Haggle Properly!
This Week
- Was Abraham from Babylon or Syria?
- Was it Abraham or Sarah who laughed at the idea of Sarah bearing a child at 90 years of age??
- Is it possible that Abraham may have actually sacrificed Isaac???
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For the Proverbs, I’m going to switch from the SAAS translation used in the Orthodox Study Bible to a recent translation of the Septuagint that’s available in the public domain, just to avoid any potential copyright issues. This is the 2012 edition of the “Septuagint in American English.”
Proverbs 1:7 (LXX2012)
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
and there is good understanding to all that practise it:
and piety toward God is the beginning of discernment;
but the ungodly will set at nothing wisdom and instruction.
Epoch Two—The Patriarchs, Israel’s Ancestors (2000–1500 B.C.)
Days 9-10
Genesis 12:1-15:21
As usual, we will be comparing the sources behind the text to shed light on apparent discrepancies. A full discussion on the origin of these sources can be found in my post “Old Testament Overview.”
Where was Abraham born?
Last week, the Priestly account in Genesis 11 told us that Abram was from “Ur of the Chaldees” (near Babylon in southern Mesopotamia). In the Jahwist account, however, YHWH says to Abram while he’s in Haran (in northern Mesopotamia, near Syria), “Go from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house to the land that I’ll show you” (12:1, Friedman’s translation). Later, in chapter 24, Abraham sends his servant “to my land and my birthplace” (24:4) to fetch a wife for Isaac, and he goes to “Aram of the Two Rivers.” This is a name for the area in northern Mesopotamia where Haran was located.
It may be that Priestly editors during the Babylonian Exile spoke of Abram as coming from Chaldea in order to draw a parallel with this generation of Jews who had been born in Chaldea. Making this connection, they would have heard God’s call to Abram as calling them to leave their home in Babylon for the land of promise in Canaan.
Days 11-12
Genesis 16:1-20:18
This first excerpt from the Elohist has some interesting parallels with the Jahwist account of Abram’s descent into Egypt in chapter 12. Combining our readings from last week, this week, and next week, we will have three accounts of Abraham with Pharaoh, Abraham with Abimelek, and Isaac with Abimelek telling the “she’s my sister” half-truth. Did this really happen three separate times? Might any of these be duplicate accounts of the same event? Check back next week.
Who laughed?
Another interesting parallel is how Isaac’s name, which refers to laughter, is explained. In the Priestly account, El Shaddai appears to Abraham and promises him a son by Sarah. Abraham laughs at the idea that he at 100 and Sarah at 90 would produce a child (17:17). In the Jahwist account, YHWH–appearing as one of the three angels–announces to Abraham that Sarah would have a son, and Sarah is the one who laughs (18:12). In the Elohist account, when Isaac is born Sarah says “God has made laughter for me. Everyone who hears will laugh for me” (21:6). The scoffing laughter of Abraham (P) and Sarah (J) is here (E) turned into joyful laughter from God.
Days 13-16
Genesis 21:1-24:67
Was Isaac Sacrificed?
In The Bible with Sources Revealed, Friedman discusses the possibility that there may have been an ancient northern tradition in which Abraham actually followed through with the killing of Isaac. The Elohist tells us that Elohim tested Abraham, commanding him to “take your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, … and make him a burnt offering” (22:2). Shortly thereafter, we read that “Abraham put out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son” (22:10). Suddenly, there’s an interjection of YHWH stopping the sacrifice–that this comes from a southern editor (the “RJE“) is signaled by the use of “an angel of YHWH” in verses 11-16. When the Elohist account picks up again, God is saying to Abraham, “because you did this thing and didn’t withhold your son, your only one, … I’ll bless you … and all the nations of the earth will be blessed” (22:16-18). Then it says that Abraham (notice: not Abraham and Isaac) went back to Beer-sheba. Isaac does not appear again in the Elohist account.
There are apparently midrashic sources that claim that Isaac was sacrificed. But child sacrifice was abhorrent to Yahwistic religion, and there is no parallel version of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son in the Jahwist or Priestly accounts. So if Abraham actually committed child sacrifice in the original Elohist version of the story, it was later edited to explain God’s command as a test of Abraham’s faith.
