece 
 of narrative and dramatic art it stands in the forefront of 
 the world's literature. It is not without significance that 
 whenever one of the stories of the Bible is selected for 
 narration, it is almost invariably this story of Joseph. This 
 is due entirely to the realization, largely unconscious, of its 
 surpassing merit as a piece of narrative literature. 
 
 But this very fact raises the question of the historical 
 truth of the story. And the answer, established by science, 
 is that the story is a noble and beautiful romance through 
 and through, with very little historical basis. We know 
 from Egyptian monuments that there dwelt in ancient Pal- 
 estine, before the entrance of the tribes of Israel into the 
 land, a small clan or tribe, which was called Joseph-el. 
 Joseph may very well be a contraction of this name. This 
 tribe may have continued tof dwell in Palestine until the 
 advent of the great body of the tribes of Israel, and may 
 have become incorporated with them, and thus the name 
 Joseph may have become current in Israel. But there is not 
 the least corroborative evidence that there was ever an 
 actual man Joseph, who played the role of the hero of the 
 story. 
 
 On the .other hand, documents found in Egypt tell of a 
 certain man named Yanhamu, who held a position in Egyptian 
 political li'fe under Amenophis IV (1375-1358, B. C.), 
 somewhat similar to that which Joseph holds in the story. 
 
Joseph the Dreamer 289 
 
 lie was governor of YarimuUi, presumably a grain-producing 
 district in the eastern part of the Nile Delta, and he proba- 
 bly supervised the gathering of the grain for the national 
 food supply. The name is Semitic, and probably indicates 
 that the man was a Semite, although not necessarily, nor 
 even probably, an Israelite. He differed from Joseph in 
 that he seems to have employed the powers of his office 
 and his great influence with the king unjustly, oppressively, 
 and for his own advantage. It is not at all improbable, 
 however, that the position which this man held suggested a 
 portion of the plot to the authors of the Joseph story. They 
 seem to have been well acquainted with Egyptian life and 
 manners (cf. XLIII, 32, and the pure Egyptian names, 
 Potiphar, Zaphenath-paneali, Asenafh and Poti-phera) and 
 literature, and may therefore have drawn upon Egyptian his- 
 tory for the original of the figure of their hero. 
 
 Certainly the episode of Potiphar's wife is borrowed 
 directly from Egyptian literature. There is a well-known 
 Egyptian tale, found upon an ancient papyrus, which tells of 
 two brothers who dwelt together, the older married and the 
 younger single. One day the older brother sent the younger 
 brother from the field where they were plowing, to bring 
 some seed. When the younger brother came to the house, 
 he found his brother's wife combing her hair. He took two 
 large measures of seed and prepared to depart. However, 
 when the woman beheld his beauty and strength, her heart 
 became inflamed with love for him. But he rejected her 
 advances indignantly and bitterly rebuked her. But he said 
 nothing to his brother of what had happened. The woman, 
 however, feared exceedingly. Therefore she anointed her- 
 self with fat, and made herself like one to whom an evil- 
 doer had offered violence. When the older brother returned 
 home in the evening, his wife did not receive him as usual. 
 Instead she lay stretched out upon the bed, as if injured. 
 When he asked her the cause, she answered, "No one has 
 
290 The Book of Genesis 
 
 had to do with me except thy little brother, since when he 
 came to take the seed corn for thee, he found me sitting 
 alone, and said to me, 'Come, let us make merry an hour 
 and repose ! Let down thy hair !' Thus he spake to me, 
 but I did not listen to him (but said), 'See, am I not thy 
 mother, and is not thy elder brother like a father to thee?' 
 Thus I spoke to> him, but he did not hearken to my speech, 
 and used force with me, that I might not tell thee. Now 
 if thou allowest him to live, I will kill myself". (Translation 
 of Brugsch, The True Story of the Exodus, 134-136). At 
 these words the younger brother fled, pursued by the older 
 brother. His subsequent fortunes do not concern us. The 
 resemblance of this story to the episode of Potiphar's wife 
 is so striking, that the conclusion is unavoidable that the 
 latter is borrowed from the former. And if so, then there 
 can be no further doubt that the entire Joseph story has 
 little basis in historical fact, or is aught else than a pure 
 romance, a beautiful and artistic piece of dramatic literature. 
 But again we must come to the same conclusion, to which 
 we came with regard to the creation and flood stories, which, 
 as we learned, were borrowed from Babylonian myths. The 
 authors did not borrow idly, nor merely to give dramatic 
 expression to some idea or plot in their minds. The Joseph 
 story, too, is but the means by which they gave concrete 
 expression to a fundamental teaching of Judaism. This is 
 summed up in the significant words of Joseph to his brothers, 
 when, after their father's death they fear that he will avenge 
 himself upon them, "Ye meant evil against me, but God 
 meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save 
 much people alive" (L, 20). Joseph's brothers had wronged 
 him and had sold him into slavery. Yet through God's provi- 
 dence he arose to an exalted station, and became the sole 
 means whereby both Egypt and Israel were kept alive. Thus, 
 out of the brothers' evil, under God's providence, great good 
 resulted. 
 
Joseph the Dreamer 291 
 
 So it is, these authors would tell us, in all life. God has 
 endowed man with freewill, with the power to choose be- 
 tween good and evil. But the evil which men do is not 
 eternal. Somehow, in ways which we can not comprehend, 
 but the evidences of which we can see in all life and history, 
 and particularly in Israel's history, God changes the evil 
 which men and nations do into good. Even as the beautiful 
 rose blossoms forth from out the dirt and dung, in accord- 
 ance with God's law, so, likewise in accordance with God's 
 law, out of men's evil deeds greater good and blessing must 
 in time spring forth for later generations. Men may mean 
 it for evil, but God means it for good. God has not merely 
 created the world and set it going, and since then sits back 
 in passive idleness ; God is still in the world, guiding the des- 
 tinies of men and nations aright in accordance with His wise 
 and beneficent laws, changing evil to good, and bringing man- 
 kind steadily forward upon the path of truth and progress, 
 which leads to the goal of human existence which He has 
 appointed. 
 
 This is the teaching of Judaism, and this is the message 
 of the Joseph story, the central theme which animates it 
 and gives it unity and purpose, and of which it is the con- 
 crete and convincing illustration. It gives the answer to the 
 question which the analysis of the opening chapters of Gen- 
 esis must have raised in thinking minds. If God has cre- 
 ated everything for good, and if He has endowed man with 
 freewill, whereby man can work good or evil as he chooses, 
 what becomes, of the evil which man may do, and how does 
 it accord with God's purpose of good? The Joseph story 
 gives the answer; men may do evil if they choose; but 
 somehow, out of this very evil God in His own time brings 
 greater good for all mankind. Thus the Joseph story rounds 
 out, as it were, the thought of the Book of Genesis, and 
 constitutes a most fitting conclusion for this introductory 
 book of the Pentateuch and of the Bible. 
 
292 The Book of Genesis 
 
 In presenting the Joseph story, the teacher should keep constantly 
 in mind the fact of its essential unity. The various episodes should he 
 presented, not as separate stories, nor as loosely connected incidents 
 in the life of one man, but as integral and indispensable parts of a 
 great drama. And even while bringing out various worthy thoughts 
 in connection with the successive phases of the story, such as these 
 of the evil of tale-bearing and of envy and partiality, the teacher 
 must never lose sight of the main thought, nor miss any opportunity 
 to make the children anticipate it, and feel with full conviction its 
 great, universal significance. If it be possible by means of this 
 Joseph story to familiarize the children with the thought that God 
 actively controls His universe for good, and that His providence 
 constantly watches over us, to guide us aright, and to always bring 
 good out of evil, and if this thought can be made to develop into 
 firm, unshakable conviction, a lasting foundation will have been laid 
 for real Jewish faith and life. This is the ultimate goal of all 
 Jewish religious education. The proper, constructive presentation 
 of the complete Joseph story therefore serves well to round out this 
 first stage of the work of the Jewish religious school. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 V. 2. It is not clear why Leah's name is omitted here. 
 
 V. 3. What is generally translated "a coat of many colors", was 
 really a coat with long, hanging sleeves, such as is commonly worn 
 by persons of importance in the Orient. It prevents its wearer from 
 hard, manual labor, 'and is therefore indicative of rank. That Joseph 
 should wear such a coat implies that he was free of the hard labors 
 of his brothers, and also that he was of higher rank than they. 
 Therefore this coat was their chief source of vexation. 
 
 V. 10. The mention here of Joseph's mother is strange indeed. 
 Possibly it may refer to Leah as Jacob's chief wife, now that Rachel 
 was dead. However, there is an additional difficulty in this connec- 
 tion. XXX, 25 implies that Rachel gave birth to Joseph at the . end 
 of the first fourteen years of Jacob's sojourn with Laban. According 
 to XXXV, 18, Benjamin was born on the return to Canaan, six years 
 later. But in the Joseph story proper, although Joseph is a full- 
 grown man, and has been viceroy of Egypt already during the seven 
 years of plenty and the first two years of famine, and had also been 
 in prison for over two years, and had been a slave in Potiphar's 
 house for some time before that, in other words, had been in Egypt 
 for at least eleven or twelve years, Benjamin is still a mere lad 
 
Joseph the Dreamer 
 
 293 
 
 when he comes down to Egypt with his brothers. (According to 
 XXXVII, 2 and *XLI, 46 twenty-two years must have elapsed between 
 the sale of Joseph as a slave and Benjamin's coming to Egypt; for if 
 Joseph was thirty years old at the beginning of the seven years of 
 plenty, he must have been thirty-eight or thirty-nine when Benjamin 
 stood before him. In all likelihood, however, these verses, too, are 
 not a part of the original narrative.) This would imply that, since 
 Benjamin is still a lad when he comes to Egypt, he was not yet'born 
 when Joseph was sold as a slave, and therefore that his mother was 
 still alive at this time, just as the language of the verse indicates. 
 It would seem, therefore, that there were two traditions in ancient 
 Israel in regard to the birth, of Benjamin. The one told that he was 
 born on the homeward journey to Canaan, and that his mother died 
 at the birth and was buried on the way. And the other told that 
 he was born some time after they had returned and settled in Canaan, 
 and even after Joseph had been sold as a slave. According to this 
 second tradition he was indeed a "son of Jacob's old age" (XLIV, 
 20). 
 
