It lay South of Shiloh (Jdg 21:19). 2Ch 13:19 Elijah visited Bethel, and we hear of "sons of the prophets" as resident there. Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. God had, after all, clearly spoken. It was afterwards known as Mamre. verse 20). No doubt, there was . Jacob arose and returned to Bethel where he would renew his vow to the Lord and he built an altar at Bethel and worshiped God (Gen. 35:1-15). In the context of this text, Jacob has fled from Laban, not knowing that Rachel has stolen her fathers household gods (Genesis 31:19-20). There, Jacob called the people to 'put away the foreign gods that are among you' so they buried their household gods, treating them as 'dead . He stopped at Beersheba to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to seek guidance from Him (Gen. 46:1-5). Jacob to Shechem. The Human Face on the Divine Chariot: Jacob the Knight, Jerubaal, Jacob, and the Battle for Shechem: A Tradition History,, The Northern Tribal Tradition of Settling the Land,, The Rape of Dinah, Added as a Motive for the Sack of Shechem,, Jacobs merit is why his descendants are given the land (Ramban, 1, Jacob performed a ritual act in which he threw arrows towards the land in order to possess it by magic, which eventually comes true when the Israelites conquer the land hundreds of years later (Ramban 2. That which was promised he would have received in some good way; but Jacob and his mother, distrusting God's promise, sought the promised blessing in a wrong way, and received with it trouble and sorrow. 12. He led the way and, as he approached his brother, bowed seven times, honoring his brother. Matthew 5:23-24). Hebron. (See JEHOVAH JIREH; GERIZIM.) According to Josh 15:13 it was so called after Arba, the father of Anak. The town has no walls; but the main streets opening on the principal roads have gates. Yahweh) in its common abbreviated form. It was thirty years after Jacob's vow to return to Bethel that he determined to fulfill it, and this in light of the fact that Bethel lay only thirty miles from Shechem. Jehovah testified His acceptance of David's sacrifice there by sending down fire to consume it (Leviticus 9:24; 1 Kings 18:24; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Chronicles 7:1). Under this same oak tree, it would seem, their gods were put away, and a large stone was set up as a witness to this act (Joshua 24:19-28). As we will see, this choice had tragic consequences. If anything, this constitutes evidence Israel was aware that God wanted him to keep his oath at Bethel. The inference I see here is that those ten years were of little or no spiritual value. The well dug by Abraham and secured to him by oath had been covered and lost. Laban was outraged and pursued them to Mizpah, the Lord intervened for Jacob and in Mizpah Laban made a treaty of peace with Jacob (Gen. 31:1-55). 'shoulder'; Ancient Greek: , romanized: Sykhm; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: km), was a Canaanite and Israelite city mentioned in the Amarna Letters, later appearing in the Hebrew Bible as the first capital of the Kingdom . A careful look at this event suggests that there is more to the story than what is seen at first glance. He needed nothing new, but a greater grasp of that which was old. and more. . The relatives of those who were killed and those taken captive were not inclined to take the actions of Jacobs sons lightly. One day his daughter Dinah went to attend a festival of the women of Shechem. And it came about when she was in severe labor that the midwife said to her, Do not fear, for now you have another son. And it came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. . 1 Chronicles 2:42-43. 2. 1. A town in Asher; spelled in Hebrew differently from the former Hebron. To this second occasion of God's speaking with Jacob at Bethel, Hosea (12:4,5) makes reference. Perhaps the desire to use the word-play is responsible for the awkwardness of the verse. It was George Bush (not the Vice President of the United States but the author of one of the old, classic commentaries on Genesis) who most clearly verbalized this truth: These incidents may teach us that the most precious favors of heaven often come to us, not in the form of blessings or promises entirely new, but in the repetition or revival of those which we have already experienced in times past. Jacob had built a house in Succoth (33:17) and formed alliances in Shechem with the Canaanites, which would have brought about the ruin of the nation that was to emerge from Jacobs descendants. The Story. Jacob had other daughters, whose names are not mentioned. Over the former probably David hung Ishbosheth's murderers (2 Samuel 4:12). National defense was a prominent issue in the last presidential election. Jacob learned and realized for the first time God's intention to save the whole world through the sacrifice of His only Son who would be a descendant of his, the Jewish Messiah. For shortly after this, when Joseph was sold into Egypt, he was seventeen years old. The tumultuous Dinah affair also occurred during Jacob's stay at Shechem. 