32:3. Then Yaaqov sent [yishlakh] messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region of Edom. 

Edom is southeast of the Dead Sea. As one can see in Petra, originally an Edomite city, even the rocky land is red there, matching his name. On the way from Gil’ad to Hevron, where he had left his father, Yaaqov would not have to pass through Seir at all. But as he returns to the Land according to YHWH’s directive, what is foremost on his mind is not greeting his parents or giving YHWH the tithe he had promised, but dealing with Esau. Twenty years ago (27:41ff), running from him was the best thing to do. But he knows this is unfinished business that needs to be resolved. By sending messengers, Yaaqov takes the initiative to alert Esau to his arrival, leaving himself no way around facing his past, knowing that he can never be at peace in his home unless he gets this over with. Esau was not as crafty as Yaaqov, but in the past twenty years he had become powerful enough to have his own nation.  

4. And he gave them orders, saying, "You shall say to my master—to Esau—'This is what your servant Yaaqov says: “I have lived with Lavan as an outsider, and remained there until now. 

The rabbis consider Edom (Esau) to be figurative of the Roman Catholic Church. There is a physical reason for this: Esau’s grandson Tsefo emigrated to Kittim; the extant book of Yasher 10:16 tells us, “The children of Kittim are the Romin who dwell in the valley of Canopia by the river Tiberu”—i.e., the Tiber, on whose banks the city of Rome sits. (In the Dead Sea scrolls, the Romans are referred to as the Kittim.)  There he became a war-hero, and was made king there the 61st year after Yaaqov came to Egypt, c. 1699 B.C.E. The second king after him was named Latinus. Just after Israel entered the Promised Land, Kittim took over the rest of Edom, making the identification literally complete. Psalm 137:7-8 credits Edom with destroying Yerushalayim. This is Edom in this later form, to which its crown passed. The Jewish sage Abarbanel wrote, "[Ovadyah] did not prophesy only against the land of Edom, which is in the neighborhood of the land of Israel, but also against the people which branches off from thence, and is spread through the whole world, and is the people of the Christians in this our day, for they are the children of Edom." (Roman Christians; other Christians are descendants of Yosef and other Israelite tribes.)  Living with Lavan had prepared him to deal with Esau. He hints, “If I could not only survive but thrive under him and come out richer, I can probably handle you.” The message he sent is couched in kind words, but his every move is carefully thought out, because he knows that war is a possibility. He wants peace, but understands he must put some fear in Esau, so he will think twice before he tries to attack him. He calls his elder brother “master”, though he does not want really to do things Esau’s way, but he is coming into a place where Esau is in charge, and does not want his messengers to suggest that Yaaqov is coming with insolent intent.

5. "'”Yet now my condition is such that I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female slaves. And I have sent word to tell my master this, in order to find favor in your sight.”'" 

He thought Esau would respect him more if he mentioned his possessions, since Esau was the kind of man that places the highest value on someone who has the ability to accrue wealth. Yet he is also making it clear to Esau that he is not out to get anything more from him. Favor: He is not pretending that he wants to be close to Esau, but simply wants no more trouble from him, so he essentially pays him off so he will just leave him alone.  

6. But when the messengers returned to Yaaqov, they said, "We managed to reach your brother, and he is coming to meet you—but 400 men are with him!" 

Meet: a different word from that in v. 1. Here it has more of the sense of a surprise encounter. 400 men: Every other time this phrase appears in Scripture it is in a military context. So when Yaaqov, a man of studies, heard about his elder brother coming with 400 men, what else could he expect but that he wanted to kill him?  

7. Then Yaaqov was afraid; indeed, he was greatly distressed. So he divided the people who were with him—as well as the flocks, herds, and camels—into two companies. 

Sometimes fear keeps us out of life-threatening situations. "Two companies" has a military nuance in Hebrew as in English. It might be war and it might be peace, so he found a balance and prepared a camp for either possibility.  The survival of Israel may also be one of the main reasons YHWH later divided our nation into two "houses". (Alexander Lawrence)

8. And he said, "If Esau comes upon the one company and attacks it, then [at least] the company that is left will escape." 

The Hebrew word for “spill” (as in blood) has the value of 400, but the phrase “for shalom” also has that value. So it could be either. Who really wants war? Only those with the luxury of sending someone else to do the fighting! Yaaqov did not know whether it would be an army or a welcoming party. So he prepared his heart for either eventuality:

9. Then Yaaqov said, "O Elohim of my ancestor Avraham, and Elohim of my father Yitzhaq, O YHWH, You are the One who said to me, 'Go back to your land and your relatives, and I will deal well with you'. 

Avraham also left the place Yaaqov was returning from, to get into the proper context, and Yaaqov was returning to the proper context—the father who had never left the Land YHWH had made part of the covenant. But he would not be in the current danger if he had not obeyed, so he lets YHWH know he is depending on Him to keep His end of the deal.

10. "I am not worthy of any of the mercies and faithfulness that you have shown to Your servant, for I crossed over this Yarden with [only] my walking-stick, and now I have become two camps! 

If he were alone, he would not care so much about what befell him, but now he had much more to lose. Yaaqov is humbled by his regrets about his actions toward Esau, for which he still feared repercussions.

11. "Now deliver me, I beg You, from the hand of my brother—from the hand of Esau—because I am afraid he might come and attack me, mother and children [included]! 

He confesses his fear to YHWH, because he is looking for a way to rid himself of it. His main fear was not death but that there would be no one left to uphold the covenant of Avraham. “Mother” is singular here, though he had four mothers with him. He feared Esau might kill the rest of them and marry Leah, then have the birthright back, but Yaaqov knew Esau could not do justice to that position.  

12. "You also said, 'I will certainly deal well with you, and I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea which is too much to count—because they are so many!'" 

Yaaqov shows that he has remembered YHWH’s words for twenty years. YHWH had not actually told Yaaqov that his descendants would be like the sand of the sea, but only mentioned the dust of the earth. (28:14) But Yaaqov knew that the two went together in YHWH’s promise to Avraham (13:14-16; 22:16), and he has recognized that YHWH’s dealing with him is not about himself alone, but something much bigger. By claiming the fullness of the promise, he is taking responsibility for the covenant of Avraham. And now it is our turn to do the same.  

13. And he remained there that night, then selected a present for his brother Esau from what had come into his possession: 

Before he can cross over, he first has to face Esau with no one to back him up, so he tries to appease him with the kind of wealth he likes--animals. He feels he has no choice but to give away flocks that are under his care to one who will not care for them properly. Yet if it comes to a choice between possessions and his heritage, the animals are not as important as the family.  

14.200 she-goats and 20 he-goats;
  200 ewes and 20 rams; 

15. 30 nursing camels with their 30 colts; 
  40 cows and 10 bulls; 
  20 female and 10 male donkeys. 

Here we have a glimpse at ancient animal husbandry and how herdsmen reckoned the number of females they needed per male to maintain the flocks and herds of various species. He gave him plenty of clean animals to eat and propagate, but, strategically, gave him no mature male camels that  that he could have used to increase his war machine. But there are 580 animals in all mentioned here. If he could give this many as a present, how many more must he have behind them? He gave Esau more flock animals than anything else to remind him that he was supposed to be a shepherd. But these valuable animals would also require much care by many of those 400 men, effectively reducing the size of his fighting force.

16. And he put each drove separately into the custody of his servants, and he told his servants, "Go across ahead of me, drove by drove, leaving a space between them." 

The gifts would arrive in wave after wave and soften Esau’s heart, if possible, but also slow Esau down, as he had to deal with one wave, then another some time later. Sending young animals would slow him down even more. (33:13) 

17. And he gave the ones in front orders, saying, "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, 'Who are you with? Where are you going? And to whom do these ones in front of you belong?', 

18. "then tell him, 'To your servant Yaaqov. This is a gift being sent to my master—to Esau—and he himself is right behind us!'" 

Your servant: a legal formula by which one represents the one whose favor he seeks as his master. He admits Esau is better at many things than he is, though he has questionable priorities. He honors who he is in his realm. Yaaqov did not even take the physical aspects of the birthright, and then gave some of his own possessions to Esau.

19. And he gave the same orders to the second and third, and all the ones driving the herds, saying, "This is what you must say to Esau when you encounter him, 

20. "and you shall also say, 'Look! Your brother Yaaqov is behind us.'" For he said to himself, "I will appease his anger with the gift that arrives before me, and after that I will be able to look him in the face; maybe he will lift up my face." 

Appease: literally, cover, the same word used for atonement offerings in the Temple. Yaaqov was always expecting to be punished for what he did. He thought he deserved whatever might befall him, not realizing that it was YHWH’s choice that removed the birthright from Esau and gave it to the one who pleased Him better. He had not done wrong; he had been following orders given to his mother by YHWH. But he regretted the way he had to treat his brother in the process of putting the covenant on firmer footing; he wants to make sure Esau is satisfied enough to stay out of his business so their worlds will not be mixed, for Esau’s ways would only drag down his descendants if they were living together again. He hopes that Esau will decide not to fight, so he blesses Esau with a gift that is near and dear to his heart.  

21. And the tribute passed on ahead of him, but he remained in the camp that night. 

22. But he got up later that same night and took his two wives, his two servant-girls, and his eleven boys, and crossed the ford of the Yabboq.

The Yabboq (see photo below) flows westward through Gil'ad into the Yarden halfway between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee (Kinnereth). Later it would be the northern border of Moav and of Ammon. Yabboq means "emptying out", and this is what was being done to Yaaqov here. He left his old self behind and gained a new identity. (v. 28) Why is Yaaqov’s daughter not mentioned? Daughters were rarely killed in battle, but would be taken as booty. If all the sons were killed, and the mothers too in case they were pregnant (as one actually was), then the inheritance would revert to Esau.

23. Now he brought them there and sent them across the river, and sent all that belonged to him over along with them. 

He removed from himself everything that mattered to him, and spent one final night in an alien land. He could not go any further until he dealt with this one pressing matter that would stretch him to his limits.

24. And Yaaqov alone was left, and a man wrestled with him until the ascending of the dawn. 

He was alone, yet he wrestled with someone. So who was he wrestling with? Himself? His own inclinations? He had to come to terms with what kind of man he was. Now that he was alone against the world, would he have faith that this Elohim was truly who He said He was? Was he really the right one to receive the birthright? Should he be afraid? Was he right to put Rakhel’s safety first, when Leah had proven very faithful to him and much more fruitful? Was he really ready to be the leader of a nation? Was he also wrestling with the spirit of his twin Esau, the philosophy of caring only for one's belly, which now threatened him in a very real way as everything hung in the balance? How much of Esau—or Lavan--was still in him? How should he deal with him? Would he become like him, or remain Yaaqov? Or was there a third option? He was even wrestling with Elohim as represented by a mysterious man (as we will see below), who is in control of all that befalls us, and who could bring about unforeseen outcomes. All of this took place within him, whether or not anyone else was physically present. And all of these aspects of his wrestling are really one and the same. Dawn means "what is sought" in Hebrew. He wrestled until what he was seeking came to light. He would not receive clarity without the struggle. As he fought his selfishness, the "dark cloud lifted"; his earnest seeking reached the heavenlies.

25. When he saw that he was not prevailing over him, he touched him on the socket of his hip, and Yaaqov's hip-socket was dislocated while he grappled with him. 

26. Then he said, "Let go of me, because the morning has dawned.” But he said, "I will not let you go until you bless me!" 

He did not want to be seen; Yabboq has the same letters as Yaaqov, without the ayin (which means “eye” in Hebrew). But dawn is the time for something new to begin. He wanted to receive the blessing the right (legitimate) way this time.  

