Chapter 2 -
Other events and people in Genesis

 

 

 

 

ABRAHAM

 

When we continue examining the events and people mentioned in the Bible, we often run into the name of Abraham. The Bible tells us that Abraham lived in Ur of the Chaldees, a metropolis of its time, and later moved to Canaan.

   The historicity of Abram/Abraham cannot be absolutely proven but there are good reasons to believe he truly existed. Clay tablets have been found with the name "Abraham" inscribed on them. Other sources including those listed below support his existence:

 

- Names in tablets in Chaldea. Tablets thought to have been created sometime around the year 2000 B.C, in Ur of the Chaldees (Abraham's hometown) point to the historical existence of Abraham. These tablets mention "Abraham" and other biblical characters including Jacob, Terah, Sarai, Milcah and Laban. They are mentioned among the witnesses of an agreement. Presence of these names does not prove the existence of the biblical Abraham or his relatives, but at least they show that similar names were commonly in use at that time.

 

- In the tablets of Mari, dated at around 1700 B.C., recorded names include Peleg, Serug, Nahor, Terah, and Haran. Those same names appear in the Bible.

 

- In the clay tablets of Ebla are found the names Abramu (the name of Abraham was initially Abram), Esaum, Saulum, Daudum, Mikail, Ismael, Ishmail, and Israel-Ishrail. These names are not necessarily people mentioned in the Bible but at least they suggest that similar names were in use at that time.

 

- In the book "History of Israel" (5.p.1976. p.91), John Bright described the historicity of the accounts of patriarchs in the Bible, and provided good reasons to believe that these events really took place:

 

The evidence that has been presented to us so far gives reason to believe that the accounts of the patriarchs are firmly based on history. (…) We can confidently claim that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were real historical people. (…) it is clear that the accounts of the patriarchs, not describing later times perfectly, describe the conditions that existed during the period in question. (12)

 

- Abraham as forefather. The fact that the Jews and Arabs regard Abraham as their forefather is in itself proof that he was a real person. These people firmly believe that Abraham is their forefather and we have no reason to doubt this.

 

- (Gen 11:27-28) Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

28  And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

 

- (Ex 3:5-6) And he said, Draw not near here: put off your shoes from off your feet, for the place where on you stand is holy ground.

6  Moreover he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look on God.

 

- (Joshua 24:2-4) And Joshua said to all the people, Thus said the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelled on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

3  And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

4  And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

 

- (Isa 51:2) Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah that bore you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

 

- (Ezek 33:24) Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

 

- (Luke 1:72-73)  To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

73  The oath which he swore to our father Abraham,

 

- (Matt 3:9) And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say to you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

 

- (John 8:53) Are you greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom make you yourself?

 

- (Acts 7:2) And he said, Men, brothers, and fathers, listen; The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelled in Charran,

 

- (2 Cor 11:22) Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

 

MOAB

 

One of Abraham's relatives was Moab, who was a descendant of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. The Bible tells us that Moab had many descendants and that there was a nation by that name – the kingdom of Moab -- which was often a nuisance to Israel.

   Moab’s name appears in writings on the “stone of Moab.” Writings on the stone also mention Omri the king of Israel:

 

I am Mesha, the son of Chemosh (…) the king of Moab, Dibonite. (…) The king of Israel Omri (…) oppressed Moab for a long time because Chemosh got angry with his country. And his son became the king in his place and said: 'I will oppress Moab... "

 

- (Gen 19:36-37) Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

37  And the first born bore a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites to this day.

 

- (Deut 2:11) Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites called them Emims.

 

- (Ruth 2:2) And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace.  And she said to her, Go, my daughter.

 

- (Isa 16:2) For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.

 

- (Jer 48:13) And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.

 

ISRAEL

 

The name Israel is closely associated with Jews. Israel was the name given by God to Jacob, the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham.

   Perhaps the most interesting reference to the name of Israel is found in the so-called Stone of Israel, which was created sometime around the year 1200 B.C.  The text honors the Pharaoh Merenptah. The stone contains the earliest reference to Israel from a source outside Israel.

 

- (Gen 32:27-28) And he said to him, What is your name? And he said, Jacob.

28  And he said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince have you power with God and with men, and have prevailed.

 

EDOM

 

The brother of Jacob was Esau, or Edom. Esau was his elder twin brother who had his own nation. The king Sargon of Assyria has preserved a statement about him. In this statement we also see other familiar names from the Bible, such as Judah and Moab:

 

"I conquered Ashdod, Gath. I moved inhabitants to them from eastern countries. I collected tax from Philistia, Judah, Edom, and Moab."

