From either "Abraham: A Promise, A Test" or "Jacob: In Pursuit of Blessing" select a sentence (or two in a row) that you think is particularly interesting and significant.
Type the quote and cite the page number and then analyze the possible meanings and cultural implications.
Be sure to sign your name!
“The wrong done me is your fault! I myself put my maid in your bosom; now that she sees she is pregnant, I am lowered in her esteem,” (73).
ReplyDeleteThis quote, from the story of Abraham: A Promise, a Test, reveals character traits of Sarai that were not evident at the start of the story. Even though she gives permission to Abram to conceive a child with her maid, Hagar, Sarai is still very envious and bitter when she hears Hagar is actually pregnant. This hatred most likely was derived from the grief Sarai felt since she herself could not experience the miracle of birth. There is, however, some truth in her words when Sarai claims she is now “lowered in her esteem” when referring to Hagar, who seems to feel more entitled now that she has had a child with Sarai’s husband. One cultural implication from this scene of the story could be that the pain of carrying a child and giving birth is not always considered a burden as God had originally intended since many woman long to become pregnant and see it as a miracle. Also, the story shows the deep route of hatred that is perpetually present in human beings, whether it is jealousy over a husband or jealousy over someone else having the experience of giving birth.
~Andrea Bacon
"Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from me," (p. 76).
ReplyDeleteThis quote, from Abraham: A promise, a Test, occurs in the last paragraph, when the Lord is speaking to Abraham. Previously, the Lord had told Abraham to bring his favored son and kill him as an offering to the Lord. Then, when Abraham was about to kill his son, the Lord told him to stop. I feel this passage is the most important in the story for this was the “test” Abraham was put to.
This also reveals many beliefs the culture hold about God. It shows all trust is put in him and in order to love God, you must fear him as well. The Lord also said to Abraham to bring his favored son, which Abraham fallowed. It shows that to be with God you must poor your life, which to Abraham was the son the lord blessed him and Sarah with, and give all up for God. This quote also shows how God is seen in the cultures eyes as a powerful figure to fear that provides all.
-Corrine Ahrabi-Nejad
"Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them. So shall your offspring be," (72).
ReplyDeleteGod makes this promise several times in "Abraham: A Promise, a Test." He first uses it to reward Abraham and Sarai and then sends an angel with the same message to Hagar to convince her to return to Sarai and continue to submit to her beatings. Later He reminds Abraham of his promise before Abraham expells Hagar and Ishmael and then repeeats it to Hagar when she and the baby are about to die in exile before He creates a spring for them to drink from.
It is important to note how the Lord explains his intentions. He uses a visual (all the stars in the sky) to show Abram just how many descendents he will have. He doesn't say, "Your descendents will be infinite in number," or try to be complex. He explains it in a simple way because the idea is so staggering to the finite human mind.
This quote shows the importance of descendents in the Ancient Hebrew Culture. The fact that having many children was the ultimate reward shows the almost primal instinct to procreate. This is interesting because in modern times some women chose not to have children to focus on other things. Yet back then this concept would be seen as unatural and these woman would be ostracized for their choice.
~ Emily Van Laarhoven
"It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the younger. Wait until the bridal week of this one over and we will give you that one to provided you serve me another seven years," (88).
ReplyDeleteThis quote, from Jacob: In Pursuit of Blessing, shows the culture they lived in well. Leah was older than Rachel which meant that she would marry first. Jacob had worked his seven years in order to get Rachel as a wife, not Leah. It is important to know that in this culture men can have more than one wife. Jacob felt deceived because he did not know that he worked for seven years in order to get Leah as his wife. This also shows in their culture that men are the more important sex. Women got sold to their husband and were urged to make male babies. Having two wives or more meant that they could have more male offspring. Men were measured by their sons. Jacob had to work another seven years for Rachel because it was unhonorable to marry a women without dowry. His reputation would have been ruined. Laban's other daughter Bilhah, whom he had with a slave, was put into the deal as Rachel's maid. Jacob accepted the deal and got both Leah and Rachel as wives. After his seven years of work Rachel was offically his wife.
-Emily Spiewak
Sorry, that post was mine!
ReplyDeleteSusanna Sigler
It deleted my post!...Let me try again...
ReplyDeleteSusanna
"Now Esau harbored a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing which his father had given him, and Esau said to himself 'Let but the mourning period of my father come, and I will kill my brother Jacob'" (p.86).
ReplyDeleteThis quote comes from the biblical tale, Joseph: In Pursuit of Blessing. In it, the quote describes the hatred and resentment that Esau feels toward his younger twing brother Jacob, who stole his birthright. Back in the bible days, the first born son of a dying man would receive their fathers land, livestock and other worldly possesions if he had any as part of his birthright. They would also be blessed by their father on his deathbed. As the elder of their father Issac's two sons, As the older so, Esau was to inherit his father's belongings. However, this did not sit well with Jacob he also wanted a chunk of the family fortune. So with the help of his mother, Rebekah, Jacob deceived his dying father into giving him the birthright instead of it rightly going to Esau. As anyone in their right mind would be, Esau was furious and vowed to kill his brother. However, Jacob was warned and fled to escape his brother's wrath.
-Kristen Gagne
"He shall dwell alongside of all his kinsmen" (73).