27. So He said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Yaaqov." 

This is the first time he is recorded as using his own name (of which he may have been ashamed; he had even tacitly implied that he was Esau once). This was a confession from the “heel-grabber”: "I'm a swindler after all." Until we admit who we are, we cannot go on to who we need to be.

28. Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be Yaaqov, but Isra-El, because you have striven with both Elohim and men, and have prevailed.” 

No longer: if you live up to it, for he is alternately called Yaaqov and Israel. Yisra-El (Israel) means "Striving (persistently exerting oneself) with Elohim" or "One who has overcome and become a prince with Elohim". Prevailed: conquered or become able (i.e., to be the leader of a new nation). The confession was the prevailing. (Compare Judg. 6:14) He was no longer fooling himself as to who he was. So there was now an entity called "Israel", the one big exception to the rule that "under the sun, all is vanity". He allowed to be born in him a direction and goal for history. The undoing of the shattering of creation by Adam's sin took another major leap forward. YHWH gives a new name to those who confess and repent (Yeshayahu 62:2-4) and who overcome, as Yaaqov did (Rev. 2:17), because the ultimate overcomer, Yeshua, is himself given a new name (Rev. 3:12, possibly alluded to below).  Those who cross over into his realm are new creations (2 Cor. 5:17) in whom the former self is superseded by a greater truth which is counted as our more real, more lasting identity. (Rom. 6:6; 8:9ff) But like Yaaqov, we must live according to the new, not the old (Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9) to bring the same truth to earth that is in heaven.  This is indeed a blessing, and Yaaqov accepted it as such.

29. And Yaaqov inquired and said, "Now you divulge your name, please." But He said, "Why do you ask about My name?" Then He blessed him there.

Manoakh, the father of Shimshon (Samson), also asked this question of YHWH's messenger, and received the same answer, with the added detail, "because it is beyond your comprehension". (Judg. 13:15ff) Even YHWH is a name for only that part of His infinitude that He can reveal to us. There is more to Him that we cannot know, and indeed, all that we know is "in part" (1 Cor. 13), that is, by partitioning and distinguishing things from one another. However, YHWH is "echad"--one, unified, indivisible, the "all in all", so how can His truest name be known? But He does reveal Himself by His attributes and in the fullest sense possible, and YHWH is just that—a composite of all tenses of the word “to be or exist”.   Psalm 139 ties several aspects of this together: When YHWH's hand was laid on him, David said that the way YHWH knew him was beyond his understanding. Even if he descended into She'ol (the place of the dead), He was somehow there! But the word she'ol is based on the word "to ask". Yaaqov battled his evil inclination, but that too could have positive results if, unlike Qayin, he mastered it. It is there for us to inquire why it exists, but not to participate in; to learn from, but not to serve. We should be glad it is within us to drive us toward being our best by the knowledge of what we could otherwise be. Thus the messenger from YHWH reveals to us who we really are--and that messenger could be anyone. The last time he encountered messengers of YHWH, he was leaving Kanaan. Now he has seen them again (vv. 1-2), but this time they are not at the House of Elohim, so he reasons that this must be His camp. But he does not refer to the “Place” as Elohim’s home, but “this”--the very people who are traveling with him: his descendants and his servants. This camp will lead to the much larger camp of his descendants in the wilderness under Moshe and Aharon. Without this camp there will be no messengers of YHWH at the House of Elohim. It is his responsibility to look at the seeds and see the trees, and see to it that the vision comes to fullness. What he does now will affect the unseen camp that is to come.

30. And Yaaqov named the place P'ni-El ["Face of Elohim"], "because I saw Elohim face to face, and yet my life was spared." 

Elohim: by judging himself he has faced the judge already and can therefore escape further judgment. (1 Cor. 11:31) Spared: By changing Yaaqov’s name, the messenger changed his identity, and therefore freed him from his old obligations and debts. (Rom. 8:12) Yaaqov owed Esau something, but Israel did not. So he was now free.

31. And the sun rose upon him as he crossed over P'nu-El , but he was limping on account of his hip. 

P'nu-El-- an alternate, less personal rendering of P'ni-El. ("Turn your face toward Elohim" or "His face toward Elohim" in contrast to "My face toward Elohim".) His walk (Hebraically, a metaphor for how one lives) was permanently altered. Once you come up against the truth, you have to weigh everything else in light of it. Nothing can ever be the same afterwards. He had a constant reminder that he was no longer an individual, but a people.  

32. (This is why the children of Israel do not eat the sinew of an animal's thigh which is over the hip-socket—because He touched Yaaqov's hip-socket on the sinew of the thigh.) 

The sinew: the sciatic nerve. The cut is the finest of all—filet mignon. A few are expert enough to remove the nerve, and they charge top dollar for it. Jews usually just sell the whole hind-quarters of the cow to Gentile butchers—a major fence built around the Torah to be sure it is not inadvertently violated. It is not a command as such, but here the Torah tells us that we do not do this! It is a “house rule”, if nothing else but for the honor of our father.  


CHAPTER 33 

1. Then Yaaqov raised his eyes and looked, and there came Esau, accompanied by 400 men! So he divided the children around both Leah and Rakhel, as well as around the two slave-girls. 

Although he had already fought this battle with the evil inclination, Esau was still coming. After we confess and deal with our guilt inwardly, our enemies still remain around us. We could fall back into the same traps. Our old self still remains as the shell around the new one, and we constantly have the choice of which we will act as.  The purpose of remembering our guilt is to motivate us to do something to avoid repeating it. That is true repentance. Yaaqov had let the Yabboq “empty” him of any perceived guilt, so it could not beat him.  

2. And he put the slave-girls and their children first, and Leah and her children next behind them, then Rakhel and Yosef last. 

Whom he kept safest shows who was most important to him. Setting Yosef in a separate category from his other children would be a lifelong pattern. By the pattern by which the matriarchs had married, Leah should have been Esau’s wife, so he may have reasoned that if Esau wanted to take his wife, he was willing to give her up, since he put her in front. 

3. And he went over ahead of them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he had come all the way to where his brother was. 

Here Yaaqov is carrying out an ancient rite of courtesy in recognizing Esau’s authority over the place he is standing. Many ancient documents refer to similar rituals. Additional parts of the ritual will be seen throughout the rest of the chapter. He would take several steps, then bow, then take several steps again before bowing again. He was not capitulating to the evil inclination, but neither did he pretend it was not there. He recognized its power, and kept his eye on it. It is a witness of what is true about us, but we can use those negative traits against it and thus defeat it. Yaaqov goes only as far as he needs to in admitting that he is in someone else’s territory, so he can keep moving to where he knows he is meant to be. As the leader, Yaaqov went out first. He did not sit back in safety and send the rest out to die. He put himself on the line as the representative of the whole people. He realized that what is behind him was now more important than he was. Now that the seed had been turned over to YHWH, it must be protected at all costs. These are not just his children now; they are YHWH’s, and he now has the responsibility of guarding what belongs to Him. But YHWH will also protect what is His. This does not relieve us of our responsibility, but a shared burden is much lighter.

4. But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they both wept. 

He had not seen his brother in twenty years, and this seems like a sweet reunion with all bygones laid aside. But we are not told that Yaaqov kissed or embraced Esau back. The man who would have crushed him twenty years ago now takes a gentler approach, but he still has an army with him. In the Hebrew text, there are two "tooth-marks" above the word "embraced”, which the Rabbis say indicates that he really meant to bite him. There is only one letter difference between the Hebrew word for kiss (nashaq) and the word for bite (nashak).  

5. And he looked up and saw the women and children, and he said, "Who are these with you?" And he said, "The children with whom Elohim has graciously favored your servant." 

Again Yaaqov is courteous, but gives only the briefest of answers. He does not tell him the names of his children, and does not even mention his wives. He does not grant Esau any intimacy in his life, but in essence tells him, “You wouldn’t be interested in what I have. I’m just passing through.” For Esau, though older and wiser, does still want what is Yaaqov’s. He simply has learned, as a hunter, that one “catches more flies with honey than with vinegar”. But Yaaqov has experienced Lavan and now he knows better. He plays along with it but will not fall for it.  

6. Then the slave-girls came forward—they and their children—and bowed. 

7. Next Leah and her children came up and bowed, and after this, Yosef and Rakhel came near and bowed. 

They all pay their respects in turn as part of the ritual. But unlike verse 2, Yosef is now ahead of Rakhel. Though he was only 6 years old, he already acts according to his calling as a provider, protector, and defender of Israel. Edom is another name for Esau, and Yosef’s descendants will play a special role in Edom’s final defeat. (Ovadyah 18)

8. And he said, "Whose is all this company which I met?" And he said, "It was to gain favor in my master's sight." 

“Company” can have a military sense; Esau may be saying, “I saw that you have an army too!” to call attention to his own.

9. But Esau said, "I have plenty, my brother! Let what you have be kept for yourself." 

Plenty: He uses another ancient formula—accepting by rejecting—as apparently he did not accept the gifts sent on ahead the first time. But he brings it up to make sure there will be a second and third offer, for a man of the world never does stop lusting for more even when he knows he has enough. Yet he is impressed: Yaaqov left empty-handed, but has now shown that he “knows his way around” and is productive. "You have become materially wealthy like me; stay that way!" Yaaqov puts his whole heart into whatever he did; this will make Esau keep his distance.

10. But Yaaqov replied, "No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, take my present from my hands! For I have seen your face, and it was as if I were seeing the face of Elohim—and you have received me favorably. 

From my hands: His animals would reproduce further and be replenished, but right now they were more of a burden to Yaaqov anyway until he was in his own Land. As if seeing the face of Elohim: inspiring terror. He should know; when he did “see that face”, he was relieved because his life was spared. (32:30) But elohim can simply mean “judges”, and since Yaaqov has judged himself, he can face this judge as well.

11. "Please take my token of blessing which has been brought to you, because Elohim has been gracious to me, and I have everything." And he urged him, so he accepted. 

Everything: all he needs, as contrasted with Esau’s “plenty” (v. 9), though he has given much away; his “all” is not material things, but relationship with YHWH. He has the birthright and the blessing, which are more valuable to him than many animals. Per the common tradition of that time, Esau accepts the gift upon the third offer.

12. Then he said, "Let's keep moving—and I'll go before you." 

Go before you: i.e., lead the way. Since he had begun to acquire wealth, Esau offered to take him home and give him more tips on how to acquire even more. What a team they could make together! But if Yaaqov becomes part of Edom, as he had become part of Lavan’s house for so long, Esau would gain control of the birthright again. But Yaaqov had learned who he really was, and could no longer follow someone else’s agenda. These men are twins; they are each other’s counterpart, and each of us can be inclined in either direction. Even Esau tried to please his parents; he just did not know how, but this does not mean he was thoroughly evil. Esau is a prophet, but his walk is an example to us of what NOT to do. The evil inclination is there to show us how to walk in righteousness.  

13. But he told him, "My master is aware that the children are still tender, and the flocks and herds with me are nursing. If they are overdriven [even] for one day, the flocks will all die. 

In his decision-making, he was not thinking of himself, but of his children and his flocks. Yaaqov wisely does not “lead them into temptation”—where only the more mature can survive. (Edom is a harsh, dry climate on the edge of the desert.) Paul also spoke of deferring to the "speed" of the "weaker brothers"--staying back with them to teach at their pace and help them catch up. (Romans 14) 

14. "Please let my master go on ahead of his servant, and I will make my way by stages as it is comfortable according to the pace the stock that are before me can take, and whatever pace the children are ready for, until I reach my master at Mount Seir." 