Of course, this raises the question of how the Elohist would explain where Jacob came from. It could have been that the Abraham and Jacob cycles were separate traditions and the authors of Israel’s history made Isaac the father of Jacob (and Esau) in order to tie the stories together. In any case, Christian authors from the beginning have seen in the final version of this story a foreshadowing of God’s own sacrifice of His “only son.”
Haggle properly!
And now, my final observation for the week. Did anyone else notice Abraham’s two haggling ordeals? In chapter 18, the Jahwist has him haggling with YHWH! “Will you spare the city if there are 50 righteous? What about 45? 40? 30? 20? How about 10?” Why did he stop there? Were there 10 in Lot’s household? Was that the number he had in mind from the beginning but he thought he could sway YHWH by starting with a greater number and then slowly working his way down to 10? It ends up being a one-sided haggle as YHWH concedes to Abraham’s request without making a single counter-offer.
Then we have another case of unidirectional haggling in chapter 23 which comes from the Priestly source. This time it’s Abraham who willingly acquiesces to the request of the one who is trying to drive a hard bargain. Abraham offers to pay full price for a cave where he might bury his wife, Sarah. Ephron the Hittite basically says, “no no no. I give you the cave and the entire field along with it.” This is not a genuine offer. Abraham would not have gotten away with saying, “Oh my! What a generous gift. Thank you!” This is an invitation for Abraham to respond with a counter-offer that is equally as generous. Abraham does not seem to be in the mood to haggle: “I’ve given the money for the field. Take it from me so I may bury my dead there” (23:13). Ephron comes back with “Sir, listen to me. Land worth four hundred shekels of silver: what’s that between me and you?!” (23:15). Instead of making a counter-offer, Abraham pays him the full amount. I can just hear Ephron saying, “Come on. Do it properly!” (see below).
A quick note about why this seemingly innocuous tale is important: in Semitic culture, land was not supposed to be sold outside the family. In cases where both sides truly wanted to make such a deal, the seller would sometimes have to legally adopt the buyer as an heir. Whether Abraham’s homeland was in “Ur of the Chaldees” (in southern Mesopotamia) or Haran (in northern Mesopotamia), it’s clear that he had no family roots in Canaan. And yet God has made a covenant promising to give Abraham and his ancestors the land. Abraham’s purchase of this field gives him and his heirs a legal right to land in Canaan. Therefore, the account emphasizes that Abraham paid a fair price and that the transaction was witnessed “among all who were coming to his city’s gate” (23:18).
(Monty Python’s Life of Brian)
Yes, yes, it’s got its moments of sacrilege (the crucifixion scene in particular), but Monty Python’s Life of Brian is brilliant. If you haven’t seen it, it’s about a Jewish man born in the stable next door to Jesus who finds himself repeatedly mistaken for the Messiah. Hilarity ensues. The Sermon on the Mount scene is another favorite of mine. Expect to see that clip when we get to the Gospels. In the meantime, you can watch the film here: https://amzn.to/3iiIWTS.
If anything in this week’s post was interesting to you, please share it with a friend.
Next Week
Days 17-24: Genesis 25:1-36:43
If you want to highlight the sources, the Jahwist account includes 25:11b, 25:21 – 27:45 (except for 26:34-35), 28:10-11, 28:13-16, 28:19, 29:1 – 30:1a, 30:4a, 30:24b-43, 31:3, 31:17, 32:4-13, chapter 34, 35:21-22, and 36:31-43.
The Elohist account includes 25:1-4, 28:11b-12, 28:17-18, 28:20-22, 30:1b-3, 30:4b-24a, 31:1-2, 31:4-16, 31:19 – 32:3, 32:14b – 33:20, 35:1-8, and 35:16b-20.
25:5-6 and 32:14a are credited to the “RJE” (the Redactor who combined J and E into the “Old Epic”). The rest is Priestly.
Because this section is so long, and not divided by days, this may be a good opportunity to try reading the sources individually to see how they flow. Try highlighting the Jahwist verses in Yellow and spend the first two or three days on this material. Then highlight the Elohist verses in Emerald Green and the RJE verses in Red and read this over the next two or three days. Then go back and read the Priestly verses.
Thank you all for being a part of this. I’ll have another post for you in about a week. In the meantime, see you in the comments section!
2 replies on “Week 2: Epoch 2a — Genesis 12-24”
Thanks for the posts. Keep up the good work!
Thank you!