REBECCA
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Jacob
means ‘he who grabs for something’ - either his brother’s heel at the
moment of birth, or his brother’s inheritance later on Esau was nicknamed Edom,
which meant ‘red’ either of complexion or hair; Esau was born with a
ruddy complexion, then spent most of his time outdoors in the sun, so his
face and skin may have been unusually reddened. This story shows the gradual fulfillment of the promise made by God, that Sarah and Abraham would have many descendents, enough to become a nation. The story of Rebecca contains
three different episodes in Jewish history: 2 the birth and youth of Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25:19-34). Rebecca gave birth to two sons with very different temperaments. The conflict between them was the basis for conflict between later generations and nations. 3 Rebecca and the blessing of
Isaac (Genesis 27). Rebecca manipulated the situation so that the tribe
would be led by an intelligent man rather than a popular but shallow man,
so that decisions for the tribe would be based on wisdom rather than impulse or
emotion. |
ON THIS PAGE: The Betrothal and Marriage of Rebecca Rebecca and
the Blessing of Isaac |
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Rebecca at the well |
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Rebecca was the young woman who
became the wife of Isaac, Sarah’s son. She came from a well-to-do family
in upper Mesopotamia, now northeastern Syria. She was a relative of
Abraham; her family background is given in Genesis 22:20-23. Rebecca was beautiful, shrewd, energetic, physically robust and strong-willed. We first meet her at the well of Aram-naharaim, where she showed that she was willing to work, and confident enough to speak without fear to the strangers who came had been sent by Abraham to find a wife for Isaac. ‘Before he had finished
speaking, there was Rebecca…. Coming out with her water jar on her
shoulder. The girl was very fair to look upon, a young girl, whom no man
had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up.’ |
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Ancient Persian gold bracelets, perhaps similar to the ones Rebecca received
Gold earrings, Mycenae, made at about the time that Rebecca lived
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Rebecca led the men to her home, to introduce them to her family. Her brother Laban spoke as head of the house, inviting them to stay in his household. This suggests that their father Bethuel was alive, but for some reason was incapable of acting as head of the household. A proposal of marriage, on behalf of Isaac, was made. It was accepted by Rebecca and by her family. ‘And they called Rebecca
and said to her “Will you go with this man?” She said “I will”. So
they sent away their sister Rebecca and her nurse along with Abraham’s
servant and his man, and they blessed Rebecca.’ The description of Rebecca’s betrothal and marriage gives a fair picture of marriage practices among the early Hebrew people:
Rebecca had more say in whom she married than Isaac, her future husband, did. Genesis 24:8 suggests that the marriage would not have gone ahead without her consent, but Isaac is expected to marry the woman brought home to him by his father’s agents. Read Genesis 24:28-61 As she faced the journey to her
new home, she seemed sure of her own judgment, and ready for this daunting
new experience. Her journey took her from upper Mesopotamia, in what is
now northeastern Syria, to Beer-lahai-roi in the Negev, a distance of
about eight or nine hundred kilometers. When Rebecca and Isaac met, it seems to have been love at first sight. Read Genesis 24:62-67. Isaac took his bride-to-be into
the tent of his mother. Sarah must have been very old by now, and if she
suspected she was to die soon, it may have been she who initiated the plan
to get a wife for Isaac. The phrase ‘Isaac loved her’ is used,
something most unusual for the biblical text. Then Sarah died, and Rebecca
comforted Isaac after his mother’s death; the deep bond that Isaac had
with Sarah was replaced by his love for Rebecca. This biblical story has an ‘and they lived happy ever after’ feel about it. |
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Despite her beauty, and despite
Isaac’s love for her, Rebecca did not an easy time of it. She did not
conceive for quite some years, and this was considered both a personal
misfortune and a sign that she was not favored by God. Eventually however
she became pregnant, but even then things were not plain sailing. She had
a difficult pregnancy, since the two babies inside her were constantly
moving, so that she had no peace. Like many women before and since, she
wondered what she had got herself into. So she ‘went to enquire of the
Lord’. Rebecca was the first woman we hear of who sought God out and
asked him for some explanation of her condition. This shows her initiative
and self-confidence. The method she used to speak with God is not
explained, but a common practice in the ancient world was to consult a
prophet or oracle. Rebecca may have followed this practice or, as in
Numbers 12:6, the message may have come to her in a dream. God told her that ‘Two nations are in your
womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be
stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.’ Read Genesis 25:19-23 |
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‘When her time to give
birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red,
all his body like a hairy mantle, so they named him Esau. Afterward his
brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel, so he was named
Jacob.’ Read Genesis 25:24-28 From the start, Esau was a
‘man’s man’, good at hunting and outdoors activities, confident,
careless, unconcerned. He had a good relationship with his father. He
married two Hittite (non-Hebrew) women who did not get on well with
Rebecca and Isaac (see Genesis 26:34-35). Jacob was quiet, more
thoughtful, more interested in learning. He did not particularly enjoy
outdoors activities. He depended on his intelligence and his wits rather
than on brute strength. The clash between these two young men echoes the
continuing struggle between the nomadic hunter and the settled
agriculturalist, as related in the story of Cain and Abel (see 'EVE':
Reworking
the story of Eve). |
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Esau selling his birthright for a plate of food |
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One day, Esau carelessly gave up
his birthright, half of his inheritance, to his younger twin Jacob.
