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1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother,” Gen 28:19
Then God (H430) said to Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel (H1008) and dwell there; and make an altar (derived from H2076), there to God (H410). I thought it appropriate to show the original Hebrew words using the Strong’s and BDB Hebrew definition to help clarify what is being said as I am understanding it. So God (Elohim), in the plural sense, is the same Hebrew word for God we see being used throughout the first chapters of Genesis during creation, and beyond. We know that in the beginning all things were created by the Word (Gen 1:1-31), and the Word became flesh, and He dwelt among us and we beheld His glory as the only Begotten of the Father (John 1:1, 14), This verse could then be read as such: Then God (The word) said to Jacob, arise, go up to the “house of God” (Bethel), and make an altar in which to offer sacrifices to the Almighty God (H410), singular, meaning God the Father (the one true God). Now when Jacob was fleeing from the face of his brother Esau, he took a stone and made a pillow, on which he laid his head. That night Jacob had a vision of Angels ascending, and descending to heaven. When He awoke from this vision he took the stone and made a pillar, poured oil on it, as a way of consecrating the stone to God, and as a marker of the place, and he called the place Bethel (House of God), (Gen 28: 18-19). As I quoted Adam Clarke back in Genesis twenty eight, I will again quote the same commentary here” Adam Clarke’s commentary: And Jacob – took the stone – and set it up for a pillar – He placed the stone in an erect posture, that it might stand as a monument of the extraordinary vision which he had in this place; and he poured oil upon it, thereby consecrating it to God, so that it might be considered an altar on which libations might be poured, and sacrifices offered unto God. Typically a pillar was erected as a way of marking a spot to memorialize and event, and altars were built on which to make sacrifices. In order to reconcile why Adam Clarke says that Jacob poured oil on this pillar in which to offer up sacrifices, and make an altar instead I would again like to go to the commentaries on Gen 28:18-19, this time I will be quoting from John Wesley’s notes on the bible: He set up the stone for a pillar – To mark the place again, if he came back, and erect a lasting monument of God’s favor to him: and because he had not time now to build an altar here, as Abraham did in the places where God appeared to him, (Gen 12:7), he therefore poured oil on the top of this stone, which probably was the ceremony then used in dedicating their altars, as an earnest of his building an altar when he should have conveniences for it, as afterwards he did, in gratitude to God, (Gen 5:7). Grants of mercy call for our returns of duty and the sweet communion we have with God ought ever to be remembered.
2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Gen 31:34 3″Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.
Verse one is very revealing about the house of Jacob, his family, and all the people that were with him. By Jacob telling them to “Put away their gods, purify themselves, and change their garments,” we can see that all of his people have been defiled themselves, while living in the midst of the people of the city of Shechem. They have forsaken the God of Israel/Jacob, and have turned to other gods in which to worship. Some of these Idols and jewelry they have, were probably taken from the people of Shechem when they killed all the men and looted to city. Even in the way they dress is not that of a holy people, to which one day the true God will reveal to them this identity of theirs: A Holy people unto God (Exo 19:1-6), there are similarities in the book of Exodus and what God is doing with Jacob and his people at this moment, like the book of Exodus, God is sending them out from a land which they have been a slave to (Not in a physical sense like in Egypt), but spiritual. They have become slaves to the gods of the world, not only in worship, but also in the clothes they wear, and they have started to covet the things of gold and silver in which they wear as earrings on their bodies. The things which ought to not be done in Israel (Gen 34:7). If they are to become a holy people unto God, and a light to the world, they must first leave behind all the things of the world, and purify themselves (Wash themselves clean), from the sins they have committed while in Shechem, before they can come and dwell in the midst of the house of God, that is Bethel. Just as we (The church: spiritual Israel), have been washed clean from our sins by the blood of Christ (Rev 1:5). in which he tore down the veil which kept us from having direct access to the household of God ( Compare Matt 27:50-51, 2 Cor 3:14- 17, Eph 2:13-190. So the people did all that Jacob commanded them, and he took all these false idols and buried them. One side note that just came to mind, and that is Rachel (Jacobs wife who he loved the most), when she left Padan Aram, she stole her father’s idols of worship, hid them from Jacob, and even her father when he chased after them asking for those idols (Gen 31: 19, 30-34), by this, we know that even before they came to the city of Shechem Leah was worshiping false Idols. As far as what we read in the scriptures Jacob never knew of this. With this said, did Leah keep from Jacob her idols even now when he asked for everyone to give them up? we don’t know, but I find it an interesting tidbit of information in which to end this commentary.
