Abraham gets the covenant and Moses gets the law, but Jacob gets the contact.
When I read Genesis with the Hebrew words left in place, Jacob is the patriarch whose story is most physical about the beings around YHWH.
On the way to Haran, Jacob sleeps with a stone for a pillow.
When he wakes, Jacob calls the place "the house of Elohim" and "the gate of heaven", sets up the stone as a pillar and pours oil on it.
"Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with the messenger of YHWH and with humans and have overcome."
Jacob is also the answer to a question about who rules which people.
For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
Yahweh, far from being the one and only transcendent 'God', was simply one of the Elohim: the one who, as mentioned above, was assigned the task of ruling over a well defined territory and over a portion of a family, that of Jacob (Deuteronomy 32:8).
The same pairing returns when YHWH introduces himself to Moses on The Israelites as "the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob" (Exodus 3:15).
Outside the Bible, Jacob's other name turns up in a surprising place.
On Kronos/Saturn and Jacob/Israel in Phoenician Tradition I follow Philo of Byblos, who passed on Sanchuniathon's Phoenician history and says Kronos was called El or Israel.
Jacob's name also carries a prophecy.
On Archaeology for the star from Jacob, Expedition Bible stands on the ridges where Balaam looked down on the camp and reads Numbers 24:17:
a star will come out of Jacob a scepter will rise out of Israel
For me the line shows how Jacob became shorthand for the whole people that came from him.
Kronos/Saturn and Jacob/Israel in Phoenician Tradition
Archaeology for the star from Jacob
For every page I tagged with jacob, see the jacob tag archive.
Dan was the fifth son of Jacob.
And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
It lists Dan as "first son of Jacob and Bilhah (Rachel’s maid)".
Jacob's blessing gives Dan a double image: a judge and a snake.
Isaac gives Jacob the same order: "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan" (Genesis 28:1).
Jacob's sons tell the men of Shechem: "If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised, then will we give our daughters to you" (Genesis 34:15–16).
My answer: again the woman joins a male line, and Jacob personally adopts the sons.
He received Jacob's family as his portion (Deuteronomy 32:9).
Abraham's wives, Isaac's wife and Jacob's wives all come from the same kin.
He writes: "Yahweh, the protagonist of the Old Testament, was just the leader of the family of Jacob" (Biglino, Gods of the Bible).
YHWH stands below him, as the god who received Jacob.
Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
YHWH received Jacob, meaning Israel.
In his own words: “Yahweh, the protagonist of the Old Testament, was just the leader of the family of Jacob” (Biglino, Gods of the Bible).
Both widen YHWH’s claim from Jacob to “all of the nations”.
Jacob (renamed Israel by God) and Esau, sons of Isaac and Rebekah.
The 12 Sons of Jacob/Israel, whose descendants become the 12 Tribes of Israel.
Much later: King David, from the Tribe of Judah (one of Jacob’s sons).
In short: Abraham & Sarah → Isaac → Jacob/Israel → 12 Tribes → David (from Judah) → Jesus
Abraham and Sarah are the grandparents of Jacob and therefore the great-grandparents (or further back) of all the tribal founders.
Jacob and Esau were twin brothers, the sons of Isaac and Rebekah (the second of the three great Patriarchs and Matriarchs we discussed).
Mariam was then adopted by Mary Anna and Joseph ben Jacob, Yeshua’s parents.
The two Dominicans Jacob Sprenger and Heinrich (Institoris) Kraemer wrote the Malleus maleficarum ("Hammer of Witches", c.
Muslim scholars traditionally place him from the tribe of Benjamin, and some chains of lineage connect him back to the Prophet Solomon (and ultimately to Jacob/Yaqub).
In 18 BC Isaac and Jacob had moved permanently to this region of the Languedoc where the mystical Mount Bugarach dominates the landscape.
The two Marys honoured in the town today are Marie Jacobé and Marie Salomé.
The 12 Tribes of Israel are the ancient tribes descended from the 12 sons of Jacob (who was renamed Israel by God in the Bible, Genesis 32:28 and 35:10).
Here is the standard list of the 12 Tribes, based on the sons of Jacob:
Reuben – firstborn son of Jacob and Leah
Simeon – second son of Jacob and Leah
Levi – third son of Jacob and Leah (the priestly tribe; they did not receive a large territorial inheritance like the others because they served in the Tabernacle/Temple)
Judah – fourth son of Jacob and Leah (the royal tribe; King David and Jesus came from this tribe)
Dan – first son of Jacob and Bilhah (Rachel’s maid)
Naphtali – second son of Jacob and Bilhah
Gad – first son of Jacob and Zilpah (Leah’s maid)
Asher – second son of Jacob and Zilpah
Issachar – fifth son of Jacob and Leah
Zebulun – sixth son of Jacob and Leah
Joseph – first son of Jacob and Rachel (his tribe was later divided into two: Ephraim and Manasseh)
Benjamin – second son of Jacob and Rachel (the youngest)
Joseph’s double portion: Because Joseph was favored, his father Jacob adopted Joseph’s two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) as his own (Genesis 48).
