Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Banyai AT t-online.de (Banyai)]

Nicholas Lamme wrote:
> I do not read Hebrew as well as I hope to. I am still learning. However, I
> was very interested in your suggestion that the narrator of the story
> where Isaac blesses Jacob implies that Isaac was an active participant in
> the deception.  What are the evidences in the text for this or where can I
> find any more information on this?  Any insight would be appreciated.


The story has an explicative character, an explanation of a historical event 
reprojected into the early time of the patriarchs:

since we read in Balaams blessing, Numbers 24,20, "first among the nations 
was 
Amalek, but its end is to perish forever" etc. etc.

On the other side wwe have in Gen.36,15 Amalek listed as the son of Eliphaz, 
son 
of Esau (that is Edom according a.o. with Gen. 36,1).

So was Esau by Amalek the first of the nations ( as good as saying the first 
born 
son ), and should loose its blessing (also according to Balaam) in favor of 
Heber 
(that is by all what we know Isaac).

The destruction of the Amalekites as foretold by Balaam (in fact a wrong 
attributed prophecy more or less ex-eventu of Samuel) at the hands of Shaul 
gets 
a legendary legitimation with the story of Esau and Isaac.

All the best

Michael Bányai