2:42, 43. It informed these travelers that if they looked for this pillar when they possessed the land they would find it. A town in the south of Judah (Josh. Bethel in Easton's Bible Dictionary house of God. Again, from the like oath between Abimelech (with Phichol, his captain) and Isaac, it being not uncommon for an event to be recorded as occurring apparently for the first time, which has been recorded as occurring earlier before: so Bethel (Genesis 26:31-33). Jacob arrives at Shechem in c.1691BC (see Genesis 12:6-7 . The larger of the two, which lies to the east, is, according to Dr. Robinson, 12 1/2 feet in diameter, and at the time of his visit (April 12) was 44 1/2 feet to the surface of the water. It still exists under the same name, and is one of the most ancient cities in the world. New Testament Overview - General survey of the New Testament. For the sons of Jacob and all those who were in his household, this may have been the first clear evidence and explanation of the faith which he possessed but so poorly practiced before them. 34). Galatians 6:7). Egypt. The steps of a man are established by the LORD; And He delights in his way. Chart of the chosen line of the Messiah in Genesis. No real growth or progress in Jacobs spiritual life could take place until he returned to Bethel. It was on a main north-south travel route that linked the northern and southern parts of Israel. It was a favourite place of abode of both of these patriarchs (21:33-22:1, 19; 26:33; 28:10). A city of Judah, Jos 15:54 situated among the mountains, Jos 20:7 20 Roman miles south of Jerusalem, and the same distance north of Beersheba. And he called it Shibah: therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day." At the end of this, Joseph is 6 years old. If you have never come to that point which Jacob had come to thirty years previous to this time, the point of recognizing your sinfulness and impending peril, the point of recognizing that the only way to Gods heaven is through some means which God Himself provides, then you must come to God by faith for the first time. 2. In the time of Jerome it was still a considerable place, and still retains its ancient name --Bir es-Seba. Jacob was preoccupied with prosperity and security at the expense of purity and piety. At length all traces of the idolatries were extirpated by Josiah, king of Judah (2 Kings 23:15-18); and the place was still in existence after the Captivity (Ezra 2:28; Neh. Large Map of Israel in the First Century - Click around on the Cities. It has been supposed that the highest point of the temple hill, which is now covered by the Mohammedan Kubbetes-Sakhrah, or "Dome of the Rock," is the actual site of Araunah's threshing- floor. In Gen 21:31 Abraham and Abimelech took an oath of witness that the former had dug the well and seven ewe lambs were offered in sacrifice, "Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them." of Zion. Yet this patriarch of Israel first chose to reside in Shechem. However, Abraham did not settle in Shechem. He was born with Esau, probably at the well of Lahai-roi, about B.C. Christians can choose to sin by disobeying the revealed will of God (I John 1:8-9), as countless examples in Scripture evidence, but ultimately we cannot thwart the purposes of God. Second, it designates a specific oak, probably one that could be pointed out in Moses day (cf. After much recrimination and reproach directed against Jacob, Laban is at length pacified, and taking an affectionate farewell of his daughters, returns to his home in Padanaram. 2. And so, on the other hand, it may be that the most acceptable manner in which they can serve God will be, not by engaging in something unattempted before, but by doing our first works, by reminding ourselves of our covenant vows, and seeking anew that spiritual communion which is the life of our souls.22. The masonry which encloses the well extends downward 28 1/2 feet. First, he came to the point where he stopped going his own sinful way and once again obeyed that which he knew to be the will of God. After the overthrow of Israel, the king of Assyria sent one of the Israelite priests to settle at Bethel, and teach the new settlers from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, "the manner of the god of the land," and "how they should fear Jehovah" (2 Kings 17:27- 28). Over the cave is now the mosque El Haran, from which all but Muslims are excluded jealously (though the Prince of Wales was admitted), and in which probably lie the remains of Abraham and Isaac, and possibly Jacob's embalmed body, brought up in state from Egypt (Genesis 50:13). Jacob put away those foreign gods which he had so long tolerated and which were so offensive to God. The example of Jacob is quoted by the first and the last of the minor prophets. At the beginning of Genesis 29:15 it tells us how Jacob was loved up and attracted to Rachel. The houses are stone, solidly built, flat-roofed, and have each one or two little cupolas, such as are seen in several parts of Israel. If this explanation is correct, is this not a kind of poetic justice for his father Jacob, who so desired the headship of the family that he would cheat his brother and deceive his father? The curb-stones around the mouth of both wells are worn into deep grooves by the action of the ropes of so many centures. During the civil war with Benjamin the tribes took the ark thither to consult God (compare 1 Samuel 10:3). But he himself passed on ahead of them and . ; Joshua 4:4-7; I Corinthians 11:26). 4:15; 5:8; 10:5, 8) calls it in contempt Beth-aven, i.e., "house of idols." 