Chapter VI: The Patriarchs Isaac and Jacob

=1. Isaac=, as appears from sacred history, towards the close of his father’s life, dwelt in the “south country,” a term given to the large district far to the south of Hebron, where also Abraham was probably living at the same time.

The exact place called =Beer-lahai-roi=, or “the spring of Lahai-roi,” is not known, but it was that spring, called a “well,” which was mentioned in connection with the first departure of Hagar, and it was evidently on the way towards Egypt, between Kadesh and Bered, some thirty miles nearly south of Beersheba.

=2. The pastures= were excellent here, and Isaac, now about 40 years of age, had come into possession of large herds whose care devolved upon him. It was here that he received his wife, whom his father Abraham had selected for him from among his kindred in the far-off land of Mesopotamia in preference to the people of the land where he dwelt, who were Hittites, and descendants of Canaan the son of Ham, Abraham being a descendant of Shem. =The Philistines= who dwelt on the southwest coast of Canaan and of whom the Abimelech of the text was king, were formerly a mixed race. In this age they are considered to be the immediate descendants of a tribe which took possession of the dry, salt region stretching from the Delta of the Nile on the coast around towards Canaan. Here, in early times, they became the great salt producers and of great importance to the salt fisheries which supplied various surrounding countries. The Mt. Casios in their territory was the “Kas-lokh,” or “dry” “burnt up hill” of the ancient Egyptians, hence the name of Casluhim, of the Hebrew text, as that of the people from whom the Philistines were derived, Gen. 10:14.

=3.= They seem many years before to have left the Phœnician shores and settled near the coast of the Egyptian Delta. Thence they moved to the salt regions, but they adapted themselves fully to the Egyptian method of life and literature, as appears from their history gathered from the ancient records. These records have fully corroborated the statement of Genesis.[57]

=4. In the time of Abram= they had taken possession of the southwestern part of Palestine and had largely modified their habits of life. They are represented on the monuments of Egypt as fine-looking warriors, wearing a head-dress of peculiar and very ornamental form, with the back of the neck protected, and when marching, moving in great order, using the javelin and the short sword for close combat.

=5. At this time=, about B. C. 1800, the Philistines had not arrived at that condition of power and wealth which they possessed in later centuries. They afterward became most formidable enemies of the Israelites, and possessed at least five grand cities. In this era of their history Gerar seems to be the residence of the king, Abimelech, as it was of his father of the same name in the time of Abraham, 90 years before. Being a small tribe, its king was anxious to form an alliance with Isaac, whose household and possessions had become very great, and, judging from the context, his retinue of servants and his wealth exceeded all that Abraham had possessed before him.

=6. There are=, at present, two wells at Beersheba of the same general architecture, and both seem to be very ancient. The one about 300 feet off from the large one, spoken of before, is only about five feet in diameter. As the men of Gerar, at Abraham’s death, filled up “all the wells” built by the patriarch, it is probable that the second well was dug by the servants of Isaac and called also Beersheba as commemorative of the second oath of treaty made by Abimelech, the second of that same name mentioned in Scripture, and his commander-in-chief, as Phicol means.

The life of Isaac seems to have been spent chiefly in the region of Beersheba, but he died at Hebron, at the age of 180 years. Esau and Jacob are his only sons named in the sacred history.

JACOB.

=7. Jacob= was a native of Beersheba, and, having incurred the displeasure of his brother Esau by the practice of a deceitful act towards his father, as narrated in the text, Gen. 27, fled to the same region whence his father obtained his own wife, and there found his wives Leah and Rachel in Mesopotamia.

In that act of deceit he was aided by his mother, who probably never lived to see again the son she loved so much. Jacob returned not for many years, although when his mother parted with him she supposed it was for “a few days,” Gen. 27:44. He returned to Hebron shortly before the death of his father, in whose burial, in the cave of Machpelah, both his sons, Esau and Jacob, united, Gen. 35:29.

=8. Jacob and his twelve sons= remained near Hebron for some time after the death of his father Isaac, when an event occurred which changed the history of the entire family and led to their long residence in the land of Egypt.

=Joseph=, the son of Jacob’s old age, because of jealousy on the part of his brethren, was sold by them to a party of trading merchants, called “=Ishmaelites=.” These “came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.”

=Gilead= was the large district east of the Jordan, beginning some 15 miles southwest of Damascus, and whose southern limit was a few miles north of the Dead Sea. Their way towards Egypt was by Dothan, where the brethren were tending their father’s flock.

=Dothan= was a Canaanitish town about five miles southwest of the Carmel range of mountains and thirteen miles north of Shechem. It was fully 900 feet above the sea, and on the south of a beautiful plain five miles long and two wide.

=9. The Ishmaelites= sold Joseph in Egypt, where, through his ability to interpret the dream of Pharaoh, he became, under the king, the second ruler of Egypt and prepared for the seven years of famine which were preceded by seven years of extraordinary harvests. The famine in Egypt was attended by famine in Canaan, as also in other lands. This condition of famine caused Jacob to send his sons into Egypt for corn. It should be remembered that in these countries the word “corn” was applied to almost any kind of grain, but especially to wheat and barley, as indeed it is at the present day in several other countries. It is not probable that _Indian maize_, called _corn_ in our land, was ever referred to in Scripture.

At the second visit of the patriarch’s sons, Joseph, who recognized them at the first visit, made himself known unto them and sent them back with the direction to bring his father, and all that made up the entire family, into Egypt.

=10.= After some hesitation on the part of Jacob, he left Hebron, and passing through Beersheba, started on his way to Egypt, where he arrived and was met by Joseph, on the plains of =Goshen=. Recent discovery has located this region about 40 miles northeast of the present Cairo, in its central point, with a diameter of about 15 miles.[58]

Jacob was introduced to the reigning Pharaoh when he was 130 years of age. His interview was followed by the settlement of the entire family, with all their herds and possessions, in the district above mentioned. This was a small district included in a much larger one called, in after times, the land of Rameses, which name had reference to a second king of that name, Rameses II., who was the great builder monarch, and who lived not long before the time of the Exodus. He died when Moses was 80 years of age.

[The student of Biblical chronology should use considerable
caution in accepting the dates and surmises offered by some
writers in connection with this history. The ages already given
us in the text, namely, 130 for Jacob when Joseph was 39 by the
texts preceding, show that Jacob was 91 years of age at Joseph’s
birth, but by Gen. 31:38 he had been at least 14 years with
Laban, in Mesopotamia, just preceding the birth of Joseph. So
that 14 years before the birth of Joseph he left his home for
Haran, at the age of 77. It seems somewhat probable that Jacob
was 40 years in Haran, and that he means to make that assertion
when, in Gen. 31:38, 41, he separates the two 20 years. This
affords more time for his sons to grow to the ages of that
manhood necessary for the after occurrences narrated in the
history. For the eldest, Reuben and Simeon, were born not until
the marriage with Leah, and this appears to have been only seven
years before the birth of Joseph. Six years after the birth of
Joseph, Jacob leaves with all his family for Shechem, where he
remains eight years. It appears, therefore, that Simeon and Levi,
when they attacked and overthrew Shechem and sacked the town,
were not over 19 or 20 years of age, as six of the last years
and re-engagement for six years in Mesopotamia, and eight in
Shechem, and perhaps a year on the travel, and various stoppages,
give grounds for that supposition, if Jacob was only 20 years
with Laban. It would then be as follows, remembering that Reuben
was the first-born of the sons of Jacob:

8th year. Reuben born first year after Jacob’s marriage.

14th year. The rest born during the six remaining years; Joseph
now born.

20th year. At the close of the last seven years Jacob is newly
employed for six years, which, with the previous 14 years, makes
20 years with Laban, Gen. 31:38.

21st year. Jacob and all the family start for Canaan, and reach
Shechem, including stoppages, in the 21st year, or 13th year
after Reuben’s birth.

When Jacob arrived in Shechem he bought land, dug a well, and is
considered as resident for eight years.

29th year. At the close of this year Simeon and Levi attack the
Shechemites. This would make Reuben about 21 or 22, and Simeon
and Levi 19 and 20, but old enough, with their servants and
probably others, to have executed their revenge. But we must
understand that this is the extreme shortest period, and several
circumstances might have detained them longer on their journeys
and made the sons older.

In the above calculation it is not necessary to suppose that
Jacob was any longer than 20 years engaged with Laban. It is
impossible to suppose, with some writers, that Jacob was only
40 years of age when he left his home for Haran.]

=11. Jacob=, having had the land of Goshen, in Egypt, appointed him, remained there until his death at 147 years of age, having dwelt in the land of Egypt 17 years.

As Joseph died at 110 years of age, he lived 56 years after the death of Jacob, as governor of Egypt, very probably, since the last account of him was that “they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” He lived to see his great grandchildren, and therefore was prominent in Egypt for a term of 80 years.