Meaning of JACOB

Etymology: «He who takes by the heel; what an impersonator."
Son of Isaac and Rebekah, and twin brother of Esau, born after the latter and, therefore, considered younger (Gen. 25:21-26). Isaac was 60 years old at the birth of his children (Gen. 25:26).

Jacob loved to rest in tents, being of a peaceful nature (Gen. 25:27). He was his mother's favorite, while his father preferred Esau (Gen. 25:28).

However, before they were both born, God had said "the older will serve the younger" (Gen. 25:23), thus giving his promise to Jacob. One day, when Esau came exhausted and hungry after hunting, Jacob, who had prepared himself a red stew, before giving it to his brother made her swear that he would give him the right of birthright (Gen. 25: 29-34 ).

Thus, Jacob did not wait for divine intervention, but showed himself willing to resort to any trickery and fraud to obtain it for himself, not believing that God would ultimately move everything according to his will if he waited on Him (cf. Gen. 48:14-20). A fraudulent act followed. Isaac was old and almost blind.

Rebekah convinced Jacob to dress in Esau's clothes, and to cover his neck and hands with goat skins, because Esau was much hairier than Jacob, to pretend to be his brother. She would thus obtain from Isaac, who thought he was dying, the blessing that corresponded to the right of birthright.

When Esau discovered what Jacob had done, he violently lamented that he had let his right be taken away from him by his brother. Esau resolved to kill his brother when his father died (Gen. 27:1-41). Rebekah heard these threats and, hoping that Esau's anger would cool with her absence, she sent Jacob away, under the pretext of going to find a wife for himself, to Haran, where his family lived. .

During the trip, Jacob had a vision at night: a ladder connected earth to heaven, with angels descending and ascending, and the Lord promised him all the blessings of the covenant (Gen. 27:42-46; 28:1- 22).

Jacob dwelt at least 20 years in Paddan-aram. In Laban's service, he worked at first fourteen years so that Laban would give him his two daughters in marriage, Leah and Rachel; Afterwards he worked for six years to get cattle.

He had eleven children during his stay in Haran, six with Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, as well as a daughter, Dinah; with Bilha, Rachel's servant, two: Dan and Naphtali; with Zilpah, Leah's servant, two: Gad and Asher; and, finally, one with Rachel: Joseph (Gen. 29-30). The latter was born when Jacob was 90 or 91 years old (cf. Gen. 47:9 and Gen. 41:46, 47, 54; 45:11).

Six years later, seeing that Laban and his sons, envious of him, had become ill with him, Jacob fled. While guarding his flocks, probably three days from Haran (Gen. 30:36; 31:22) on the banks of the Euphrates, he sent for his women (Gen. 31:4), crossed the river, and began his march, with his family and property, heading to Canaan (Gen. 31:21).

Laban set out in pursuit of the fugitives, reaching them on Mount Gilead, undoubtedly between the Yarmouk and the Jabbok, about 500 km from the Euphrates, at least ten days after Jacob's departure, but very probably more. time, because Jacob could not march his flocks and family at much speed.

God protected Jacob by warning Laban, and the two feuding clans were reconciled and entered into a pact. They erected a monument of stones, and sealed their pact with a common meal, stipulating that neither of the two clans would go beyond that place to attack the other (Gen. 31:51).

God manifested himself to Jacob in a place that the pilgrim called Mahanaim. And at the ford of the Jabbok, a man fought with Jacob until morning, and, not being able to overcome him, he touched the socket of his thigh, pulling it out of joint.

Before leaving him, the stranger blessed Jacob with these words: “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; because you have fought with God and with men and you have won. Jacob gave this place the name Peniel (the face of God) "I saw God face to face and my soul was delivered" (Gen. 32:22-32 cf. Gen. 33:20; Hos. 12:5) .

This was the critical moment in Jacob's life. Until then he had relied on his own strength and stratagems, he now learned that his energy could not prevail against God and that he should submit to prayer for blessing, and go no further. Since then, frequent allusion is made to the worship that Jacob offers to the Lord.

Before crossing the Jordan, Jacob, banished for so long for his petty actions towards Esau, met his brother again, who forgave him. Once again they separated, Esau returning to Mount Seir, and Jacob heading toward Canaan (Gen. 33:1-18).

