Rebekah and her Two Nations

 

The story of Rebekah is filled with some interesting passages to say the least. One that especially stands out is in Genesis, Chapter 25, Verse 23. God speaks directly to Rebekah: “Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels; And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger.”

 

This is beautiful, moving poetry. In this respect alone, it’s a worthy passage to consider. Yet there are so many other ways to interpret this stanza. Literally, it’s a description of Rebekah’s twins that are yet to be born. They would become Esau and his brother Jacob.

 

In another respect, it illustrates the unfolding of God’s plan for the future of the Jewish people: Jacob will be the dominant leader. If this passage was uttered by some mortal and it turned out to become a reality, we would ascertain that it was a prophecy. Yet this is God speaking and his determinism is so swift and decisive that it’s decreed even before birth. One is tempted to make the following remark: “he couldn’t wait to tell her this some time *after* she gave birth?”

 

And why would God decide that the older brother, Esau, would serve the younger one, Jacob? What is the purpose of bringing someone into the world in order that they merely serve someone else? Servitude can only be functionally valuable to the recipient if it leads to an easement of the challenging requirements to sustain oneself. It would make more sense if God simply bequeathed to Jacob greater potential to manage his own affairs and live by the power of his self-determination and hard work. I think it’s incumbent to read on and observe what’s said in the following passages. Maybe there is another way to interpret “serve”.

 

Now wait a minute, you may be saying. Why does God even speak in terms of ‘elder’ and ‘younger’? After all, they are twins, and twins are always the same age. Oh really? In verses 25 and 26, it’s stated “and the first came forth ruddy ... they called his name Esau. And after that came forth his brother ... his name was called Jacob.” This observation holds up in modern times, for even twins are delivered at different times. In other words, the description of ‘older’ and ‘younger’ is accurate.

 

Let’s not gloss over verse 26 too quickly, for it’s a dandy. “And after that came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel ...” Why was Jacob hanging on to his heel? Was this an innate fraternal instinct? It could have been a sign of dependency, or perhaps it illustrates how Jacob would “ride on Esau’s coattails” until he was delivered from the “bowels of Rebekah”. Ah, the joy of creative speculation.

 

The reference to “two nations” is especially illuminating. Each brother, in effect, will become the leaders of  “two peoples”. As we find out in subsequent passages, they become “nations” engaged in battle. One of the brothers (Esau) sells his birthright to his brother (Jacob). Esau no longer had the privileges bestowed upon him for being the first born. In return, Esau got bread and lentils (and this was interesting to learn that the ancient Hebrews ate lentils). As you can imagine, Esau wasn’t particularly happy with the deal.  In verse 34, it says he despised his birthright. And perhaps the lentils weren’t all too good, if perhaps undercooked.

 

By David A. Epstein

May 6, 2001