Version 1 (Sons of Jacob): Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin
David belongs to the Tribe of Judah — one of Jacob’s 12 sons.
Jacob (renamed Israel by God) and Esau — sons of Isaac and Rebekah.
The 12 Sons of Jacob/Israel — whose descendants become the 12 Tribes of Israel.
Much later: King David — from the Tribe of Judah (one of Jacob’s sons).
In short: Abraham & Sarah → Isaac → Jacob/Israel → 12 Tribes → David (from Judah) → Jesus
Abraham and Sarah are the grandparents of Jacob and therefore the great-grandparents (or further back) of all the tribal founders.
Jacob and Esau were twin brothers, the sons of Isaac and Rebekah (the second of the three great Patriarchs and Matriarchs we discussed).
Esau is the older twin (born first, just minutes before Jacob).
Jacob, by contrast, was quieter, stayed among the tents, and was his mother Rebekah’s favorite.
Jacob was cooking red lentil stew.
Esau said, “Feed me!” Jacob offered the stew in exchange for Esau’s birthright (the special rights of the firstborn son, including double inheritance and spiritual leadership of the family).
Rebekah and Jacob deceived Isaac: Jacob disguised himself as Esau (wearing goat skins to feel hairy), and received the blessing instead.
Esau was furious and planned to kill Jacob.
Reconciliation — Jacob fled, had his famous dream of the ladder to heaven, and later wrestled with God (being renamed Israel).
Jacob (Israel) became the father of the 12 sons → the 12 Tribes of Israel.
It authorized Kramer and another Dominican, Jacob Sprenger, to investigate and prosecute witches, heretics, and related crimes in specific areas.
1. Augustus Cæsar reigned and Herod Antipas was ruler of Jerusalem.2. Three provinces comprised the land of Palistine: Judea, and Samaria, and Galilee.3. Joachim was a master of the Jewish law, a man of wealth; he lived in Nazareth of Galilee; and Anna, of the tribe of Judah, was his wife.4. To them was born a child, a goodly female child, and they were glad; and Mary was the name they gave the child.5. Joachim made a feast in honour of the child; but he invited not the rich, the honoured and the great; he called the poor the halt and the lame, the blind, and to each one he gave a gift of raiment, food or other needful thing.6. He said, The Lord has given me this wealth; I am his steward by his grace, and if I give not to his children when in need, then he will make this wealth a curse.7. Now, when the child was three years old her parents took her to Jerusalem, and in the temple she received the blessings of the priests.8. The high priest was a prophet and a seer, and when he saw the child he said,9. Behold, this child will be the mother of an honoured prophet and a master of the law; she shall abide within this holy temple of the Lord.10. And Mary did abide within the temple of the Lord; and Hillel, chief of the Sanhedrim, taught her all the precepts of Jews, and she delighted in the law of God.11. When Mary reached the age of womanhood she was betrothed to Joseph, son of Jacob, and a carpenter of Nazareth.12. And Joseph was an upright man, and a devoted Essenes.
They tarry for a time at Jacob's well and Jesus teaches a woman of Samaria.
1. The Christine gate into the kingdom of the Holy One was opened up, and Jesus and the six disciples and Laamas left the Jordan ford and turned their faces toward Galilee.2. Their way lay through Samaria and they journeyed on they came to Sychar, which was near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to Joseph when a youth.3. And Jacob's well was there, and Jesus sat beside the well in silent thought, and his disciples went into the town to purchase bread.4. A woman of the town came out to fill her pitcher from the well; and Jesus was athirst, and when he asked the woman for a drink she said,5. I am a woman of Samaria, and you a Jew; do you not know that there is enmity between Samaritans and Jews?
Samaritans are just as dear to me as Jew or Greek.9. And then had you but known the blessings that our Father-God has sent to men by me, you would have asked me for a drink.10. And I would gladly have given you a cup of water from the Fount of Life, and you would never thirst again.11. The woman said, This well is deep, and you have naught with which to draw; how could you get the water that you speak about?12. And Jesus said, The water that I speak about comes not from Jacob's well; it flows from springs that never fail.13. Lo, every one who drinks from Jacob's well will thirst again; but they who drink the water that I give will never thirst again;14. For they themselves become a well, and from their inner parts the sparkling waters bubble up into eternal life.15. The woman said, Sir, I would drink from that rich well of life.
