1. So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman.
2. Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.
3. May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.
4. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham."
5. Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6. Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman,"
7. and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram.
8. Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac;
9. 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.
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3 comments:
this is a very interesting passage that highlights a number of secular customs from isaac's time: marrying within the family; having multiple wives; etc. but to me, perhaps the most striking thing to me is how much children -- especially esau and jacob -- care about obeying their parents. however, it's not clear whether this was motivated by cultural obligation, social pressure or just personal desire.
Both sons definitely treat the blessing from the father very seriously. I wonder what would've happened if Esau cried out to God. Perhaps thats what God wanted?
Their obedience to their parents is there too. Like Recgolfer, I'm not exactly sure what the motive behind this obedience is. Is it out of love? God's commandment?(though 10 commandments hasn't been handed down yet) or is it something else?
Esau's action seems pretty childish. I wonder why he does this... What kind of favor is he trying to earn from his father?
Yea I agree with M and recgolfer...need to read more and ponder...but still cannot understand fully why.
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