5 And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
The Lord said He would be with Jacob in his journey’s, (Gen 28:13-15), Emphasis on verse fifteen, “I am with you, and will keep you in every place where you go.” It is God who is putting the fear in all the cities where Jacob goes in his journey to Bethel. “The Lord Will Provide.” This seems to be my mantra as I study the book of Genesis. it has come up numerous times since I first began my own journey into the pursuit of my Father above, and His truths.
6 So Jacob came to Luz (That is Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. Gen 28:19 7 And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.
Jacob is back in familiar territory now. This is where he had his dream of the angels ascending and descending to heaven, This is the place where God confirms His covenant (The Abrahamic covenant), the promise of inheritance, and more importantly (To me at least), the promised seed, in which all nations of the earth shall be blessed. This is where Jacob built an pillar of stone (Not made of man, but of God, who created the stone), and he anointed the pillar with oil, as a memorial commemorating the encounter he had with the Lord at that time. “THIS”! is where Jacob promised God, that “if” (Such a small word, with such huge implications), He would keep him in his way that he goes, give him food to eat,and put clothes on his back, so that he would return to his father in peace, Then the Lord Jehovah would surely be his God, and he will give a tenth of all that he has to the Almighty God (Gen 28:20-22). So Jacob builds an altar (Again not cut by the hands of men, but of stones created by God Almighty), in which he will offer up sacrifices, giving a tenth of all he has to the Lord. Just a reminder to the reader, during the time of Jacob, men’s wealth was also determined in their livestock, and not by silver or Gold alone.
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.
I tarried over this verse for some time wondering why God would mention Deborah in this one verse in the bible. No where else in the scriptures do we see her ever mentioned again. To me, if she was important enough for my Father above to mention her in His word, then it is important for me to understand her importance to Him. At first I thought God was talking in the past tense to the death and burial of Deborah, also I went to the Chabad.org website, and here Rabbi Rashi in his commentary also says that Deborah died on her way to bringing Jacob back from Padan Aram.
Rabbi Rashi: And Deborah…died: What connection does Deborah have with Jacob’s household? However, since Rebecca said to Jacob, “and I will send and take you from there” (above 27:45), [it was] Deborah [whom] she sent to him, to Padan-aram [to instruct him] to leave from there, and she died on the way. I learned this from the words of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan. — [from Bereishith Rabbathi, p. 113]
I do not subscribe to the teachings of Rabbi Rashi that Deborah died on her way to bringing Jacob back from Padan Aram. But, even if Rabbi Rashi is correct, this still does not answer my most important question I had: Why is Deborah so important to God, for Him to mention her in this one verse? So I meditated on these verses, and I prayed for God’s guidance on more than one occasion about it, Heck, I even went so far as to invite my pastor over to my house so we could discuss this one small verse, and maybe he could shed some light for me. In the end, before my pastor came to my house, the Lord God Almighty showed me what I believe to be the truth behind this verse, in a way that only He can do. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (Compare James 4:8 Matt 7:7). I went to the commentaries I sometimes use to help me in my understanding from time to time, and what I got from those commentaries helped me in understanding the “Why” I had been searching for. It is in John Wesley’s commentary that seems to make the most sense to me in regards to the life of Deborah, her importance, and the time of her death (Be it in this present time, and not past tense), therefore I would like to quote what he wrote about Deborah.
John Wesley’s notes on the bible: There he buried Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse – We have reason to think that Jacob, after he came to Canaan, while his family dwelt near Shechem, went himself to visit his father Isaac at Hebron. Rebekah probably was dead, but her old nurse (of whom mention is made Gen_24:59,) survived her, and Jacob took her to his family. While they were at Beth – el she died, and died lamented, so much lamented, that the oak under which she was buried, was called Allon – bachuth, the oak of weeping.
