Jacob appears in the Old Testament "Book of Genesis" as a man who fought against God.
What does it mean to fight God?
Why did he have to fight God in the first place?
Many of you may be asking yourself such the questions.
Here's a peek into the life of this son of Isaac!
By the way, there is another article about his father, Isaac.
"Binding of Isaac" story summary in the Bible
Abraham's wife was 90 years old and pregnant with their son Isaac. Abraham tried to kill his child after such hard work. Why did he try to kill Isaac?
Please take a peek at this page if you like.
Receiving Blessing of Firstborn Son
Jacob's family relationships can be summarized as follows:
- Father: Isaac
- Mother: Rebecca
- Twin brother: Esau
Esau became a hunter and was greatly loved by his father Isaac.
Esau was the one to receive the blessing of the firstborn.
No one doubted this belief.
But one day it happened.
Oh, I'm hungry!
Ah, Brother Esau, welcome back!
Hey, Jacob. That lentil stew you made looks delicious. Give it to me!
But...
Oh, okay, okay. Then give it to me, and I'll give you all my rights as my firstborn son.
What? You sure?
Yeah, sure.
Esau thus made a verbal promise to give Jacob his rights as the firstborn son with a really light heart.
Normally, few people would take such a verbal agreement seriously, but there was someone who witnessed this exchange.
That was his mother, Rebecca.
Jacob. Esau said that too, so you are the one who will receive the blessing of the firstborn from your father.
His mother, Rebecca, loved Jacob very much.
But I'm his little brother...
It's okay. You just have to pretend to be Esau and go before your father. Your father is already blinded by age, and he won't even notice.
Thus, Jacob, who has been given wisdom by Rebecca, was really blessed by his father Isaac as his firstborn son.
Esau was pissed off at this.
Screw you, Jacob! I'll kill you!
Rebecca, sensing that Esau was about to kill Jacob, let him go.
Get away from Esau anyway. He's going to kill you. Go to my brother Laban. I have already told him about you.
Okay. Thank you, Mother.
And so Jacob left the city to escape Esau.
Jacob dreams of stairs
Jacob, on his way to Esau, had a strange dream.
Is this... a staircase?
In the dream, Jacob saw a staircase (ladder) connecting heaven and earth, with angels going up and down.
And from God,
Your (Jacob's) descendants will be a great people.
This dream is called "Jacob's Ladder".
Jacob's dream led him safely to Laban, the brother of Rebecca.
Jacob, who had taken refuge with Laban, would amass a great fortune.
Jacob wrestles with an angel
Jacob lived with Laban for 20 years, but he could not forget his brother.
I still can't go on like this! I have to make peace with my brother Esau!
So Jacob decided to send a messenger to his brother Esau to see him.
However, when the messenger returned, he was told a startling fact.
Esau says he can come to see you.
I see! Good.
But, sir, Esau says that he will bring 400 men to meet you.
Eh...
Jacob was freaked out when he heard that he will have 400 men.
I knew Brother Esau still hasn't forgiven me. But I can't turn back after coming this far.
With a heavy heart, Jacob went to meet Esau.
On his journey, there was the Jabbok River.
Jacob let his clan cross the Jabbok River first, in the middle of the night.
When Jacob was about to cross the river for the last time, a mysterious figure grabbed him.
Oh, who are you!
Jacob fought with the mysterious person all night long, and before dawn, he finally said his name to Jacob.
I am an angel.
What?
Jacob was surprised at the identity of the opponent.
Furthermore, the angel said below to Jacob.
To call yourself Israel (a compound noun of “Isharah (winner)” and “El (God)”), which means those who fought against God.
Then he blessed and left.
Jacob reunites with Esau
Finally, Jacob reached Esau.
Jacob kept a low profile in front of his brother Esau.
Esau said to Jacob,
Jacob. I don't hold grudges against you anymore. I am very happy to see you.
And Esau gently embraced Jacob.
Brother...!
Jacob cried.
Esau also cried.
Thus ended the brotherly feud that lasted more than 20 years.
Jacob was blessed with four wives and 12 sons.
These 12 sons are said to have been the founders of the "12 tribes of Israel".
For more information on the history of the 12 tribes of Israel,
What are the "Ten Lost Tribes"? Why their whereabouts are unknown!
Please see this article.
Also, Joseph, one of the sons of these 12, is depicted in the Bible in the "Joseph Story".
Story of Joseph in the Bible summary
What is the the content of Joseph's dream from "Joseph Story" in the "Book of Genesis" of the Old Testament? It is a very moving story. Check it out!
If you are interested, please check it out here.
In addition to these stories, I also have articles that summarize various stories from the Old Testament.
What is Book of Genesis?
If you would like to read more, please click here.