Make my way: literally, “flow gently” (a term used of a river). This is not at Esau’s pace, so this is Yaaqov’s excuse to not walk like Esau. In his lifetime, Yaaqov never did literally reach Seir. He told Esau what he wanted to hear, so that Esau would stay home and wait for him, and thus have no influence over Yaaqov’s children. Yaaqov haas “grabbed Esau’s heel” again, and it was right. He is still “slick”, but it is now for the sake of the Kingdom. By fooling the evil inclination, he did not sin. Y’shua told us not to let our left hand know what our right hand is doing; it has no business knowing. When Yaaqov’s descendants do reach Edom's territory in the latter days, however, the results will not be beneficial to Esau, as the book of Ovadyah reveals.  

15. So Esau said, "Please, let me leave with you some of the people that are with me." But he said, "To what purpose? Just let me find favor in the eyes of my master." 

Leave with you: or station, permanently attach, assign to you. I.e., "Let me at least leave some of what is mine in your camp so I can temper your ways with some of my point of view." Israel does not walk by anyone else’s rules; we have our own path to take. But he does not overtly tell him, “I have no obligation to you.” 

16. So Esau started that day on his way back to Mount Seir. 

Like Lavan, he recognized that YHWH was indeed with Yaaqov, and let him go. He drops all his pretenses and goes back to being what he was before, unaffected by Yaaqov’s ways, for Seir means "a shaggy goat".  

17. But Yaaqov traveled on to Sukkoth, and built himself a house, and made shelters for his livestock; that is why he named the place Sukkoth. 

Sukkoth means "booths", “shelters”, or "temporary dwellings”, and this place was named for the stables he built for his animals. It is this use of the term that clues us in on the fact that Yeshua was born in a sukkah during the feast of Sukkoth, as Joseph Good has also deduced simply by calculating the date of Yochanan the Immerser’s birth and going six months forward from that. Today we hear the ownership of the “West Bank” disputed; Sukkoth would later be King David’s “East Bank” military headquarters. East of the Yarden seems to have always been the best place in the region to raise cattle!

18. When Yaaqov arrived safely at the city of Sh'khem (which is in the land of Kanaan), upon coming from Paddan-Aram, he encamped within sight of the city. 

“Safely” here means “in completeness” (shalom). He left none of his heart behind in Paddan-Aram; he brought with him everything that was worth bringing. He now has children and servants. He has been through much that could have destroyed him, but he learned all he could from each thing, because YHWH had said He would bring him back home, and now He had done so. But though he had built a permanent dwelling at Sukkoth, he continued to live in tents as a sojourner. Undoubtedly he left some of his servants in the house to care for the animals, but he had to occupy the Land of promise. Yet it was not yet time to go back to Mount Moryah where he had a house to build. He does not even go back to see his father yet, because Sh’khem means “the part of the back and shoulders that bears burdens”. Even where there is shalom there is a unique burden to bear. Israel dwells in tents so that we can move when the Ark of the Covenant moves. He left a “house of promise” at Sukkoth, which symbolizes the final ingathering of the whole nation. The feast also called Sukkoth has an eighth day, which is symbolic of the age to come. We “own a house in the Kingdom” and visit it each year for eight days, but cannot yet stay there all the time, for only when we have completed our work in this age will we be able to dwell in sukkoth all the time when the next age comes. Sh’khem was his entry point into the Land, as it was for Avraham, and it was where Yeshua opened his mission to the “lost sheep of the House of Israel” at the very well Yaaqov dug there (Yochanan 4).  

19. And he bought that parcel of land upon which he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Khamor, the father of Sh'khem, for 100 coins. 

Coins: or possibly pearls, as coins are not certain to have existed until later. The word Kanaanite also means “merchant”, so Yaaqov knew their hospitality would not come without a price, so he beat them to it and did not request refuge from them, but paid for his own place to camp. He bought it so he could keep it forever, though he would move on to greater things. Yosef's tomb is still on this parcel Yaaqov bought, so his descendants still own it, though the Palestinians are trying to drive them away from it. The camp of Israel that left Egypt would stop by another place named Sukkoth to bring Yosef’s bones to this piece of ground as he requested. (Y’hoshua 24:32)

20. And he established an altar there, and called it "El Elohey-Yisra'el". 

El Elohey-Yisrael: "El is the Elohim of Israel", for he is now owning YHWH as his Elohim, not just his father’s, because YHWH has been faithful to keep His part of the bargain. (28:21).  


CHAPTER 34 

1. Now Dinah (the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Yaaqov) went out to learn about the daughters of the Land.

Israel is called to be a set-apart nation, the influencer, not the influenced. She may only have wanted to see what kind of clothes they wore, as would interest a girl of her age. (By the foregoing chronology she was probably not more than twelve years old.) But Dinah is the only daughter of Yaaqov about whom we are told. Like Sarah and Rivqah, she was probably very eye-catching. This worked against her, because with the daughters of the Land come the sons as well… 

2. And Sh'khem, the son of Khamor the Khiwite, the prince of the region, saw her, took her and lay with her, violating her. 

Khamor means “donkey”, but the town was named after his son, suggesting that there was an undue emphasis on youth, and less honor for the elders, who may have been seen as senile and out of touch with reality, as in modern Western culture. Dinah should not have gone alone, causing her intentions to be misunderstood by these descendants of Kanaan, who seems to have had a sexual fixation at a very young age. Being royalty, Sh’khem was used to getting what he wanted, and he found her irresistible.  

3. But his soul clung to Dinah, the daughter of Yaaqov, and he loved the girl and spoke onto the girl’s heart. 

Spoke to her heart: spoke soothing words, appealed to her emotions, wooing her when he should have been speaking to his own heart, judging his motivations and telling it to get in line and be disciplined, for though his emotions said one thing, his reason should have told him to act more wisely. He could have asked for her in a proper way, but instead he actually stole her.  

4. And Sh'khem spoke like this to Khamor, his father: "Get me this girl to be my wife!" 

Notice his spoiled, demanding tone.

5. Then Yaaqov heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah, but his sons were out in the field with the livestock, so Yaaqov kept quiet until they had come in. 

Yaaqov’s sons may have been out in the field for several days. Though he may have needed to wait for them to return for defense, by being passive he allowed more trouble to brew. 

6. When Khamor (Sh'khem's father) had come out of the city to Yaaqov to discuss the matter with him, 

7. Yaaqov's sons arrived back from the field. When they heard what had taken place, they were distressed and extremely angry, because he had done an outrage in Israel by lying with Yaaqov's daughter—such a thing [as] should not be done! 

Distressed: or deeply offended. An outrage: a foolish, disgraceful act, senseless because she was so young and she was under authority, and their permission was never asked until the act was already accomplished. While this might be tolerated among other peoples, it is not proper for the holiest. This is the first time the phrase “in Israel”, very common later in Scripture, appears. It is the first time Israel is spoken of as a nation. And indeed, a small tract of the Land did already belong to this new nation. His sons may have seen more clearly than he that they had to think of themselves as a corporate entity and act for each other. They recognized that this was not a crime only against Dinah, but against all Israel.  
8. Then Khamor spoke with them, saying, "My son Sh'khem's soul is bound to your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. 

Bound: or attached. Notice how much emphasis “King Donkey” places on feelings. Just as Lavan spoke for his father, Sh’khem seems to have been considered more important than his father. Both of these cultures seem to have made Yaaqov feel it was normal for the sons to speak and act in lieu of their father. Why should this immature prince be given what he has stolen, just so his “heart” can be satisfied? A soul must be shaped and taught what to delight in and to yearn for the things that should be done, instead of being turned over to its unrefined desires.  

9. “Then you can all intermarry  with us: give us your daughters, and take our daughters for yourselves. 

​I.e., “Why can’t we all just get along?” He makes it sound like it would be to Yaaqov’s advantage to overlook this offense. “We have something for you too—wives for your many sons! We’ll pay you back well for this prize!” And intermarriage would also mean an alliance for defense. But there would be no justice in that. It is a bribe. The sons of Kanaan are to serve Shem’s (Gen. 9:26); they are not Israel's peers.

10. "Dwell with us, too, and the whole land will be before [open to] you; settle in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it!" 

This would give them an instant "in" with the people over whom Khamor was prince. After all, Dinah would become a princess in fact, as she deserved according to her lineage, which she was not otherwise in a position to actually live out. But as in haSatan’s last-ditch offer to Yeshua (Mat. 4:9), he would be offering none of this if he did not know he owed Yaaqov’s family an immense debt. And when YHWH had promised this whole Land to him, why should his access to it be contingent on catering to their whims?

11. Sh'khem also said to her father and her brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you tell me, I will give. 

12. "Pile on me ever so high a bride price or a present, and I will give you whatever you say—just give me the girl as a wife!" 

"The girl": a letter is missing from the Hebrew spelling here, indicating that though he made it sound like she was still a "maiden", she was not. How could any amount of money or possessions pay for a wrong done, even if emotion was to blame? One makes reparation by turning away from it—but he wants to keep going further into it. This whole city does not have enough to compensate for this offense, though they should certainly try. But keeping Dinah is out of the question! Bride price: It was not as though they were paying for her as chattel; the family was compensated for raising her to be a valuable wife, since they would now have one less pair of hands to help in their own household. She was given a dowry by which to survive in case she were to be divorced or widowed.  

13. But the sons of Yaaqov replied to Sh'khem and his father Khamor cleverly since he had defiled their sister Dinah: 

They use a roundabout way of saying “no” because they do not trust a people who have already wronged them.  There was no way to become comfortable with what had occurred:

14. They told them, “We couldn't do such a thing—give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for this would be a disgrace to us. 

15. "Only on this condition would we consent to you: if you will become as we are, having every male among you circumcised,

16. "Then we could give you our daughters, or take your daughters unto ourselves, and would live with you and become like one people." 

One people: a single socioeconomic entity. But they really wanted these men to feel pain for what they had done to Dinah. "Our daughters" (plural)? There was only one mentioned. But the servants they brought back from Lavan would have had some children as well, and they were also speaking of the generations to come.

17. "If you will not agree to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and leave." 

18. But their proposal seemed reasonable to Khamor and his son Sh'khem, 

Yaaqov’s sons expected this to be too high a price and discourage Sh'khem so he would stop asking. They underestimated the enemy, never expecting them to accept the prerequisite. (Dinah must have been extremely beautiful!) But they really had no obligation to negotiate with “terrorists”. Later YHWH would make it easier and mandate that Israel not make a treaty with Kanaanites. (Ex. 23:32; Deut. 7:2) 

19. and the young man did not delay in doing the thing, because he enjoyed Yaaqov's daughter so much, and he carried more weight than all [the rest of] his father's household. 

Weight: influence over the rest of the men of the city.

20. So Khamor and his son Sh'khem came to the gate of their city, and they spoke with the men of their city, saying, 

The gate: where the city elders made legal decisions.

21. "These men are peaceable toward us, so let them live in the land and trade in it, because, look! The land has opened its hands wide to them! Let's take their daughters for ourselves as wives, and let's give them our daughters as wives— 

22. "except that only on these terms will the men consent to become one with us: that every male among us be circumcised as they are. 

He never mentions the fact that all this is simply so that Sh’khem can have Dinah! If the people would have called their king’s bluff on this like King Sha’ul’s subjects did (1 Shm. 14), the story might have turned out better.

23. "Won't their livestock and their property and their beasts of burden then become ours? Let us just consent to them, and they will settle among us." 

They offered Yaaqov their wealth, but here are their true motives. If a powerful, wealthy family is added to their own community, they think they will all become wealthier.  

24. So all those who went out of the gate of the city listened to Khamor and his son Sh'khem, and every male—everyone who went out through the city's gate—was circumcised. 

