Genesis 24-50

How is Joseph's character different from the other men we have met in Genesis? Speculate on why he is portrayed this way.

Joseph's character is different from all the other men we have met in Genesis because he doesn't sleep with anyone that tells him to sleep with them. Also people continually lie about him and stuff that he does or stuff that has happened to him and instead of God punishing the people that do this to him and letting everyone know the truth, God is simply with him but doesn't stop human punishments from happening to him. He's more of a man of God (no sinning)

Yikes, weird relationships again! Why does Judah sleep with Tamar? What comes from this liaison?

Judah sleeps with Tamar because he didn't know who she was and he thought she was just prostitute, not his daughter-in-law. Tamar ends up getting pregnant with Judah's baby and then gave birth top twins.

Describe the two daughters of Laban

Leah- older daughter, lovely eyes Rachel- younger daughter, beautiful & graceful

What are mandrakes? What is their connection to the story?

Mandrakes are medicinal/magical plants that allegedly shriek when pulled from the ground. Reuben (Leah's son) found mandrakes in the field and Rachel wanted some so she allowed Leah and Jacob to sleep together once more so she could have some mandrakes.

Jacob basically flees in the darkness of night with Laban's daughters grandchildren, and flocks. Do you blame Laban for tracking him down?

No because Laban wanted an explanation and and wanted to finish the problems with Jacob that he had. Also that was his entire life that Jacob took away.

Laban tells Jacob "I would have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre." Do you believe Laban? Why/why not?

No because he probably wouldn't have wanted his daughters to leave with a man who Laban believed stole all of his property (sheep) and wealth.

How is Joseph's refusal to sleep with Potifer's wife such an anomaly?

Normally the men would not refuse to sleep with a woman especially if she requested it.

Explain the phrase "household gods." What are these gods and why would it be important to rid Laban's house of them?

Part of the purpose of Genesis is to show the shift between polytheism and monotheism and Rachel in an effort to get Laban to convert to monotheism, she removes all of the household gods in his house.

What are the themes of genesis?

Polytheism to monotheism God vs man Wells---water Dreams Sin Jealousy Birthrights Patriarchy Famine Death Faith-blindfold Man's relationship to god Burial--- ritual Predestination Numerology Family ties Treatment of women

Bethlehem? What happens here?

Rachel died and is buried there. The tower on Eder and Ruben (Leah and Israel's son) lies with Bilhah (Rachel's maid)

Rachel is very upset at the beginning of the chapter. Why?

Rachel is very upset because she is not able to have children and she is jealous of her sister who has had multiple children. She is angry at God because he did not let her have the fruit of the womb.

What does this act say about her character and maternal instinct that she plots against Esau the way she does?

Rebekah favors Jacob over Esau and wanted him to have the birthright so she was willing to take everything away from her older son just to give everything to her younger son. It was not right.

What does Rebekah do that lets the servant know she is "the one" for Isaac?

Rebekah gave the servant and his camels a drink of water

What does Rebekah make Jacob do to protect him from Esau?

Rebekah makes Jacob flee immediately to go live with her brother Laban and stay with him until Esau's anger dies down and then once Esau forgets what Jacob has done to him, the he will be aloud to come back.

Who is Schehem and what does he do?

Schehem is the son of Hamor the Hivite who is the prince of the region. Schehem raped Dinah (Leah and Jacobs daughter)

What happens to Rachel?

She died will giving birth to Ben-oni on the journey to Bethel

How does Rebekah interfere with Esau's blessing?

She hears what he will do and tells Jacob to kill a sheep so they can trick Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing

What does the mean old woman do to Joseph?

She lied and accuses him of raping her in order to "insult" her, she does it to get back at him for not sleeping with her.

Here's the theme of disguise (we will see it again in The Odyssey). What does Rebekah do to disguise Jacob?

She tells him to put on Esau's clothes for the smell, and puts sheep skin on him to make him seem hairy like Esau

Same Dinahs brothers.

Simeon and Levi

Who gets the silver cup?

Benjamin the youngest son

What is a birthright? What is the significance of Esau giving his to Jacob?

