JACOB (Heb. ila`a?..OL, probably God sup plants or rewards; connected by Gen. xxv. 26 with 'akeb, 'a heel,' and by Gen. xxvii. 36 with the root meaning 'to deceive'). The third of the Hebrew patriarchs. The story of Jacob, with numerous in sertions, is found in Genesis xxv.-l., and is as fol lows: He was one of the two sons horn to Isaac and Rebekah. His character, quiet. peaceful, and borne-loving. appealed to Rebekah, and she loved him more than she did Esau. Taking advantage of his brother's hunger, he bought his birth right (Gen. xxv. 29-34). Later OD, instigated by his mother, who had heard of Isaac's purpose to bless Esau, he impersonated his brother and got the blessing intended for the latter. As a consequence Jacob had to flee from home, receiv ing another blessing from his father before his departure. By his father's command he went to Padan-Aram, to the house of Laban (Gen. xxvii.-xxviii. 51. ,Here he served seven years for Rachel, but Leah was given to him instead. Undaunted.be served seven years more for Rachel (Gen. xxix.). Of his two wives and two maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, Jacob had twelve sons and one daughter (Gen. xxix. 3I-xxx. 24; xxxv. I6-IS). Finally Jacob made up his mind to return home. His wives readily agreed, and they stole away from Laban, who pursued and caught up to Jacob. but did him no harm (Gen. xxx. 25-xxxi.). On the way home he met Esau, who behaved magnanimously (Gen. xxxii. xxxiii. 16). After having put away the strange gods found in his' camp, Jacob came to Bethel and made an altar on the place where God had appeared to him when he fled from his brother (Gen. xxxv. 1-15). He finally settled in Pales tine. but afterwards went to Egypt, where his son Joseph (q.v.) had preceded him (Gen.
xl•i.). Jacob died in Egypt at the age of 147. but was buried by his sons in the cave of Alachpelah (Gen. xlix. 33. 1. 13). In the course of his career there were three distinct places in which Yahweh or His messengers appeared to him. When fleeing from Esau he halted at Bethel (Gen. xxviii.), and was there assured in a dream, in which God Himself appeared stand ing beside a ladder on which angels ascended and descended, that he should come safely back to his native land. After his return he again visited Bethel. and God once more appeared to him, changed his name to Israel, and announced the future greatness of the Hebrew nation (Gen.
xxxv.). At Mahanaim he encountered angels of God (Gen. xxxii. 1, 2). Lastly, at Penuel he had an encounter with a divine being, who first fought with him, and. when subdued. blessed the patriarch and announced that his name should henceforth be Israel, interpreted as one who pre vails in the conflicts with gods and with men (Gen. xxxii. 24-32).
Scholars who accept the compilatory theory of the origin of the Hexateueh find in the Jacob account the same sources as elsewhere in the Book of Genesis. (See ELOIIIST AND YAIIWIST : 11EXATECCH : GENESIS. BOOK OF.) The first notable feature of the composite narrative. viewed as a whole, is the greater abundance of incidents than in the narratives of Abraham and Isaac, and the second is the various cycles of tales embodied in the Jacob narrative. We have in the first place (a) a series of Jacob-Esau stories; (b) Jacob Laban stories; (c) a series of incidents connect ed with sanctuaries, Bethel, Mahanaim, Penuel, and Shechem ; (d) stories of Jacob's children. There are good reasons for supposing that the Jacob-Esau and the Jacob-Laban stories existed independently, but have been combined by the compilers of the Vahwistic and Elohistic his tories. In this process the various incidents have been arbitrarily separated and insert ed in the story of Jacob's career at points where they seemed best to fit in. It thus happens that the Jacob-Esau stories arc not told consecutively; but after the account of the birth of Jacob and Esau it is explained how Esau lost his birthright, and the flight of Jacob is related (chaps. xxv.-xxvii.) ; the Jacob-Lahan tales are then introduced (chaps. xxviii.-xxxi.), ending with a second flight of Jacob, this time from Laban; then the combination of the Jacob Esau stories is again taken up and brought to a close (xxxii.-xxxiii. 17). after which we have a series of miscellaneous incidents in Canaan and Egypt. Interspersed in these three sections of the narrative we encounter the incidents at the sanctuaries Bethel and Mahanaim; the marriages of Jacob and the birth of his children; incidents in the careers of his children, leading to the introduction of an entirely independent cycle of Joseph stories (Gen. xxxvii.-xlvii.. 1.).