 Vv. 12 and 17. It may be well to show on the map the location 
 
 The Well at Dothan 
 
294 
 
 The Book of Genesis 
 
 A Caravan of Ishmaelites 
 
 of Shechem and Dothan. Point out, too, how the great highroad of 
 antiquity, which led down to Egypt, passed near Dothan. The 
 caravan to which Joseph was sold, was probably passing along this 
 very highroad, bringing its goods down to Egypt. 
 
 V. 14. The mention of Hebron here is disturbing. Hebron lies 
 on a straight line fully forty-five to fifty miles from Shechem. The 
 intervening country is mountainous, and travel, even under the most 
 favorable conditions is difficult. It is impossible therefore, on the 
 one hand, that the sons of Jacob should have driven their flocks from 
 Hebron to Shechem, and then on to Dothan, some fifteen miles 
 further, and on the other hand, that Jacob should have sent Joseph, 
 while still a lad, all this distance to ascertain his brothers' welfare. 
 It is clear that the words, "out of the vale of Hebron", in their 
 Hebrew equivalent, were not a part of the original narrative, but 
 were inserted to harmonize this story with XXXV, 27, which tells 
 that Jacob came (finally to his father's house at Hebron. Omitting 
 these words, we get the impression that this entire incident happened 
 
Joseph the Dreamer 295 
 
 while Jacob still dwelt at Shechem (cf. XXXIII, 18-20). We can 
 readily understand that the sons of Jacob might well pasture their 
 flocks from Shechem as far as Dothan, and that Jacob might well 
 send the young Joseph in search of them. This is borne out by the 
 further fact that Joseph was finally buried at Shechem (Joshua 
 XXIV, 32), for this implies that Shechem and not Hebron, was 
 Joseph's original home. 
 
 Vv. 28a and 36, which call the merchants of the caravan Midian- 
 ites instead of Ishmaelites, are a small fragment of a second version 
 of the Joseph story, which was at one time current in ancient Israel. 
 Notice that XXXIX, 1 repeats what has been already told in 
 XXXVII, 36. 
 
 V. 34. Rending the garments and wearing sack-cloth were from 
 the most ancient times the regular signs of mourning in the Orient. 
 
 XXXVIII. This story of Judah is not a part of the Joseph story 
 at all, but is a fragment preserved from an older work, and was 
 inserted in this place by some late writer or editor. XXXIX, 1 is 
 the direct continuation of XXXVII, 35. According to XXXVIII 
 Judah was dwelling apart from his brothers in the vicinity of Adullam 
 in southern Palestine, while according to XLIII, 3ff. he seems to 
 have been dwelling with his brothers. The chapter is of particular 
 interest because of its account of the birth of Perez, according to 
 Ruth IV, 12 and 18, one of the ancestors of King David. 
 
296 The Book of Genesis 
 
 XXI 
 
 JOSEPH IN EGYPT 
 (Genesis XXXIX-XLI) 
 
 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. 
 (Genesis XXXIX, 2.) 
 
 Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, 
 
 And lean not upon thine own understanding. 
 
 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, 
 
 And He will direct thy paths. (Proverbs III, 5-6). 
 
 Read Proverbs III, 1-8. 
 
 Thus Joseph came down to Egypt and was sold as a 
 slave to Potiphar. His future seemed black indeed. Yet 
 God had not forsaken him; and with God, as we have 
 learned, everything is possible. As the Bible says, "The Lord 
 was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man". God was 
 with Joseph, because He had in mind a great work to be 
 done through him. Joseph was to be the agent through 
 whom God worked His wise purpose ; but like his father 
 Jacob in his youth, he had first to be purified, to be made 
 fit for God's service. His inclination toward selfishness had 
 first to be purged from his soul. But Joseph seems to have 
 been naturally of a kindly and lovable nature. As a child 
 he had probably been spoiled by his indulgent father, while 
 his brothers, too, had not exerted a helpful influence upon 
 him. But at heart he was sound and good; hence the task 
 of purification was easy for him, when compared with Jacob. 
 
 Joseph had yielded to the temptation of selfishness in his 
 relations with his brothers, to the desire to have more of the 
 love of his father and more of power and authority than 
 
Joseph in Egypt 297 
 
 were rightfully his. So now God tried him by a like temp- 
 tation. In the house of his master, everything was entirely 
 in his charge ; he might do with everything what he wished, 
 save one thing, which belonged to his master alone. It 
 matters not what that one thing was. It suffices to know 
 that, as the rabbis told, ofttimes Joseph was tempted to 
 take it for his own. No one would have known the differ- 
 ence, not even his master. The battle was hard and long. 
 As Joseph went about his tasks, the thing constantly enticed 
 him, "Come and take me for your own; no one will be the 
 wiser; why not be happy while you may?" Often Joseph 
 stretched out his hand; but always something held him 
 back. Now it was the image of his old father. And 
 with it came the thought, "O my beloved father, should 
 I do this wicked thing, how might I ever again look upon 
 thy face? How wouldst thou be shamed, didst thou know 
 that thy son had yielded to this temptation. Perhaps God 
 may still, in His infinite love, bring me back to thee. But 
 never will He do so, if I yield to this sin". Again it was 
 the thought of the birthright of Abraham which had in 
 some way descended from Jacob to him. "How can I be- 
 come a blessing unto all the families of the earth", he 
 thought, "if I begin by wronging one single man, and he 
 my kind master? No; I can be worthy of this precious 
 birthright only by remaining pure, and by doing good to 
 my master, even as he has done good to me. He has 
 trusted me, and put everything in my hands except this one 
 thing, and I must be faithful". With thoughts like these 
 Joseph resisted temptation. The more he resisted and the 
 oftener he put temptation from him, the stronger he be- 
 came, and the easier it was to conquer, until at last the desire 
 to sin left him completely. Then his natural instincts of 
 goodness and love began to assert themselves openly, and he 
 became ready and fit to live in accordance with the birth- 
 right of Abraham. 
 
298 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Temptation comes to everyone, young and old. It comes 
 in countless ways, for the allurements of sin are many. 
 There may be some who are never tempted to do wrong. 
 Outwardly they do seem good, and we have no right to say 
 that they are not. Yet for all we know, when temptation 
 does come, they may yield without a struggle. The truly 
 good is he who has fought and conquered. He is tried and 
 tested; no matter what comes, we know that, like Joseph, 
 he will resist temptation and always do the right. Tempta- 
 tion is a trial which we must all undergo, to determine 
 whether we are really pure at heart and strong and fit to do 
 God's work. An automobile must be tested before it leaves 
 the shop, a cannon before it is put to actual use, a battle- 
 ship, before the government will accept it. But even more 
 does God test His creature and His servant, man, to deter- 
 mine whether he is strong to do the great work of useful- 
 ness and blessing for which God has created him. So, as 
 we have learned, God tested Abraham and Jacob ; so now 
 he tested Joseph; and so, in His own wise way, He tests all 
 of us. 
 
 In this battle against temptation God has given us many 
 powerful allies. There are our parents, who guide us while 
 young, and help us to grow strong and to form right habits, 
 which will enable us to conquer more easily. When temp- 
 tation comes, the thought of them, and the shame and sorrow 
 they must suffer, did we yield, and the poor return we thus 
 make for all their care and love and faith in us, the thought, 
 too, that we can never again look them squarely in the eye, 
 nor meet their look of loving trust with answering look, may 
 well restrain us, also, and strengthen us to resist. 
 
 Then, too, the thought of our glorious birthright, which 
 we must forfeit if we yield to sin, should strengthen us, as 
 it did Joseph, Surely we can never become blessings to 
 mankind, if we sin against a single person. We can live true 
 to our birthright only when we use every gift of God rightly. 
 
Joseph in Egypt 299 
 
 Ofttimes we hear people say, "Why should not we Jews do 
 what other people do? Why must we always strive to be 
 better and hold ourselves aloof from pleasures which other 
 people enjoy?" They do not understand, or are too weak 
 to resist temptation. As we have learned, we Jews may 
 not do all that others do ; we must be better because of our 
 birthright ; because we can be a blessing only by being bet- 
 ter, and resisting temptation more steadfastly, and, by our 
 teaching, our example, and our help, bringing others to be- 
 come like ourselves, pure, noble and good. We must strive 
 to be better in every way, that thereby we may uphold the 
 standard of truth and right which God has placed in our 
 hands. The Jew who yields to temptation, or will not strive 
 to live better than all around him, is unworthy the name 
 Jew and the eternal birthright of Abraham, our father. 
 Surely the realization of all this should help us to resist temp- 
 tation and to fit ourselves to do God's work. 
 