Birthright is a position of inheritance. The firstborn son inherited the leadership of the family and the judicial authority of his father. The significance of Esau giving his birthright to Jacob is that he is giving up all of the possessions and favors and biasism that he could have with it. It is fulfilling the prophecy that was talked about when she was pregnant that said that the older should serve the younger.

What does Israel tell his sons to do?

Bring choice of fruits (balm, honey, gum, resin, almonds) as a present and bring back money and Benjamin.

So, were Dinah's brothers acting for God? How would they rationalize killing all those innocent people for the prince's crime?

By "doing a Godly act and saving their sister" they robbed a whole village and killed all the men it, that is not acting of God. Also, God did not specifically tell them to do whatever it takes to save their sister, they did this own their own, therefore it was not acting of God. They wanted to avenge Dinah and make it known that defiling her was bad.

Explain Rebekah's hospitality and the reason for it.

During this time, you never knew if anyone was disguised as an angle sent from God. This explains Rebekah's hospitality because she gave water to the servant and Abraham's camels.

Why were Judah's two sons displeasing to the Lord?

Er: Wicked Oman: didn't let his seen go into Tamar so they'd know it was Er's child. Judah's first born, Er, was wicked in the sight of the Lord so the Lord put him to death. Then Judah's second son, Onan, was told to act leave sex with his brother's wife and acts as a brother-in-law and raise up offspring so that his brother would have offspring but since Onan knew that the offspring wasn't technically going to be counted as his, he purposefully unsuccessfully had sex with her everytime so she would not give offspring to his brother.

Describe the brothers' meeting.

Esau has his 400 men but the brothers hug eachother and cry. Esau meets Jacobs wives/kids

What does Esau specialize in? Jacob?

Esau is a hunter/man of the field and Jacob is "a simple man who sits in tents"

How does God feel about Jacob? How do you know?

God liked Jacob or at least favors him over Laban. God allows Jacob the sheep for wealth

Where is Goshen and why does it keep coming up?

Goshen is a land on the way to Egypt and nearby to Egypt and it is important because it is where the shepherds stay and all of then men in Joseph's family are shepherds so it is where they will be staying. Also, I think Goshen is a really rich land with plenty of food and resources and might be Egypt's best land because that is what the Pharaoh promised for them.

The Canaanites have been really good to Abraham, why does he act so close-minded about the woman Isaac will marry?

He acts so close-minded about the woman that Isaac will marry because he wants him to marry well and be rich as well as come from a good bloodline.

What does Isaac request from Esau?

He asks Esau to go hunting and make him a meal

How does Jacob defend his actions?

He defends his actions by saying the whole time he was working for Laban, nothing bad happened and he brought good fortune but Laban took it for granted and changed his wages ten times.These years the eues and goats never miscarried, he didn't eat the rams. Jacob has worked very hard for 14 years and his wages changed 10 times.

Defend Judah's innocence in this relationship.

He did not know who she was and would've never laid with her if he knew it was Tamar

Describe Jacob's dream. Draw a picture of "Jacob's Ladder" and explain what this phrase means.

He dreams of a ladder with angels ascending. Then God appeared to him in his dream and told him that his offspring and family will be spread and stretched and across the earth and will be blessed. Jacob's ladder is the connection between God and man but the only people that can use these steps are the angels (remember the Tower of Babel). Jacobs ladder is the connection between the earth and the heavens.

Why doesn't the cupbearer help Joseph get out of prison?

He forgot about him.

What does Jacob try to give to Esau? Why? How does Esau respond?

He gives Esau livestock because Jacob has everything that he needs. Esau responds by saying they should journey together.

Why has Jacob fallen out of favor with Laban?

He has taken all of Laban's wealth away

After his night in the desert, how do Jacob's feelings about meeting Esau change?

He is gracious toward him because he is happy to see him. After Jacobs night in the desert he feels braver because he was blessed. When he saw Esau he kissed the ground 7 times.

How was Judah related to Jacob?

He is one of Leah and Jacobs sons

Starting at verse 18, why does Judah switch to 2nd person? What story is he relating to Joseph?

