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Jacob and Laban: A tale steeped in treachery and deceit

The hand fates dealt Jacob according to the Genesis, Chapter 25, is an excellent example of how swift and cruel karma can possibly be. This is probably the reason why the narration of the story is called Jakob-Esau-Laban-Sagenkranz i.e. the Jacob-Esau-Laban cycle of tales ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"E51Bayd9","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Hendel)","plainCitation":"(Hendel)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":678,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/UF26IQJ5"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/UF26IQJ5"],"itemData":{"id":678,"type":"book","title":"The epic of the patriarch: the Jacob Cycle and the narrative traditions of Canaan and Israel","publisher":"Brill","ISBN":"90-04-36946-5","author":[{"family":"Hendel","given":"Ronald S."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2018"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Hendel). This tale is the epitome of what goes around comes around and gives a curt, but effective message that shows that when you sow the seeds of discord, it is you alone that will reap the effects and suffer.

Now, according to the bible, Jacob, deceives his ailing and blind father, Isaac, on his deathbed. He had promised to pass on the blessing of God, that he received from Abraham to his firstborn Esau. However, with the help of his mother, Rebecca, the blessing was obtained by Jacob in place of Esau. The pair managed to trick Isaac, with Rebecca then sending Jacob away to save him from Esau’s anger. Having done his part, Jacob fled to his maternal uncle Laban and stay with him for a while. This tale is the reason why Jacob is remembered as the “trickster”, the one who tricked his brother’s blessings and birthright away. However, the tables were about to be turned in unprecedented ways ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"2fyunvro","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Na\\uc0\\u8217{}aman)","plainCitation":"(Na’aman)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":682,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/RM84KZLX"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/RM84KZLX"],"itemData":{"id":682,"type":"article-journal","title":"The Jacob story and the formation of biblical Israel","container-title":"Tel Aviv","page":"95-125","volume":"41","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Na’aman","given":"Nadav"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Na’aman).

Jacob fell in love with his maternal cousin, Rachel, so much so that he offered his services as a shepherd to his uncle for seven years in exchange. However, once the seven years of service were completed, his uncle married him off to Rachel’s older sister Leah. When Jacob complained, he was coerced into another seven years of service after getting married to Rachel. One can call it God’s divine justice, with years taken away from Jacob’s life through the means on his uncle treachery for tricking his own father and brother ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"woajbKru","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Michael)","plainCitation":"(Michael)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":683,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/I93E2BPB"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/I93E2BPB"],"itemData":{"id":683,"type":"article-journal","title":"Patriarchal ethics and narrative representation: Ethics, values and morality of the biblical narrator in the Jacob's story","container-title":"Stellenbosch Theological Journal","page":"260-284","volume":"2","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Michael","given":"Matthew"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Michael). If you think about it, it is the state of the world essentially it is filled with a history of nations rising, especially ones that attain their position in bad faith, only to bite the dust when push comes to shove. Thus, one should always remember how karma operates and ensure that they never do something that can come back and bite them.

Works Cited

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Hendel, Ronald S. The Epic of the Patriarch: The Jacob Cycle and the Narrative Traditions of Canaan and Israel. Brill, 2018.

Michael, Matthew. “Patriarchal Ethics and Narrative Representation: Ethics, Values and Morality of the Biblical Narrator in the Jacob’s Story.” Stellenbosch Theological Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, 2016, pp. 260–84.

Na’aman, Nadav. “The Jacob Story and the Formation of Biblical Israel.” Tel Aviv, vol. 41, no. 1, 2014, pp. 95–125.