16:1; 1 Sam. The final event of the chapter seems to have been inevitablethe reconciliation of Jacob, his father Isaac, and his brother Esau: And Jacob come to his father Isaac at Mamre of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. That was the basis for his request. 4:28). (Jacob did not obtain the blessing because of his deceit, but in spite of it. The Lord changed Jacob's name to Israel and he became the father of 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel (Gen. 25-50). So, as in the case of Abraham, Isaac's prayers for offspring were answered . After the occupation of the land by the Israelites, Hebron became one of the cities of refuge. Jacob had children with her sister Leah (see Genesis 29), and Rachel became jealous. The foreign gods and also the earrings, which must have had some unacceptable pagan religious associations (cf. When David became king of Judah this was his royal residence, and he resided here for seven and a half years (2 Sam. ( Acts 7:15-16) This is typical of New Testament narratives in conflating several separate events into one. Jacob knew that there could be no approach to God in an impure condition. 1Ki 16:34 3. When he stood before Pharaoh he was thirty (41:46). Shechem's location, in the Promised Land, at the crossroads of trade, made it a convenient choice, helping Jacob to believe he was making his home in a good place (v. 18). Then, too, we shall surely listen and obey. However, some Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an etiology . Jacob and his sons were offered a home in the land of Goshen (Gen. 46:1-5). Some commitments are rashly made, especially by those who are immature. The third son of Kohath the Levite (Ex. Isaac was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah; he was the husband of Rebekah and the father of the twin brothers Jacob and Esau. "Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God" Gen (21:33). Ge 12:8; 13:3,4 Bethel was the scene of Jacob's vision. It was David's first capital. 12:2-4), the second born of the twin sons of Isaac by Rebekah. Let's continue from the last post (go and read Post 17 to get the full picture). Genesis 37: Jacob and His Brothers. But perhaps I am assuming too much. After bemoaning the fact that Jacob took his family away before he could give them a proper farewell, he got to the real bone of contention demanding the return of his gods. He would be fruitful and would become a nation and a company of nations, and the land promised Abraham would be his and his descendants. Jacob leaves Beersheba and flees to Haran in c.1703BC. Soon after his acquisition of his father's blessing (Gen. 27), Jacob became conscious of his guilt; and afraid of the anger of Esau, at the suggestion of Rebekah Isaac sent him away to Haran, 400 miles or more, to find a wife among his cousins, the family of Laban, the Syrian (28). You pass still by the roadside a little building called Rachel's tomb. The name is not found in the New Testament. It is supposed by some to be the tree under which Abraham pitched his tent, and is called "Abraham's oak." 18 Now Jacob came safely to the city of () Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from () Paddan-aram, and camped before the city. History of the City. 2 Kings 23:8 - And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that [were] in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which [were] on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.2 Samuel 24:2 - For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which [was] with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.Amos 5:5 - But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.Nehemiah 11:30 - Zanoah, Adullam, and [in] their villages, at Lachish, and the fields thereof, at Azekah, and [in] the villages thereof. Furthermore Israel, that is, Jacob, calls the Almighty "the God of Bethel" when he confers with his wives about this journey (v. 13). Rivaling Damascus in antiquity. 16 He entrusted them to [] his servants, who divided them into herds. northeast of Tel Aviv. That's why the place was named Allon-bacuth. Gods will can be resisted for a season and at a great price, but ultimately God will create an atmosphere in which we will gladly hear and obey. Jacob, in his 78th year, was sent from the family home to avoid his brother, and to seek a wife among his kindred in Padan-aram. No doubt Jacob intended to get around to going up to Bethel in time, but there was no hurry in his mind. Twenty years have passed since Jacob cheated Esau of his birthright and blessing. when he was younger, he cheated Esau out of his birthright (see Genesis 27:1-40). 18 After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city. Samuel visited Bethel on circuit, judging Israel (1 Sam 7:16). - Ancient GeographyHebron in Easton's Bible Dictionary a community; alliance. The most southern city of Israel Jud 20:1 Named by Abraham, who lived there Ge 21:31-33; 22:19 The place where Isaac lived Ge 26:23 Jacob went out from, toward Haran Ge 28:10 Sacrifices offered at, by Jacob; when journeying to Egypt Ge 46:1 In the inheritance of Judah Jos 15:20,28; 2Sa 24:7 Afterward assigned to Simeon Jos 19:2,9; 1Ch 4:28 Two sons of Samuel were judges at 1Sa 8:2 Became a seat of idolatrous worship Am 5:5; 8:14 -2. . There are two accounts of the origin of the name. This, say some, is the very tree beneath which Abraham pitched his tent, and it still bears the name of the patriarch. And it was over thirty years since he had