 But though Joseph bravely resisted temptation, none the 
 less he was falsely accused of having done the very thing 
 he had not done. In consequence he was thrown into prison, 
 where he remained for several years. But even here God 
 did not forsake him. Probably this, too, was a part of his 
 trial. And here, too, Joseph stood the test nobly. He was 
 cheered by the thought that he had been innocent of the 
 crime of which he had been charged, and was confident that 
 in due time his innocence would become clear.- Therefore, 
 instead of complaining at his sad lot and despairing of God's 
 help, he made the best of things. He endeavored to be 
 useful even in prison. Thus he found favor with the gov- 
 ernor of the prison and all who were there, even his fellow- 
 prisoners. Day by day their trust in Joseph grew, and they 
 found pleasure and comfort in his cheerful presence. Even 
 in prison he was discharging his birthright and bringing 
 blessing to those about him. 
 
 We need not wait to attain high position to begin our 
 
300 The Book of Genesis 
 
 task of diffusing blessing. The very humblest can work 
 blessing of some kind, if only he have the will and the un- 
 selfish disposition. The rabbis used to tell of a wise man 
 who one day met the prophet Elijah in the market place. 
 Full of curiosity, he asked the prophet who of all the busy 
 crowd would enjoy 'future life. "None", answered the 
 prophet slowly. "What!" said the sage, "of all this crowd 
 not one?" Just then two men entered the market place. 
 They seemed poor, and no one noticed them or greeted them. 
 "These two will enjoy future life", said the prophet. The 
 wise man went to them and reverently asked, "Tell me what 
 is your business, and what are your virtues, and what your 
 deeds?" "Virtues? deeds?" they asked, perplexed. "We 
 have none of these. We are poor men and live by our 
 hands alone. Our only merit is that we have merry hearts. 
 When we meet one who is sad, we strive to cheer him. And 
 when we learn of two who are enemies, we seek to make 
 peace between them. Thus we labor to do the will of our 
 Father in heaven". In this way we may all work blessing. 
 So even in prison God was with Joseph and he prospered, 
 and did his work, as always, as best he could. As a slave 
 in Potiphar's house he had been faithful to his duties ; now 
 as a lowly prisoner he still did his work well. And all this 
 fitted him for the far greater work which God meant him 
 to do very soon. It reminds us of the wise saying of the 
 Bible, 
 
 Whatsoever thy hand attaineth to do by thy strength, that do. 
 (Ecclesiastes IX, 10.) 
 
 and the modern proverb with much the same meaning, 
 "Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well". Whatever 
 we do now is training for something bigger and better to- 
 morrow. So it was with Joseph, and so it is. with us. 
 
 Therefore all who came to know Joseph trusted him. It 
 is a wonderful thing to win the trust and confidence of peo- 
 
Joseph in Egypt 301 
 
 pic. The man who can do this will surely attain success 
 and honor. People may say of him, as the Bible says of 
 Joseph, "God is with him". And God will be with him. As 
 we have learned already, 
 
 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, 
 
 To all that call upon Him in truth. (Psalm CXLV, 18.) 
 
 Such a person does by his actions call upon God to be with 
 him. We can all win trust and confidence in a very simple 
 way, merely by deserving it, by being truthful and upright, 
 by keeping our word always, and never taking advantage of 
 others. And then God will be with us. This was the real 
 secret of Joseph's success. 
 
 Because they trusted in him both the butler and the baker 
 told Joseph their dreams. In those days people thought, as 
 some do still today, that dreams really foretell the future. 
 Therefore there were professional interpreters of dreams. 
 But because they trusted Joseph so completely, they asked 
 him to interpret their dreams. But Joseph set them right 
 with an answer full of wonderful meaning. "Do not inter- 
 pretations belong to God?" "I can not interpret your dreams 
 myself. Everything comes from God with some purpose of 
 good". He felt all the truth of the wise saying of the Book 
 of Proverbs : 
 
 Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, 
 
 And lean not upon thine own understanding. 
 
 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, 
 
 And He will direct thy paths. 
 
 And when he stood before the mighty king, on the very 
 threshold of success and glory, still he answered, "Not I can 
 interpret your dreams, but God alone. What God is about 
 to do, He hath declared unto Pharaoh, in order to fulfil 
 His divine purpose". 
 
 This thought of God's help and protection, and that 
 everything comes from Him, reminds us of a charming 
 
302 The Book of Genesis 
 
 story of the rabbis. Once there were in a city two blind men, 
 who used to beg for bread. One had the habit of saying, 
 "He is helped whom the king helps". But the other would 
 gently correct him, "He is helped whom the Lord helpeth". 
 One day the king himself passed by and heard the words of 
 the two blind men. When he reached his palace he ordered 
 that a loaf of bread be filled with gold pieces and be sent 
 to the blind man who had said, "He is helped whom the 
 king helps". Imagine the blind man's surprise when he 
 found that help had indeed come from the king. But when 
 the package was opened, surprise gave way to disappoint- 
 ment; the king's help was only a loaf of bread, and so heavy 
 that it seemed hardly fit to eat. In his disappointment he 
 sold it to the other blind man for a few pennies, and then 
 continued his begging. The second blind man took the loaf 
 home. Heavy as it was, his poor family would still be glad 
 to eat it, and would be thankful for the help God had sent. 
 But when the loaf was cut, out rolled so many pieces of 
 gold, that the blind man became rich and needed no longer 
 beg for bread. Thereafter the first blind man continued to 
 beg alone. One day the king passed by again, and to his 
 surprise found the beggar still there. "How is this?" he 
 exclaimed. "Did I not send thee a loaf of bread some time 
 ago?" "Yes, your majesty", answered the beggar, "but it 
 was so heavy, I thought it unfit to eat, so I sold it to my 
 companion for a few pennies". "Fool that thou art", said 
 the king, "the loaf was filled with gold pieces, wherewith I 
 thought to help thee, since thou didst say, 'He is helped 
 whom the king helps'. Thy companion was wiser than either 
 thou or I. Truly he alone is helped whom the Lord helpeth". 
 Therefore, 
 
 Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, 
 
 And lean not upon thine own understanding. 
 
 One little thing in particular shows the change which had 
 
Joseph in Egypt 303 
 
 come over Joseph. As a boy at home he had been quick to 
 carry to his father tales of his brothers' evil conduct. But 
 now when he tells his story to the chief butler, he merely 
 protests that he is innocent of wrongdoing. There is not a 
 word of condemnation of his brothers or of Potiphar's wife. 
 He seeks now not to incriminate others, although he could 
 do so truthfully, but merely to establish his own innocence. 
 It would seem that misfortune and experience, cooperating 
 with his naturally gentle disposition, had taught him to think 
 as well and as kindly of others as possible, rather than to 
 think ill, as he had done as a boy. Possibly, too, he realized 
 how greatly his conduct must have irritated his brothers, and 
 that, without this, they would not have treated him as they 
 did. 
 
 This is indeed a lesson which we might all learn with 
 great profit to ourselves, and for the blessing and happiness 
 of our fellowmen. We are all too prone to think evil of 
 others, and to lay upon them as far as we can, the blame 
 for our own misdeeds, sufferings, and failures. It is only 
 the honest and strong man who is ever ready to examine 
 his own actions carefully, and to acknowledge his short- 
 comings, assume his share of responsibility for wrongdoing, 
 and forgive and forget wrongs which have been done to 
 him. Yet if we would all do this, how much better and 
 happier a place to live in would this world be; and how 
 much happier and more beloved would we ourselves be, did 
 we try to think good instead of evil of our neighbors, even 
 though they may have wronged us somewhat. 
 
 So Joseph learned by bitter experience to think and to 
 act. It shows more clearly than anything else, how com- 
 pletely he had changed, and how he had been purified of his 
 sin, and strengthened and ennobled and made fit to do the 
 great work, for which God had called him, and had brought 
 him down to Egypt. In all his misfortunes we can readily 
 see God's hand at work preparing Joseph for the great and 
 
304 The Book of Genesis 
 
 useful task which awaited him. What that was, and how 
 Joseph performed it, and the great blessing he wrought, and 
 how he lived true to the birthright of Abraham, we shall 
 now see. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 The story of Potpihar's wife can not, of course, be told directly 
 to children. Yet it is such an integral part of the Joseph story, 
 that it may not be omitted entirely. The teacher must refer to the 
 incident with infinite caution and tact, in order to preclude awkward 
 questions. Perhaps, unless she has sufficient confidence in her 
 ability to handle this delicate story properly and constructively, it 
 will be better to dismiss it with the simple statement that Joseph 
 was falsely accused of a grave crime, and was therefore cast into 
 prison, and then proceed to develop the thought of God's help, as 
 set forth in the second half of the lesson. But if the teacher have 
 sufficient conlfidence in her ability, and every good teacher should 
 have this, then the opportunity to present the thoughts of resistance 
 to temptation and of the privilege of Israel's birthright should not 
 be allowed to pass. Here the teacher must exercise her individual 
 judgment. 
 
 XL, 3. Evidently this captain of the guard was not the same 
 person as Potiphar, Joseph's former master, cf. XXXIX, 1. 
 
 V. 20. The birthday of the king was, and still is today, frequently 
 celebrated as a national holiday, upon which the king manifests his 
 pleasure and goodwill by bestowing rewards and honors upon de- 
 serving subjects. 
 
 XLI, 1. "The river" is, of course, the Nile, from which all Egypt 
 still today as in ancient times, derives its chief sustenance. 
 
 V. 6. In Egypt the east wind, blowing in the summer from the 
 burning Arabian Desert, becomes at times almost unbearable for 
 men, while the crops are occasionally blasted by its awful heat. 
 
 V. 7. If the question be asked, how can ears of corn swallow 
 other ears, or, for that matter, how can sheaves in the field, or the 
 sun, moon and stars stand up and bow down before a man, the simple 
 answer should be that often dreams are unreal and fantastic, and 
 these are probably such. 
 
 Vv. 8ff. The contrast between the magicians and professional 
 interpreters of dreams, who rely solely upon their own powers, and 
 Joseph, who is not a professional interpreter of dreams, and ascribes 
 everything to God, yet succeeds where they fail, might be profitably 
 
Joseph in Egypt 
 
 305 
 
 dwelt upon by the teacher. The magicians were an established insti- 
 tution in ancient Egypt, and are frequently referred to in Egyptian 
 literature; cf. also Exodus VII, llff.; Daniel II, 2ff. 
 
 Egyptian Barbers 
 
 V. 14. . The Egyptians were accustomed to shave their heads 
 completely. Joseph appears before them in the regular Egyptian garb. 
 
 Rings and Signets 
 
 Vv. 42f. With these insignia of the high office to which Joseph 
 is raised cf. the similar scene in Esther VIII. 
 
 The Princes of Egypt in Their Chariots, etc. 
 
306 
 
 The Book of Genesis 
 
 V. 43. Abrech is in all likelihood a Hebrew, or at least a Semitic 
 word, which was taken over by, and became current in the Egyptian 
 language. It possibly means literally, "bend the knee". 
 
 V. 45. As was said before, Zaphenath-paneah, Asenath, and 
 Poti-phera, as well as Potiphar, are all good, and even common, 
 Egyptian names. The meaning of Zaphenath-pancah is uncertain ; 
 various interpretations have been proposed by Egyptian scholars. 
 
 The Modern Site of Heliopolis 
 
 Asenath probably means, "belonging to the goddess Neith"; Poti- 
 phera means "he who belongs to the sun-god Ra" ; Potiphar is prob- 
 ably an abbreviation of Poti-phera. According to the story Potiphar 
 and Poti-phera were two different men, since they held different 
 offices. However the similarity of their names led the rabbis to 
 confuse them, and to tell that Asenath was the daughter of Potiphar 
 and his wife, who tempted Joseph, and that she was given by God 
 to Joseph as the reward for his virtue. 
 
 V. 46. This verse, coupled with XXXVII, 2, implies that by 
 this time Joseph had been in Egypt for thirteen years. 
 
Joseph and his Brothers 
 
 307 
 
 XXII 
 JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS 
 
 (Genesis XLII-XLV) 
 
 Let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad a bondman 
 to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren. (Genesis 
 XLIV, 33.) 
 
 Hatred stirreth up strifes; 
 
 But love covereth all transgressions. (Proverbs X, 12.) 
 
 Read Psalm XXXIV, 12-15. 
 
 Thus Joseph became ruler of the great kingdom of Egypt, 
 second only to the king himself. He was charged particu- 
 larly with the task of safeguarding the food supply of the 
 land for the seven years of famine, soon to come. Need- 
 less to say, he discharged this important task in the same 
 conscientious and able manner, in which he had performed 
 
 An Ancient Egyptian Granary 
 
308 The Book of Genesis 
 
 the many little tasks which had fallen to his lot as a slave. 
 Those had been his trial and preparation for this great 
 work, and he had completely proved his fitness and worth. 
 Not only had he risen to high position, but he had also, mar- 
 ried the daughter of one of Egypt's greatest lords, and two 
 sons had been born to them, Ephraim and Manasseh. 
 
 Yet despite all this honor and success and family bless- 
 ing, Joseph was not perfectly h.ippy. Always there was in 
 his heart the longing for his dear ones at home. His 
 thoughts constantly reverted to his aged father, and he won- 
 dered whether the old man were still alive, and how he had 
 withstood the shock of the loss of his beloved son. Of 
 his brothers, too, he thought now lovingly and with com- 
 passion. He realized that they had not been altogether to 
 blame. He understood the meanness of his former conduct, 
 and how greatly he must have irritated them, to make them 
 do what they had done. And his heart was filled with long- 
 ing to see them once more. He was especially eager to see 
 his youngest brother, Benjamin, the child of his own dead 
 mother, who had been but a mere prattling babe when he 
 had been sold into slavery, and whom, it seemed to him, he 
 loved now like one of his own darling sons. If only God 
 would extend His favor, and bring them all together once 
 more in peace and love ; that was his one prayer and hope, 
 the one thing necessary to make his happiness complete. 
 
 The rabbis tell that this was not a vain hope on the part 
 of Joseph. He knew that the famine had extended even to 
 Canaan, and that sooner or later, his brothers must come 
 down to Egypt to buy grain, just as other peoples were 
 doing. So Joseph stationed guards on all the roads leading 
 to Egypt, with instructions to report to him the names of 
 all travelers. At last, one day in the second year of the 
 famine, the word came; his brothers had come down to 
 Egypt. Immediately the longing for peace and family re- 
 union seized upon him with redoubled force. But with it 
 
Joseph and his Brothers 309 
 
 came a thought of caution. Perhaps his brothers might not 
 wish to be reunited with him; perhaps they still cherished 
 their old hatred; and perhaps, too, they were not worthy of 
 forgiveness. So he commanded his servants to watch his 
 brothers and report their conduct, and at the proper mo- 
 ment bring them before him. 
 
 Now the brothers, too, had experienced a complete change 
 of heart. Even at the moment of their crime they had hesi- 
 tated. Reuben had really wanted to rescue Joseph, and 
 Judah, too, had spoken a good word for him, and had in- 
 duced the brothers to sell him as a slave rather than kill 
 him outright. And during all these years, they had observed 
 their old father's constant sorrow, and realized their in- 
 ability to comfort him. Now they were filled with remorse 
 for their sin, and were eager to do whatever they could to 
 right the wrong. So, the rabbis told, when they came down 
 to Egypt, their minds were busy, not so much with the 
 thought of buying food, as of possibly rinding Joseph and 
 bringing him back with them, and thus restoring the happi- 
 ness of their old father. Therefore, they did not immediately 
 go to the place where grain was sold, but scattered about 
 the country in search of Joseph. They had no idea that he 
 had become anything but a slave, and so they searched for 
 him wherever they imagined a slave would most likely be 
 found. But to no avail. At last, in utter despair, and real- 
 izing that their dear ones at home were in dire need of food, 
 and that they might tarry no longer, they repaired^ to the 
 place where grain was sold. So, at last, they came before 
 Joseph. And, as the Bible says, and there is a world of 
 meaning in the words, "Joseph knew his brethren, but they 
 knew not him". 
 
 All these days, according to rabbinical tradition, he had 
 kept informed of their conduct. He had been at a loss to 
 explain why they had wandered all over the country, instead 
 of coming immediately to purchase grain. He could not be 
 
310 The Book of Genesis 
 
 sure yet what kind of men his brothers really were; therefore 
 he determined to try them thoroughly, before revealing him- 
 self to them. Besides he was disappointed when he saw 
 that they were only ten, and that Benjamin was not among 
 them. So he pretended to be, as he seemed to them, a high 
 Egyptian officer, speaking only through an interpreter, and 
 therefore apparently not understanding their language. And 
 because they had first wandered all over Egypt, he spoke to 
 them roughly and charged them with being spies. It was 
 the beginning of their trial. We need not recount it here, 
 for the Bible tells it graphically and convincingly and with 
 touching pathos. We can not but feel all the regret of these 
 sinning men, and the sincerity of their longing for the hap- 
 piness of their old father during the few years remaining to 
 him. No sacrifice was too great to safeguard the old man, 
 and at least prevent increase of his sorrow. All this Joseph 
 realized fully, and his heart went out to his brothers. With 
 difficulty could he restrain himself, and often he was on the 
 point of revealing himself and terminating their trial and 
 punishment; for it was indeed a punishment for their sin, 
 and they fully recognized it as such, and that they had 
 merited it. But he held himself in check, until he could be 
 sure that they had truly repented and had departed com- 
 pletely from their evil ways. Besides he must see Benjamin 
 at all costs. So the trial went on. 
 
 The climax was reached when, in the moment of greatest 
 despair, when it seemed that Benjamin must remain behind, 
 also like his brother, a slave in Egypt, and their father must 
 thus be doubly bereaved of his two best-beloved, Judah 
 stepped forth from among his brothers and spoke these heroic 
 words, "Let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the 
 lad a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his 
 brethren". He realized full well all that this meant, that 
 never again would he behold his own children, and that the 
 lot of a slave in Egypt was hard indeed. But not a thought 
 
Joseph and his Brothers 311 
 
 did he give to all this. Simply and frankly he offered him- 
 self, in order that the old father might at least be spared the 
 sorrow of losing his beloved Benjamin. It is one of the 
 noblest acts in all literature and history, Judah thus offering 
 himself for the sake of his father and his brother. It was 
 just the reverse of the sentiment which had prompted the 
 brothers when, regardless of the old man's happiness, they 
 had ruthlessly sold Joseph as a slave into Egypt. It proved 
 how completely Judah and his brothers had changed. 
 
