Preview

Abraham and Jacob Old Testament

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1014 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Abraham and Jacob Old Testament
Abraham and Jacob
Throughout the book of Genesis, Jacob and Abraham are alike and different in many ways. Both men had a close relationship with God and God honored both of them. They also were both patriarchs who share heroic qualities and who have done a lot for there children. It is believed that Abraham and Jacob were two of the founders of Judaism and their descendants are known as the Jewish people. Therefore both of these men are blessed from God and are important parts in Genesis and the Jewish culture.
Abraham and Jacob had several similarities with one another, which is shown throughout Genesis. They both have a very strong relationship with God and they actually had to establish their own relationship with God; it was not just presented to them at birth like we see with others. For example when Jacob escapes from Esau, he later has a dream in which God assures him that he is not alone and that he promises to take care of him and return him to home to take care of his descendants. God in turn does everything that was promised in the dream and then Jacob is faithful to God. Abraham also had a similar story to that when God blesses Abraham and promises to make his name great and that he will be a blessing. God is there for Abraham and Jacob and he wants them to represent and be powerful role models and to have an influence on culture. Another similarity of Jacob and Abraham is that they both had more than one wife and were the father to many children. An example being in Genesis 25 when Abraham marries Keturah his second wife and has several children with her. Jacob consequently marries Leah and Rachel two sisters and has his share of children with both of them. The descendants of both Abraham and Jacob live on to be important part of the culture.

Abraham and Jacob although having many similarities throughout Genesis also seem to have many differences that are important to note. Abraham walked with God in most cases and they saw eye to eye and had

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the Judeo and the creation stories there are many similarities but are not the same. In the Judeo story there is a man and a woman named Adam and Eve, in the creation story there is a man and woman that are married. Both of these stories are about how the earth was made. In each of these stories one of the women makes mistakes that end up costing them. Adam and Eve ate the fruit off of the forbidden tree, the woman from the other story wanted roots from the tree that was not to be hurt. When they both disobeyed the rules they were punished. Eve had to feel the pain of childbirth, the wife had to live alone and make the earth she had animals sacrifice their life for her. She was named skywoman. She became pregnant with a baby girl. Her…

    • 199 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Exegesis of Genesis 22:1-19

    • 2399 Words
    • 10 Pages

    The biblical context of Genesis, divides it into two sections. Genesis 1-10 describes the creation story and the flood. Genesis 11-50 provides the genealogy of Abraham’s family, back to Noah, followed by the tradition of the earliest ancestors of Israel (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob known as the ‘Patriarchs’) wherein their faith is rooted and articulated (Brueggemann, 2003:43.) It is essentially a book of promises, a preface to the history of the Israel; identifying the nation of Israel and its God (Barton 2001:39).In Genesis 12 we see God choosing Abram, like Noah. A relationship ensues whereby Abram obediently follows God’s commands. God graciously acts in his life, providing him with a much wanted son and heir from his barren wife, Sarai. Abram pleases God who establishes covenants (God initiated agreements with man (Holdsworth 2005:59) with him, renaming him Abraham (and his wife Sarah); making them founders of the nation of Israel. The final chapter finds Jacob and his family in Egypt; precluding a central storyline the ‘Exodus’ ;the foundation of Jewish history and faith (Barton…

    • 2399 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 share many similarities, but also differ in some respects. Both chapters of the Holy Bible describe the events surrounding the creation of human life, however, Genesis 1 is less detailed. In Genesis 1, it is merely stated (Genesis 1:27) that “God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Contrastingly, Genesis 2 expands upon this brief depiction, relating the creation in a more detailed fashion. In Genesis 2:7, the creation of man is recounted: “(7) Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.”…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bible Dictionary Project

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Esau is the elder twin brother of Jacob and were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah. They were also the grandsons of Abraham and Sarah. The book of Genesis, “identifies Isaac as God’s chosen son of the promise as well as Isaac’s youngest son Jacob.” (Towns, 1996) The theme of dishonesty happens repeatedly through the course of Jacob’s life. Jacob deceives his father Isaac and took the blessing from under his Brother Esau’s nose. Jacob departed from his home to a town named Haran, which was his mother’s ancestral home. Jacob then married Leah and Rachael, which produce twelve children. God came to Jacob in a dream and revealed the angelic stairs, which was perceive as gate of heaven, in the eyes of Jacob. From that point on Jacob vowed that the Lord will be the God he serve. The book of Genesis is where this particular story is found. The author of the book of Genesis is Moses. The setting of this story takes place in Israel. The Abrahamic covenant included Jacob and his father and Jacob’s twelve son’s. The Abrahamic covenant was a treaty between Abraham and God. The promises, land, seed, and blessings were to be given to the descendants of Abraham.…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first 39 books of the larger work called the Bible, is called the Old Testament. The Bible itself is arguably the best selling and most read book of all time, yet it’s well known to be quite challenging to read through and understand. The Old Testament portion of the Bible, notably the most difficult portion of the Bible for most to study and follow, yields 39 books from multiple authors, and spans over 4000 years of crucial world and church history. If that were not enough to take on, the Old Testament comes our way through multiple styles of authorship and formats, including but not limited to, books of history, law, proverbs, ethics, philosophy, treatises, dramas, songs, epics, biographies, and letters. There have been many books written and published to survey, explain, and/or bring to light the Old Testament, but none more helpful to me than the review subject of this paper, the work of Dr. Elmer L. Towns, entitled “A Journey Through the Old Testament”.…

    • 2696 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book of Genesis, there are two separate stories of creation. Both stories include information about God, humankind, and our relationship with God.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Abrahamic Covenant