made his vow to return to Bethel and acknowledge Gods hand if he were brought back in peace. W. H. Griffith Thomas, Genesis: A Devotional Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1946), p. 329. What did Jacob and Laban set up as a border between the two territories? Here Jacob (re-named "Israel") built an altar and named it "El-elohe-israel," meaning "God, the God of Israel" (Gen. 33:17-20). He tolerated the possession of foreign gods. The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. Jacob's Well is about 105 feet deep, the only one of its kind in the whole area. While it should have taken Jacob only days to get from Paddan-aram, it took ten years. Jos 15:13,14; 21:13 Sarah died at Hebron; and Abraham then bought from Ephron the Hittite the field and cave of Machpelah, to serve as a family tomb Ge 23:2-20 The cave is still there, and the massive walls of the Haram or mosque, within which it lies, form the most remarkable object in the whole city. 8:17-19); and (4) the promise of the Seed in which all nations of the earth were to be blessed (Gen. 22:18). The Sanctuary: The town was originally called Luz (Gen 28:19, etc.). Jacob was correct in his assessment of the danger of staying in that area (cf. En reise fra min hukommelse March 24, 2021 She said she would die if she could not bear children. And he built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him, when he fled from his brother. The faith of Jacob must become the faith of his children. James 1:2-4). We may appear to be walking close to God while the opposite is true. This is the first parcel of the Promised Land owned by a descendant, since Abraham buys the cave for Sarah . Mahanaim. One cannot help but remark about Jacobs casual attitude toward separation and purity while dwelling in Shechem. These wells are in constant use today. Bethlehem. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Part of the explanation for this is the fact that many foreigners had been added to Jacobs household. God's answer to his sacrifice at this altar of the threshing floor, and God's removal of the plague, determined David's choice of it as the site of the temple (1 Chronicles 28:2; 1 Chronicles 21:28; 1 Chronicles 22:1; 2 Chronicles 3:1, etc.). (Enlarge) (PDF for Print) (Freely Distributed for Personal or Church use). He was finally buried in Hebron at the family tomb, the Cave of Machpelah. (c) In the Jewish tractate Pirqe Abhoth, iii.l, we read of a Jew named 'Aqabhyah, which is a name composed of the same verbal root as that in Jacob, together with the Divine name Yahu (i.e. He had also built an altar at Shechem (33:20), so there must have been some kind of religious observance there. 23 The command of our Lord, This be doing in remembrance of Me (Luke 22:19, my translation), is a present imperative, suggesting a continuing observance through the ages, till He comes (cf. Jacob somewhat passively accepted the rape of his daughter and even entered into an agreement whereby the purity of the covenant people of God would be lost (chapter 34). The Babylonians - Learn about ancient Babylon and the people who lived there. "Summer and winter houses" too, and "great houses" and "houses of ivory." 24:2), became the usual way of designating the whole Promised Land, and passed into a proverb. The vicinity was long the favorite camping-ground of the patriarchs. It was included in Israel after the kingdom was divided, and it became one of the seats of the worship of the golden calf (1 Kings 12:28-33; 13:1). He desired to see his father Jacob and invited him to Egypt because of the great famine. Jacob was not to go up to Bethel to live (Meek). Jacob Settles in Shechem. The valley runs from north to south; and the main quarter of the town, surmounted by the lofty walls of the venerable Haram, lies partly on the eastern slope. He killed all the males, including Shechem and Hamor. Up has reference to the higher altitude of Bethel. Following our Lord has always been costly, and men should not do so without counting that cost (cf. 21 . Abram doubtless built the altar, and afterwards stood with Lot when giving him his choice of the land (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:10). Biblical Archaeology - Significant Discoveries from Ancient Empires. Thus, there is a period of nearly ten years between Jacobs departure from Paddan-aram and his final arrival at Bethel. It was in the Samaria region of Israel in the territory of Ephraim during Bible times. In the first great revolt 1 Chronicles 12:38 - All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel [were] of one heart to make David king.2 Samuel 4:8 - And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.2 Samuel 3:19 - And Abner also spake in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin.1 Chronicles 29:27 - And the time that he reigned over Israel [was] forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three [years] reigned he in Jerusalem.2 Samuel 5:5 - In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.1 Kings 2:11 - And the days that David reigned over Israel [were] forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.Joshua 10:39 - And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that [were] therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.2 Samuel 3:20 - So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him.
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