 Joseph needed no further proof. Weeping he threw him- 
 self into their arms, exclaiming, "I am Joseph; doth my 
 father yet live?" And when his startled brothers, still fear- 
 ing Joseph's vengeance, hastened to confess their guilt, he 
 reassured them with the significant words, the thought run- 
 ning through the entire story, "It was not you that sent me 
 hither, but God ; for God did send me before you to pre- 
 serve life". God's hand was in the whole event, for a won- 
 derful purpose of good. So Joseph forgave his brothers and 
 they were once more united in true, brotherly love. We are 
 reminded of the inspiring sentence from the wise Book of 
 Proverbs, 
 
 Hatred stirreth up strifes; 
 
 But love covereth all transgressions. 
 
 So it was throughout the entire story of Joseph. Hatred 
 and envy had stirred up much strife, and, as is always the 
 case, had brought sorrow and pain to all ; but at last true 
 love had covered all transgressions, and had caused all 
 wrongs which Joseph had done to his brothers and they to 
 him, to be forgiven and forgotten. We understand now how 
 truly hatred, even when the wrong be real and great, is the 
 part of folly, and brings only strife and sorrow, and that 
 forgiveness is always the part of wisdom and love. And 
 though it be one of the hardest lessons in life, let us still 
 
312 The Book of Genesis 
 
 learn, like Joseph, to forgive and forget, that life may be 
 sweeter, happier, and richer for everybody. 
 
 So Joseph's brothers stood the hard and bitter test, even 
 as he had stood it, and proved fully that they had been 
 purified of all thoughts and desires of evil, and were fit for 
 great and noble things. So God tries us all to learn whether 
 we are worthy to do the great and good work He has in 
 mind for all creatures. Those whom He would use for the 
 greatest tasks He tries most severely. We have seen this 
 in the case of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. And the 
 supreme test is always that, like Judah, we be willing to go 
 into slavery, or even to lay down our life for others. For 
 this is the truest test of unselfishness, and unselfishness is 
 the first requisite in the service of God, the willingness to 
 do for others, even the humblest of God's creatures, regard- 
 less of all that it may cost. 
 
 The rabbis used to tell a charming story of the way in 
 which God tried Moses, to determine whether he was fit to 
 become the deliverer and leader of Israel. One day, when 
 Moses was herding the sheep of his father-in-law in the 
 .wilderness, he saw a little lamb leave the flock and hurry 
 away. He followed eagerly, to bring it back, but the lamb 
 ran on so rapidly that Moses had to go a long way before 
 he could overtake it. He became foot-sore and weary, yet 
 still the lamb hastened on, just beyond his reach, and still 
 the faithful shepherd hastened after it. At last the lamb 
 came to a spring, and drank eagerly of its cool waters. Then 
 Moses understood. "Poor creature", he murmured, thou 
 wast thirsty and so hurried ever on, away from my out- 
 stretched hand, and I did not understand. Now thou art 
 faint and worn, and canst not retrace thy steps". So, 
 weary and spent though he was, Moses took the little lamb 
 on his own shoulder, and brought it back in safety to the 
 flock, and gently put it down beside its mother. Then he 
 heard God calling softly to him, with the sound of his own 
 
Joseph and his Brothers 313 
 
 father's voice, "Thou hast a tender heart for all My crea- 
 tures ; thou art a gentle and faithful shepherd of the flocks 
 of men; now thou art called to shepherd the flocks of God". 
 So Moses was tried, and so are we all tried. May we all 
 stand the test, as did he and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob 
 and Joseph and his brothers, our fathers, and may we all 
 be strong to do the will and the work of God, our Father 
 in Heaven. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 XLII, 9. With this verse Joseph's dreams that his brothers would 
 one day bow down to him, are dramatically fulfilled. 
 
 V. 13. The answer of Joseph's brothers to him, "We are twelve 
 brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan", is full of 
 meaning and inspiration. As indicated in a previous lesson, they 
 express most forcibly our fundamental idea of Jewish brotherhood 
 and unity. Regardless of where Jews may dwell, what languages 
 they may speak, how they may dress and worship, we are still and 
 always, "brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan". To 
 this one man all our traditions go back, and from him we mark the 
 beginning, in a way, of our Jewish consciousness. The teacher may 
 profitably reenforce in this connection the lesson of Jewish brother- 
 hood and Jewish descent, already set forth in Lesson III. 
 
 V. 24. Reuben, the oldest brother, had by his words, spoken in 
 Joseph's hearing, proved his innocence and his good intentions with 
 regard to Joseph at the time when the latter was sold into Egypt. 
 Therefore, it is implied, Joseph has Simeon, the next oldest, and the 
 one therefore most responsible for the wrong done to him, cast into 
 prison. This was the ifirst instance of what must have seemed to the 
 brothers a mysterious power possessed by this strange Egyptian to 
 read their innermost thoughts and rate them all in their proper order 
 and at their true value. Other instances follow, and contribute 
 greatly to the dramatic effect of the story. 
 
 V. 25. Their money is put into their sacks, partly as a test of 
 their honesty, and partly as an additional inducement for them to 
 return. 
 
 V. 37, telling that Reuben offered his two sons as surety for the 
 safe return of Benjamin, is a duplicate of XLIII, 9, which tells 
 that Judah became surety therefor. The two verses are from two 
 different versions of the Joseph story. The Judah version was the 
 
314 
 
 The Book of Genesis 
 
 one current in the southern kingdom, of which Judah was the lead- 
 ing tribe. For this reason it ascribed to the traditional ancestor of 
 the tribe of Judah the role of the noble and self-sacrificing leader 
 and spokesman among the brothers, which the other version, com- 
 posed in the northern kingdom, assigned to Reuben the oldest 
 brother. 
 
 XLIII, 7 shows how greatly the brothers were impressed by the 
 Egyptian's inexplicable and seemingly supernatural knowledge of 
 their private family affairs, of which, so they believed, they had them- 
 selves disclosed not a thing to him. It is a most effective and 
 artistic touch. 
 
 Ancient Egyptians at Dinner 
 
 V. 32. Probably, as is usually explained, the Egyptians did not 
 eat with the Israelites because the animals whose flesh was eaten by 
 the latter, were sacred among the Egyptians; cf. Exodus VIII, 22. 
 
 V. 33. The rabbis interpreted this verse to mean that Joseph 
 appointed his seat at the table to each in the order of their ages. 
 The brothers, noticing this, and remembering also that Joseph had 
 unerringly selected Simeon, the one among them most responsible for 
 the wrong done to Joseph, to be cast into prison, were astounded, 
 and regarded this as further proof that Joseph must be possessed 
 of occult powers and knowledge. This impression was heightened 
 by the reference to the pitcher with which Joseph practiced divination 
 (XLIV, 2, 5, 15). All this adds greatly to the dramatic force of the 
 story, and evidences further the supreme artistic powers of the 
 authors. Divination by means of water poured into oil, or oil 
 poured into water, while the diviner, usually a priest, notices the 
 
Joseph and his Brothers 
 
 315 
 
 An Egyptian Divining Bowl 
 
 form which the globules assume, and their position at either the top 
 or bottom of the pitcher, and from this prognosticates the future, 
 was common in the ancient Orient, particularly in Babylonia. This 
 seems to have been the form of divination implied in the use of the 
 pitcher by Joseph. 
 
 XLV, 8. By "father" is probably meant counsellor, the one with 
 whom Pharaoh regularly consulted before doing anything, and on 
 whose bidding therefore he always acted; it implies therefore a 
 person with authority even over Pharaoh; cf. Trumbull, Studies in 
 Oriental Social Life, 237-254. 
 
 V. 10. The land of Goshen was presumably that portion of Egypt 
 just adjacent to the Isthmus of Suez, a district hardly capable of 
 agriculture, but suitable for sheep-herding, the evident occupation of 
 Joseph's brothers. This district has always been a favorite resort 
 of Semitic nomads from the Arabian Desert, who sought refuge in 
 Egypt. We can readily understand that, if the Israelites thus dwelt 
 upon the eastern border of Egypt, their eventual exodus was greatly 
 facilitated. 
 
316 The Book of Genesis 
 
 XXIII 
 
 JOSEPH AND JACOB 
 (Genesis XLVI-XLVII, 12) 
 
 The days of the years of my sojourning are a hundred and thirty 
 years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and 
 they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my 
 fathers in the days of their sojournings. (Genesis XLVII, 9.) 
 
 Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord of 
 hosts. (Zechariah IV, 6.) 
 
 Read Isaiah LVIII, 6-7. 
 
 The story of Joseph is drawing to its close. There is 
 still to tell only how his father and brothers came down to 
 Egypt, and how they were received by him and by his proud 
 Egyptian associates. 
 
 From a number of references upon Egyptian monuments, 
 as well as from the specific statement of XLIII, 32, we know 
 that the Egyptians were none too kindly disposed to the 
 Semitic shepherds of western Asia, who from time to time 
 sought shelter and sustenance in Egypt. Sheep and cattle 
 herding was regarded by the Egyptians as a menial occupa- 
 tion, fit only for people of the lowest class. Nevertheless 
 Joseph had never concealed the fact that he was a Hebrew, 
 whose people were shepherds, even though the duties and 
 obligations of his office compelled him to live and dress as. 
 an Egyptian, and to conform to all the forms and practices 
 of Egyptian culture. Even amid his Egyptian environment, 
 of which he felt himself an integral part, and the develop- 
 ment of the civilization of which he sought to promote in 
 every way possible, he knew how to remain loyal to the 
 
Joseph and Jacob 317 
 
 traditions of his past, and to safeguard and live by the 
 spiritual truths and principles which he had brought with him 
 as a precious heritage from his father's house. 
 
