A Deep Dive into Scripture
It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers … [He] saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite … [he] took here and went into her … Genesis 38:1f The drama of Joseph’s ordeal, his descent into Egypt, sets the stage for the rest of the Patriarchal Narrative. The reader is thirsting … Read more
[The brothers] said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams. Genesis 37:19f We do not know how long Joseph was … Read more
Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves. Genesis 37:3 With chapter 37 the narrative shifts to what is called the “Joseph Cycle” of stories, the longest sustained narrative in Genesis. Its literary genius … Read more
So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved. Genesis 32:30 Deep into the night’s darkness we find Jacob alone, at least he thought he was, until he was startled by what seemed to be a man. He had no … Read more
And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day … Then [the Theophany] said, “Let me go for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” Genesis 32:23ff. Jacob’s encounter with the Theophany at … Read more
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it. And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate to heaven. Genesis 16 f. We … Read more
And [Jacob] dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (Genesis 28:12) Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to … Read more
When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb … Genesis 29:15 Leah’s sons were not as magnanimous with their father as Leah was. They resented the way their mother was treated. Moreover, when Rachel died, Jacob merely transferred his devotion to her sons, especially Joseph her first born. In Jacob’s heart … Read more
Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful and lovely. Jacob loved Rachel. Genesis 29:16f. Fleeing his brother Esau, Jacob ran into the arms of his uncle Laban. In this man Jacob met his match. … Read more
The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is thus, why do I live?” So she went and enquired of the Lord, and the Lord said, “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 … Read more