Day 12, Genesis 33-35

Jacob looked up and saw his brother Esau coming with 400 men. He had all of his wives and children behind him as he went to meet his brother.

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

-Genesis 33:4

Everyone met Esau and they were happy. Esau did not want to take Jacob’s gift because he had plenty of his own. But Jacob insisted.

“Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.”

-Genesis 33:10-11

They continued on their journey’s and Jacob came to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. There Dinah the daughter of Leah, went out to explore the land. She came across Shechem, the prince of the land, and he lay with her and humiliated her. His soul was drawn to her and he wanted her for his wife.

Jacob heard that his daughter had been defiled, and luckily for them at this point, her brother’s were out in the fields. Hamor the father of Shechem came to Jacob and said that his son wanted Dinah for his wife. He would do whatever Jacob said in order to obtain his daughter.

The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully because he had defiled their sister. They told him that in order to marry Dinah, all the men would have to be circumcised as they are, or it would be disgraceful to them.

Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem and they passed on the information to the city.

“These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people–when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.”

-Genesis 34:21-22

All of the males were circumcised in the city, but on the third day when all were sore; Jacob’s two sons Simeon and Levi took their swords and killed all of the males. They killed Hamor and Shechem and took Dinah out of their house. They plundered the city because their sister had been defiled. Talk about “big brother protection” and loyalty!

Jacob was worried though that they had brought trouble for him. He thought that if the inhabitants of the land came to attack him, he would be destroyed. The sons knew their actions were justified.

“But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”

-Genesis 34:31

God told Jacob to go to Bethel and dwell there and make an alter because that is where he saw God when he first fled from Esau. As they journeyed a terror fell upon the surrounding cities so they could not pursue them.

God came to Jacob again and blessed him.

“And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.”

-Genesis 35:10

I thought God had already changed his name after the wrestling match?

They journeyed from Bethel, and when they were close to Ephrath, Rachel went into labor. It was a difficult labor and she died, not before giving birth to another son and naming him Ben-oni (son of my sorrow, or son of my strength). However, his father called him Benjamin (son of the right hand). Rachel died and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

While Israel was in that land, his son Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine (mistress). It says Israel heard of it, but doesn’t say if he did anything about it…yet.

“Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.”

-Genesis 35:22-25

I don’t know why the daughter Dinah is never mentioned when it talks about Jacob’s children. It only ever mentions the sons.

Jacob went to his father Isaac. Isaac breathed his last breath after 180 years, and died. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.