He is telling the story about what happened when they originally came to Joseph to get food and then when they had to go back and told their father that they needed to take Benjamin with them and their father's reaction. By telling the story in second person, it enhances his story telling and draws whoever is listening in.

What happens to Joseph?

He is thrown into jail

From prison to governor... how does Joseph accomplish this feat?

He knew where to get grain and would sell it and land to the Egyptians.

What realization and decision does Jacob come to as a result of his dream?

He realizes that it is a holy place and is non other than the house of God and the gate to Heaven.

What does Jacob tell Rachel and Leah in the field?

He tells them how their father Laban has cheated him yet it was God who took the livestock away from Laban and gave it to Jacob

What does Joseph charge the brothers to do?

He tells them that they may have grain if they go back to Canaan and bring their youngest brother to him while one of them is imprisoned to ensure that they will come back.

"Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed." Why?

He thinks that Esau has 400 men to come and take revenge on Jacob.

How does Joseph end up in Egypt?

He was brought down as a slabs to be sold by the Ishmaelites

Describe the Pharaoh's dream:

He was by the nailed and "7 fat cows" come out and graze. Then 7 "ugly thin cows" come out and eat the 7 "fat cows". Same with the ears of grain

What happens to Joseph as a result?

He's released from prison and interprets the dream to mean 7 years of famine, prosperity, famine, prosperity

What relation is Esau's wife to Esau?

His first cousin on his fathers side

Do you blame Joseph for the way he treats his kin? Why/why not?

I don't blame Joseph for the way he treats his family because his brothers literally took him away from his life and sold him off to people that they did not know in a fit of jealousy. They were awful to Joseph and now, seeing them again, Joseph is reliving the pain that he went through because of them

Jacob and his sons actually protect Dinah, instead of just handing her over (like Lot did to his daughters and Rebekah's brother did). Speculate on why they protect her and what the message of this story is.

I think they protect her because she is the only girl in the family and they don't just want her to join another family or have sex with someone immediately. They are protecting her because she is the only daughter and women are kind of viewed as helpless and they want something to protect. They also don't want their sister to be treated like a *****.

Okay, so a guy on a camel appears on your threshold and wants to take you (or your sister) away to a strange land to marry a man you do not know, how do your parents react? How do you react? Yet again, why does Rebekah go so willingly? What role does she fulfill for Isaac?

I would be so suspicious/hesitant and turn him away. Rebekah goes so willingly because because the servant explains all about how God had blessed Abraham and made him very wealthy and well off and explained how she matched all of the descriptions of what Abraham was looking for for his son and matched perfectly what the servant had paid for so she must be the one.

Recount the dream of the baker:

In the baker's dream, there were three cake baskets on his head and in the top basket there was a bunch of baked food for the Pharaoh but the birds were eating the food out of the basket.

Recount the dream of the cupbearer

In the cupbearer's dream, there is vine before him with three branches on it. When it buds, the blossoms bloom into grapes and the Pharaoh's cup is in his hands so he presses the grapes into the Pharaoh's cup and puts the cup in the Pharaoh's hands.

How does Genesis end "happily ever after"?

In the end, Joseph forgives all of his brothers for what they did to him so long ago and makes up with all of them and they all live together in Egypt as one big happy family for 110 years until he peacefully died and was embalmed and put in a coffin in Egypt. It also becomes monotheistic.

How does Isaac respond when Esau says, "Have you only one blessing, father? Bless me also, father."?

Isaac said that by sword he shall live and have to serve his brother until one day he might break free from him.

Another case of brother against brother—think about this repeated theme in Genesis, what is the universal lesson for all of us?

Jealousy gets the best of people and sibling rivalry is a huge thing that turns siblings against each other and can lead to murder and death and exile

Joseph settles his family in Goshen while the rest of Egypt is starving to death; comment on Joseph's nepotism.

Joseph gives almost all of Egypts resources and everything they have to his family to ensure that they are more than comfortable meanwhile everyone else in Egypt is in a great famine and is starving.

How does Joseph interpret this dream? (Cupbearer)

Joseph interprets the dream as the three branches are three days, so within three days the Pharaoh will restore him to his office and he shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hands just as he used to do when he was cupbearer.

