Bible Quiz #9 -- Jacob & His Wives

 

Jacob Flees From Laban

[See "Bible Quiz #8 – Isaac & Rebekah"]

In addition to its obvious religious importance, the Bible is a significant work of literature. However, much of what we know about the Bible is through hearsay and forgotten lessons. The following is an educational lesson of sorts. It is in "quiz" format, but it will not affect your grade point average.

The Bible in this case refers to the Hebrew Scriptures: the TANACH. For the translation from Hebrew, I will use the Jewish Publication Society's version (2001) of the Masoretic Hebrew text. This quiz will only cover the passages regarding the events described in Genesis 28-31.

I will provide some insight into TANACH passages that are hidden from English readers. If your computer screen does not display the Hebrew characters correctly, it's no big deal, since you cannot read them anyway, right?

For atheists, don't slink away. This is not a religious or theological lesson, nor a conversion attempt. It's just a parsing of a unique piece of literature from a unique perspective.

QUESTIONS

1.  Jacob’s Ladder. Jacob dreams of a ladder, or stairway, to Heaven. In the dream, what is the promise God makes to Jacob?

2. Jacob makes the first vow by a person mentioned in the Bible. What is his vow?

3. Rebekah and Rachel first appear in the Bible at the same place. What place is it?

4. It is customary for a father to be paid a dowry for the hand of his daughter in marriage. What did Jacob pay Laban for his daughter’s hand in marriage?

 5. Abraham married his half-sister Sarah, and Isaac married Rebekah, his first cousin once removed. What was the familial relationship between Jacob and Leah/Rachel?

 6. When Jacob married Rachel, which law did he break that would be decreed hundreds of years later?

 7. As Sarah did with Abraham, Jacob’s wives, Rachel and Leah, gave their maids (Bilhah and Zilpah, respectively) to Jacob to bear children. What were their reasons for doing so?

8. Why did Jacob flee (instead of a mutual departure) with his family and possessions from his uncle Laban after 20 years?

9. Jacob refers to God by a name not used anywhere else in the Bible. What is that name?

ANSWERS

1. God promises to bestow the land to Jacob and his descendants, and promises to protect Jacob wherever he goes.

God reiterates the promises he made to Abraham and Isaac about the land. 

Genesis 28.13-15

2. Jacob vows to confirm his devotion to God, and give God a tithe of all he obtains in life.

He will do this if God protects him on the present journey and he returns home safely. He provides no details regarding the tithe.

Genesis 28.20-22

 3. At a well.

The well is in Paddan-aram (Haran), which is north of Canaan. Soon after each woman’s appearance, Laban (Rebekah’s brother, Rachel’s father) appears on the scene.

Genesis 24.15, Genesis 29.6-10

 4. Jacob agrees to serve Laban for 7 years in order to marry his daughter.

The usual dowry involves money, goods, or livestock.

Genesis 28.18-21

 Deception of Jacob: Laban deceives Jacob by giving him Leah, in disguise, for his wife instead of Rachel – and Laban justifies it by stating that the elder sibling must be married before the younger one. This incident is filled with irony because Jacob had deceived his own father with a disguise to obtain the blessing and birthright that should have gone to his older brother Esau.

 5. Both Leah and Rachel were Jacob’s maternal first cousins.

They also were both Jacob’s sisters-in-law.

Genesis 29.10-14

 6. No one is allowed to marry his wife’s sister during his wife’s lifetime.

God told the Israelites through Moses that such an action would cause an negative rivalry between siblings, which is exactly what happened in this case.

Genesis 29.28-30, Leviticus 18.18

 7. To act as surrogates for themselves.

Because she had not borne Jacob any children, Rachel felt that she was barren. Therefore, she offered her maid Bilhah as a surrogate, so she could adopt any children as her own. Bilhah bore Jacob two sons. [Genesis 30.3] Because she had “stopped bearing,” Leah offered her maid Zilpah to Jacob in her stead. Zilpah bore Jacob two sons. [Genesis 30.9] Ironically, neither Rachel nor Leah was barren nor beyond bearing: Subsequently, they each bore Jacob two sons (and Leah bore a daughter as well).

 8. Jacob believed that Laban would forcibly take back his daughters (Jacob’s wives).

After working for Laban for so long, Jacob did not trust that Laban would let him leave without retribution or trickery.

Genesis 31.31

 9. Fear of Isaac ( פַחַד יִצְחָק / Pakhad Yitzkhak).

This could also be translated in English as “Isaac’s Fear” (Isaac is not the one who is fearsome). Jacob later swears an oath “by the fear of his father Isaac.” [Genesis 31.53]. So, this appellation could mean “The One Whom Isaac Fears.”

Genesis 31.42