    • 2118 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Genesis 12:2- “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.…

    • 2118 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Moses vs Abraham

    • 1302 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In the Old Testament, Abraham and Moses were two very prominent leaders chosen by God to do his will. Throughout Genesis and Exodus, both men play important roles in fulfilling God's will. They are put to many tests, given covenants, and communicate constantly with God. Although they have many similarities such as being leaders and men of God, there are also many differences between the two.…

    • 1302 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Tad Szulc's Abraham Journey of Faith, he explains that there is no definite historical or archaeological proof that Abraham, the man considered to be the patriarch of the three monotheistic religions, ever existed. Much controversy is found over the debate of whether or not an individual named Abraham did indeed live as described in numerous pieces of scripture including Genesis and the Koran. According to Genesis, Abraham was born in Ur, a major metropolis and center of trade in the third millennium. Over the span of his life, it is supposed that Abraham traveled from Ur to Haran to Canaan and then west to Egypt. On his return he traveled back to Canaan and eventually to Hebron, the place of his death. Many stories and legends of Abraham are told in remote places where he may have been in his life but it is impossible from these to separate fact from fiction. It was allegedly in Haran that Abraham received the first words from God and that his relationship with the deity began. In literature, it is when Abraham is talking with God that he is seen as a real human being instead of merely a nomadic figure devoted to his faith. God promises Abraham two main things in their conversations, one being a child and the other a homeland. God fulfills his promises and provides Abraham with Isaac and Ishmael and also the land from the river of Egypt to the river of Euphrates as his homeland. With all ideas in mind, it is not clear whether Abraham was simply a spiritual figure conjured up as an example of pure faith in one God or whether he was a man who lived and with his beliefs in one God, changed the world drastically. As said by the author, "Without clear proof, the only thing you can ever say about Abraham is: "In my…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Brothers of the Bible

    • 1672 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Cain and Abel were in a situation much more unique than Esau and Jacob, and Joseph and his brothers faced, for the society they lived in was extremely small, and they each had a direct relationship with God. As the book of Genesis tells us, Cain was the first born son of Adam and Eve. Their next son was a boy whom they named Abel. As Cain and Abel grew up both took responsibilities for making a living. Abel took care of the sheep and Cain became a farmer. (Genesis 4:7)…

    • 1672 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Genesis 22

    • 1847 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Throughout the Old Testament, God poses many challenges for people both in the sense of entire nations to individuals as well. In each instance there was a purpose for the challenges. Sometimes God was looking to see how people would act and follow laws and other times he wanted to test them. In Genesis 22 God posed a test for Abraham. He commanded him to travel to Moriah and offer his son Isaac to him as a burnt offering. Abraham obeys God and takes Isaac to the place God had told him. He brings with him two of his servants and on the way to the mountain Isaac asks Abraham why there is not sheep for the offering. It would seem that Isaac was catching on to what was happening and he still did not hesitate to follow his father carrying the very wood he was to be burned with. When Abraham was about to slay his son an angel of the Lord stopped him and told him that since he did not withhold his son he was the favored one.…

    • 1847 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gilgamesh & Enkidu

    • 2275 Words
    • 10 Pages

    -The two men have to be very similar because just because of the fact that the gods…

    • 2275 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hebrew religion consisted of a single omnipotent god, Yahweh, while the Mesopotamians and Egyptians had multiple gods who each controlled their own section in nature. This means that the Hebrews only had to follow orders from one god, whereas Mesopotamians and Egyptians had to work hard to keep all of the gods happy. If what one god’s orders conflicted with another god’s orders, the people were forced to take sides, and unity would break. This could cause disputes amongst the two sides, and war could potentially break out. Alongside monotheism, the covenant also plays a major role in the structure of Hebrew religion. It is a pact that Abraham made with Yahweh, which both Yahweh and the Hebrew people had to follow. In exchange for land, a great nation, and guidance, the people had to worship Yahweh as their only god. This covenant keeps the Hebrews united, all following one god and one message, instead of listening to a whole pantheon of gods, all with different…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Genesis and the Enuma Elish, both stories come from the very similar regions of the ancient world, but both very different in the ways and tasks of the newly created mankind. The Genesis coming from the early Jews and the Enuma Elish originating from the ancient Babylonians differ in both creation of humans and roles of humans. Genesis and the Enuma Elish differ in very important details such as who and what created the world and mankind. Even within the two accounts of Genesis the stories of creation have many differences. The statuses of humans in both stories contradict and argue against each other. These creation myths have their own characteristics making them all unique, despite the close proximity of the two ancient cultures and the very close difference in time.…

    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many common themes emerge among these three stories. One of these common themes is the promise of an heir to Abraham. One interpretation of the two versions of the story involving Abraham is that he did not have faith in God to fulfill his promise. Abraham lies in an attempt to save his life because he is fearful of his own life and inability to produce an heir. Abraham did this because he thought that if he did not produce an heir, then he was letting God down so he would do anything he could to produce an heir. The stories of Abraham and Isaac do not show any concern for the well-being of Sarah and Rebekah. By pretending to be the brother of their wives, Sarah and Rebekah, both Abraham and Isaac are opening up their wives to the possibility of marriage and sexual advancement from the respective rulers. This is not a concern of Abraham or Isaac, nor is it necessarily a concern of the authors. However, each of the stories makes careful mention that Sarah and Rebekah were not molested in any way. This further proves that God was acting in protection of his chosen line because he intervenes just before the point impurity.…

    • 2137 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays