Usurped Resposibilities, Esau/Leah/Jacob/Rachel

[BiblicalLiteralist]

I was listening to a bible reading of Amos 1 & 2 by TJ of bear independent and he mentioned something interesting that I had not heard before about Jacob/Esau and Rachel/Leah. It is obviosuly of extra biblical origin but was interesting none the less. The statement was that Rachel and Leah were twins, and that Jacob by stealing the birthright from Esau also inherited the respobilities of that birth right which was fathering kids through Leah the first born. If true it is interesting from a permissive polygyny perspective.

Starts at 20:00 mins in.

 

[steve]

Interesting possibility.

 

[Mark C]

It's a fairly "standard" rabbinic jewish claim, and there is a LOT of 'lore' built around it. Interesting, but very much "oral tradition.' (When Yakov 'bought the birthright,' Leah came along with it, as the elder, and so on.)

 

[steve]

So the “supplanter” may have actually been attempting to bypass one of the obligations that came with the deal that he made with his brother because the heart wants what the heart wants? It would seem to fit.

I would assume that you are also aware of another oral tradition that the girls handmaidens were sisters from at least one other mother?
One or both were Nubian?

For those getting squirmy about the “extra-Biblical” aspects, the whole thing was oral tradition until it was written down. As was the case with Yeshuah, not everything made it into the final draft.

 

[Mark C]

So, like most commentary, take it with a grain of salt, and be like the Bereans.

 

[MeganC]

Goes to my utterly non-Scriptural impression that Esau was gay. With that I don't think that Isaac's blessing of Jacob over Esau was necessarily a mistake.