 Nor did he hesitate to declare before the assembled 
 Egyptian court, his cultured friends and titled associates, that 
 these Israelite shepherds, plain and unpolished, and possibly 
 even uncouth though they must have seemed to the Egyptian 
 lords and ladies, were his brothers. Nor did he shrink, cul- 
 tured Egyptian though he was outwardly, from embracing 
 and kissing them, and inquiring lovingly and anxiously after 
 the welfare of his aged father. His sole concern was for 
 their safety and happiness during these seven years of 
 famine. He might easily have provided for them in their 
 old home in Palestine, by sending supplies to them at reg- 
 ular intervals. He might thus have spared himself the con- 
 stant reminder of his lowly, and from the cultured Egyptian 
 standpoint, even base, shepherd, Israelite origin, which their 
 presence must necessarily furnish. But no such thought 
 entered his mind even for a moment. He was not ashamed 
 of his origin, lowly and mean though it might seem to some, 
 who were animated by false standards of cheap and super- 
 ficial culture. On the contrary, he gloried in this origin, for 
 he realized full well that to it he owed all the spiritual 
 knowledge, insight and strength which he possessed, which 
 had alone enabled him to endure all trials, and to rise to his 
 exalted and honorable station, and which now prompted him 
 to use all the powers and privileges of his high office, not 
 for his own selfish advantage, but for the benefit and bless- 
 ing of his fellowmen. In comparison with these spiritual 
 treasures, Egyptian culture and refinement were as nothing, 
 except in so far as they heightened the spiritual value of the 
 former, and lent direction and force to their application. 
 
 Nor was he 'ashamed of his father and his brothers. In- 
 stead he proudly presented five of his brothers and also his 
 aged father to the mighty Pharaoh himself. And instead of 
 
318 The Book of Genesis 
 
 regarding them with contempt, as some might have ex- 
 pected, Pharaoh accepted them as they were, appraised them 
 at their true worth, and appointed them overseers of his own 
 flocks and herds. 
 
 Loyalty has always been regarded 1 by Judaism as a prime 
 virtue, loyalty to kindred, to home, to the past, loyalty to 
 religion, to country, to God. The prophet declared that 
 among the things more pleasing to God than even sacrifice, 
 fasting, and ritual worship, were, 
 
 To deal thy bread to the hungry, 
 
 And that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house; 
 
 When thou seest the naked, that thou caver him, 
 
 And that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh. 
 
 There is a powerful temptation when success, prosperity, 
 and social advancement come, to leave poor or unprogressive 
 relatives and friends behind, to feel that we have outgrown 
 them, and that circumstances compel, new associations. We 
 find it the easiest and most natural thing in the world to 
 excuse, or even to justify, such a course. But to everything 
 that expediency and selfish inclination may suggest, the word 
 of the prophet answers inexorably, 
 
 Hide not thyself from thine own flesh. 
 
 Loyalty declares that we may not rise at the expense or to 
 the neglect of others. Love and friendship which have been 
 tried and tested, may not be cheaply cast aside. If we rise, 
 we must carry our loved ones with us, to whatever station 
 we may attain. It is told of both President Garfield and 
 President McKinley, two of our martyred presidents, that 
 when they were inaugurated into the highest office of the 
 land, each insisted that his aged mother come from her dis- 
 tant home, to be at his side on that great occasion. During 
 the entire ceremony, while her son was delivering his in- 
 augural speech, and outlining .his policies of administration, 
 
Joseph and Jacob 319 
 
 there sat each mother in her simple, black dress, amid all 
 the magnificence and pomp of high officialdom. And the 
 first act of each noble son, after he had taken the solemn 
 oath of office, and the ceremony of inauguration was com- 
 pleted, was to turn to his aged mother, with the smile of 
 love and loyalty on his lips, and to kiss her reverently and 
 tenderly before all the assembled multitude. Thereby he 
 proclaimed to the world that more than to anyone else he 
 owed what he was, and what he might still become, to his 
 mother. Neither president was permitted to complete his 
 term of service. Garfield died a victim of the assassin's bul- 
 let after only a few months' of office, and McKinley suffered 
 the same fate almost immediately after his second term had 
 begun. But each has left an example of exalted manhood, 
 nobility, and loyalty, which may well inspire the American 
 people for generations to come. And the story of Joseph 
 furnishes a like example and inspiration unto all the de- 
 scendants of Jacob. 
 
 And when the old man, Jacob, stood before the mighty 
 king, a singular thing happened. It was not the powerful 
 king upon his throne, who proved superior, but the old man, 
 in his simple shepherd garb, with long, flowing beard, with 
 all the marks, not only of age, but also of dignity, of 
 vast experience, and of actual striving and communing with 
 God. To Pharaoh's question, "How many are the days of 
 the years of thy life?" the old man answered simply, "The 
 days of the years of my sojourning are a hundred and thirty 
 years ; few and evil have been the days of the years of my 
 life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years 
 of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings". 
 In this answer there is an intimation of deep wisdom, of sad, 
 yet invaluable experience, purchased at a great price, of in- 
 expressible yearning to solve the riddle of all the true good- 
 ness of life, which divine wisdom keeps enshrouded in eternal 
 mystery, and discloses only bit by bit to those chosen mortals 
 
320 The Book of Genesis 
 
 who seek earnestly to know God's way. And then Jacob 
 blessed Pharaoh ; the simple, old shepherd blessed the mighty 
 king; and the latter bowed his head upon his throne, beneath 
 the old man's outstretched hands. 
 
 This little incident beautifully illustrates the old Jewish 
 virtue of reverence for old age. The Bible has commanded, 
 "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the 
 face of the old man" (Leviticus XIX, 32). It has also said, 
 
 The hoary head is a crown of glory, 
 
 It is found in the way of righteousness. (Proverbs XVI, 31.) 
 
 and again, 
 
 The glory of young men is their strength, 
 
 And the beauty of old men is the hoary head. (Proverbs XX, 29.) 
 
 This virtue Israel has always cherished, and its young men 
 and women have always accorded to their elders and superi- 
 ors in wisdom, the respect and reverence to which their age, 
 experience, and knowledge entitled them. In ancient Israel 
 the elders, as they were officially called, were the leaders and 
 counsellors of the people, to whom all hearkened readily and 
 willingly. It is told of Abimi, the pious son of Abahu, a 
 great and wise teacher of old, that once he brought his aged 
 father a drink of water for which the old man had asked. 
 But finding that his father had fallen asleep in the mean- 
 time, as very old men are liable to do, he waited patiently 
 and reverently and without moving, in order not to disturb 
 his father, until the latter awoke, so that he might quench 
 his father's thirst at the earliest possible moment. Thus he 
 literally fulfilled the Biblical command, "Thou shalt rise up 
 before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man". 
 But even more, this incident symbolizes again the triumph 
 of the spiritual over the temporal and the material, of eternal 
 truth over evanescent might and power. Before the dignity 
 of old age, knowledge and experience, and the wisdom which 
 
Joseph and Jacob 321 
 
 conies from God alone, even the king upon his throne must 
 bow. The prophets of Israel have exemplified this truth time 
 and again. Here, more than ever, Jacob is typical of Israel, 
 the exponent of spiritual truth and power, even as Pharaoh 
 upon his throne is typical of all that is material. In Jacob's 
 words, and in his acknowledged superiority and authority 
 over Pharaoh, we feel the full truth of the prophet's in- 
 spired words, 
 
 ''Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord 
 of hosts." 
 
 The purpose of existence will be attained at last, and all life 
 will become pure and holy and beautiful, not by might nor 
 by power, but only by the spirit of the Lord of hosts. Jacob 
 blessed Pharaoh; and so Israel, God's messenger, filled with 
 His spirit, has blessed all the nations of the earth. And 
 throughout the ages it has safeguarded and lived true to its 
 God-given birthright, to be a blessing unto all the families 
 of the earth. 
 