Jacob did tell his brother Esau that he would follow behind him after his livestock and children were well rested from their journey from Padan Aram (Gen 33:14). Once his house was built in Succoth, after he purchased a field in Shechem, and his family and people were established there, he would have had the time to journey on to his father house. Don’t forget also that part of Jacobs promise to God (In order for Jehovah to be his God), that he had to return to his father’s house in peace (Gen 28:21), and he would give a tenth to the Lord of all the he had. As John Wesley points out, Rebekah’s death had already occurred before Jacob arrived back to his fathers house. How and when she died the scriptures do not say. Could this be part of the curse she put upon herself back when she deceived her husband Isaac (Gen 27:13), in stealing the blessing away from her son Esau? just food for thought. The only mention of her death is in Gen 49:31, and only then to say that she was buried in the field of Machpelah (Before Mamre), along with Isaac, Abraham, and Sarah. But I digress. Back to Deborah, Deborah was Rebekah’s nurse, and we know that Jacob lived in the tents, he was a shepherd, because of this Rebekah loved him more than Esau ( Gen 25:27-28),With all this in mind, in my opinion, Deborah helped raise Jacob since his birth. She was like a mother to him, Jacob undoubtedly loved her very much. When Jacob came back to his fathers house he was grieved to hear of the death of his mother, and as a way of helping Jacob cope with this death, Isaac gave Deborah to him in this visit. to me, Deborah was near and dear to Jacobs heart, her, and Leah are probably the two most important women in his life after the death of Rebekah. Because of Jacobs righteousness, like that of Noah: Whose own family was saved because of his righteousness ( Gen 6:8-9), and Lot (Whom I believe was found to be righteous also in God’s eyes), when the angels asked him if there were anymore loved ones in the city for to bring out before God would destroy the city (Gen 19:12-13), this leads me to believe that the righteous man whom God holds near and dear to His own heart, and because of their righteousness, The Lord sets apart those that the righteous man holds close to his own heart, and in honoring Jacob, Deborah is forever memorialized in this one little verse and has been sanctified thru him. What a great honor it is to be mentioned in Gods holy word, if only in one sentence. This is what I find to be the truth in why God mentioned Deborah in this one little passage that most people glance over. An I myself would like to honor Deborah in the spirit of the Lord with a poem that was mentioned by Adam Clarke, in his own commentary of this verse. the poem was written by a very well respected Roman poet named Virgil, who lived between the years 70 bce and 21 bce: Virgil: As for you, from our shores, Aeneas’ s nurse, the fame of your death eternal, Fuerteventura, you have given “Thou too, Cajeta, whose indulgent cares
Nursed the great chief, and form’d his tender years,
Expiring here (an ever-honor’d name!)
Adorn Hesperia with immortal fame:
Thy name survives, to please thy pensive ghost;
Thy sacred relics grace the Latian coast.
Soon as her funeral rites the prince had paid,
And raised a tomb in honor of the dead;
The sea subsiding, and the tempests o’er,
He spreads the flying sails, and leaves the shore.”
Pitt.
9 Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel. Gen 32:28 11 Also God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. 12 “The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” Gen 12:7; 13:15; 26:3, 4; 28:13 13 Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him. 14 So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. Gen 28:18, 19; 31:45 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel. Gen 28:19
Here again are more verses that I tarried over, this time it is me thinking to myself, “Are verses nine thru sixteen speaking in the present tense or the past tense?” at first I thought God was speaking in the past tense, but when I read the commentary from my own church, and other commentaries, they all speak of these verses being in the present tense, and that this appearance of God happened upon Jacobs arrival to Bethel after fleeing from Shechem. I have read these verses over and over and over, and I have come to the conclusion that this just can’t be, and I will explain why. But before I do, I want to make it clear to the reader that I am not saying I know more than the Biblical scholars who have studied the bible many, many years more than I have, or that