Genesis 32 – Jacob Named Israel
Vs. 1-23 Jacob prepares to meet Esau.
The passage begins by telling us of another vision Jacob encounters. Reminiscent of his vision at Bethel (Genesis 28:12), Jacob is privileged with another divine encounter. We are not told of a specific message communicated. The vision seems to affirm the promise already given to Jacob, that God would be with him wherever he went.
In preparation for meeting his brother, Jacob sends messengers to prepare Esau (v. 3). Esau is now inhabiting land that will come to be known as Edom, here identified with Mount Seir. This location points toward a mountainous region lying east of the Rift Valley (a.k.a. Arabah) as it extends southward from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. The servants are to tell Esau that (for the last twenty years) Jacob has been dwelling with their relative Laban, and that Jacob is blessed with much livestock and servants. Jacob seems to suggest he intends to favor Esau with gifts from Jacob’s possessions. After communicating this to Esau, the servants come back with disturbing news: Esau is coming out to meet Jacob, and is accompanied by 400 men, obviously not intended to be a welcome party.
Distressed, Jacob takes up a strategy to minimize potential loss. We are told first (v. 7-8) that Jacob divides the people and herds into two groups, anticipating that if Esau attacks one the other will escape. This is followed by a prayer, which resembles the type of prayer many people would offer at such a time. He acknowledges the Lord’s undeserved favor, reminds God of His promises, and petitions God for deliverance from the looming threat.
We are told that the next day Jacob lays out more strategy (v. 13ff). He selects from his possessions a gift for Esau: 200 female goats and 20 male goats, 200 ewes and 20 rams, 30 milking camels and their colts, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. All these were distributed among Jacob’s servants with the instruction that they would separate themselves into droves to go before Jacob, one by one. As each drove encountered Esau, they were to tell him that the animals belong to Jacob and are intended for Esau as a gift. Further, they were to tell Esau that Jacob was coming behind them. The obvious strategy was to soften Esau’s heart with each passing group, so that when the two met Esau would reconcile with Jacob. Before the night had fallen, Jacob had sent all of the servants, the gifts, plus his wives, his maids, and his sons across the Jabbok, while he remained alone.
Vs. 24-32 Jacob wrestles with God.
What happens next is an historic event in Jacob’s life, even one that would shape the identity of his descendants. While demonstrating signs of change in his character during his years with Laban, we still see evidence of Jacob living up to his name. All of Jacob’s plotting, strategic as it may be, is designed to protect himself. Everyone’s neck is on the line before his. He expects a night of waiting, anticipating a meeting with his brother the following day. What he experiences is a night of wrestling with an unidentified visitor who, by the end of the segment, will be revealed to us as the Divine Presence.
Genesis 33 – Jacob Meets Esau
Following the wrestling match with God, Jacob now has the opportunity to face his brother. The immediate strategy taken by Jacob hasn’t changed; the servants with the presents have already passed ahead of him, and the children are in the care of mothers and maids. Verse 3 does tell us that Jacob passes on before the women and children, a fact we might not have expected given Jacob’s tendencies for self-preservation. When the brothers meet, Esau offers a gracious embrace to his brother. We are not told whether the gifts that had preceded Jacob softened Esau’s heart. Regardless, Esau gladly receives Jacob. Esau resists taking the gifts from Jacob, indicating that he had plenty of possessions of his own. Jacob insists, however, and Esau concedes to receive the gifts.
The next brief section will remind us that Jacob is not finished with his deceptive ways. Esau invites Jacob to join him in journeying homeward, presumably in the direction of Seir. It will quickly become apparent that Jacob has other plans, which do not include residing in the same area as his brother. Jacob’s first reply to Esau is that the animals and children will be distressed if they must travel quickly. For that reason Jacob will travel at a pace necessary for their health and catch up later (v. 13-14). Esau show understanding, and offers to leave some of his own men to help along the way. Jacob insists that will not be necessary. Esau departs with his company, obviously assuming Jacob would follow soon. What Jacob does, however, is to turn westward, traveling a relatively short distance to a place called Succoth east of the Jordan River and north of the Jabbok River. There he makes for himself a house and stalls for the livestock.
The chapter ends with Jacob relocating to Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan. The significance of this may be that Jacob here completes a journey that began with his grandfather Abraham. On Abraham’s initial journey into Canaan, he comes to Shechem and builds an altar to the Lord, who said, “To your offspring I will give this land” (Genesis 12:6-7).
Genesis 34 – Jacob and the Shechemites
Given the events of chapter 34, it is obvious that some time has passed from the day Jacob brought his clan from Succoth. The older of the brothers are likely into adult years, and Dinah is of marrying age. Jacob’s clan is probably living in the area of Shechem, though it seems a distinction remains between them and the people of the town.
The drama begins when Dinah goes to see some friends from among the Hivites of the town. She is noticed by the son of the “prince of the land” (v. 2), who was named after the town. Shechem (the man) takes Dinah and has sexual relations with her. Interpretation of this seems to vary a bit, with some seeing it as forced rape and others closer to seduction. Regardless, it was an improper act on behalf of the young man, not only defiling Dinah but transgressing Jacob’s rights as well. We are told that the man had feelings for Dinah, genuinely wanting to have her as a bride. Yet even at this, there was no justification for his actions (v. 7). Jacob hears about what has happened, but does not take action immediately, seeming instead to wait on Dinah’s brothers to return from working with the livestock. When they return and learn what was done to their sister, they burned with anger.
Shechem goes to his father for help in obtaining Dinah as a wife, probably assuming that his father can make things right given his position of prominence. Hamor (the father) goes to Jacob to negotiate, and in doing so reveals he has more on his mind than a simple arrangement of marriage. What Hamor sees in an opportunity to enrich his people by absorbing Jacob and his possessions. The proposition (v. 9-10) is framed to make it sound profitable to Jacob. As the reader, we already know that Jacob is doing fine by the Lord’s hand. We also know that blending the ancestors of Abraham and Isaac with descendants of the Canaanites is not in God’s plan. Interestingly, we are not told that Jacob made any reply one way or the other.
The narrative moves ahead under the direction not of the fathers, but of the sons. Shechem (v. 11-12) makes his own plea for Dinah, stating he is willing to pay whatever bride price is asked. The “sons of Jacob” (v. 13), perhaps Simeon and Levi in particular, make an offer to Shechem and Hamor that they have no intention of fulfilling. The deal is simple: Dinah will be available if the men among you will become circumcised. The language in v. 16 of “giving our daughters to you” may be reference to other sisters of theirs who have not been named, but certainly also a promise of intermarriage with generations to come. This is exactly what Hamor and Shechem want to hear.
Because of his desire for Dinah, Shechem immediately takes action to be circumcised. He and his father go to the men of the town (at the gate, suggesting a formal gathering) to request their participation. Their motives come to light in v. 23, “their livestock and their property will be ours” if we intermarry with them. Remarkable as it may seem to 21st century males, the men of the town believe the gain is worth the price, and they are circumcised. The action taken for their own gain also renders them temporarily impaired, enough so that Dinah’s brothers can carry out their plan of revenge. Spearheaded by Simeon and Levi, the brothers kill the men of the town and plunder their belongings.
Jacob’s response to this (v. 30) is not pride or satisfaction, but dismay. He rebukes his sons for their actions, accurately pointing out that they have put a target on Jacob’s back for other people groups in the region. If others hear what Jacob’s family has done to the people of Shechem, they could unite and come against Jacob as a preemptive measure, wiping out Jacob and his family. With this threat apparently in mind, the next chapter begins with God instructing Jacob to relocate to Bethel.
Once again we see the impact of human nature, giving us the invitation to consider how things could have been handled differently. Shechem’s actions are not uncommon, but nevertheless unjustifiable. Hamor does what many parents would do in trying to advocate for his child. We could have seen him demand accountability from Shechem, which likely would have cost Hamor as well in reparations to Jacob. Dinah’s brothers act in a way many of us would, taking revenge into our own hands and carrying out our own interpretation of justice. Jacob could have been more proactive in the situation rather than being for the most part a passive onlooker. As it is so often today, we have witnessed in this chapter an example of how human beings are faced with an injustice, but rather than making things right are driven by greed or revenge and end up making things worse.
The Winding Path 