 For all Jews today, and particularly for us Jews in 
 America, this story has a particularly pertinent message. We 
 occupy a position strikingly similar to that of Joseph. We 
 dwell in an environment and culture quite different from 
 those in which our fathers dwelt. We, too, with compara- 
 tively few exceptions, occupy in this country positions of 
 honor and esteem, and even of power and influence for good. 
 We are loyal citizens of our nation, and gladly assume all 
 the responsibilities and obligations of citizenship. We share 
 in its culture; we dress like our fellow-citizens, and consort 
 freely with them ; and we speak the language of the country, 
 of which we are an integral and recognized part. Yet this 
 does not necessitate, nor even imply, that we become un- 
 mindful of the traditions of our past, or fail to cherish the 
 precious heritage of the spirit, which has descended to us 
 from our fathers, or that we need "become ashamed of our 
 
322 The Book of Genesis 
 
 Israelite origin. Rather the example of Joseph should teach 
 and inspire us to realize that only by living as Jews, in the 
 midst of whatever environment we may come to live, by 
 safeguarding our ancient virtues, and applying the knowledge 
 of God and of the meaning and purpose of life which Juda- 
 ism upholds, to the needs and problems of our nation and 
 our fellowmen, can we realize our own destiny and mission, 
 and bring blessing and life unto them in the midst of spiritual 
 famine. It is our eternal obligation to hold fast to the 
 knowledge of God which .has been revealed to us, and to 
 proclaim this knowledge and God's law of life unto all the 
 world, that men may live thereby, and learn to walk in God's 
 way, and realize the great truth which Israel has ever pro- 
 claimed, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, 
 saith the Lord of hosts". Thus, and thus alone, can we 
 bless the peoples among whom we come to dwell, even as 
 Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 
 
 And when our brethren come to us from lands of misery 
 and oppression, even as Joseph's brethren came to him, seek- 
 ing protection and sustenance, and the freedom and oppor- 
 tunity which we already enjoy, even though they be children 
 of different environments and the products o.f adverse con- 
 ditions, and in the eyes of some seem strange and un- 
 prepossessing, and even uncowth, and entirely different and 
 set apart from the great world about us, none the less we 
 dare not be ashamed of them, nor disown them, nor dis- 
 claim responsibility for them. They are still our brethren 
 and our flesh. Even if we would hide ourselves from them 
 and deny them, we could not, for the world knows that we 
 are brothers. But we seek not to deny them. They are 
 our brothers, with the same ancestry, the same history and 
 the same traditions behind them ; they come from the same 
 original home; and deep in their breasts they cherish the 
 same virtues and ideals of liberty, service and blessing, as 
 we. And we proudly welcome them and embrace them, and 
 
Joseph and Jacob 323 
 
 present them to the world as our brothers, and we share with 
 them all that we have acquired, liberty, opportunity, citizen- 
 ship, culture. And at last all superficial standards of judg- 
 ment must fall away, and the world must come to regard 
 them, no longer as uncouth and despised, but as men, pos- 
 sessed of all the rights and powers of men, and able to ac- 
 quire in time all the culture and refinements of civilization, 
 and to share with their brethren, the Joseph who preceded 
 them hither, the task of bringing blessing unto all about them, 
 and unto all the families of the earth, the Jewish blessings 
 of the spirit, of true living in accordance with the law of 
 God. We are the Joseph of today and of this land; and our 
 brethren are coming to us to find protection and support, 
 freedom and opportunity; and we will not fail them. It is 
 our Jewish loyalty that speaks. We will never hide our- 
 selves from our own flesh. 
 
 So Joseph's father and his brothers came down to him 
 in Egypt, the land of his triumph and glory, and he provided 
 lovingly and abundantly for their needs. So, under God's 
 protection, they dwelt happily for many years, and the 
 Egyptians were blessed by their presence in the land. 
 
 NOTES 
 
 XLVI, 1. Beer-sheba lies on the road from Hebron to Egypt. 
 
 V. 4. It was the pious duty of the favorite son to close the 
 eyes of his father after death. 
 
 Vv. 8-27 were inserted into the main narrative by some late 
 writer. Obviously they disturb the continuity of the story. 
 
 V. 21 makes Benjamin a grown man at this time, with ten 
 children. It shows how little this inserted passage accords with the 
 remainder of the story. 
 
 V. 28 is the direct continuation of v. 5 of the original narrative. 
 
 XLVII, 11. "The land of Rameses", i. e. the district bordering 
 upon the Isthmus of Suez, in which the city of Rameses, built ac- 
 cording to Biblical tradition by the Israelite slaves (Exodus III, 11), 
 was situated. 
 
324 The Book of Genesis 
 
 XXIV 
 
 JACOB'S BLESSING 
 (Genesis XLVI-L) 
 
 Ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to 
 pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. (Genesis L, 20.) 
 
 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. (Psalm 
 XIX, 8.) 
 
 Read Psalm XIX. 
 
 The wonderful romance of Joseph is finished. It remains 
 merely to bring the story to a proper close by picturing the 
 happiness of the father and brothers in Egypt, and to suit- 
 ably reenforce the central theme. For, as we see now, all 
 these narratives are merely successive chapters of this one, 
 great Joseph story, and this is most effectively, dramatically 
 and artistically told, and is therefore one of the very greatest, 
 as it is one of the oldest, classics of the world's literature. 
 Through it all there runs one central theme, which the story 
 was intended by its author or authors to concretely illustrate. 
 It is the thought of God's absolute providence, which guides 
 the destinies of men and nations with fixed and wise pur- 
 pose, and even out of all the evil which men do, somehow, 
 in a way passing human understanding, brings greater good 
 and blessing for all men. "Ye meant evil against me, but 
 God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, 
 to save much people alive", Joseph answers his brothers, 
 when, after his father's death, they fear that Joseph might 
 now avenge himself upon them. "It was not you that sent 
 me hither, but God", in order to fulfil His wondrous pur- 
 
Jacob's Blessing 325 
 
 pose of good, for Israel and all mankind. We can not 
 fathom all God's purposes, nor measure all His wisdom and 
 love. We can only say with the Psalmist: 
 
 How weighty also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God ! 
 How great is the sum of them! (Psalm CXXXIX, 17.) 
 
 And with the great prophet of old, we must say again, as 
 we have already said more than once: 
 
 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, 
 
 Neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. 
 
 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 
 
 So are My ways higher than your ways, 
 
 And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah LV, 8-9.) 
 
 We can not measure God's wisdom and goodness and love 
 by our little, human standards. We can only trust in Him 
 with perfect faith that, whatever happens to us and to all 
 people, it will somehow surely be for the best in the end, 
 that nothing in life merely happens, and above all, nothing 
 happens for evil alone; but God's hand is in everything, and 
 His love watches over all His children and protects them 
 and leads them on, for He is our shepherd. And so, when 
 grief and pain and trial come to us, as they must at some 
 time come to all men, we need not despair nor complain, but 
 remember that everything cometh from God for some deep 
 purpose of goodness and love, even though we may not 
 understand. 
 
 One story of the rabbis well illustrates this thought. 
 There was once a slave upon whom his master had bestowed 
 many gifts, and whom he had always treated with uniform 
 kindness. And the slave loved his master in return and did 
 his every bidding loyally and gladly. But one day the friends 
 of the master said to him, "Thy slave loves thee only because 
 of thy good gifts. Withhold these, or do evil unto him, and 
 thou wilt see his love vanish". Thereupon the master sum- 
 moned the slave, and silently gave to him some fruit which 
 
326 The Book of Genesis 
 
 was exceedingly bitter. The slave took the fruit as he had 
 taken all the master's gifts, and ate it without a word or a 
 moment's hesitation. Nor did he offer the slightest objec- 
 tion or question, nor make the least sign that the fruit had 
 a bitter and unpleasant taste. When he had finished, one of 
 the master's friends asked, "How couldst thou eat so bitter 
 a fruit without complaining or making some sign?" But the 
 faithful slave answered, "My master has always treated me 
 with utmost kindness and love. He has showered untold 
 blessings upon me. And everything he has done, I have seen 
 repeatedly, has behind it some wise purpose of goodness 
 and love. Now that for the first time in all my life he gives 
 me something bitter of which to taste, should I doubt, or 
 complain, or refuse to do his bidding? Should I rather not 
 take the occasional bitter which he gives to me, together with 
 the abundant sweet, and trust that this, too, is for good, 
 even though I do not understand?" 
 
 This is the true faith in God which Judaism has always 
 taught, and in which its followers have always found strength 
 and courage to bear the many hard and cruel blows which 
 have befallen them. Israel's history has been bitter indeed, 
 and full to overflowing with trial and suffering and sacrifice. 
 But Israel's men and women have always trusted in God, 
 the God of their fathers, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and 
 have never hesitated nor doubted nor complained too much. 
 Bravely and nobly they have made their sacrifices for God, 
 and calmly they have repeated in absolute faith and trust 
 the inspiring words of the great sufferer of old, 
 
 Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. (Job XIII, 15.) 
 
 Though the way oft seemed too long and hard, and the goal 
 was hidden in darkness, yet they knew with perfect faith 
 that God was still leading them on in His pillar of cloud 
 and fire unto His promised land of peace and happiness and 
 love. And though men meant evil against them, still in His 
 
Jacob's Blessing 327 
 
 own wise way God meant it for good, that Israel might the 
 better fulfil its mission of being a blessing unto mankind. 
 
 We can not help thinking of that other beautiful story 
 from our Bible, of Moses asking that he might behold God's 
 face, and of the answer which came to him, "Thou canst 
 not see My face, for man shall not see Me and live" (Ex- 
 odus XXXIII, 20). So it has ever been with man. Ever 
 he has sought to see God's face, and to know all His ways 
 and all His wise and loving purposes. But ever the answer 
 has come back, "Thou canst not see My face, for man shall 
 not see Me and live". To mortal man it is not given to 
 see God face to face, nor to read aright all the wondrous 
 mystery of His ways and His purposes. We can only, at 
 the most, through God's favor, catch some fleeting glimpse 
 of His back, and hear His true name whispered, as He 
 passes before us in all His majesty and glory. Yet from all 
 this we may form some dim, vague picture of His true 
 greatness and goodness- "and love. In all the world round 
 about us, in all the events of life and history, of Israel's his- 
 tory, and of our nation's history, and of the world's history, 
 we see countless evidences of God's being and power, and 
 of His wisdom and goodness and love, and of His divine, 
 all-protecting providence. God is everywhere and His hand 
 is in all things, for good and blessing and love. And so we 
 declare with the Psalmist : 
 
 O Lord, our Lord, 
 
 How glorious is Thy name in all the earth! 
 
 Whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens. 
 
 When I behold Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, 
 
 The moon and the stars which Thou hast established ; 
 
 What is man that Thou art mindful of him? 
 
