Genesis 37

Here we have one of the most popular stories in the Bible. Young Josepeh, who is a tad spoiled and clearly his father’s favorite son, does a great job of annoying his older brothers. One day, his father sends Joseph to check on his brothers, who are tending the flock, he chases them for miles and miles until finally catching up with them near Dothan. When his brother’s see him in the distance, they plot to kill him.

Genesis 37: 19-20, JPS, They said to one another, “Here comes that dreamer!” Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we can say, ‘A savage beast devoured him.’ We shall see what comes of his dreams!”

Joseph’s brothers are certainly a nasty lot, with the exception of Reuben, who tried to rescue Joseph. Of course, a few of these are the same brothers who laid waste to the town where Dinah was abducted. And Reuben was the son that slept with his father’s concubine, so this may have been an attempt to regain his father’s favor.

In the end, they decide to sell him to a caravan of Ishmaelites that is passing by, on the way to Egypt. In a trick that resembles one that Jacob pulled on his father Isaac, the brothers return home with Joseph’s richly ornamented robe, which they deceivingly dipped in goat’s blood. Jacob sees the coat and assumes that Joseph has been killed by a wild animal.

This is our first introduction to Joseph, and we find him a wily, spoiled teenager. So far, all of the other patriarchs have not lived up to the saintly stories I heard in my childhood. I look forward to reading Joseph’s stories from an adult perspective, and hopefully coming across at least one patriarch that I can actually like.

The Covenant of Circumcision

Genesis 17

This chapter continues the story of Abram, whose name has now been changed to Abraham. Sarai is changed to Sarah, and Jewish men are doomed to circumcision.

God once again reiterates the “father of nations” covenant, he’s starting to sound like a trickster full of empty promises. This time, he asks something in return:

Genesis 17:10-14, NIV “This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep; Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

God does not condone slavery in this passage, instead he goes one step further. He instructs Abraham to circumcise not only himself and his son Ishmael, but the male slaves in his household as well. If this is divinely inspired by God, not only was he cool with slaves, but he wanted to enforce painful body modification on them as well. OR…..the original authors were not divinely inspired, but lived in a society where slavery was A-OK, and you could do whatever you wanted to your slaves without a second thought.

The last line of that verse also stands out. Why the harshness, casting out uncircumcised men from his tribe? Why is he asking every.single.Jewish.male to go through something traumatic to prove his love to God? God seems very much like a bully in this chapter.

Rendering of an ancient Egyptian carved
scene of circumcision from the tomb
of Ank-Mahor at Saqqara, Sixth Dynasty,Teti,
c. 2340 BC.

According to the archaeological record, circumcision did not originate with the ancient Israelites. The first recorded evidence of circumcision is actually in Egypt. The earliest mummies were circumcised (circa 1300 BCE), but wall paintings in Egypt show that it was customary several thousand years prior to that, going back to the Sixth Dynasty (2345-2181 BCE).

Circumcision in boys on the 8^th day after birth is an ongoing tradition in Jewish families, known as the Brit milah, or bris. Both Muslims and Jews still participate in the covenant of circumcision, Christianity is the only Abrahamic religion that doesn’t. I couldn’t find a definitive answer why, but I believe it has something to with Paul, who postulated that faith in Jesus was the only requirement for salvation, and circumcision wasn’t necessary. Paul also seems to be the one responsible for early Christians to stop following the 613 Commandments, or mitzvot, from the Old Testament. For a time in the 4^th Century, circumcision actually became illegal for Christians in the Roman Empire.

Commandment 2/613 Laws in the Torah: To circumcise all males on the 8^th day after their birth.

And throughout the generations, every male among you shall be circumcised at the age of eight days. (Gen 17:12, JPS)

New words:

El Shaddai (Gen 17:1, JPS I am El Shaddai) – one of the Judaic names of God. Its etymology comes from the influence of the Ugaritic religion upon modern Judaism. Shaddai was one of the many Gods in Canaanite religion, the God of the Mountain. Shaddai was worshipped in the Amorite city of Shaddai in northern Syria. In the Bible, it is conventionally translated as God Almighty. Just another tidbit that lends credence to the idea that ancient Israelites were polytheistic.

The Call of Abram

Genesis 12

Abram was called to serve God, a phrase and idea that is often seen in Christianity today. Genesis 12 is the beginning of Abram’s epic story, which starts when God commands Abram to leave his family (apparently it is okay if Sarai, Lot, and all of Abram’s slaves tag along). In return he will have eternal fame, and give rise to a great nation.

Genesis 12:5-7, JPS, When they arrived in the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, at the terebinth of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will assign this land to your offspring.”

Why is this land so important, that it is being promised to Abram, despite the fact that a whole other group of people already live there? As you might know, Canaan becomes the Promised Land, which in turn becomes the Land of Israel. But only after all those pesky Canaanites are kicked out, from the perspective of the Bible. The author of Genesis 12 just created a completely justifiable excuse for the way the ancient Israelites treated the Canaanites! Oh the stories people tell themselves to feel better about treating others horribly. EXCEPT, archaeological evidence actually shows that the most plausible theory is that the ancient Israelites started out as a sub-culture within Canaan, they did not attack it from the outside. Which means, the story of Abraham, Moses, the Exodus, and 40 years in the desert is just an enduring folktale.

The rest of this chapter feels a bit like going down a rabbit hole. Abram enters Egypt, but tells his wife to play the part of his sister. We find out in a later chapter that Sarai IS his half-sister, so this is only a half-lie. Sarai is so attractive at age 65 the Pharoah is enamored and marries her, giving Abram sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants, and camels for her sake. So far, in my eye, the Pharoah has done nothing wrong, yet God unleashes “mighty plagues” on account of Sarai. Possibly she was mistreated, or was forced to marry the Pharoah against her will. In that case, I could understand a backlash. When the Pharoah finds out why he is being attacked by plagues, he does not kill Sarai or Abram; he banishes them from Egypt. However, Abram manages to leave sheepishly with all of his gifts from the Pharoah in his possession.  

There is a saying amongst Jews that Judaism encompasses three main ideas: God, Torah, and the Land of Israel. Jewish belief dictates that a model nation can not occur anywhere else; Israel is the only place where the Jewish people can achieve their directive from God, as given to Abram. The Jewish people did not choose this fate, they were chosen by God.

Terebinth.

New words:

Negev/Negeb (Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev) – a desert region of modern day southern Israel.

Haran (Abram was 75 years old when he set out from Haran) – generally identified as Harran, an Assyrian name for the ancient city Hurrian, whose ruins lie in present-day Turkey.

Terebinth of Moreh – meaning debated. Possibly a grove of trees near Shechem. Terebinth refers to a species of pistachio tree common in the Levant.

Shechem (Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, at the terebinth of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land.) – A Canaanite settlement first mentioned in Egyptian texts. This city will plan an important part in the history of Israel. Located in the modern day West Bank.

Bethel (From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel) – ancient city possibly located in modern day West Bank.