Everyone who went through the gate: not just those who lived within the city, but also the vassal peasants who lived outside the city but would come there for protection if there was a threat from an enemy. If they were to do this, they had to put themselves under the authority of its gates—that is, answer to its judges when necessary. The extrabiblical Book of Yasher says 645 men were circumcised there.  

25. But what took place was that on the third day—when they were in their greatest pain—two of Yaaqov's sons, Shim'on and Levi (Dinah's [full] brothers), each got out his sword, and came upon the city confidently, and killed every male. 

They did not really want them circumcised, but having seen it done to people who joined their camp, they know that on the third day they would be so weakened by pain that they would be easy to kill. Confidently: openly, raising no one's suspicions, as they were now to become relatives. They were well-known in the town, which might have assumed they were coming just to ensure that every man had actually complied. Killed: not the Hebrew word for murdered. What they had allowed to be done appears to have been considered no big deal or even normal in their culture, but the Hebrew word indicates that this was a legitimate retribution. Shim’on means “hearing very well (and supremely obedient)”, and Levi means “joined to Me”. If Yaaqov was hesitant to insist on justice, these two knew what had to be done to avenge their sister’s honor, and were bold enough to go through with it.

26. They even killed Khamor and Sh'khem at swordpoint. Then they took Dinah from Sh'khem's house and left. 

It appears that Dinah had never come home; they had come to ask for her hand without releasing her to her family. Either due to her disgrace or being held hostage, she had remained in the king's household. At such a time, Avram had gone to war. (Compare 14:14.) She is never mentioned after this.  

27. Yaaqov's sons came to strip the slain, and they plundered the city because they had defiled their sister. 

They: only one young man had defiled her, but as their prince he represented the whole community.

28. They took their flocks and herds and donkeys, and whatever was in the city, and whatever was in the field; 

29. thus they seized all their wealth, took captive all their little ones and their wives, and looted all that was in the house. 

This was the price they exacted for Dinah’s honor. One Israelite was worth many Khiwites. Dinah’s very name means “justice”, and it is rooted in a term meaning “to sail a straight course”--being balanced, judging the facts of the case with no room for twisting or distorting, getting straight to the point of what someone actually did, whatever his intentions might have been. YHWH will judge based on the path we should have been on (loving Him and our fellows with all of our hearts), not the one we have ended up on. There are extenuating circumstances, but very few are worthy of consideration. Israel only took what the men of the city had promised anyway. (v. 21) Those who survived indeed became servants of servants (9:25), not of slave-drivers.  

30. But Yaaqov told Shim'on and Levi, "You have gotten me in trouble by making me a stench among the inhabitants of the land—the Kanaanites and the Perizzites. I am so few in number—if they unite against me, I and my household will be annihilated!" 

Yaaqov probably had not been aware of their plot, and this shook his world. Making me a stench: giving me a bad name. His name Yaaqov is used again, showing that he has lapsed into thinking of things from the natural standpoint ("What will become of ME?"), rather than a higher one, symbolized when his name "Israel" is used. They do not even answer this aspect of his complaint. If we know better, we never have an obligation to compromise. There may be consequences, but there is never no way out. If he does not consider his Elohim adequate to protect him, what else can they say? He is acting from fear, already forgetting that just two of his sons were able to overpower a whole city; who would dare to bother such a powerful people? But that is part of what scares him. They are acting like what he used to be, not the way he sees himself now. All of his life he has been trying to escape the reputation of being the one who took advantage of others, and he thought he had finally reached that point. The vision of the camp in the wilderness told him YHWH would only give his descendants the Land through warfare. But Yaaqov has not fully embraced this. He was a skillful deceiver, but has never killed anyone. He does not want to be like Esau, but he also cannot do everything with the right hand; YHWH does not encourage a taste for blood, but like Avraham with Yitzhaq, we must be willing to go beyond what our right hand wants to allow. Thinking righteous thoughts will not by itself bring the Kingdom. We are not to cut our left hand off, but bring it under control.

31. But they replied, "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?" 

Moshe lets this be the last word,  for though their actions may have been extreme, they were defending their sister’s honor—a concept almost forgotten today, but a very important one. They thought more highly of her dignity than to let such a wrong go unpunished, and did not seem to care what the consequences might be. The brothers also may have wished to be rid of this child-molesting people. Yaaqov had no answer for them. This ended the discussion, yet Yaaqov always considered it an extreme act (49:5ff). While he was allowed some say in the matter, YHWH vouched for Israel being in the right by keeping others from attacking them. (35:5) In the long run He showed what He thought of Levi by giving his tribe the right to be the judges in Israel, because he had proven zealous for justice when others were willing to forfeit it due to other concerns. His sons were given a  more constructive way to use knives—slaughtering animals humanely to becomes feasts unto YHWH. Shim’on was given cities among Yehudah, possibly because Yehudah had such a huge territory compared to the rest and needed more real warriors to defend it.   


CHAPTER 35 

1. Then Elohim said to Yaaqov, "Rise and go up to Beyth-El, and settle there, and make an altar there to the Elohim who appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau". 

Though he has purchased land at Sh’khem (and he left some flocks there), he is told to move on to where YHWH dwells in a special way —possibly in consideration of his concerns (34:30), but he has also not yet fulfilled his obligation to bring his tithe to YHWH at Beyth-El. At the same place his father had been an elevation offering, he is told to rise higher as well. Many altars were built by the patriarchs, but this is the first one ever commanded. 

2. So Yaaqov told his household and all those who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods which are in your midst, and purify yourselves, and change your clothing, 

All those who were with him: including the women and children from Sh’khem, who were likely to have idols, and of course there were still those Rakhel stole from her father. But foreign gods are not always physical objects; they may be ideas as well. YHWH's altar is to be shared by no other, so we must not cling to anything that defiles the congregation. Purify yourselves (with water) and change your clothing: a prototype for what the priests had to do in the Temple before beginning any new task; this was also what Yaaqov’s descendants would do when they approached Mt. Sinai before YHWH gave the Torah. (Ex. 19:10-15; see also Y’hoshua 24:14ff) The particular word here for clothing means that which takes the shape of the wearer—skin-tight undergarments. Having been in a context where youthful ideals ruled, they may not have been dressed appropriately to appear before YHWH at Beyth-El. The clothing of those taken from Sh’khem may also have had specifically pagan associations.

3. "and let us arise and go up to Beyth-El, and I will make an altar there to El—the One who answered me in the day of my distress. He was also with me on the journey on which I went." 

4. So they gave all the foreign gods that were in their possession to Yaaqov; they also gave him the earrings that were in their ears, and Yaaqov [secretly] concealed them under the oak tree that was at Sh'khem. 

Rakhel had to now reveal what she had brought from her father’s house. (31:32) Earrings: used as amulets for idol-worship. Earrings: used as amulets for idol-worship. Having one’s ear pierced later meant being a loyal servant. (Ex. 21:6ff) So these earrings represent the former loyalties of those now becoming Israelites. Oak: or terebinth, held sacred by Kanaanite tree worshippers. It is sometimes translated the turpentine tree, and turpentine comes from the pine tree. This would possibly explain the continuing connection between the evergreen tree and idolatry, as seen at Christmas. However, humans were sometimes buried under them (v. 8) and prophets were often seen sitting under them. There was a perceived connection between them and divine oracles. Why did he bury the idols rather than destroying them? It could be so they could point back to that tree and say, “This is where we got rid of our idols”. Or, since Yaaqov had already been chased down once for having someone else’s idol though he did not know it, this time he took stock of what was actually among his people and left them in the region to which they belonged so no one could accuse him of having them. He did not destroy what belonged to others (that was not commanded until later for a different reason), but put them out of sight so those now under his authority would not be tempted to use what no longer pertained to them.

5. Then they pulled up their stakes and set off. And the terror of Elohim came upon the cities that were all around them; they did not pursue the sons of Yaaqov. 

None of his boys could have been much more than 12 years old, considering that Yaaqov had been gone 20 years and the first 7 he worked for Lavan before being given a wife. But if two boys could kill off a whole city-state, how much could this whole company do, even if it was small? By showing themselves strong rather than letting the Sh’khemites have their way, they made potential enemies keep their distance. Yaaqov’s worst fears (34:30) were not realized, proving that his sons had been right after all. He had been a deceiver, but would not hurt anyone; now he does not even like to deceive, but his sons do not mind doing either. He was not comfortable with this, but the people called to be teachers of the rest of the world cannot be doormats. That is not true humility. The Hebrew word for “teach” means to prod and poke, so they must be sure of who they are and assert this right when necessary, though lowly before YHWH, so that we are not forced into compromising situations.

6. So Yaaqov arrived at Luz (which is in the land of Kanaan)—that is, Beyth-El—he and all the people with him as well. 

7. And he built an altar there, and called the place El Beyth-El, because it was there that Elohim had revealed Himself to him when he had fled from his brother. 

When alone and outward-bound, Yaaqov had set up a single "cornerstone" there for the Temple (28:18), representing his own commitment to YHWH. Now that he is a clan and on the way to becoming a nation, he now has enough sons--"building materials" (both related to the word "stone" in Hebrew) to make a whole altar, showing that he is no longer a loner before Elohim. He was bringing the tithe he had promised twenty years before.

8. Rivqah's nurse Devorah also died there, and was buried below Beyth-El, beneath the oak, so he named it "the Oak of Weeping". 

Devorah: Most likely she had come when Yosef was born, as Rivqah’s emissary, for that is when Yaaqov first spoke of leaving Lavan; she had said she would send for him (27:45). Rivqah may have thought Lavan would respect her request since he had grown up with her, but apparently he resisted her as well. She must have been quite old by now, and the journey had taken its toll.  

9. Now Elohim had appeared to Yaaqov again when he had come out of Paddan-Aram, and blessed him. 

Appeared: literally, made Himself perceptible. There are certain aspects of the Judge that we can only see after we have obeyed His orders.  

10. And Elohim had said to him, "Your name is Yaaqov, but you shall no longer be called Yaaqov; rather, Israel shall be your name." Thus He named him Israel. 

11. And Elohim said to him, "I am El Shaddai; be fruitful and multiply. A nation and an assembly of nations shall come from you, and kings shall issue from your loins,

In case he did not find the wrestler trustworthy enough, YHWH adds an undeniable second witness that this name is truly from Him. The first command given to him as Israel is the same as the first given to Adam and Chavvah. This is the beginning of a new creation, because through this nation, mankind would be restored and the world "repaired". This place has the first letter of “Shaddai” written right into the terrain. The root of the name "Shaddai" is traceable to the words for "adequate breast", and indeed it is linked here to nurturing children. But this name shows the balance of YHWH as both judge and provider. Assembly: or congregation; in the Septuagint it is synagogue. Nations: or Gentiles. A synagogue of Gentiles? That is what ten of his sons’ tribes chose to become. Yaaqov would pass this promise on to Yosef’s sons.  

12. "and the Land which I gave to Avraham and Yitzhaq, I will give to you, and I will give the Land to your seed after you." 

YHWH confirms that he is indeed the inheritor of what He had promised to his father and grandfather. The promise thus narrows in scope again. Now not even Esau (ancestor of many of today's Arabs, through intermarriage with Yishmael's seed) has claim to this Land. To acknowledge this is the only solution to the Middle East crisis.  

13. Then Elohim ascended from him at the place where He had spoken with him, 

14. and Yaaqov set up a memorial pillar —one made of stone—in the place where He had spoken with him, and he poured a drink offering on top of it, and anointed it with oil. 

The Messiah is called an anointed stone, and Yaaqov "set him up": in a very real sense, his obedience made it possible for the Messiah to be born.  