 

- (Gen 25:30) And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray you, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

 

- (Gen 36:1, 19) Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

19  These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.

 

- (Num 20:23) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,

 

- (Jer 9:26) Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

 

- (2 Chron 28:17) For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives.

 

THE HITTITES

 

The existence of the Hittites has also been confirmed. This nation that was not known in the beginning of the 19^th century other than from the Bible and whose existence was doubted for a long time has now become well-known. Findings of the nation have been made in their own capital Hattusas. In addition, notes about them have been found in Egyptian and Syrian sources.

   The "Encyclopedia Britannica" dedicated only eight lines to this nation in its edition in 1860. The 1947 edition had ten full pages of text about them because archaeologists had discovered much more about them.

   The following Bible verses describe Hittite activities (the Bible contains almost fifty references to Hittites):

 

- (Gen 10:15) And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth,

 

- (Judges 1:26) And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof to this day.

 

- (1 Kings 10:29) And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.

 

JACOB

 

God changed Jacob’s name to Israel.

   Inscriptions on the monument of Pharaoh Thutmos lll, found in the pylon of the temple of Karnak, contains references to such place names as Jacob-Er and Joseph-El, as well as Kadesh, Megiddo, Dothan, Damascus, Hazor, Carmel, Gath, and Bethel – all places mentioned in the Bible.

 

- (Gen 25:26-27) And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was three score years old when she bore them.

27  And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

 

- (Isa 27:6) He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.

 

- (John 4:5-6, 9-12) Then comes he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6  Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

9  Then said the woman of Samaria to him, How is it that you, being a Jew, ask drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

10  Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that said to you, Give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water.

11  The woman said to him, Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from where then have you that living water?

12  Are you greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

 

BENJAMIN

 

Benjamin was a "patriarch" and one of the twelve sons of Jacob, from whom one of the tribes of Israel descended. A few references to Benjamites can be found among inscriptions in the clay tablets of Mari. One of these is:

 

Inform this to my master on behalf of your servant Bannum: Yesterday I left Mari and spent the night in Zuruban. All Benjamites sent signs of fire. From Samamum to Ilum-Muluk, from Ilum-Muluk to Mishlam, all Benjamin villages in the area of Terqua answered with signs of fire; I do not yet know what these signs mean. (13)

 

- (Gen 35:17-18) And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, Fear not; you shall have this son also.

18  And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

 

- (Judges 19:16) And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.

 

- (Rom 11:1) I say then, Has God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

 

ASHER

 

One of the sons of Jacob was Asher. His descendants – called the tribe of Asher – played a role in Israel’s story. Both Old and New Testaments contain references to the tribe of Asher:

 

- (Gen 30:13) And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

 

- (Num 1:41) Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.

 

- (Luke 2:36) And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

 

LEVI

 

Levi was a son of Jacob, and his descendants are called the tribe of Levi. Levi and his descendants were responsible for taking care of the temple and all its ceremonial objects. The New Testament mentions descendants of Levi:

 

- (Ex 6:16) And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years.

 

- (John 1:19) And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you?

 

- (Acts 4:36) And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

 

RACHEL, LEAH, AND PEREZ

 

Rachel and Leah, mentioned in the verses of the Bible below, were the wives of Jacob.  He went to get them from the eastern countries. Perez was the son of Leah's son Judah, from Tamar:

 

- (Gen 31:14) And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

 

- (Gen 38:29) And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How have you broken forth? this breach be on you: therefore his name was called Pharez.

 

- (Ruth 4:11-12) And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do you worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:

12  And let your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give you of this young woman.

 

RACHEL’S SEPULCHER 

 

When Rachel, the favorite wife of Jacob, died, we are told that she was buried by the road to Ephrath. We find a reference to the same sepulcher in the book of Samuel, which was written much later than the book of Genesis. People knew about the sepulcher when the Book of Samuel was written.

 

- (Gen 35:19) And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

 

- (Gen 48:7) And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.

 

- (1 Sam 10:1-2) Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD has anointed you to be captain over his inheritance?

2  When you are departed from me to day, then you shall find two men by Rachel’s sepulcher in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, The asses which you went to seek are found: and, see, your father has left the care of the asses, and sorrows for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

 

JOSEPH’S BONES

 

Joseph was called "prince among his brothers." He served as Pharaoh’s chief administrator. Joseph asked that after death, his bones to be taken back to the land he considered home:

 

- (Gen 50:25-26) And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from hence.

26  So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

 

- (Joshua 24:32) And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.