NEXT WEEK SPRING BREAK—NO CLASS
READING FOR MARCH 15
Genesis 37-41
LINK TO ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS
The following links may be helpful in your study of the Old Testament. Thank you, Kim, for sharing.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/
ISAAC
“The second series of patriarchal narratives, that relating to Isaac, now begins. The data about him are exceedingly sparse. Much of what is preserved—his birth and circumcision, the Akedah, and his marriage—is integrated into the biography of Abraham, while other episodes belong to the large collection of traditions regarding Jacob. Nothing is recorded of the first twenty years of Isaac’s marriage. Only a few isolated events in his life are preserved in the literature, where he is eclipsed by the towering figure of his father Abraham and overshadowed by the dynamic, forceful personality of his son Jacob.
Yet Isaac is more than a mere transition between Abraham and Jacob, and the biblical account does contain unmistakable elements of individuality. Isaac’s name, uniquely bestowed by God, is not changed; his pastoral wanderings are restricted to a narrow range and largely center around Beersheba; unlike Abraham, he does not live at Hebron-Kiriat-arba but settles there only in his old age; he alone remains monogamous; he is the only patriarch to engage in agriculture and the only one never to leave the promised land; finally, the unique divine name paḥad yitsḥak (31:42 [literally “the Fear of Isaac”]) suggests some episode, not recorded, in which this particular name would have been meaningful. References in Amos 7:9, 16 to “the shrines of Isaac” and to “the house of Isaac” as an epithet for Israel seem to indicate that a more extensive account of his life once existed.”
Nahum M. Sarna, Scripture Plus, Commentary on Chapter 25
RIVKA OR REBEKAH
“The servant asks for a serendipitous “happenstance,” that the right girl would chance to come his way that very evening. He wants the hand of Providence to be clear, and asks for a sign. The sign is not random: it will also show that the girl has a willing heart. Abraham has described the characteristics of an ideal woman for his son: she must be from the homeland and be willing to come. The servant wants more: she must be hospitable and strong. The sign that she is truly the destined one is that she not only agrees to give him drink but volunteers to water his camels too. Like the mighty wife of Proverbs 31, she must be both caring and industrious. Moreover, as everyone knows, “A good wife comes from God” (Prov 19:14).”
Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible (p. 8). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
THE SERVANT’S PRAYER OF GRATITUDE
“And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
KJV Bible, Genesis 24:26
“Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, The lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
NIV Bible, Genesis 24:26
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the way to the house of my master’s kin.”
The Oxford Bible, Genesis 24:26
THE SERVANT
“From the viewpoint the servant this story was fraught with all kinds of issues—difficulty, problematic characters, negotiations, chances for failure, but what maintained this servant was his confidence in the steadfast faithfulness of the God of Abraham. He knew that God was in the world and that God would work through him in that moment and that was the thing that would make all the difference.”
BYU Maxwell Abide Podcast
REBEKAH
“Not knowing either Abraham or Isaac, whose name is not even mentioned, she declares her willingness to go. At that moment, it becomes clear that Rivka is the counterpart to both Abraham and Sarah. Like Sarah, she is the instrument of the promise, the agent through whom Isaac will become the father of a nation. She is also a second Abraham, who, like him, voluntarily chooses to leave Mesopotamia for Canaan. Her “I will go” echoes God’s command to Abraham to “Go!” in Gen. 12:1. The voyage from Mesopotamia to Israel was the one qualification that Abraham sought in a daughter-in-law, and her willingness to do so establishes her credentials.”
Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible (pp. 13-14). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
REBEKAH
“As soon as Isaac enters the scene, she veils herself. Veiling may have been required. The Assyrian laws require married women to be veiled. The fact that Jacob marries Leah thinking she is Rachel seems to indicate that such a custom also applied to betrothed women. But the veiling is also symbolic: all of Rivka’s attributes, not only her beauty, will be less visible as a wife. In marriage, women, even the active Rivka, become the object of action: Isaac takes her. But her qualities do not remain hidden to him, for he loves her. She not only takes Sarah’s place in the tent, she takes her place in his heart. The biblical ideal of marriage may consider the husband the dominant partner, but it nevertheless envisions a love relationship. Modern commentators assume a mismatch between a strong Rivka and a passive Isaac, but the story tells us that he loved her.”
Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible (pp. 13-14). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
THE BIRTHRIGHT BLESSING
“Questions and conjecture accompany the biblical account of Jacob’s receiving Isaac’s birthright blessing. Because details and explanations are absent, it is easy to make accusations of deception and manipulation.
At the time of the blessing, Isaac was nearly incapacitated, described as ‘old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see.’ He was unable to distinguish his sons from each other and considered his mortal life nearly at its end. Yet, at the beginning of the next chapter, Isaac is portrayed as alert, with no difficulty recognizing his second son, and capable of delivering lengthy counsel for Jacob’s imminent journey. The two settings invite a possibility that the chapters are not presented in chronological order. Perhaps Isaac pronounced the birthright blessing years later, or else he died shortly after blessing his sons rather than when his death is reported several decades later. The fact that Isaac is mentioned only indirectly after he blessed his sons provides no additional clues to correct this seeming inconsistency.”