1. While Jesus yet was talking to the woman at the well, the six disciples came from Sychar with the food.2. And when they saw him talking to a woman of Samaria, and one they thought a courtesan, they were amazed; yet no one asked him why he spoke with her.3. The woman was so lost in thought and so intent on what the master said, that she forgot her errand to the well; she left her pitcher and ran quickly to the town.4. She told the people all about the prophet she had met at Jacob's well; she said, He told me every thing I ever did.5. And when the people would know more about the man, the woman said, Come out and see.
And multitudes went out to Jacob's well.6. When Jesus saw them come he said to those who followed him, You need not say, It is four months before the harvest time;7. Behold, the harvest time is now.
1. And Jesus went into another town upon the coast and spoke good words of cheer to those who followed him.2. And one stood forth and said, Lord, are there few that enter into life?3. And Jesus said, The way is rough that leads to life; the gate is narrow and is guarded well; but every one who seeks in faith shall find the way, and they who know the Word may enter in.4. But many seek the way for selfish gain; they pound upon the gate of life; but it is fast.5. The watchman from the turret says, I know you not; your speech is that of Ashdod, and your robes are those of sin; depart and go your way.6. And they will go their way with weeping and with gnashing of the teeth.7. And they will be enraged when they will be enraged when they see their father Abraham with Isaac, Jacob and the prophets, resting in the kingdom of the Christ, and they themselves debarred.8. And, lo, I say that men will come from lands afar, from east, from west, from north, from south and sit with me in consciousness of life.9. Behold, I say, the last shall be the first, the first shall be the last.10. All men are called unto the kingdom of the Christ; but few are chosen, for the pure in heart alone can see the king.11. And as he spoke a Pharisee came up and said, You man of Galilee, if you would save your life remain not here; flee instantly, for Herod swears that he will take your life, and even now his officers are seeking you.12. And Jesus said, Why is it that the Pharisees are so concerned about my life?
Deuteronomy 32 and Psalm 82 reveal Yahweh as a junior Elohim assigned to Jacob’s family by Elyon, the commander.
He reads Elohim as a group of powerful beings and Yahweh as one of them, in charge of the family of Jacob.
Wallis reads Ezekiel and Jacob's ladder as contact stories.
He reads Ezekiel's flying craft and Jacob's ladder as accounts of beings arriving from space.
And Jacob said, 'You shall not give me anything.
Example: Micah 2:12 - "אָסֹף אֲאַסֵּף יַעֲקֹב כֻּלָּךְ קַבֵּץ אֲקַבֵּץ שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל יַחַד אֲשִׂימֶנּוּ כְּצֹאן בָּצְרָה כְּעֵדֶר בְּתוֹךְ הַדָּבְרוֹ כְּתוֹךְ עֵדֶר צֹאן רַב בְּתוֹךְ דָּבְרוֹ" ("I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like the sheep of Bozrah, like a flock [עֵדֶר] in the midst of their pasture [צֹאן].")
Patriarchs: The story starts with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Jacob, also known as Israel, had twelve sons, including Joseph, who was favored by his father and given a coat of many colors.
Instead, YHWH, “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (3:15), directly commissions Moses: “I have seen my people’s affliction; go to Pharaoh” (3:7, reframed as YHWH).
And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely YHWH is in this place; and I knew it not.
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If Elohim will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
Jacob's Reaction: Jacob recognizes the site as sacred, calling it the "gate of heaven" and the "house of Elohim." This description could imply a connection point between earth and celestial or advanced extraterrestrial realms.
Elohim's Communication: YHWH, identified here as Elohim, communicates directly with Jacob, promising blessings and guidance.
Bethel as a Sacred Site: Jacob consecrates the location as Bethel (House of Elohim).
The original Elohist narrative likely described Jacob’s vision of the ladder, emphasizing the movement of malʾāḵîm of Elohim without the direct presence or speech of YHWH.
Genesis 32:1–2“Jacob went on his way, and malʾāḵîm of Elohim met him.
When Jacob saw them, he said, This is Elohim’s camp.”
Genesis 32:24–29“Jacob remained alone; a man wrestled with him until daybreak… Jacob said, I have seen Elohim face to face… Some identify the figure as a malʾāḵ.”
In this passage, Yahweh reveals His name to Moses, stating: "I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai (God Almighty), but by my name Yahweh, I was not known to them."