they are wrong. No! I am but a simple man trying to learn the word of God as I understand it and the way I feel His spirit leads me. This also is not a salvational issue, if it were, I would indeed consult with my church and it’s pastors to show me the error of my ways. An I would like to state to anyone who reads this particular commentary on these verses, if you see the error of my reasoning please email me in the comments section of my website, I am more than glad to hear any input from anyone, as long it is respectful in manner, and based upon sound biblical understanding. With all that said, let me give my opinion (this is my opinion only, and I own it), as to why I believe God is speaking to us in past tense here and why. In verses nine thru fifteen I believe what is being told here is a reflection back on the journey’s of Jacob and his encounters with God. verses nine and ten in my opinion is reflecting back to the time (Not long ago), of when Jacob wrestled with God (Gen 32: 24-30), upon his return to the land of Canaan from Padan Aram (Verse nine even says, “God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram”), it was also back in Gen 32:28 when God gives Jacob the new name of Israel. Verses fourteen and fifteen however is speaking of the time when Jacob was on his way to Padan Aram when he was fleeing from the face of his brother Esau, and he had the dream of angels ascending , and descending on a ladder that reached the heavens, where God stood above it ( Gen 28: 12-13), so these verses have to be speaking in past tense. The beginning of verse eleven starts with, “Also God said to him” this is Continuing on from verses nine and ten, there is no other way to interpret this. However the wording is different here than what we read back in chapter thirty two, verse twenty nine. In Gen 32:29 all we are told is that God blessed Jacob, but we are not told of the blessing, what it consisted of, And I must say that when I first read Gen 32:29, I thought to myself,”What was the blessing God gave to Jacob?” well I think I have found the answer to my question here in verses eleven and twelve: “Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.’ “The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” here in Genesis 35:11-12, God is merely filling in the blanks for us, just like He did way back in Genesis 2:4-25. So God is letting the reader know exactly when He gave these blessings, by describing the events leading up to, and following them. Here a little there a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept ( Isa 28:10,13). Verse eleven is a very important verse in another way as well: “A nation, and a company of nations shall proceed from you,” This blessing will be passed on to his son Joseph (whom he loved more than any of his other sons, (Gen 37:3), by Jacob himself, birthed by the wife whom Jacob loved the most (Rachel), and handed down to Josephs sons Ephraim and Manasseh (Compare Gen 48:3-26, 49:22-26). I would urge the reader her to read or order the free pamphlet, The United States and Britain in Bible prophecy to get a better understanding of this blessing and how it affects us here in the United States, Britain, and all the English speaking nations of the world.
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. and when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. Ruth 1:2; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6
How long Jacob stayed in Bethel, before he left for Ephrath (H672), Also known as Bethlehem? The scriptures do not say. And why was Jacob traveling to Ephrath? Another thing that is not told to us in the scriptures, and all the commentaries are silent, in regards to the why that I ask here. The only thing that I can come up with is that, for whatever reason, God told Jacob to go down to Ephrath. Throughout Jacob’s life, whenever he departed from one place to another it is because God told him to (With the exception of when his mother Rebekah told him to go to the land of Padan Aram). Now Ephrath (Bethlehem) we know is the birthplace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
17 Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.” Gen 30:24
(Gen 30:24), when Rachel gave birth to Joseph she exclaimed, “The Lord shall add to me another son,” speaking of the future. The midwife who is with Rachel assures her not to fear, she will have this son. this has to be the same midwife who was there with Rachel when she gave birth to Joseph. It would also explain why the midwife makes this statement and why Genesis, chapter thirty, verse twenty four, is being referenced in the Bible.