15. And Yaaqov called the place where Elohim had spoken with him "Beyth-El". 

He had already realized that this is what it was on his outgoing journey to Paddan-Aram. (28:17-19) And above, YHWH had already called it by this same name. Now Yaaqov reconfirmed it as such, just as Yitzhaq had renamed his father’s wells by their same names after they had been filled and dug again.


16. Now they pulled up from Beyth-El, and while there was still a considerable stretch of land to go before they came to Efrath, Rakhel went into labor, and she had great difficulty in the delivery of her baby. 

Considerable stretch: a kibrah, or an undefined “measure”, in this case accomplished with a rope. Efrath means "fruitfulness". This site of Boaz’ fields, David’s and Y’shua’s birth is only a few miles south of Yerushalayim, so this Beyth-El was the site of the Temple Mount, not the town later called by the same name further to the north. The time for her fruitfulness was near, but the “son who adds" (Yosef) would have a son named "doubly fruitful" (Efrayim). Great difficulty: probably precipitated by their having to pick up stakes and leave Sh'khem so quickly. He may have blamed Shim'on and Levi for her death, as he apparently never forgave their behavior there.

17. And it came to pass that, when her labor became most difficult, the midwife told her, "Don't be afraid, because this child is also a son for you!" 

She is told to rest assured that her desire that Elohim “add another” is being fulfilled. It was a breach birth, because she could tell that he was male before he was fully born, but this is one reason she was bleeding to death. 

18. But what took place was that as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she named him Ben-Oni, but his father called him Binyamin instead. 

She also died because Yaaqov prophesied it due to her association with idolatry. (31;32) Ben-Oni means “son of my agony”. Binyamin means “son of the right hand”, i.e., his favorite wife Rakhel. 

19. And Rakhel died and was buried on the way to Efrath, that is, Beyth-Lekhem.

By tradition she was only 36 years old, but the small nation of Israel was on its way to fruitfulness, at Beyth-Lekhem, the "house of bread" (or simply "food"--i.e., the staple).

20. And Yaaqov set up a monument over her grave; that is the marker of Rakhel's grave to this day. 

And thus it remains, now with a more elaborate mausoleum near the entrance to Beyth-Lekhem, and it is one of the most hotly-disputed sites in the war with the Palestinians. There is also another intriguing theory set forth by both Nogah Hareuveni and 19th-century archaeologist Clermont-Ganneau that the true location of Efrath where Rachel was buried is very close to Ramah. It is a spring called Eyn Prat—very similar to the name Efrath—on the descent from Giv’ah, and at the base of the very slope of the hill on which Ramah sits, in which case it would clear up the mystery in Yirmeyahu 31:15. On the way from Beyth-El and only an hour’s donkey ride from Eyn Prat are five large stone structures that the Arabs call “the graves of the children of Israel”, though they do not recall why, and it is still within Binyamin’s borders. But if Yeshua was born at this Beyth-Lekhem, north rather than south of Yerushalayim, it could not then be called "Beyth-Lekhem of Yehudah".

21. Then Israel pulled up stakes and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of the Flock. 

The Mishnah says this tower was the boundary of a perimeter around Yerushalayim within which all lambs to be slain for the daily Temple sacrifice (by the priests) had to be born--a major reason it is also mentioned in Mikha 4:8 in conjunction with 5:2 as the more precise location of "the first dominion” as the birthplace of Messiah (the king) at his first coming. (This is well after David.) The Aramaic targum identifies it as the place where Messiah would reveal himself at the end of days. Beyth-Lekhem is visible from here, but it is still within the Temple precincts. That Yaaqov stretched his tent "beyond it" may be a prelude to the directive given to Messiah in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 54:2, 3. It also represents going beyond the fact of Messiah’s coming to one purpose for which he came—to unite Israel into a real physical kingdom again.

22. But this is what took place while Israel was living in that region: Reuven went and had relations with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard [about] it. 

That the shortcomings of the patriarchs are described so matter-of-factly is proof that the Torah is what it says it is. This cost Reuven his birthright. (49:3,4) But Yaaqov did not deal with it until his deathbed. He did not even call him to repentance until he was in a position to withhold his inheritance from him. If he had confronted him immediately, he could have kept the root of bitterness from growing and festering, and had his relationship with his firstborn restored. Yaaqov’s passivity about Dinah may have led Re’uven to feel that his father was already dead, and that he therefore already had a right to receive what would pass on to him as the firstborn when his father actually died! Because he so disliked confrontation, Yaaqov had let Lavan waste thirteen years of his life. But the head of a household cannot be passive, and his very name includes the concept of struggling and gaining a victory.  

23. Thus the sons of Yaaqov were twelve; the sons of Leah were: 
  Reuven, Yaaqov's firstborn; 
  then Shim'on and Levi, 
  Yehudah, Issachar, and Zevulun; 

24. The sons of Rakhel: Yosef and Binyamin; 

25. The sons of Bilhah, Rakhel's maidservant: Dan and Nafthali; 

26. The sons of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant: Gad and Asher. 

These were the sons of Yaaqov, who were born to him in Paddan-Aram. 

Binyamin was not born in Paddan-Aram, but was probably conceived there. 

27. Then Yaaqov came to Yitzhaq his father at Mamre (Kiryath-Arba, which is Hevron), where Avraham and Yitzhaq had lived. 

YHWH had told him (31:3) to return to his Land and the relatives to whom he was born—and Yitzhaq is the only one of these left in the Land. This may be the main reason he left the place YHWH had told him to settle. (v. 1)  

28. And the days of Yitzhaq were 180 years, 

29. then Yitzhaq expired and died, and was gathered to his people, old and having fulfilled his days. And his sons Esau and Yaaqov buried him. 

Fulfilled his days: Over twenty years earlier, he had thought his life was over because his eyes were growing dim. But after he blessed Yaaqov, they were revived, and he made every day count, because now he was a source of wisdom and teaching for others, and now more than ever he needed to be able to see well. It almost seems that Yitzhaq was keeping himself alive on the hope of seeing Yaaqov return, and when he does, he feels he can die in peace—a sentiment Yaaqov would later voice. Yaaqov finally catches up with Esau as he said he would, though it is not in Esau’s land, but his own, so Yaaqov is at the advantage.


CHAPTER 36 

1. Now these are the genealogies of Esau (who is [also called] Edom). 

To Esau, when Yitzhaq died, it was only his father who died; to Yaaqov, it was one of “the Fathers” who had passed away. There is a contrast here with Yaaqov’s line (35:22ff), and from here on the emphasis is on Esau’s being not Yaaqov’s brother but Edom--both the literal and symbolic father of Rome (v. 43). To this very day, through its religious system, we still see it trying to take the birthright back from Yaaqov, who bought it. King Herod was half-Idumean (Edomite) and half-Jewish. His father had been forced to convert to Judaism under the Hasmoneans, and this mixture has, as could be expected, brought about mixed results. As the quintessential politician, always a step ahead of changes in Roman powers through bribery, he gained for the Jews many exemptions from Roman laws He greatly embellished YHWH’s Temple, but also built pagan temples in the Land of Israel for his other constituency.  

2. Esau took his wives from the daughters of Kanaan—Adah, the daughter of Eylon the Chittite; Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Tziv'on the Khiwite;

Adah means "ornament"; Eylon, "mighty oak". Whereas Yaaqov got rid of pagan ornaments under a mighty oak, Esau joined himself to them. Oholibamah means “my tent is a cultic platform”; i.e., she symbolizes pagan worship and knowledge. In v. 24, Anah ("answer/afflicted") appears to be not a daughter at all, but a man; Rashi explains that Tziv'on ("colored" or "dyed") cohabited with his daughter-in-law, and so was the actual father, while Anah was her assumed/legal father, unless this is emphasizing that they come from a matriarchal culture.

3. he also married Bas'math the daughter of Ishmael (the sister of Nevayoth). 

Bas'math: "Spicy fragrance". See 26:34; 28:8. Some of her ancestors were Egyptian, hence Rome’s preoccupation with death (even having a crucifix as its symbol) as compared with Israel’s focus on choosing life. (Deut. 4:5-8)  

4. And Adah bore Elifaz to Esau, and Bas'math bore Re'u-El [Raguel]. 

Elifaz: "My Elohim is refined gold”; Re'u-El: "friend of Elohim".

5. And Oholibamah bore Ye'ush, Ya'alam, and Qorach: these were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Kanaan. 

Ye'ush: or Ye'ish, "assembler" or “hasty”; Ya'alam: "concealed" or “veiled”; Qorach means "bald".

6. Then Esau took his wives, his sons and daughters, and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and beasts of burden, and all the property that he had acquired in the land of Kanaan, and moved [away] from his brother Yaaqov's presence into another land— 

Moved: fulfilling the prophecy in 27:39-40 and the book of Ovadyah. Esau’s descendants are not from the same place as Israel’s. This also pictures the church after the era of persecution, when in order to become the unifying factor of the Roman Empire, cut all its ties to Yaaqov (its Hebraic roots), even forbidding the practice of holy days YHWH had commanded.  

7. for their possessions had become too abundant for them to dwell together, and the land of their sojournings could not support them because of all the livestock they had. 

This is a repeat of what took place with Avraham and Lot. Why could they not sell some possessions or slaughter some of these animals so they could stay together? That is healthy advice for us, but in their case possessions were not the deepest reason. This time the bickering was not over inadequate territory but over a clash of lifestyles. (27:46)

8. Then Esau settled in the mountain range of Seir (Esau who is Edom, that is). 

Esau had already lived in Seir with his army before Yaaqov returned (32:3), but this may have been only as a conqueror. Now that he has increased his possessions—probably as a result of an inheritance upon his father’s death—he took his family and all his belongings there as well. (v. 6) 2 Chronicles 8:17 says that Edom's territory, at least in later times, extended all the way to Elath on the Reed Sea.

9. And these were the genealogies of Esau, the father of the people of Edom on Mount Seir: 

10. The names of Esau's sons were: 
  Elifaz the son of Adah, [one] wife of Esau, 
  [and] Re'u-El the son of Bas'math, [another] wife of Esau; 


11. And the sons of Elifaz [Iyov/Job 2:11] were: 
  Theyman [southward, on the right side], 
  Omar [eloquent speaker], 
  Tzefo [spy or watchtower], 
  Ga'tham [a burnt valley], and 
  Qenaz [hunter]. 

Elifaz: possibly the man spoken of in Iyov/Job 2:11ff, though he is called a Theymanite, so the one mentioned there may have been named after his grandfather. In any case, he was a contemporary of the Patriarchs, Iyov being the earliest-compiled book in Scripture. Theyman is the Hebrew name for Yemen.

12. and Thimna was a concubine to Elifaz, son of Esau, and she bore to him Amaleq; these were the descendants of Esau's wife Adah. 

Descendants: grandsons. Though Thimna ["restrained"] was from a royal family (v. 22), she preferred to become even a concubine to a descendant of Avraham. Her mother was a Chorite, whose land Edom had seized. Amaleq ["valley-dweller"] was to become Israel's--and Elohim's--arch-enemy (Ex. 17:16; Deut. 25:17ff) His mother is not even a wife in the full sense, but more of a slave-woman.  

13. And the sons of Re'u-El were: 
  Nahath [quiet rest], 
  Zerach [rising], 
  Shammah [astonishment, horror], and 
  Mizzah [fainting from fear]. 

These were the descendants of Esau's wife Bas'math. 

14. And these were the descendants of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Tziv'on—Esau's wife: she bore 
  Ye'ush, 
  Ya'lam, and 
  Qorach. 

15. These were the chiefs of the descendants of Esau: 

Chiefs: chieftains, patriarchs, uncrowned heads among them. Literally, leaders of a thousand.

Of the sons of Elifaz, Esau's firstborn: 
  Chief Theyman, 
  Chief Omar, 
  Chief Tzefo,
  Chief Kenaz, 
16. Chief Qorach, 
  Chief Ga'tam, and 
  Chief Amaleq. 

These were the chiefs of Elifaz in the land of Edom; these were the descendants of Esau's wife Adah. 

17. And these were the sons of Re'u-El, Esau's son: 
  Chief Nahath, 
  Chief Zerah, 
  Chief Shammah, and 
  Chief Mizzah. 

These were the chiefs of Re'u-El in the land of Edom; these were the descendants of Bas'math, Esau's wife. 

18. And the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: 
  Chief Ye'ush, 
  Chief Yalam, and 
  Chief Qorach. 

These were the chiefs of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah—Esau's wife. 

19. These were the descendants of Esau (who is Edom), and these were their chiefs. 

20. These [next] were the sons of Seir the Chorite, who lived in the [same] land: 
  Lotan [covering], 
  Shoval [flowing (skirt)], 
  Tziv'on [dyed with color], 
  Anah [response], 
21. Dishon [thresher], 
  Etzer [stored-up treasure], and 
  Diyshan [antelope or mountain goat]; 
these were the chiefs of the Chorites—the sons of Seir—in the land of Edom. 

Chorite: from Mt. Chor, near Petra. Literally a "cave dweller". But the man-made“caves” carved into the sheer rock walls of Petra are quite sophisticated, so they were not “cave-men”. Same land: Edom, where Esau also settled. Since the colophon of v. 1 may indicate that Esau himself documented the lists in this section (probable since it only goes through his grandsons), he may have included this family since his wife and concubine came from among them.  

22. And the sons of Lotan were: 
  Chori [my cave] and 
  Heymam [exterminating, confusion], 
  and Lotan's sister was Thimna. 

23. And these were Shoval's sons: 
  Alwan [tall], 
  Manachath [rest], 
  Eyval [bare stone mountain], 
  Sh'fo [bold or wind-swept], and 
  Ownam [strong, vigorous]. 

24. And these were the sons of Tziv'on: Ayah and Anah. (He is the Anah who found the hot springs in the desert while he was feeding the donkeys for his father Tziv'on.) 

Found the hot springs...donkeys: or, who discovered how to breed mules.

25. And these were the sons of Anah: 

  Dishon, 
  and Oholibamah was the daughter of Anah. [Be'eri, 26:34] 

Anah: possibly the same as the Be’eri of 26:34. Most kings had another name conferred upon their inauguration.

26. And these were the sons of Dishon: 
  Chemdan [desire, delight], 
  Eshban [fire of discernment], 
  Yithran [having an advantage] and 
  Kh'ran [lyre]. 

27. These were the sons of Etzer: 

  Bilhan [their troubling], 
  Zaavan [quaking from terror], and 
  Aqan [sharp-sighted]. 

28. These were the sons of Dishan: 
  Uwtz [wooded or counselor] and 
  Aran [overcome with joy]. 

29. These were the chiefs of the Chorites: 
  Chief Lotan, 
  Chief Shoval, 
  Chief Tziv'on, 
  Chief Anah, 
30. Chief Dishon, 
  Chief Etzer, and 
  Chief Diyshan. 

These were the chieftains of the Chorites, chief by chief, in the land of Seir. 

31. And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before there was any king reigning over the children of Israel: 

YHWH did not necessarily intend for Israel ever to have a king. (1 Shmu’el 8:6ff)

32. Bela the son of Be'or reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhavah. 

Bela means "devouring". The prophet Bilaam, who knew for whom he worked, but used his influence against Israel, was also a son of Be'or. (Num. 24) We therefore know he was Edomite royalty. Dinhavah means "Give judgment!"

33. When Bela died, Yovav the son of Zerah from Botzrah reigned in his place. 

Botzrah, an Edomite city southeast of the Dead Sea, will figure prominently in the Messiah's return with power and authority. (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 34:6; 63:1; Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah 48:24; 49:13; Amos 1:12)

34. When Yovav died, Chusham from the land of the Theymanites reigned in his place. 

Yovav: could possibly be translated "Father Iyov (Job)". Iyov did live in the land of Utz (v. 28) Chusham means "haste".  

35. When Chusham died, Hadad the son of B'dad, who struck down Midyan in the fields of Moav, reigned in his place, and the name of his city was Awith. 

Hadad means "mighty"; B'dad, "solitary" or "isolated". Awith means "distorted ruins". The “capital” city-state of the Edomites was whatever city the strongest man who prevailed over others to gain the throne was from.

36. When Hadad died, Samlah from Masreqah reigned in his place. 

Samlah means "undergarment" or "resemblance"; Masreqah, "vineyard of noble vines".

37. When Samlah died, Sha'ul from Rekhovoth on the [Euphrates] River reigned in his place. 

So there was a King Sha'ul before Israel's. His name means "asked for". Rekhovoth means "wide open spaces".

38. When Sha'ul died, Ba'al-Chanan the son of Akhbor reigned in his place. 

Ba'al-Chanan: "Ba'al (the lord) showed favor"; this is the first mention of the Ba’als, a class of elohim that reigned over a particular area of geographyor jurisdiction only. Akhbor: "mouse".

39. When Ba'al-Chanan the son of Akhbor died, Hadar reigned in his place, and the name of his city was Pa'u; his wife's name was Mehetavel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mey-Zahav

Pa'u means "crying out"; Mehetavel: "pleasing to El"; Matred: "pushing forward" or "chasing"; Mey-Zahav: waters of gold, or "the goldsmith". 

40. So these are the names of the chiefs of those who came from Esau, according to their families and regions, by name: 

  Chief Thimna [restrained], 
  Chief Alvah [injustice], 
  Chief Yetheth [nail], 
41. Chief Oholibamah [my tent is a cultic platform], 
  Chief Elah [an oak], 
  Chief Piynon [darkness], 
42. Chief Q'naz [hunter], 
  Chief Teyman [south], 
  Chief Mivtzar [fortified], 
43. Chief Magdi-El [El is my excellence], and 
  Chief Iyram [urbane]. 

These were the chiefs of Edom (that is Esau, the father of the Edomites), according to their settlements, in the land of their possession. 

This fourth time, Esau is called the father (the builder of the house) of the Edomites. Like Esau and his very opposite twin, the Messiah spoke of two houses being built, one on a solid foundation and the other on mere sand. Magdi-El is the traditional ancestor of the Romans, leaving no doubt as to which house Esau was building. And it never says Esau died—probably because he himself wrote down this chapter’s contents (36:1). 
Portion VaYishlakh
("And he sent")
Genesis 32:3 - 36:43
INTRODUCTION:  Here again, YHWH gives a name to the one who was not concerned about making a name for himself, but was obedient and thinking of others before his own needs. In fact, he was questioning himself so deeply, wrestling with all that he had done, all he had not done, what he owed to his brother, and the fact that he did not compare with the mysterious, unnamed stranger who was bringing all of these issues to a head so they could all be dealt with. He has an inkling of Who he is dealing with, so he asks for an unquestionably-legitimate blessing, just to be sure that what he has been counting on all of this time was not a fraud after all. And what he gets is far beyond what he could even imagine he needed. The blessing he gets is a new identity—not just for himself, but for all of his descendants. The “big picture” of what YHWH is doing takes a giant leap forward in this portion as a new entity, Israel, now appears on the scene—a fresh creation which takes the downward-spirally history of humanity and gives it a direction. It is the first exception to the “vanity of vanities” that has characterized human existence since Adam recognized it and named his short-lived progeny “vanity, a mere fleeting vapor.” Now we can get somewhere—back on track and back into an ascending pattern. A new identity is possible that cuts short the claims any ill-willed creditors may want to squeeze out of our immature “larva” stage. It will not come automatically; even Israel wavers back into Yaaqov very often, and this is characteristic of his children who can also receive a new “birth”—the promised “seed” that can grow within our remaining outer shell and eventually become truly a “second nature” which can, even before physical death completely removes us from the fallen realm, still override our natural inclinations, and even give our old, more troublesome side a context in which to become useful while there are still foes to outwit, as we see in the actions of Yaaqov’s sons in this portion—thus allowing us a share in the defeat of the serpent’s seed as well. But much of the battle is fought in our thoughts. Like Rip Van Winkel, our minds have to be educated with the truth that there is a new “prince” in the Land, and any other authority to which we were indebted has been ousted; we only owe it what we think we owe; the spectres we imagine will chase us down no longer have any claim on us, and in fact are running scared in the other direction, if we are walking according to who we now are—who we really are, if we have joined the new reality that can actually get somewhere. 
A HIGHER STANDARD

You’re probably familiar with the Hebrew National frankfurter advertisement: “We answer to a higher authority.”  

Yaaqov understood this already at the inception of this nation, as he was just beginning to realize that was what it was. He had left his home with nothing but his walking-stick (32:10), but now he had become the head of a large group.

And right away he begins to act with integrity. He probably could have put off his encounter with his brother until he had reached his father in safety, and appealed to him for protection as someone Esau would respect. But instead he initiated the encounter. He took responsibility for his earlier actions toward his brother, willing to face whatever consequences there might have to be, because now he was sure that YHWH was meant to be his Elohim, and he knew YHWH had called him to again take the higher road.

As an individual, and now 
having more to lose, he 
did not relish this prospect; 
he was afraid (32:11), but 
he was not content to have 
gotten the blessing in a 
roundabout way, whether 
he was blamed for the 
manipulation or not; he 
insisted to the point of 
desperation on receiving 
the blessing from the one 
with the highest authority
—the one who could 
vindicate him from any 
remaining doubt as to 
its validity. (32:26) He 
risked his very life 
(32:30) to gain this certainty, and YHWH granted it to him by taking away the name that suggested he was greedy and gave him one that showed that even He was proud of him. (32:28)

Esau refused his peace offerings, but Yaaqov insisted that he compensate him somehow because he had gotten “everything” (33:11)—all that really mattered: the birthright and the blessing. But he also evidenced a new wisdom in not falling for what he thought might turn into another enslavement for him and his people. (33:12)

But though Yaaqov had been given YHWH’s permission to settle in the Land, he still did what was right in the eyes of the people who dwelt there, and did not just take what he wanted; he purchased the part that he wanted to use. (33:19)

His children picked up on this, and recognized when “a senseless deed [had been done] in Israel”. (34:7) He had barely been given this new name, but they were already sensing its significance and seeing themselves as a nation that had higher standards than others. What might be brushed under the carpet by others was not to be taken sitting down here, because there was no way to be comfortable with their sister’s honor being degraded. (34:31) Whatever we may think of Muslims, this is a concept that they still seem to understand better than our culture does.

Having seen his sons prove ready to take on high standards, he raised the bar even more (35:2) for everyone who was traveling with him (which would include those they had taken as payment for their sister’s mistreatment): Since he was told he had prevailed with Elohim, he used his newfound influence to require that YHWH alone was to be worshipped “in Israel”—since his sons had coined that phrase. He confiscated all their idols and hid them where presumably only he knew. (35:4) This nation was to be above superstition, giving credit only to the One who had proven capable of protecting them from all kinds of harm.

And YHWH again rewarded him with protection from the one threat he still thought he might justly deserve. Despite a deed he was not sure met the standard, no one bothered his entourage as they moved on from there—without the things they had thought they could not do without. (35:5) If YHWH chose not to press charges, who else would dare to? (Romans 8:33-34)

So when you feel like you are in a place you can only get out of if you bend the rules, recognize it as a test of whether you have the same confidence Yaaqov had that YHWH can pull you—and those who depend on you—through, without any lowering of standards. Take the higher road, and you will find your walk, like Yaaqov's, forever  transformed.  