Birthright again. Why is Joseph upset when Israel put his right hand on Ephraim?

Joseph is upset when Israel put his right hand on Ephraim because Ephraim is the younger son so Israel's left hand should be on his head but instead Israel put his right hand on him.

What does he do there?

Joseph lives with a rich Egyptian master and becomes the overseer of everything that happens at the master's house and is put in charge of everything that the master has. He becomes a successful man.

Who tells Judah, "You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you"? Why does the speaker say this?

Joseph says it ("the man") he wants to see all the alive brothers

How does Joseph interpret this dream? (Baker)

Joseph says that the three baskets are three days and in three days the Pharaoh will live his head from him and and hang him on a pole where the birds will eat his flesh.

What does Joseph tell his servant to put in each sack?

Joseph tells his servant to fill each man's sack with as much food as they can carry and put each man's money back in the top of the sack.

Who comes to Egypt? Why?

Joseph's brothers come to Egypt for food because their is a huge famine over the land and Egypt is the only place for food.

Rebekah conceives twins and the Lord says, "Two nations are in your womb, and two people born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger." What can we speculate about the brothers from this statement? Come back to this statement later and explain how it foreshadows the twins' future.

This means that these brothers will produce a lot of offspring but also it means that there will be huge sibling rivalry between the stronger and favored one and the younger one. This foreshadows the younger one enviously taking away the older one's birthright and their father's blessing.

What does the Pharaoh's reaction tell us about Joseph's relationship with the Pharaoh?

This tells us that the pharaoh values and respects Joseph and wants to have a good relationship with him.

What are the "visions of the night"? What is Israel's?

Visions of the night are like dreams and they are how God communicated with Israel. In Israel's vision of the night, God told Israel not to be afraid to go down to Egypt because He will go down there with him and He will make a great nation of him. He also said that Joseph's own hand will close his eyes when he dies.

How does Jacob grow exceedingly rich and create large flocks of sheep and goats?

Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob laid rods in the area that they were breeding so that, they may breed among the rods and whenever the weaker were breeding he did not lay rods in their so the weaker of the flock belonged to Laban and Jacob got the stronger of the flock.

Who is Tamar?

Tamar is Er's wife who was widowed my Er's death. She was told to live in her father's house and remain a widow until Shelah grew up. One day when her father left the house to shear his sheep, she took off her widow clothes and put on a veil and wrapped herself up and acted like she was prostitute because she covered her face. Then Judah saw her and wanted to have sex with her so he offered her a kid from the flock and she asked for pledge until she got it so Judah gave her stuff and then they had sex and then she left for three months and came back pregnant with Judah's baby.

What are Joseph's brothers afraid of when they become guests of Joseph?

That he might make them his slaves and take their donkeys

Why does Israel want them to give up their "foreign gods"? What does this act symbolize? Why do they have to give up the gold rings in their ears?

That they are only following the one god, that they put him above everything else. Giving up their other foreign gods, they purified themselves and made them only loyal and listen to the one God. Giving up the rings in their ears meant giving up the symbols for the other gods and beliefs and also sacrificing great riches for God.

Wow! What does the Pharaoh promise Joseph's brothers and his father?

The Pharaoh promises Joseph's brothers and his father the best of all the land of Egypt and all these luxuries including plenty of food and fancy garments and jewelry and livestock and land.

What does the Pharaoh say when he finds out the men are Joseph's brothers?

The Pharaoh tells Joseph to tell his brothers to go back to Canaan and get their father and all their families and come back to Egypt where they will get all the best land in Egypt and enjoy the fruitful nature of the land. He says that all of the best of Egypt is theirs.

What is the allegorical meaning of this wrestling match? What is Jacob wrestling with in the desert?

The allegorical of the wrestling match is Jacob is battling or wrestling his faith and trying to figure out if he still believes in God.

Are the brothers right to feel guilty? What does Reuben offer to his father for their sin against Joseph?

The brothers are rightfully guilty about what they did to Joseph. They ruined his life. Rueben tells his father that he may kill his two sons if they don't bring their youngest brother back successfully.