Camille Fronk Olsen, Women of the Old Testament, pg. 60
THE BIRTHRIGHT BLESSING
“Rivka knows that once uttered, a curse cannot be easily removed, but it can be deflected, and Rivka offers to take the consequences of the curse upon herself. She is the first woman to do so, but not the last. Women who ask men to do something need to allay the fears of those men; both Abigail and the Wise Woman of Tekoa will offer to take upon themselves the consequences of the acts that they ask David to do. This is a very persuasive technique, and it works. Jacob puts on the goat skins and goes to trick his father into giving him the blessing he plans for Esau.”
Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible (pp. 18-19). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
THE BIRTHRIGHT BLESSING
“The deception of the blind elderly Isaac is a bizarre episode, verging on both the tragic and the burlesque. It rests on a premise alien to contemporary thinking, that a blessing unwittingly bestowed is still a blessing. And it assumes that trickery is not automatically immoral. Many heroes of the Bible, including Moses and David, use trickery when frontal assaults will not work, and the Jacob cycle has quite a few trickster stories. Isaac himself is a trickster, having tried the wife-sister trick on Abimelech. Jacob takes Isaac’s place in the next generation, as well as Rivka’s, being both a trickster and bearer of the promise. Rivka will use whatever means are in the tool kit of those without authority to make decisions. The story never tells us that Rivka must use deception because she is powerless, and later readers have often accused her of improper and immoral behavior. But the biblical world valued cunning in the underdog. Only the powerful value honesty at all costs. The powerless know that trickery may save their lives.”
Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible (pp. 18-19). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
REBEKAH
“Early interpreters, both Jewish and Christian, praised Rivka, as did medieval and reformation writers. The censure did not begin until the end of the nineteenth century, when male biblical scholars began to condemn her as a Lady Macbeth. The pendulum is beginning to swing again as we learn more about how the disadvantaged make their way in the world and how women negotiate through patriarchy. To some contemporary eyes, the ingenuity and cunning of Rivka’s plan is itself a mark of divine guidance and her role as divine helper.”
Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible (pp. 18-19). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
REBEKAH
“Esau had sold the prerogatives of firstborn to Jacob, but despite the arrangement that they once had made, Isaac’s blessing in anticipation of death can determine their future relationship. Rivka knows that Isaac has always favored Esau the hunter and wants to give him the blessing. If she is going to ensure that the omen of Jacob’s destiny will be fulfilled, she must act. Her motives may be pure, to carry out God’s will. She may also be influenced by the fact that she favors the more domestic Jacob. She may believe that he is more likely to care for her in her old age. Motives are rarely unmixed. Moreover, even people who operate purely from selfish reasons may unwittingly be carrying out God’s plan, like the brothers who sell Joseph into Egypt or Potiphar’s wife, who gets him into the dungeon where he can come to the attention of Pharaoh. Actions have consequences whatever their motives. And whether or not Rivka is thinking of the oracle at this particular moment, the oracle has shown her and the reader what God’s plan is. Isaac must bless Jacob. Only he has the right to bestow the blessing. Rivka knows that he has made his decision and she will not be able to persuade Isaac to change his mind.”
Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible (pp. 18-19). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
REBEKAH
“Without denigrating Isaac’s authority and pure heart, Rebekah’s leadership in orchestrating the birthright blessing is undeniable. As soon as she heard Isaac’s instruction to Esau to ‘make ms savory meat...that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die,’ Rebekah sprang into action.
All women have similar opportunities to open up a way that allows God’s will to be made known. ‘Women are appointed to be Rebekahlike, to be guides and lights in righteousness in the family unit.’ Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught, ‘and to engineer and arrange so that things are done in the way that will result in the salvation of more our Father’s children.’
Rebekah’s confidence in pursuing her plan must stem in part from the revelation she received before her sons were born. She knew that God had chosen her younger son to receive the birthright.”
Camille Fronk Olsen, Women of the Old Testament, pg. 60
REBEKAH
“If Abraham was to be the “father of many nations,” how important was Isaac’s wife, Rebekah? She was so important that he sent his servant hundreds of miles to find the right young woman—one who would keep her covenants, one who understood what it meant to form an eternal family.
The story of Isaac and Rebekah is an example of the man, who has the keys, and the woman, who has the influence, working together to ensure the fulfillment of their blessings. Their story is pivotal. The blessings of the house of Israel depended on a man and a woman who understood their place in the plan and their responsibilities to form an eternal family, to bear children, and to teach them.”
Julie B. Beck, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2011/03/teaching-the-doctrine-of-the- family?lang=eng
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