“The righteous man walks in his integrity, and his children after him are blessed.” (Proverbs 20:7)
Study questions:

1. Why do you think Yaaqov would give Esau an inventory of his possessions? (Gen. 32:5) Why does he offer him so many animals? (32:14-15)

2. Why would he send those he wanted to defend across ahead of him? (32:21-14)

3. If he was left alone, who do you think the man in 32:24 is? If he is a man, why would he speak of seeing Elohim? (32:30) Might 33:11 throw any light on this?

4. What is the significance of having his name changed? (32:28) How might this relate to 27:36?

5. Why might the place be called by two different names? (32:30-31)

6. If the two were reconciled, why didn’t Yaaqov accept his brother’s offer of hospitality? (33:12-17) What might have occurred if Yaaqov had followed him home? (33:15) What might you learn from this about how close you should get to people who do not have the same goals and motives as you do?

7. If a sukkah can be a place to keep livestock (33:17), what might this tell you about the place Yeshua was born (Luke 2:16)?

8. What two places in the Land of their sojournings had now been purchased by the holy people? (23:16-20; 33:19) Though Yehudah again possesses the Land, why is neither of these “anchor sites” in Israel’s hands today?

9. If Sh’khem is so powerful and has already “gotten the cart before the horse”, why does he bother to ask for her hand in marriage? (34:2, 26) Do you think he really wanted to do the right thing, despite his earlier error? If she responded to his tender words (34:3) and loved him back, would this be enough to make this marriage the right thing to do?

10. Why do you think Yaaqov and his sons even gave the request any consideration? (34:8-17) Do you think they expected all the man of Sh’khem to take them up on their condition?

11. If they had not had questionable motives (34:23), would it have been wise for Yaaqov’s family to take them up on such an offer? (34:9-10) Would this kind of arrangement facilitate or hamper Israel’s calling to be a holy people and a light to the nations? Do you think they were already cognizant of this identity? (Consider 34:7) Would 26:34-35 or 28:1 have any bearing on the question of whether they should interact with this particular family?

12. What are the arguments for or against what Shim’on and Lewi did? (34:30-31) Which side do you think carries more weight? Was their response “disproportionate”? Would there have been any viable way around this? Is YHWH’s opinion about it evident anywhere? What solution did He provide to Yaaqov’s concerns? (34:30; 35:1)

13. When going back to the Place where he made such a momentous promise (28:20-22), Yaaqov feels a need to rise to a higher level of holiness. (35:2-4) Is this because he learned what Rakhel had done (31:19) and thought he could reverse his curse (31:32)? Because they felt dirtied by the events at Sh’khem (34)? Or because he was now for the first time declaring YHWH to be his only Elohim?

14. Were Yaaqov’s fears (34:30) groundless, or might 35:5 not have been the case if he had not put away the idols?

15. Why do you think Rivqah’s nurse was with Yaaqov’s entourage? (35:8)

16. Was Rakhel’s death a result of Yaaqov’s curse? Their need to make a journey suddenly in her condition? A breach birth (35:17)? All of the above?

17. When in the chronology do you think 36:6-8 took place? If he had already moved to Seir before Yaaqov’s return (34:14-16), why would there have been the same problem there had been between Avram and Lot (13:6)?

18. Why do you think so much space is given in the text to Esau’s genealogy (36:9-19) and the history of the peoples he displaced (36:20-43)? What people who appear later in Scripture are given a context by this listing?

Companion Passage:
Ovadyah 1-21
The Yabboq (v. 22), 
now in the land of Jordan
A pagan altar built by Esau's descendants
Sh'khem (called Nablus today)
The Sidewalk
for kids

Our story begins with Yaaqov hearing that his brother was coming to meet him with 400 men. The last time he saw his brother, he was ready to kill him, so he probably expected that this was still his intention. We later see that it might not have been, but he had to assume this, because now it was not just him; he had a family to protect. So he divided the people who were with him into two groups, so that if Esau attacked one, at least one of them might escape. (Genesis 32:7-8; 33:1-2)

Last week we saw how YHWH has an enemy that He needed to hide some things from. And it turns out that He did the same thing with Yaaqov’s children that Yaaqov did.  

Think about it: when Israel split off from Yehudah after King Shlomoh died, YHWH said this thing was from Him. (1 Kings 12:24) Yehudah remained very visible, and we know from history how often it has been attacked by haSatan. Israel, the Northern Kingdom, was not as easy a target because most of them forgot who they were, though they were attacked too but in a different way. So Yehudah was able to preserve some parts of what YHWH gave us, and Israel preserved other parts.  

So Yaaqov’s strategy was wise. But after he had everything in place and he was ready to meet Esau, Yaaqov met someone he did not expect to meet.  

The one he wrestled is called a man (ish), yet the Torah tells us “Elohim is not a man.” (Numbers 23:19) The same word is used for “man”, so we have to “put two and two together”. Yaaqov asked the man’s name, and he answered, “Why is it you ask about my name?” (32:29) He doesn’t say any more, but in Judges 13:18, Shimshon’s parents meet one who is called a messenger of YHWH, and they ask his name. He uses the exact same phrase: “Why is it you ask about my name…?” But he adds just a little more, saying, “when it is something you could not understand” (pel’i).  
Here it is an adjective; the noun form of the same word, pele’, is one of the names of the Messiah (Yeshayahu 9:6), who often called himself, “The one YHWH has sent.” (Yochanan 5:38; 6:29; 7:29; Luke 4:18) Does that mean this the same messenger? Or are they just both something we can’t completely understand?

Yaaqov was told he had struggled with both men and Elohim, and when this wrestling match was over, he felt that he had seen Elohim’s face and yet survived. (32:30) Moshe was told this is not possible (Exodus 33:20), and maybe he only survived because it was only a dream. But if it was only a dream, why was his hip socket out of place when he awoke? Maybe this is indeed something we cannot understand.  

But we do know that it forever changed the way he walked. And that is how every encounter with Elohim is supposed to affect us. Yaaqov’s name was even changed to reflect the fact that he had in some way met Elohim in a very real way. When we hear something from a true messenger of Elohim, it is as if we had met the one no one can see.  And we need to listen as if it is directly from Him.

Have you ever wrestled with Elohim? Probably not in as vivid a way as Yaaqov did, but we can struggle with Him—and, like Yaaqov, prevail. It doesn’t say he struggled “against” Elohim, but “with” Him. (32:28) That means that he was trying to persuade Elohim of something, and he stuck with it all the way until Elohim did in fact give him what he asked for. It was not that he was trying to change Elohim’s mind, but he was working with Him, and he would stop at nothing until He did indeed bless him.

So have you ever really struggled with Elohim? If so, how did it change your life? If not, why not?
The Renewal of 
VA-YISHLAKH 

Yaaqov had the classic crisis of faith here: YHWH had told him He would bring him back safely to his own home, but now something—a very threatening someone—stood in the way, making the whole venture look doubtful. What did he do? He took the matter directly to YHWH. (32:10-13)  

As Paul tells us, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through praying and begging, let your requests be made known to Elohim, and [His] peace, which goes beyond anything we can understand, will guard your hearts and minds through Yeshua the Messiah.” (Philippian 4:6-7)

That having been done, he acted. It’s a back-and-forth between one and the other, like pedals on a bicycle: pray and act, trust and obey, move forward but keep listening for directions. After he did everything he could with his limited power and ingenuity to remedy the situation, he stepped back from it all and remained alone to confront—what? Whom? His fears? His own motives? His will? Did he have it in him to separate himself from what was most precious to him as his grandfather Avraham had succeeded in doing? Could he do what was right, despite his own preferences and favoritism?  
All of this was wrapped up into one in that man that he wrestled, whom he did not interpret as being a man at all, but the One most capable of blessing him.

Do we keep wrestling with YHWH, or do we give up too easily? I don’t mean we shouldn’t surrender to YHWH, but do we keep seeking Him for the answers to prayer that we need? Yeshua spoke about being persistent in prayer:

He started telling them an analogy about [how] they should always pray and not lose heart, saying, “There was a certain judge in a certain city who neither feared Elohim nor respected human beings, but there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Defend me from the one who is prosecuting me!’ And for a long while he did not want to, but later he thought, ‘Even though I neither fear Elohim nor respect human beings, yet because this widow is giving me occasion for such trouble, I’ll defend her so she doesn’t annoy me to the point of exhaustion!’” Then the Master said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says! But will Elohim not all the more bring vindication for His chosen ones who call out to Him day and night, and be patient in regard to them? I tell you, He will execute justice for them quickly!” (Luke 18:1-8)

And what blessing did YHWH give Yaaqov, when pushed to the extreme? That of a new name. (Gen. 35:10)

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” (Prov. 22:1) Yaaqov did not think his name—the “heel-grabber” or “supplanter” was such a good one. It does have a good side, especially in his case, but nonetheless, he wasn’t feeling it that way. So YHWH gave him a new start by giving him a different name, and one that reflected what he had just done—“one who strives with Elohim and prevails.”  

It may be a lot like the occasion Yeshua said YHWH gives us to be “born again”. (Yochanan 3) There’s more to it than just the psychology; He told us through Y’hezq’El (Ezekiel 36:26) that he would also give us a new heart and a new spirit which would make us even more able to prevail.

This wasn’t the first or last time YHWH had changed someone’s name. Avram’s name was changed to Avraham, Sarai’s to Sarah (Gen. 17:5, 15), and Hoshea’s to Y’hoshua (Num. 13:16). Kings often assumed new names upon accession to the throne. And sometimes YHWH just gave a new name to someone because he loved him. (2 Shmu’el 12:25, where Shlomo was given the additional name of Y’didiYah, “the one beloved of YHWH”)

A new name is promised to those who overcome—another word for “prevail”. (Revelation 2:17) Yeshua himself will be given a new name, which he will share with those who overcome, writing it on them along with the name of his Elohim. (Rev. 3:12)

Esau only got a nickname (Edom, based on the redness of the stew he wanted from Yaaqov), but he nonetheless got to add his part to the record passed down through the generations to Moshe. (36:1)

Which will you get?

Just one more notable thing: As with Avram and Lot in 13:6, the great number of his possessions made Esau unable to continue living near his family. (36:7) When many people just after Yeshua’s resurrection were being “born again”, what did they do with their possessions? (Acts 2:45; 4:34) They sold their lands and moved in close to their new family, fellow recipients of YHWH’s gift that gave them such joy (the real meaning of “grace”), and the rest of their possessions they pooled so that—as with the manna—“he who had little would not lack and he who had an abundance did not have too much.” (Exodus 16:18)  

They solved that problem a better way than either Lot or Esau did!
The Wrestling
Yaaqov was overcome with fear when he heard how Esau was coming to meet him. That may be why he was sent this mysterious visitor—the one Michael Card calls “his beloved opponent”. Yaaqov asked who he was. He said, “Why is it you ask about my name?” (Gen. 32:29), as if there was obviously no need to.

He left it at that, but Shimshon’s parents-to-be also met one called “a messenger of YHWH”, and asked his name. He used exactly the same phrase: “Why is it you ask about my name…?” (Judges 13:18) But he adds a little more: “…when it is beyond what you could understand” (pel’i). Then he disappears in flame! (Did this inspire Psalm 104:4?) Another form of pel’i is Pele’--one of the Messiah’s names. (Isaiah 9:6)

Were all three, then, the same person? Yaaqov was told he had struggled with both Elohim and men, and when it was over, he felt he had seen Elohim’s face and yet survived. (32:30) Does that mean Yeshua was “both God and man”, as later creeds postulated? He could appear and disappear at will like that angel—not something an ordinary man can do! But that was after his resurrection, when he was “highly exalted” by the One who raised his name above all others since he held on where Adam did not.

Yaaqov did prevail over this man, but he said “you prevailed over men” (plural), for he did also prevail over Lavan and Esau, and maybe even Sh’khem. (ch. 34) So he was not equating Elohim with any one man. YHWH said no man can see His face and survive. (Ex. 33:20) So the one whose face he saw in the moonlight was at most YHWH’s representative. He is called a man (ish), and the Torah says “Elohim is not a man” (also ish). (Num. 23:19) But “there is one Elohim and one mediator between Elohim and man, the man Yeshua the Messiah.” (1 Tim. 2:5) That sums it up better than the creeds. Why ask for more?

Yeshua called himself “the one YHWH sent”. (Yochanan 5:38; 6:29; 7:29; Luke 4:18). That’s exactly what a messenger is. The Hebrew word for “messenger” often includes angels, but Yaaqov had also just sent messengers (same word) to Esau (Gen. 32:4), and they don’t seem to have been superhuman.  

Whether or not he was the same man, this messenger, though overwhelming, was sympathetic. YHWH had told Yaaqov He would bring him safely back to the Land where He had met him. (28:15) But he still saw an obstacle. So He let him look in the mirror of this perfect man and see how far he fell short—but also what he could become. His new name reflected the reality of how YHWH saw him, despite his flaws. 

Even the name of the river—Yabboq—seems to be a play on the “wrestled” (ye’abeq) in 32:25. But even after he crossed it (becoming, by definition, a Hebrew) he still de-prioritized some of his wives and children to cut his losses. (33:2) Wasn’t this mere human wisdom? Esau still appeared frightening to him, but as with Lavan, the teeth had actually been taken out of the threat. YHWH even made the Kanaanites afraid to avenge Sh’khem, proving his fear of their far greater numbers (35:5) unfounded.

He was now Israel, but was still acting as Yaaqov at times, so he had to be reminded that his name had changed. (35:20); then he acted as Israel again. But he kept vacillating. (45:27-28 is a salient example.) And isn’t that all too often our story? We have been “reborn”, given a new heart and a new spirit, and informed, “if anyone is in the Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have passed away. Indeed, all things have become new!” (2 Cor. 5:17) Yet even the one who penned those words struggled with the vestige of the first Adam’s legacy—“the flesh”—when he now already had the option to exercise the “aerodynamics” of “the spirit” that could enable him—and us—to rise above the "gravity" of old habits. (Romans 7)

“We wrestle not against flesh and blood” (Ephes. 6:12); even our own are motivated by darker powers. But power to prevail is present, if we wrestle all the way through. Which will we be? Yaaqov or Israel?

Fruitfulness Does Wait Up Ahead

There comes a time in each of our lives when our trust in the promises of YHWH, as beloved as they have been to us all along, is put to the test. Oh, we might not doubt that He is there for somebody, but just like Yaaqov we may conclude He doesn’t find us worthy of His mercy or faithfulness. (Gen. 32:11) If so, like Yaaqov, we feel extremely alone at such a time. (32:25) Others we love may have gone on safely, but there we are, sitting ducks, it would seem, in an enemy’s crosshairs. 

 Worst of all, the One we adore and depend on may not only seem to have left us, but may even appear to be yet another adversary. (32:26-27) But if, instead of giving up, we press through in hope of still maintaining His favor and the heritage He has said He would give us, deserving or not, we can, as the Greek Septuagint (LXX) version says, “prevail with Elohim and become mighty with men as well”. (32:29; 28 LXX)

In that case, we can get safely past what we thought would be obstacles and arrive in total well-being (shalom) at the place we are going. (33:18) On the way was Sukkoth (33:17), not just a foreshadowing of the festival which prefigures the time we will dwell in safety though unguarded by earthly defenses; this shows that sukkoth also means cattle-stalls and vouches strongly for Messiah’s birth in such a setting at that very same appointed time.

  The alternate LXX reading of shalom, however (and one which is definitely valid from unpointed Hebrew), is that he “arrived at Shalem, a city of Sh’khem” and in that version he bought it for 100 lambs, not 100 coins. (33:19) We now know from the Dead Sea Scrolls that there were Hebrew texts predating the now-used Masoretic text which agree with the LXX, so it must at least be taken seriously. If this is the right reading (and a Hebraic assumption is that both could be true) it may add more nuances, for Shalem was the place of Melkhitzedeq’s jurisdiction (14:18). 

But just because we find a new home where YHWH has sent us (31:3) does not mean the drama will cease. No sooner had Yaaqov settled in than a new crisis cropped up—this time with his most vulnerable child (34:7)—and what seemed to his sons the only reasonable response may have made him think he had no choice but to migrate again. YHWH gave him a place to go which allowed him to renew his connection to Him (35:1-12), but another crisis arose: the untimely death of his most beloved (35:16-18) at the arrival of the second son she longed for. (30:24) She would never get to enjoy him. 

  But Yaaqov had unwittingly prophesied her death when, without checking the facts carefully enough, he called down a curse on the one who, unbeknownst to him, had indeed done what her father accused them of. (31:32) His sons would follow this example in a similar crisis (44:9), but thankfully the one they were trying to placate reminded them that this response was extreme. (44:10) 

​These tragic experiences of our ancestors behoove us to be ever so careful to not be hasty in our words, for the words of one who prevails with Elohim and men are nothing to be taken lightly; they carry more power than we realize. (Prov. 18:21) Hasty decisions, too, voiced or not, can have just as dire consequences. Yes, life is an adventure, but it is not a game. 

But the fact that “there was still a ways to go before reaching Efrath (fruitfulness)” (35:16) when Rakhel died signifies that the story was not over. Though in the meantime her “doubly fruitful” descendants (Ephraim) left the covenant and were exiled far and wide, causing her to apparently weep for their loss even from her grave (Jer. 31:15), the solution to this dilemma and so many others—which included their (OUR!) return to a covenant that could still, in YHWH’s economy, be renewed even after being hopelessly lost (Jer. 31:16-34)—was brought at the very tower Yaaqov’s tent encompassed (35:21) around the time she died*—Migdal Eder. (Micah 4:8) There Israel saw the first visitation of the one who will ultimately be given dominion and a kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14) upon his next appearance.

Because of that, though we still have to traverse the Vale of Tears like our ancestors, nonetheless “all things work together for good to those who love YHWH and are called according to His purposes.” (Romans 8:28) Maybe not separately or individually, but “together”. It may take centuries for all the pieces to come together, but if we stay aligned with His purpose no matter how dire things look right now, they will. And meanwhile YHWH is a “mini-sanctuary” in our exile. (Ezek. 11:16) Even if we meet the last enemy, death (1 Cor. 15:26), Yeshua says that in the final analysis, “not a hair of your head will perish”. (Luke 21:18) 

 With that as our assurance, we can face our trials.


*Just after her death in the Masoretic text but slightly earlier in the LXX, where verse 21 is verse 16 instead. The LXX also notes that the news Yaaqov heard in 35:22 was grievous too him—something we would assume to be true but which is not overt in the Masoretic.

Leaving the Old Self 
in the Dust

Hebrew is the original language, so its words, especially root words, tell us much about the underlying realities of the world. One play on words that does not come across in English is that, when crossing the Yabboq (based on the word for “emptying out”), Yaaqov ye’abeq (wrestled) with a man. (Gen. 32:23-25) The root means “to get dusty”. (Wrestling is usually done on the ground.) The similar place-name would make native hearers remember the story even more easily.

A more clearly-deliberate pun appears soon after this, in Yaaqov’s new name. (32:29, confirmed in 35:10) In Hebrew, a new name means a new identity, as if the “heel-grabber” aspect of his history had actually died and been buried in that dust, and a new person with an entirely different personality emerged. The theme of “put off the old man” and “put on the new” is repeated through many passages that describe what should be the logical lifestyle of one who’s “born again”. (John 3:3-7; Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22ff; Colossians 3:9; 1 Peter 1:23)  We have a choice where we did not before.

I’ve heard that “Israel” could also be pronounced “Yashar’El” (“Elohim’s straight/upright one”) since there were originally no vowel points. This would be a good contrast with Yaaqov’s “crookedness” (a possible root meaning of his old name), but it is a bonus at best; it does not fit the text’s own description of the reason he was renamed: he was told, “sarita (you have persisted) with Elohim and with men, and have prevailed”. (32:29; 28 in English) Sarita is related to Sarah’s name as well as Israel; its root word, sar, literally means “become a powerful prince”. By his perseverance he accomplished the status of a princely man, being successful by YHWH’s own analysis. What higher commendation could there be?

It’s easy to think that his mother might have been right—that Esau’s anger would “blow over”—when we see Yaaqov saying Esau had “received him favorably” after all. (33:10) Would the conflict have just worked out anyway and been healed by time alone? Were his fear, his strategizing, and his desperate prayer (32:8-13) all “much ado about nothing”?

No; this wrestling match was a necessary step in Yaaqov’s “dying to self” and being resurrected or metamorphosed into one who prevailed. Whether or not it still meant anything to Esau, Yaaqov had to come to terms with who he had been and who he needed to be as a patriarch in his own right. He had to indeed be “emptied” of his “old man” at the river with that name and, like Adam again (2:7), rise out of the dust as a new creation whose walk would forever be different. (32:32) The counter-history begun through Avraham took on a new aspect when one man became a nation that now had a name. He had to take every aspect of integrity seriously, for now he was the model, the light to the nations.  

That seemed to backfire when his sons took matters into their own hands (34:30), but they still made the point that a woman’s honor is not to be treated lightly. That disgraceful thing indeed “should never be done in Israel” (34:7), the entity they already realized was meant to be the example of what the new humanity of which he was the harbinger could become. Yaaqov had concerns about whether this was the best way to express that (as we would), but somehow the fact that in Scripture his sons had the last word about the matter (34:31) seems to fit the pattern of Pin’has, whom YHWH Himself later commended for a similar act of zeal. (Num. 25:7ff) As the rest of humanity sinks farther and farther into the notion that there truly is nothing sacred and one can simply take what one wants with impunity, maybe we need more who stand up and nip it in the bud, saying unequivocally, “This has already crossed a line and will go no further!” 

Disproportionate? Not when we have all the facts—the part even Yaaqov did not hear, much as the haftarah’s “vision concerning Edom” is described as “a report from YHWH”. (Ovadyah/Obadiah 1) We see an indication of where it would have gone in 34:23, where these Hivites’ true colors come out. They thought they’d be able to appropriate Yaaqov’s possessions as their own. But this was another example of their profaning what was holy. (34:27) So YHWH let their possessions become Yaaqov’s instead. (34:28-29) This is an early example of the adage that “the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” (Prov. 13:22) YHWH brings down those who think they are safely out of reach. (Obad. 3-4)

What occurred in that half-physical, half-night vision struggle and the uncanny defeat of a whole city by two mere boys was also spiritual warfare in which wickedness was defeated on a far grander scale than met the eye. One of Yaaqov’s descendants would much later carry this trajectory all the way through to resurrection victory—one of the deeper meanings of “Israel… spread his tent beyond Migdal-eder“ (35:21), for Micah 4:8 tells us that that is where the “first dominion” would come, at the same Beth Lehem-Ephrathah (Mic. 5:2) seen here in Gen. 35:16-19. And what would he be known as?  Sar shalom (prince of peace). There’s that word sar again, the full fleshing out of YHWH’s servant, Israel.