Jacob

Lore & Background

Jacob is said to have bought Esau's birthright and, with his mother's help, deceived his aging father to bless him instead of Esau. Then, following a severe drought in his homeland Canaan, Jacob and his descendants migrated to neighbouring Egypt through the efforts of his son Joseph, who had become a confidant of the pharaoh. After dying in Egypt at the age of 147, he is supposed to have been buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron. In the narrative of the Hebrew Bible, Jacob's progeny were begotten by four women: his wives (and maternal cousins) Leah and Rachel; and his concubines Bilhah and Zilpah. His sons were, in order of their birth: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. He also had a daughter named Dinah, born to his first wife Leah. The descendants of Jacob's sons were collectively known as the Israelites, with each son being the forefather of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, of whom all but the Tribe of Levi were allotted territory in the Land of Israel. The Genesis narrative also states that Jacob displayed favoritism among his wives and children, preferring Rachel and her sons Joseph and Benjamin to the rest—culminating in Joseph's older brothers selling him into slavery out of resentment.

Reader's Guide

Scholars have taken a mixed view as to Jacob's historicity, with archaeology so far producing no evidence for his existence. Archaeologist and scholar William Albright initially dated Jacob to the 19th century BCE, but later scholars, such as John J. Bimson and Nahum Sarna, argued against using archaeological evidence to support such claims due to limited knowledge of that period. Recent scholarship by Thomas L. Thompson and William Dever suggest that these narratives are late literary compositions with ideological purposes rather than historical accounts.

Did You Know?

• The name Jacob is derived from the Hebrew word for 'heel,' as he was born grasping the heel of his twin brother Esau.
• The name Israel given to Jacob after wrestling with an angel is etymologized as a composition of 'el' (god) and the root 'śarah' (to rule, contend, have power, prevail over).
• Jacob's sons became the forefathers of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, with all but the Tribe of Levi receiving territory in the Land of Israel.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"[Talk to Esau about his children] : The children which God hath graciously given thy servant." — Jacob "If we act like other men, what shall we do on the day of the Lord, the day on which the pious will receive their reward, when a herald will proclaim: Where is He that weigheth the deeds of men, where is He that counteth?" — Jacob "Should I lose hope in my Creator? I set my eyes upon the merits of my fathers. For the sake of them the Lord will give me His aid." — Jacob "...his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob..." — Jacob