(2) Privileges of Inheritance. How highly the privileges conferred by primogeniture were valued, may be learned from the history of Jacob and Esau. In the patriarchal age doubtless these rights were very great. The eldest son, as being by nature the first fitted for command, assumed influence and control, under his father, over the family and its dependents; and when the father was removed by death, he readily, and as if by an act of Providence, took his father's place. Thus he succeeded to the property in succeeding to the headship of the family, the clan, or the tribe. At first the eldest son most probably took exclusive possession of his father's property and power ; and when, subsequently, a division be came customary, he would still retain the larg est share—a double portion, if not more (Gen. xxvii :25, 29, 4o). That in the days of Abraham other sons partook with the eldest, and that, too, though they were sons of concubines, is clear from the story of Hagar's expulsion. (See HAGA.R.) 'Cast out (said Sarah) this bond woman and her son ; for the son of this bond woman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac' (Gen. xxi:zo).
(3) Transfer of Property. The few notices left us in Genesis of the transfer of property from hand to hand are interesting, and bear a re markable similarity to what takes place in East ern countries even at this day (Gen. xxi:22, sq.; xxiii:o, sq.). The purchase of the Cave of, Machpelah as a family burying place for Abra ham, detailed in the last passage, serves to show the safety of property at that early period, and the facility with which an inheritance was trans mitted even to sons' sons (comp. Gen. xlix :20). That it was customary during the father's life time to make a disposition of property, is evident from Gen. xxiv :35, where it is said that Abraham had given all he had to Isaac. This statement is further confirmed by Gen. xxv :5, 6, where it is added that Abraham gave to the sons of his con cubines 'gifts, sending them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward unto the east country.' Sometimes, however, so far were the children of unmarried females from being dis missed with a gift, that they shared, with what we should term the legitimate children, in the father's property and rights. Thus Dan and Naphtali were sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maid, whom she gave to her husband, failing to bear children herself, So Gad and Asher were, under similar circumstances, sons 'of Zilpah, Leah's maid (Gen. xxx :2-14). In the event of the eld est son's dying in the father's lifetime, the next son took his place; and if the eldest son left a widow, the next son made her his wife (Gen.
xxxviii :7, sq.). the offspring of which union was reckoned to the firstborn and deceased son. Should the second likewise die, the third son took his place (Gen. xxxviii I).
(4) Rights of Younger Children. While the rights of the firsthorn were generally established and recognized, yet were they sometimes set aside in favor of a younger The blessing of the father or the grandsire seemb to have been an act essential in the devolution of power and prop erty—in its effects not unlike wills and testa ments with us; and instances are not wanting in which .this (so to term it) testamentary bequest set aside consuetudinary laws, and gave prece dence to a younger son (Gen. xlviii :15, sq.). Special claims on the parental regards were ac knowledged and rewarded by special gifts, as in the case of Jacob's donation to Joseph (Gen. xlviii:22). In a similar manner, bad conduct on the part of the eldest son (as well as of oth ers) subjected him, if not to the loss of his rights of property, yet to the evil influence of his fa ther's dying malediction (Gen. xlix :3) ; while the good and favored, though younger, son was led by the paternal blessing to participate, and proba bly also to reap, the richest inheritance of indi vidual and social happiness (Gen. xlix :8-22).
(5) Inheritance of the Promised Land. The original promise made to Abraham of the land of Palestine was solemnly repeated to Isaac (Gen. xxvi :3), the reason assigned being, be cause 'Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge,' my commandments, my statutes, and my laws; while it is expressly declared that the earlier inhabitants of the country were dispos sessed and destined to extermination for the grcatness of their iniquity. The possession of the promised land was embraced by Isaac in his dying benediction to Jacob (Gen. xxviii :3, 4), to whom God vouchsafed (Gen. xxviii :15 ; see also xxxv:zo, II), to give a renewed assurance of the destined inheritance. That this donation, how ever, was held to be dependent for the time and manner of its fulfilment on the Divine will, ap pears from Gen. xxxiii :id, where Jacob, on com ing into the land of Canaan, bought for an hun dred pieces of money 'a parcel of a field, at the hand of the children of Hamor.' Delayed though the execution of the promise was, confidence never deserted the family of Abraham, so that Joseph, dying in the land of Egypt, assured his brothers that they would be visited of God and placed in possession of Canaan, enjoining on them, in this conviction, that, when conducted to their possession, they should-carry his bones with them out of Egypt (Gen. 1:25).