Genesis 35, God renames Jacob to Israel, which he’d done earlier, but we like to repeat ourselves. What is more interesting is that he still feels at Jacob tricking Esau out of his birthright is just fine. “And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it.”

Rachel dies in labor, but it’s okay, since she will have a son. He just won’t have the name she chose in her dying breath. “And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin.” She was just a woman anyway.

We then have an entire chapter discussing lineage. The only thing I learn from this is that, not only is it okay to have multiple wives, but you can also have multiple concubines. My wife says that it’s no longer okay, and I tend to agree.

And then we move onto Broadway. Jacob’s favorite son Joseph is reviled by his brothers. Mores because he keeps telling them his dreams of ruling over them. Eventually, he mentions these dreams to his father, who sends him to find his brothers in the desert. Was this Laius, who fears his son overtaking him, or just bad judgement? I believe the former.

The brothers first leave him to die, and then sell him into slavery. Only Rueben is innocent. Except of having sex with his father’s concubine! We’ll read more about Joseph tomorrow.

Tomorrow: Genesis 38-42