“Jacob got up early in the morning, took the stone he had put under his head, set it up as a standing-stone, poured olive oil on its top and named the place Beit-El; but the town had originally been called Luz.”–Genesis 28:18-19 In order to escape the wrath of his brother, Jacob all alone hightails it out […]

 “Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.“-Genesis 28:8-9 I really feel sorry for Esau. I mean he just can’t seem to do anything right. He sells […]

Today we begin Chapter 28. For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here. For King James Bible, click here. Though it may be typical in our day and age to view the blessings and curses in the bible as cute little sayings and prayers that embodied the hopes and aspirations of those pronouncing them, it is […]

Before we move on to the next chapter, just a few quick words about Esau and his descendants. First, Esau’s descendants will come to be known as the Edomites, a group of people that will be in continual conflict with God’s chosen race. The hated King Herod in the New Testament is an Edomite. He […]

When Rebecca overhears Isaac’s scheme to give Esau the blessing, she decides to intervene. She and Jacob cook up a scheme of their own that has Jacob putting on Esau’s hairy garments to fool his father into thinking that he is Esau and thus trick him into giving him the blessing. All and all, the […]