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JACOB

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 113 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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JACOB (See also:

Hebrew yd'dgob, derived, according to Gen. See also:xxv. 26, See also:xxvii. 36, from a See also:root meaning " to seize the See also:heel " or " sup-plant "), son of See also:Isaac and Rebekah in the Biblical narrative, and the See also:father of the twelve tribes of See also:Israel. Jacob and his twin See also:brother See also:Esau are the eponyms of the Israelites and Edomites. It was said of them that they would be two nations, and that the See also:elder would serve the younger. Esau was See also:born first, but lost his superiority by relinquishing his birthright, and Jacob by an See also:act of deceit gained the paternal blessing intended for Esau (Gen. xxvii., J and E).' The popular view regarding Israel and See also:Edom is expressed when the See also:story makes Jacob a See also:tent-dweller, and Esau a See also:hunter, a See also:man of the See also:field. But whilst Esau married among the Canaanite " daughters of the See also:land " (P in See also:xxvi. 34; See also:xxviii. 8 seq.), Jacob was sent, or (according to a variant tradition) fled from See also:Beer-sheba, to take a wife from among his Syrian kinsfolk at Haran. On the way he received a See also:revelation at See also:Bethel (" See also:house of See also:God ") promising to him and to his descendants the whole extent of the land. The beautiful story of Jacob's fortunes at Haran is among the best examples of Hebrew narrative: how he served seven years for See also:Rachel, " and they seemed a few days for the love he had to her," and was tricked by receiving the elder See also:sister Leah, and how he served yet another seven years, and at last won his love. The See also:patriarch's increasing See also:wealth caused him to incur the See also:jealousy of his father-in-See also:law, Laban, and he was forced to flee in See also:secret with his See also:family.

They were overtaken at See also:

Gilead,2 whose name (interpreted " heap of See also:witness ") is explained by the See also:covenant into which Jacob and Laban entered (xxxi. 47 sqq.). Passing Mahanaim (" camps "), where he saw the camps of God, Jacob sent to Esau with friendly overtures. At the Jabbok he wrestled with a divine being and prevailed (cf. Hos. xii. 3 sqq.), hence he called the See also:place Peniel or Penuel (" the See also:face of God "), and received the new name Israel. He then effected an unexpected reconciliation with Esau, passed to Succoth, where he built " booths " for his See also:cattle (hence its name), and reached See also:Shechem. Here he See also:purchased ground from the See also:clan Hamor (cf. Judg. ix. 28), and erected an See also:altar to " God (El) the God of Israel." This was the See also:scene of the See also:rape of Dinah and of the attack of See also:Simeon and See also:Levi which led to their ruin (xxxiv.; see See also:DAN, See also:LEVITES, SIMEON). Thence Jacob went down See also:south to Bethel, where he received a divine revelation (P), similar to that recorded by the earlier narrator (J), and was called Israel (See also:xxxv. 9-13, 15).

Here See also:

Deborah, Rebekah's See also:nurse, died, on the way to Ephrath. Rachel died in giving See also:birth to See also:Benjamin (q.v.), and further south See also:Reuben was guilty of a See also:grave offence (cf. xlix. 4). According to P, Jacob came to See also:Hebron, and it was at this juncture that Jacob and Esau separated (a second See also:time) and the latter removed to See also:Mount Seir (See also:xxxvi. 6 sqq.; cf. the parallel in xiii. 5 sqq.). Compelled by circumstances, described with much fullness and vividness, Jacob ultimately migrated to See also:Egypt, receiving on the way the promise that God would make of him a See also:great nation, which should come again out of Egypt (see See also:JOSEPH). After an inter-view with the See also:Pharaoh (recorded only by P, xlvii. 5-11), he dwelt with his sons in the land of See also:Goshen, and as his See also:death See also:drew near pronounced a formal See also:benediction upon the two sons of Joseph (See also:Manasseh and See also:Ephraim), intentionally exalting the younger. Then he summoned all the " sons " to gather See also:round his See also:bed, and told them "what shall befall in the latter days" (xlix.). He died at the See also:age of 149 (so P), and permission was given to carry his See also:body to See also:Canaan to be buried. ' For the symbols J, E, P. as regards the See also:sources of the See also:book of See also:Genesis, see GENESIS; See also:BIBLE: Old Test.

See also:

Criticism. 2 Since it is some 300 m. from Haran to Gilead it is probable that Laban's See also:home, only seven days' See also:journey distant, was nearer Gilead than the current tradition allows (Gen. xxxi. 22 sqq.). These narratives are full of much valuable See also:evidence regarding See also:marriage customs, See also:pastoral See also:life and duties, popular beliefs and traditions, and are evidently typical of what was currently re-tailed. Their See also:historical value has been variously estimated. The name existed See also:long before the traditional date of Jacob, and the See also:Egyptian phonetic See also:equivalent of Jacob-el (cf.Isra-el, Ishma-el) appears to be the name of a See also:district of central See also:Palestine (or possibly See also:east of Jordon) about 1500 B.C. But the stories in their See also:present See also:form are very much later. The See also:close relation between Jacob and Aramaeans confirms the view that some of the tribes of Israel were partly of Aramaean origin; his entrance into Palestine from beyond the See also:Jordan is parallel to See also:Joshua's invasion at the See also:head of the Israelites; and his previous journey from the south finds See also:independent support in traditions of another distinct See also:movement from this See also:quarter. Consequently, it would appear that these extremely elevated and richly See also:developed narratives of Jacob-Israel embody, among a number of other features, a recollection of two distinct traditions of See also:migration which became fused among the Israelites. See further GENESIS; See also:JEWS. (S. A.

End of Article: JACOB

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