Jacob pitched his tents in Canaan, in Shechem. There he purchased land to set up his camp, and there he erected an altar to the Lord (Gen. 33:18-20). It is in Shechem that the son of the king of the city forced Dinah, daughter of Jacob.

Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob's sons, and Dinah's father and mother's brothers, executed a terrible revenge, attacking the city after having reduced its inhabitants to defenselessness through deception (Gen. 34:13-26) .

The other brothers joined Levi and Simeon in sacking the city. Jacob, who had had no part in this event, deeply feared its possible consequences. He sought God, and made all idols and impurities disappear from his family, and the Lord Himself protected him (Gen. 34:30-35:5). It seems that from then on Shechem was considered Jacob's property (Gen. 48:22; cf. Gen. 37:12).

From there, Jacob went to Bethel. Deborah died there, and there she was buried (Gen. 35:6-8); see DEBORA (a). God, who had appeared to Jacob in this place when he was on his way to Paddan-aram, appeared to him again in the same place (Gen. 35: 9; 28: 10-22). He confirmed the change of Jacob's name to Israel, renewing the promises of the covenant made with Abraham.

During the journey to Hebron, Rachel gave birth, near Bethlehem, to Jacob's twelfth and last son, Benjamin. Rachel, the wife whom Jacob had loved so much, died in childbirth (Gen. 35:9-20). Finally, Jacob joined his father at Mamre (Gen. 35:27).

Isaac died about 23 years later. Esau and Jacob gathered to bury him (Gen. 35:28, 29). It seems that Jacob stayed at Mamre for 33 years, because he arrived at Hebron 10 years after his return to Palestine (Gen. 37:14; cf. 37:2), and it is evident that he was still there when Joseph sent for him to come. to Egypt (Gen. 46:1).

Jacob was 130 years old when he went to Egypt (Gen. 47:9), and he lived another 17 years. His first special blessing was for Joseph's children, then he blessed his own children, and he died at the age of 147 (Gen. 47:28; 48:49). His body was embalmed and solemnly transported to Canaan, being buried in the cave of Machpelah (Gen. 50: 1-14).

Jacob committed notorious faults, for which he was severely punished under the hand of God, and in his old age he suffered intensely for the loss of Joseph.

At the end of his life he recognized, at least tacitly, that the beginning of his career had been stained by sin, and that he had not been upright before God; At the moment of dying, he makes clear mention of the grace of God (Gen. 47: 9; 48: 15-16). Jacob showed, during his life and also during his last days, an unwavering faith in the Lord (Gen. 48:21: Heb. 11:21).

He is the quintessential example of the carnal believer, with numerous defects, who is fully treated by God's discipline, and brought to total dependence on Him. He also figures as a type of predestination (Rom. 9:11-13 ), and his name enters the mention of the heroes of faith (Heb. 11:21).

The Lord Himself is not ashamed to call Himself the “God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:6; 4:5; 2 Sam. 23:1; Ps. 20:2; Is. 2:3), or “the Mighty One of Jacob” (Ps. 132:2). The Lord Jesus Christ explicitly affirms the place of honor that Jacob will have in the Kingdom (Mt. 8:11).

Archeology illustrates many of the features of the lives of the patriarchs, particularly that of Jacob. According to the Nuzi letters (see NUZU), discovered between 1925 and 1941 in southeastern Nineveh, it was possible to transfer the right of birthright to another person; They cite a case in which the payment was three ships.

Furthermore, these documents illustrate the family relationships between Laban and his son-in-law (Gen. 31:29). In Nuzi there were known teraphim similar to those that Rachel stole from Laban (Gen. 31:34).

These were household gods, possessed by the head of the family; in the case of a married daughter, her possession gave the husband the right to the property of her father-in-law (Gordon, "Revue Biblique", 44, 1935, pp. 35ff.). Because Laban had sons, the theft of the teraphim represented serious harm.

In the Scriptures, the Hebrews, descendants of Jacob, are frequently called the "sons of Israel" (Ex. 14:16, 29; 15:1, etc.). The prophets, in their poetic passages, frequently mention the names of Jacob and Israel in parallel (Deut. 33:10; Is. 43:1, 22; 44:1).