 |
Esau & Jacob Gallery Serendipity Copyright Eric Morris 2006 |
The Texts
22: And the children struggled together within her; and
she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to
inquire of the LORD.
23: And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy
womb, and two manner of people shall be separated
from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger
than the other people; and the elder shall serve the
younger.
24: And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled,
behold, there were twins in her womb.
25: And the first came out red, all over like an hairy
garment; and they called his name Esau.
26: 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 threescore years old when she bare 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.
28: And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison:
but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29: And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field,
and he was faint:
30: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with
that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was
his name called Edom.
31: And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32: And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die:
and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33: And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware
unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34: Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles;
and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his
way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
34: And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife
Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and
Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:
35: Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
1: And it came to pass, that when
Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called
Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he
said unto him, Behold, here am I.
2: And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the
day of my death:
3: Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy
quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me
some venison;
4: And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring
it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee
before I die.
5: And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son.
And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to
bring it.
6: And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold,
I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother,
saying,
7: Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I
may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my
death.
8: Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to
that which I command thee.
9: Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two
good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury
meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
10: And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may
eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
11: And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau
my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
12: My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall
seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon
me, and not a blessing.
13: And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse,
my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
14: And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his
mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his
father loved.
15: And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son
Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them
upon Jacob her younger son:
16: And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon
his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
17: And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which
she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18: And he came unto his father, and said, My father:
and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
19: And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn;
I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I
pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may
bless me.
20: And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou
hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the
LORD thy God brought it to me.
21: And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee,
that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very
son Esau or not.
22: And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he
felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the
hands are the hands of Esau.
23: And he discerned him not, because his hands were
hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
24: And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said,
I am.
25: And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat
of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he
brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought
him wine, and he drank.
26: And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now,
and kiss me, my son.
27: And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled
the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See,
the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which
the LORD hath blessed:
28: Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and
the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
29: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee:
be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons
bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee,
and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
30: And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an
end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone
out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau
his brother came in from his hunting.
31: And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it
unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father
arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may
bless me.
32: And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou?
And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
33: And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who?
where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it
me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have
blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
34: And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried
with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said
unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35: And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and
hath taken away thy blessing.
36: And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he
hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my
birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing.
And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing
for me?
37: And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I
have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given
to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained
him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
38: And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one
blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father.
And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
39: And Isaac his father answered and said unto him,
Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth,
and of the dew of heaven from above;
40: And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve
thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt
have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from
off thy neck.
41: And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith
his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart,
The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then
will I slay my brother Jacob.
On line bible text at
http://etext.virginia.edu/kjv.browse.html
Artist Notes
The relationship between the brothers Esau and Jacob is
interesting . Jacob stays with the tents, and the pots, with the women
while Esau is a hunter. I have these figures in the forefront
of the picture. What would they learn from these situations? Esau is straightforward,
direct while is Jacob is devious, a manipulator, a liar. Jacob manipulates
his brother Esau into trading a meal for his firstborn rights. How could
Esau take this suggestion at more than jest, and replies jestingly that
firstborn rights play no role if he was dead of hunger. Clearly he was
not dying. However Jacob is not jesting and has set up the situation.
Why should he bargain with Esau to give him a plate of food, when Esau
brings home the meat. A very odd senario.
Isaac, the father of these twins, earlier prefers Esau, the man of the country, the hunter; admiring his prowess and his ability to bring home game, while the mother favours Jacob who is at home with her. I have made Isaac and Esau visually similar, red being meaning of Esau and the hair part of the birth description.The name Jacob means to surplant and being the second born of twins there is clearly envy, he follows on the Heel.. Why go to the trouble of cheating for birthright privaleges otherwise..
I see the later image of the ladder as a symbol of Jacobs ambition, of a scheming mind and have introduced an almost spider web of ladders into the picture.
Isaac who is blind or visually challenged is fearing his own death and is to give his blessing. The mother comes up with a plan. Jacob the coward is fearful of being caught but the mother promises to take the blame, the curse if it should fall out so. Esau has married someone the parents dislike and even though Isaac asks Esau to go hunting and cook for him before blessing him, it is a valid question if this is not a knowing strategy to userp Esau's postion. Isaac clearly hears that it is Jacobs voice but allows himself to be fooled by the fur put on the hands and neck and the cloths. Why did he not have both brothers in at the same time or a witness? Was he merely testing Jacobs cunning and trickery? Were these more desirable in the new leader than hunting prowess and straightforward manly virtues? His only word for Esau are almost a curse, to live in the desert and fight. Esau in his anger can be seen behind Isaac givng his blessing from his bed
Constructed .19th NOV 2006