18 And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni, but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), Gen 48:7; Mic. 5:2 20 And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. 1 Sam. 10:2
Ben-oni (H1126), The name Rachel gave to her son has great significance to her. Back when Rachel was having trouble conceiving for Jacob she cried out to Jacob, “Give me sons or else I die,” (Gen 30:1), her sister Leah had already bore sons to Jacob, and Rachel was envious of this. Rachel was so desperate to have sons that she even Gave her handmaid Bilhah to Jacob, so that through Bilhah she could have sons. I have already explained back in chapter thirty the reasoning people had back then when the wife would use her handmaid to bear children for them. So I would refer the reader to go back to chapter thirty and read my commentary on the matter. I digress, we read back in chapter thirty Rachel’s agony over not being able have sons. When she finally conceives and gives birth to Joseph she states that God has taken away her reproach (Shame, Disgrace), (Gen 30:23). with all this said, in my opinion, all this time after the birth of Joseph, and now finally the birth of her second son, Rachel has been in a very sorrowful state because she could only give Joseph one son. The birth of Ben-Oni is an answer from God, for her sorrows, just as Joseph was, when she bore him. (Gen 30:22). This is Rachel’s life in a nutshell (If you will), always second fiddle to her sister as far as child bearing, but first in the heart of Jacob. The woman who he truly loved. To Rachel, the name Ben-Oni is was not given by Rachel because of sadness, but because of Joy, For in the end, God again remembered her and took away her reproach. To Jacob however it was truly a sorrowful time,He has just lost the woman he truly loved, and was near and dear to his heart. Not just that, but it wasn’t long ago that he lost Deborah, a woman who was like a mother to him, and also very close to his heart. How could he look at his youngest son and call him “Ben-Oni” for him it would truly be a sorrowful thing to be reminded of the death of his love (Rachel), while given birth to him. So Jacob names him Benjamin (H1144), “Son of my right hand” The significance of changing Ben-Oni’s name to Benjamin is huge when you think about it. Our Lord Jesus Christ , upon his death and resurrection sat at the right hand of his Father, and still does to this day (Compare Mar 16:19, Acts 7:55-56, 1 Col 3:1). Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, and died near Bethlehem (which is where our Lord Jesus Christ was born). Just a little nugget here, Jerusalem is on the route from Bethel to Ephrath, near Bethlehem. Could this be where Rachel was buried? continuing, at the time of the settlement of Canaan, of all the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin’s descendants were allotted the land all around Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Bethel, in the midst of The tribe of Judah. During the time of the Exodus, right before Israel enters into the promised land, Moses gives his last blessing upon the people of Israel. In this blessing Moses makes what I believe to be a profound statement about the Descendants of Benjamin: That Benjamin sits in between the shoulders of Jehovah (Deut 33:12). Bethel ( The house of God), and Bethlehem (The birthplace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ), and in between these two is Jerusalem, the place where the temple of God was consecrated, where God once dwelt, and will again. If you look at where the tribe of Benjamin was allotted their land, it is right in the midst of Jerusalem, slightly to the north is Bethel, and slightly to the south of Jerusalem is Bethlehem, In between: the shoulders of God As I see it. The tribe of Benjamin ( Son of the right hand), is cradled at the bosom of God, with two of the Holiest places in all Israel, and Christianity, on either side. This is the first thing that came to my mind when contemplating the naming of Benjamin. The more obvious interpretation, is the importance of Jacob saying that Benjamin is the son of his right hand. This is a high honor to be seated at the right hand of the father, especially one who has eleven other sons, to whom the first born is usually bestowed with such honor. Even Joseph, who we are told is the son Jacob loved the most out of all his children (Gen 37:3), was not spoken of in such high esteem. Benjamin is near and dear to the heart of Jacob, as such God honors him by placing him at the bosom of God (In between His shoulders).
21 Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Rueben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard about it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: Gen 49:4
by all indications, according to the biblical records, and even found in the Talmudic writings, the Tower id Eder is located just outside of Bethlehem. In Hebrew the tower of Eder literally means “The tower of the flock.”(H4026, H4029) Many believe that this is the same tower in which the angels appeared to the shepherds, to proclaim to them the birth of the Messiah. Whether or not this is true I do not know, and there is no definite proof of this to be the case. This tower would be a place in which shepherds would use to watch over their flocks as they graze in the fields. As we see Jacob only pitched his tent here, indicating that this was only a temporary dwelling for him and his family. What I feel compelled to write here about Jacob’s stay in this tower o Eder, is the similarity of the story Jesus when he appeared to Peter after his resurrection. Often times Israel, and the church are referred to as sheep, as in the case when Jesus asked Peter to tend to his sheep (John 21:15-17). Jacob would stand at the tower watching over his sheep literally, but spiritually I would like to think that he is also watching his sons (the spiritual sheep), of the twelve tribes of Israel, tending to them and raising them up in the ways of the Lord. In verse twenty two we read where Rueben (Jacobs firstborn) lay with Jacobs concubine Bilhah (Rachel’s handmaid), and Israel heard about it, and as I would like to say While he was watching over his lambs (the little ones of Israel) he heard about his one lamb (Rueben), and what he had done. I find it interesting to note, that in the following verses (22-26), We are told (by their names), who exactly the sons of Jacob are, and who bore them. This, appears (To me at least), to correlate with my understanding of the spiritual aspect of these verses.
23 the sons of Leah were Rueben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25 the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram.