What is the covalent between Laban and Jacob

The covenant is a pillar/heap of stones. Laban said to Jacob, "These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne? Now therefore, come, let us make a [a]covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me."

What deal does Joseph strike with the Egyptians?

The deal that Joseph strikes with the Egyptians is that the Egyptians can trade their livestock in for food.

What is the one-fifth rule?

The one-fifth rule is that during the harvest, the people must give one-fifth of what they have to the Pharaoh but they can keep the other four-fifths of what they have to themselves so they can feed themselves and their families.

How does Israel's "vision" affect his actions?

The vision convinces Israel to go to Egypt with everyone more willingly and Jacob (I think) stops making sacrifices to God after this.

What will happen in Benjamin does not return with his brothers?

Their father (Israel) will die

Wow! Another dream. Explain why there are so many dreams in this latter portion of Genesis. In Greek mythology, who interpreted dreams and told the future?

There are so many dreams in this portion of Genesis because this chapter is about to end and everyone is looking and trying to interpret and get clues about the future. In Greek mythology, oracles interpreted dreams and told the future. Dreams are how God communicates with humans because God is no longer appearing to humans like He did to Adam and Eve or Cain and Abel. At this point in time, there were so many people on earth and he couldn't appear to everyone.

What subterfuge do they commit against the people of the city?

They killed all the males in the city and took their flocks, herds, donkeys, wealth, children, and wives and made them their prey.

What do the brothers realize when they're all seated at the table to eat?

They realize they're sitting in order of age and they also realize that portions of their food were taken from Joseph's table and Benjamin's portion was five times larger than all of their's. They realize that Benjamin was the favored out of all of them.

Are they heroic? Why/why not?

They were heroic towards their sister, but the town itself could have been full of innocents that they either caputured or killed which is not heroic.

Make a list of the events in Joseph's life (Jacob/Israels favorite son)

1. Joseph was 17 years old and was shepherding with his brothers when he brought a bad report about them back to their father Israel. 2: Joseph was Israel's favorite and received a long robe with sleeves from his father but none of his brothers received one 3. Joseph's brothers hated him because they saw that their father favored him so they were very mean to him 4. He had a dream that he and his family were biding sheaves in the field when his sheaf rose up above the others and all the other sheafs gathered around it and started bowing down to it, this made his brothers hate him even more 5. He had another dream that the sun, moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him, this made his brothers hate him even more 6. Joseph's brothers were supposed to be farming in the pastures in the valley of Hebron when Israel sent Joseph to go check on them and make sure all was well in the flock and then report back to him 7. Joseph was wandering around in the field that they were supposed to be working in when a man approached him and Joseph asked if he knew where his brothers were and the man said that his brothers had left to go to Dothan 8. Joseph went after his brothers in Dothan and when they saw him in the distance they planned to kill him but Reuben told them just to mess with him and not kill him 9. When Joseph approached his brothers they stripped him of his robe and threw him into a pit 10. Joseph was then sold to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they took him to Egypt 11. The brothers took his robe back and told their father that they had found it and Joseph was dead, Israel mourned Joseph 12. Meanwhile in Egypt, Jospeh was sold to Potiphar, one of the Pharoah's officials, captain of the guard Joseph was seventeen years old and was shepherding with his brothers when he brought a bad report about them back to their father Israel

How old is Jacob when he dies?

147

What does the servant give her to seal the deal?

A gold nose ring and two bracelets

How old is Abraham when he dies? Where is he buried?

Abraham lived to be 175 years old. He was buried in the cave of Machpelah

Wow! Abraham marries again. Why does he marry and how many children does he father?

Abraham married again because he had to "be fruitful and multiply" Abraham married to Keturah and had six children

Why does Abraham say, "I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live."?

Abraham says this because he thinks the Canaanites are lower class/slaves. He didnt want his son to marry someone that is lower class than him.

The cave of Machpelah—who is buried there?

Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah are buried there. Jacob/Israel will also eventually be too.

How do Joseph's brothers respond when he reveals his identity?

At first they were so stunned that they were speechless but then they cried and hugged eachother.