On the death of the father, property was divided in equal shares
between the sons, but the eldest son got a double portion. This was called
the ‘birthright’ of the eldest. Thus in a family of two sons, the
elder would get two-thirds, the young would get one-third. Daughters had
already received their inheritance in the form of a dowry. In the story of
the stew, Esau gave up his right to a double portion and transferred this
right to Jacob.
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In Genesis 26 there is a story
involving Rebecca and King Abimelech in Gerar. It is similar to one
involving Sarah, in Genesis 20. The episode is really about water rights
in the area, essential to a nomadic people. In the section involving
Rebecca (26:1-11), all Rebecca’s actions suggest that she was active,
not passive, a planner and doer, not a victim. So the episode with
Abimelech is likely to have resulted from co-operation between her and
Isaac. Indeed, judging from other events in her life, the plan may have
originated with her. After this, we learn of Judith
and Basemath, Esau’s Hittite wives who made life bitter for Rebecca and
Isaac (Genesis 26:34-35). The resentment of Judith and Basemath was
understandable. In their eyes, their husband should have been in line to inherit
a double portion of Jacob’s possessions, which he would not now receive.
They overlooked the fact that it was their husband’s fault that this was so,
and took out their anger on their in-laws. But the story suggests that the
real reason for
this grubby behavior lay in their origins. They were foreigners, with
foreign gods and customs. To the writers of the biblical text, this meant
they could never be suitable wives for Hebrew men. When Isaac was very old, he
realized that it was nearly time for him to die. This meant that he should
give his formal Blessing to the son he wanted to succeed him. In ancient
Hebrew tribes, the Blessing meant the handing over of legal power to a
successor - a more valuable gift than any amount of property. The person
who received the Blessing had authority over the whole clan, even over
people who were older than himself. If Jacob had the Blessing, he would
govern the tribe after Isaac’s death. But Esau was Isaac’s favorite
son. He had many of the qualities that Isaac lacked: he was
hearty, carefree, a good hunter, and physically strong. The question was:
would he be the best person to govern the tribe after Jacob’s death?
Rebecca did not think so. She believed that the quiet, intelligent Jacob
would do a better job. She therefore colluded with her younger son, and under her direction, Jacob tricked his dying father into giving the Blessing to him. |
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'Isaac Blessing Jacob', Govert Flinck, 1638 |
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‘Then Rebecca took the best
garments of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put
them on her younger son Jacob; and she put the skins of the kids on his
hands and on the smooth part of his neck…’ In the modern world, we admire honesty and integrity. The actions of Rebecca and Jacob seem underhand to us. In ancient times, however, this duo of schemers would have been admired. Trickery and cunning were valued, because the world was dangerous and unpredictable, and people needed every advantage they could get, to survive. Rebecca may have hated what she had to do – but it was necessary, given Esau’s foolishness and the long term effect it would have on the tribe. Read Genesis 27:1-40 Rebecca had developed from a beautiful, confident young girl into a far-sighted and shrewd woman. She chose the son she believed was more capable of governing the clan. But some questions must be asked: |
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‘Now Esau hated Jacob
because of the Blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau
said to himself “The days of mourning for my father are approaching;
then I will kill my brother Jacob”. But the words of her elder son Esau
were told to Rebecca.’ |
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 Esau was enraged, as well he might be. He had been betrayed by his mother and his brother and lost the inheritance that was due to him, his birthright and the Blessing. He planned to kill Jacob as soon as his father died. Once again, Rebecca stepped in, helping Jacob to escape. She also maneuvered Isaac into arranging a marriage between Jacob and one of the daughters of Laban, the brother she had left so many years ago in Mesopotamia. |
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This story is often overlooked or neglected, possibly because it tells about a woman who deceived and got the better of her dying husband - not a comfortable subject. People would prefer to read about characters who are clearly good or bad, with no ambiguities in their behavior. But this is not how people really are, and one of the strengths of the biblical material is that it shows the good and bad in all human nature. The story of Rebecca makes it clear that women can feel ambition, love greatly, deceive, and be self-sacrificing. The nature of the person shapes what they are, not their gender. Rebecca was a leader of people and an organizer of the future. It did not matter that she was a woman. She used the abilities she had, in the best way that she could. |
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ACTIVITIES Debate: Building a Personal
Genealogy Focus Questions
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| www.womeninthebible.net |
| Copyright 2006 Elizabeth Fletcher |