JACOB, from Hebrew word Ya-aqob, lit erally "to seize the or also called Israel, third patriarch and son of Isaac and Rebekah. The story of his life as told in Genesis has many dramatic incidents. The struggle before birth between the two brothers, their antagonism due to the episode of the birthright and later to the subterfuge whereby Jacob secured his father's blessing, Esau's deadly hatred, the wanderer's dream and Jacobs fleeing to safety, his marriage with Laban's daughters, how his quiet life was dis turbed and again he became a pilgrim; the vision of the wrestling angel, his reconciliation with Esau and subsequent arrival at Hebran, where his parents lived, with his twelve sons, fathers of the ten tribes of Israel. all these events can be read and read again without los ing their interest. The resemblances through out the careers of the patriarchs — brotherly strife, parental overfondness and the rest, only emphasize the human quality of the narrative.
After ten years, as the closing chapters of Genesis inform the reader, Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, became leading actor in the drama. In their anger at his airs of superiority, his brothers sell him to a band of Ismaelites, telling Jacob that a wild beast had devoured him. Later, as Canaan was visited by a severe famine, the sons were sent to Egypt to buy corn, Ben jamin being retained at home, but Jacob was obliged to let go with the rest, as Joseph had refused otherwise to release Simeon held as hostage. How Jacob heard on the second return of his sons from Egypt that Joseph was ruler, how he set out to meet him, with•a. retinue of 66persons,I1 sons and their children, and how Joseph met him at Goshen, to be re ceived later by Pharoah and assigned 'a residence "in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses,o complete a thrilling narrative. At that time, Jacob was 130 years of age. His death was the next great episode, but before his passing he made Joseph swear not to bury him in Egypt, but in the family sepulchre in Canaan. Then adopting Joseph's two sons, he blessed all his sons in solemn assembly, giving Joseph's younger son precedence over the elder and assigning to Joseph a portion more than his brothers. He was 147 at his death, his body
being embalmed in Egyptian fashion. It was accompanied back to Canaan by an immense retinue including all the servants of Pharoah and all the elders of Egypt and was laid at rest in the cave of Machpelah at Hebron.
The story of Jacob, as can be said of the other patriarchs, Ii been attacked as unhis torical, a charge easily made, if not substan tiated. It is, however, a source-book of evi dence on marriage customs, pastoral occupation, belief and traditions of the people, which must have had a basis of fact to be related with such naturalness and simplicity. The olden rabbis in their popular expositions of the Bible or (midrashim) realize their value for character building. Jacob is a favorite theme, and the homilies, however, apparently trivial at times, had their significance in keeping alive the study of Scripture: Much that seems obscure and of doubtful worth in the text receives- fresh meaning. Take the story of the birthright, for example. Esau was fresh from the slaying of Nimrod and two of his companions, when he sold the birthright. In desiring it, wished chiefly its spiritual prerogatives. It is another opinion that Jacob wanted the birthright, be cause the first born was forerunner of the priest who offered the family sacrifices and he felt that Esau was not fit to bring offerings•to God. How the Midrash enlarges upon Scripture is illustrated by the statement that Jacob gave three injunctions to his sons before his death. They should not worship idols; nor blaspheme the name of God, nor permit a pagan to touch his corpse. On each side of hig coffin, three of his sons were to be stationed, just as the tribes were later gathered in the wilderness. Joseph's order to have Jacob's body embalmed. was not regarded with favor, it seemed to indi-! cate a limitation of divine power. For rabbini cal legends in general, bearing on the Biblical characters, the reader will find Dr. Louis Gina berg's The Legends of the Jews> (Phila. 1913), the latest and fullest authority.