What does Isaac tell the Philistines that Abraham told the Egyptians? Why didn't Isaac learn from his father's mistake? What is the lesson behind the repeated mistakes of the father and the son?

Isaac told the Philistines that his wife, Rebekah, was his sister because he was afraid that he might die because his wife is beautiful and other men will want to sleep with her. Once again, when the men found out that she was actually his wife they were mad because if one of them had slept with her and then found out, they would have guilt brought upon them. The lesson behind this is to be truthful of who your wife is or else you will be punished when people find out and there is no reason to lie about who you are married to. He didn't learn from his father's mistake because it's not even clear that his father ever did this in the first place so he wouldn't know.

Does Israel's reaction surprise you? What about the brothers, do they deserve Joseph's forgiveness? Why/why not?

Israel's reaction does not surprise me because he loved Joseph so much and Joseph was his favorite so of course he would drop everything to go see Joseph before he dies because this whole time he thought that Joseph was dead. I still don't really think that after what they did the brothers deserve all that they are getting but family is family and sometimes you are willing to forget certain stuff in order to be with them.

This freedom of propagation prevails unshamefully in Genesis. Why does this carefree attitude to sleep with wives, maids, and sisters exist? So, what creates the stigma related to adultery in our modern society?

It's because the duty of a woman is to be fruitful and multiply. Man doesn't care who he is sleeping with because he is filling his part of the task by making it so that a woman has a child. Women do not care who they sleep with if they are able to fill their obligations.

A well again! Describe this recurring symbol in Genesis. Why is a well do important? What is the universal symbolism of water and how does it connect with the setting of these stories?

It's really hot where they are and there is no running water so the place to meet for people were at wells. Wells were the center of life in these towns. Universal symbol for water is life-giving. Wells were essential to life so they became very popular social places because everyone was always there.

Who does Jacob fall in love with? What does he promise Laban?

Jacob falls in love with Rachel and he promises her that he will work for Laban for seven years so that he can take Rachel and marry her.

By forcing the men to be circumcised, what does Jacob do for God?

Jacob is forcing/adding people to join gods covenant

First it is "Jacob's Ladder," now it is a wrestling match in the desert—is Jacob crazy? Who does he wrestle with in the desert?

Jacob is not crazy because he is trying to deal with the guilt and fear that he feels. He wrestles with God, his name is changed to Israel.

Hmmm...Leah slept all night with Jacob, and he didn't know it was the older sister? What does he do when he discovers this mistake?

Jacob is so confused and goes to Laban and asks him, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?" Laban explains how the older has to have sex first in their country and then Jacob works another seven years for Laban in order to marry Rachel.

What does he make Joseph promise him? Why?

Jacob makes Joseph promise that he will not be buried in Egypt and that Joseph will carry him out of Egypt and bury him with his ancestors in their burial place. This is because Egypt has only been his home for so long and if he gets buried in Egypt he will not be buried with any of his family and will be buried alone.

Why does Jacob decide to return to Esau? (Not in this chapter-just think about it).

Jacob returns to Esau because he thinks that its been long enough for Esau's anger to die down and maybe he forgot what he did and also, I think that he starts to think that a life with Esau is better than a life full of work with Laban.

Despite his love of Rachel, Jacob fathers many children by other woman. Write the names of his wives and the sons they bear him. Why doesn't the list include any female offspring?

Jacob slept with Leah and had children (Levi, Simeon, Judah, Reuben). He later married Rachel.

What does Jacob request from Laban?

Jacob wants to go back to his come and says "Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know very well the service I have given you."

Who establishes the 12 Tribes of Israel?

Jacob when he is blessing each one of his sons before he dies

Is Jacob's fear founded? Why/why not?

Jacob's fear is founded because he has really good reason to be afraid. He tricked Esau a long time ago and took Isaac's blessing away from him. Esau was so mad and was going to kill Jacob which is why Jacob had to flee. All these years later he is coming back and hears that his brother is coming to meet him and bringing 400 men with him so the fear is all coming back.

How does Jacob respond to Joseph's objection?

Jacob's response is that he knows that he has his right hand on the younger but it is because although the older will be great, the younger one will be greater than he and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.