With the death of Rachel the twelve tribes of Israel are now established, and God is basically putting a period mark by proclaiming to the world who these twelve sons are, mentioning them by their names, and who bore them. Although we will see later, that Jacob declares Josephs sons as his own, “Just as Rueben and Simeon” (Gen 48:5), making for a total of fourteen tribes of Israel.
27 Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt. Gen 13:18; 18:1; Josh. 14:15 28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29 So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Abraham bought a parcel of land in the field of Machpelah, which is by Mamre, to bury his Wife Sarah. This is where Abraham settled after the death of Sarah, and he to was buried next to her at his death. As we will see, all the patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac , and Jacob, along with their wives will be buried in the same location except for Jacobs wife Rachel (The wife he loved the most), in Jacobs case it is Leah (his first wife, sister of Rachel), who is buried beside him. Isaac dies at one hundred and eighty years, in the year 2228 AC (After creation), Esau and Jacob were one hundred and twenty years old when their father Isaac passed away, for they were twins. We are not told of the dates in which all the children of Jacob’s were born, or how old Jacob was for that matter. therefore we must read certain parts of the Genesis account very carefully in order to come to a determination of the age of Joseph. The reason I am focusing on Joseph here more than I am Judah (In which the promised seed is to come from), to which all the nations of the earth will be blessed, is because from here on, to the end of the book of Genesis, Joseph is the main character. Not to take away from the importance of Judah. We will indeed be told of him, and the lineage of his seed. Another reason why I am focused on Joseph’s age is because of the Prophecy God gave to Abraham about his descendants, their demise, and how long they would be afflicted (Gen 15:13, 16). As I said earlier, the scriptures do not give us specific dates as to the age of Jacob when he had all of his children, or that of his children. I went to the commentaries to see if they would give me some clues on this matter. Only a few of the commentaries speak of Joseph, and not Judah, and even then all that is said is that Isaac was alive for at least twelve to fifteen years after Joseph went into slavery, none mention Josephs age. So I went to chabad.org, and read Rabbi Rashi’s commentary. This is where I found a trove of information in regards to the ages of Jacob, during certain times of his life, and how it correlates to the story of Joseph, his age, and the timeline in which all these events took place from the death of Isaac, to Joseph’s age at the time of his death, and at the time he was sold into slavery by his brothers, down to Jacob’s arrival into Egypt. Rabbi Rashi references scriptures to show how he determines this timeline (which I don’t think I could have figured out on my own), all the way up to when the whole tribe of Israel goes into the land of Egypt. I have always heard that The Israeli people are very meticulous about keeping chronological records, especially when it comes to the Holy days and when to observe them. In this instance I find this to be true as well. So with that said I would like to copy Rabbi Rashi’s commentary here. I would also recommend to the reader to go to the scriptures he references, in order to prove to yourself the accuracy of these events: Rabbi Rashi: And Isaac expired: There is no order of earlier and later events (chronological order) in the [narrative of] Torah. The selling of Joseph [actually] preceded Isaac’s demise by 12 years, for when Jacob was born, Isaac was 60 years old, and Isaac died in Jacob’s 120th year, for it is stated: “and Isaac was sixty years old” (Gen. 25:26)-if you subtract 60 from 180 [Isaac’s age at his death], you have 120 left. Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold, and that year was Jacob’s 108th year. How so? He was blessed at the age of 63 [as Rashi explains Gen. 28: 9], for 14 years he hid in the academy of Eber, totaling 77. He worked 14 years for a wife, and at the end of the 14 years, Joseph was born, as it is said: “Now it came to pass when Rachel had borne Joseph, etc.” (Gen. 30:25). The total is 91. [Add to this] the 17 [years] until Joseph was sold, and it totals 108. (Moreover, it is explicit that from when Joseph was sold until Jacob came to Egypt, 22 years had passed, as it is said: “And Joseph was thirty years old, etc.” (Gen. 41:46), and the seven years of plenty and two years of [the] famine [had elapsed before Jacob’s arrival.] This totals 22. And it is written:“The days of the years of my sojournings are one hundred thirty years” (Gen. 47:9). [Since Jacob arrived in Egypt at age 130, 22 years after Joseph had been sold,] it follows that Jacob was 108 when he (Joseph) was sold.) [from Seder Olam, ch. 2]