 And the son of man, that Thou thinkest of him? 
 
 Yet Thou hast made him but little lower than the angels, 
 
 And hast crowned him with glory and honor. 
 
 Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of Thy 
 
 hands ; 
 Thou hast put all things under his feet. (Psalm VIII, 2-7.) 
 
328 The Book of Genesis 
 
 And we think of the words of that other inspiring Psalm : 
 
 The heavens declare the glory of God, 
 \nd the 'firmament showeth His Handiwork; 
 Day unto day uttereth speech, 
 And night unto night revealeth knowledge. 
 
 Yet, despite His grandeur and His power, He is mindful of 
 His children, and in love has given them His law to guide 
 them. And so the Psalm continues : 
 
 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; 
 
 The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 
 
 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; 
 
 The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes, 
 
 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever- 
 
 The ordinances of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether. 
 
 This is the real faith in the God of our fathers, which 
 every true Jew must feel and understand and accept, that it 
 become the guide and blessing of his entire life. This is 
 the lesson taught impressively and convincingly by the story 
 of Joseph. And if we but learn the lesson, and live in ac- 
 cord with it all our lives, then we shall be true Jews, worthy 
 of the birthright of our fathers, which has, through God's 
 providence, come down to us through all these generations. 
 The dying Jacob blessed his two little grandchildren by de- 
 claring that in later years all Israel would bless its children 
 in their names with the beautiful words, "God make thee as 
 Ephraim and as Manasseh". Through all the centuries since 
 then, when the Jewish father came home from the synagogue 
 on Friday,. jCye, -her first kissed his beloved wife and blessed 
 her; thenboheii-laid his hands upon the heads of his little 
 children, with the words of father Jacob, "God make thee 
 
 as Ephraim anoVas Mariasseh".. I we but live true to our 
 
 j .efeanfi aril FLT. . Ljtn . ,. 
 
 sacred heritage, and strive to realize the purpose of our lives, 
 
 and) t0 () becpme. ,as God has commanded us through Abraham, 
 
 a blessing unto all the families of the earth, then shall we, 
 
 .HI7 ml 
 
Jacob's Blessing 329 
 
 too, merit the beautiful and comforting blessing of our 
 fathers of old, "God make thee as Ephraim and as Manas- 
 seh". 
 
 The rabbis also told that our father Jacob did not really 
 die, that God merely kissed him, and thus released his soul 
 from his body. His body was laid to rest in the sepulchre 
 of his fathers. But his spirit hovers over and about us, his 
 children, blessing us by his presence, and smiling the smile 
 of love and happiness, when any of his descendants performs 
 one single act which brings blessing unto others, and so 
 helps to fulfil the birthright of Abraham and Israel. 
 
 One other thought, the rabbis remind us, these closing 
 chapters of Genesis suggest. Abraham and Isaac had sought 
 to bless but one son each, and thereby they caused enmity 
 and strife between their children. But on his deathbed Jacob 
 summoned his sons and blessed them all equally, and bade 
 them stand together and become strong in each other's love 
 and help. They had realized the evil of family strife and 
 discord, and they had repented of their crime against their 
 brother. Thereafter they remained united as their father 
 had bidden them, and not they alone, but their descendants 
 as well. Thus in time, the people of Israel came into exist- 
 ence, and we are here today. It is the best proof of the 
 great truth, so well exemplified in the history of our own 
 beloved American nation, that in union there is strength. 
 
 It reminds us of one other of the many beautiful stories 
 which the rabbis used to tell. In the beginning, when the 
 world lay newly created by the word of God, the waters 
 rolled in great billows, and beat against the very throne of 
 the Creator. Then God spoke His word, and the waves 
 were gathered together into one great mass, the sea, and 
 the earth rose trembling from amidst the waters. But the 
 sea still poured its waves mercilessly into all the deep val- 
 leys, between the high mountains ; and one wave called to 
 another, "Come and let us batter down these lofty peaks. 
 
330 The Book of Genesis 
 
 We are the strongest force which God has created, and we 
 will work our will". But God sternly rebuked them, "Why 
 boast ye of your strength? I shall send the sand to bar 
 your way". But the waves laughed and mocked when they 
 saw the tiny grains of sand, and said, "What foes are you? 
 One of us can destroy you all". But into the grains of sand 
 God had put a bit of His divine wisdom. "Hearken to the 
 boast of our enemies, the waves, they said. It is true that 
 should one of us be separated from the rest, he could ac- 
 complish nothing, but must be blown away by the wind. Let 
 us therefore hold close together and strengthen each other. 
 Thereby shall we do the will of our Maker, and overcome 
 our enemy". Ever since the tiny grains on the seashore 
 have held together in close embrace. And though the waves 
 beat upon them, all their beating merely binds the grains of 
 sand closer together. Ever they bar the way of their enemy, 
 the waves, as these roll in upon the land. And here and 
 there the sand has even forced the proud waves back into 
 narrower confines. 
 
 In peace and unity and brotherly love and cooperation 
 lies true strength to do the will of God. So Jacob com- 
 manded his sons, and ever since all Israel has lived, with but 
 occasional forgettings now and then, yet forgettings which 
 have always brought misfortune and misery, as brothers, 
 strengthening each other and helping each other. Still today 
 our brothers call unto us for help and support. And never 
 dare we forget the words which Joseph's brothers spoke to 
 him, as true today as then, "We are twelve brethren, the 
 sons of one man in the land of Canaan". All Israel are 
 brothers, united by descent from father Jacob, and by com- 
 mon faith in the God of our fathers, the God of all man- 
 kind; and all Israel share in the glorious birthright of 
 Abraham. In union and peace and love lies our strength. 
 Laboring in this spirit of brotherhood, and with complete 
 faith in God, we shall be strong- to do His will and to fulfil 
 
Jacob's Blessing 331 
 
 the purpose for which He has created us, and has protected 
 us through the centuries, to be a blessing unto all the families 
 of the earth. And at last, through our faith and our labors 
 and our sacrifices, our mission will be fulfilled; then the 
 hope of the ages will be realized, the goal of existence will 
 be attained. Then, not Israel alone, but all mankind will be 
 united in eternal brotherhood and love; then hatred and 
 strife will no more be known in all the earth, but all men 
 will unite as brothers to do the will of God, the Father of all. 
 
 The Bible tells that when the dying Jacob gathered his 
 sons about his bed for blessing, he addressed them with these 
 words, "Hearken unto Israel, your father". It was a solemn 
 word of admonition, spoken at a solemn moment. But by 
 a slight change in the vocalization of one little word of two 
 letters, the rabbis gave to it even deeper and richer meaning. 
 By the omission of one little dot under a letter, the word 
 which means "unto" came to mean "God". And so they 
 interpreted the opening words of Jacob's blessing of his 
 sons, "Hearken; the God of Israel is your Father". It was 
 a declaration unto his sons and unto all Israel of the unity 
 and the fatherhood of God, which Israel has ever proclaimed. 
 And the rabbis told that Jacob continued to address his sons, 
 "Perhaps there is doubt in your hearts about God". But as 
 one man they answered him with the ringing words, Sh'ma 
 y Israel, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai E\ad, "Hear, O Israel, 
 the Lord our God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy VI, 4). 
 Their words had a double meaning; for under the name 
 Israel they were addressing both Israel their father, and 
 Israel, their descendants to come. And when Jacob heard 
 their declaration of faith and of self-consecration to the 
 cause of the God whose unity they had proclaimed, he mur- 
 mured the response, Baruch shem k'vod malchutho I'olam 
 va'ed, "Praised be the name of his glorious kingdom forever 
 and ever". 
 
 Since that time the children of Israel have repeated these 
 
332 The Book of Genesis 
 
 words every morning and every evening, "Hear, O Israel, 
 the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Praised be the name 
 of His glorious kingdom forever and ever". Even as spoken 
 by the sons of Jacob, so also with us today they have a two- 
 fold meaning. They are addressed to the fathers and the 
 generations of the past, and still declare our faith, that their 
 God, the God of Israel, is our Father today, even as He was 
 of old, and that to His cause and His service we consecrate 
 ourselves, even as did the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and 
 Jacob. They are addressed also to the future generations of 
 Israel, our children who will come after us, bidding them 
 realize that the God of Israel is one and eternal, and that 
 He will be their Father, too, and they will be His children 
 and His servants and witnesses, even as were their fathers. 
 Still today the blessing of Jacob rests upon us, his children, 
 and his words ring in our ears, "Hearken ; the God of Israel 
 is your Father". And there is no doubt in our hearts as we 
 answer day by day with the declaration of Israel's faith and 
 Israel's eternal consecration to its sacred mission, the precious 
 birthright of service and blessing, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord 
 our God, the Lord is One". 
 
 The Book of Genesis has told us of God's creation of the 
 universe and of all mankind as His children, and of His 
 selection of Israel to be His servant and the messenger of 
 His law of life unto men; it has told of God's trial and 
 purification and preparation of Israel for this mission of 
 service and blessing, which has descended to it as a 
 precious birthright; it has shown also that on this mission 
 Israel walks not alone, that God is ever with it, and with 
 all men, guiding and leading on, changing the evil which men 
 do to good, and controlling the destinies of men and nations 
 so that mankind must steadily draw nearer to Him and to 
 the true knowledge of Him. And Israel goes upon its mis- 
 sion strong in its faith in God, upheld by His protection 
 and His help, rejoicing in the glorious privilege which He 
 
 
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