ReplyDeleteThis quote, spoken by the angel of God to Hagar, Ishamael's mother, is paired with the blessing "I will greatly increase your offspring." Taking the first quote as a blessing, we can see that a sense of belonging and community was very important to the ancient Hebrews. The life of the member of a tribe was dependant on the other members of the group. They relied on each other for food, protection, shelter, and other things. Not only was being an outcast seen as a very bad thing, it also made one susceptible to the elements, wild animals, and lack of food, shelter, and protection. Proving this, God says to Cain in the story of the first murder, "You shall be a wanderer, a fugitive on the earth" showing that this was not just unfavorable, it was seen as a curse. By bestowing upon Ishamael this destiny, God is ensuring that Ishmael will have a life of relative normalcy and calm. He will have a life with his "kinsmen" meaning his relatives, who were the people one normally were in a tribe with. Ishmael will not have to worry about being shunned by his family and subsequently becoming a looked-down-upon outcast.
Sorry, mine again!
ReplyDeleteSusanna Sigler
"...For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from me." (76)
ReplyDeleteThis excerpt was taken from"Abraham: A Promise, A Test," when Abraham's test occurred. He obeyed all of the Lord's orders throughout his entire life, and was willing to sacrifice his own, favorite son to the Lord. Then an angel came down and stated that he showed his fear of God, and then the Lord spared his son. Abraham's actions proved his belief in the higher power, and in the end, was rewarded for it. But because Abraham was willing to do whatever the Lord wanted him to do, it showed the true extent of his faith. The sacrifice of Abraham also shows that true sacrifices may result into an extraordinary outcome, possibly no loss at all, as shown in this story.
-JJ Courtney
"Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob" (84).
ReplyDeleteThis quote describes how Jacob came out of his mother’s womb holding onto Esau’s heel. It seems to be a reference to the curse which the Lord made upon the serpent in the Garden of Eden. He declared that there would be enmity between the serpent and the woman, and woman would strike at the serpent’s head while the serpent would strike at the woman’s heel. Although this was originally between woman and serpent, the connection for Jacob and Esau shares some of the same meaning, though not all. Esau developed a grudge against Jacob and even planned to kill him. However, the grudge did not last, and when Jacob came back to his original home, they rejoiced at being reunited again. The act of holding onto Esau’s heel may have also symbolized how Jacob desired some of the privileges that Esau had as the first-born child. Jacob received the birthright from Esau, and he received Isaac’s blessing as well (although this was due to some trickery). From this passage, it appears that the culture from which it originated placed great importance on the first-born child because of the birthright and the Father’s blessing. However, this may have led to increased tension between the children since the younger children may have wanted the birthright themselves, as in Jacob’s case. This seems to reinforce how siblings tend to have conflicts with each other.
dx/dt=Jon+Tsai
"So Jacob named the place Peniel, Meaning: I have seen a divine being face to face, yet my life has been preserved." (88-9)
ReplyDeleteThis excerpt is from the wrestling of Jacob/Israel, and the divine being. Peniel, meaning face of God, seems a very appropriate title for the place of the event. It is unclear if this mysterious figure was truly God or a divine messenger. It seems to me it could be either, as God had never revealed himself, but why wouldn't he contact Jacob through telepathy? Perhaps it was to teach him a lesson that through all the divine struggle he has endured he can still be defeated. When he speaks of his life being preserved, it indicates the peoples of this lifetime had an innate fear of God and other divine entities, for they are far beyond our existence and power. It seems all cultures have a great fear of the divine beings guiding them, this puzzles me as why should someone fear their protector? The only clear answer is the protector administers discipline in a subtle way, through protection and mercy but also punishment and example making.
-Samuel Brown
"Fear not, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great." (71)
ReplyDeleteThis quote is from the first page of Abraham: A Promise, a Test. The Lord tells Abram to leave his native land and in return, he will receive great things. After Abram takes his wife, nephew, and all of his possesions and leaves his home, the Lord promises to deliver Abram's reward. When the Lord says, "Your reward shall be very great," he is justifying his choice for Abram to move away; his motivation is that in return for this very difficult task, Abram will be greatly rewarded. Also, when the Lord says, "...I am a sheild to you," it reveales that the Hebrews who wrote this story originally viewed the Lord as a something like a shield; they saw him as someone who would be protect you if you obeyed him.
-Kevin Manning
"'I will return to you at the same season next year, and Sarah shall have a son.' Sarah lied, saying 'I did not laugh,' for she was frightened," (74).
ReplyDeleteThis is a quote from Abraham: A Promise, a Test, spoken by one of the travelers (who is really God). He announces that Sarah will have a child, even though she and Abraham are very old and Sarah laughs, not believing him. When the traveler questions why she laughed, she is frightened because he heard her when he should not have been able to, which proves to her that this is actually God.
This shows that at first, Sarah seems to question her faith, since she does not believe what God says. However when God confronts her about this her faith is restored. This is evident because it says she was frightened, meaning that she realized that she was in fact speaking to God and deeply regretted questioning him.
This is a scenario that can be applied to many people who follow any religion. They may begin as being very faithful, but something happens that makes them waver and they question their faith. Later they may come to a realization or awakening that restores their faith in their religion, like Sarah when she really did conceive a child just as God had told her.
~Katie Chute
Isaac, in Jacob: In Pursuit of Blessing, says the following to Jacob, deceived into thinking it is Esau:
ReplyDelete“Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow to you;
Be master over your brothers,
And let your mother’s sons bow to you” (86).
Jacob is blessed by his father, Isaac, who believes he is actually blessing his favored son, Esau. Before he dies, he gives Jacob this blessing of being masterful and venerated. When he says “be master over your brothers” he is regarding not only Jacob, but also kinsmen and people of the nation as brothers. Since Esau was the first-born twin, and he claims the birthright, he has the privilege to become the principal heir and head of the family (though he eventually sells it to Jacob). Therefore, when Isaac tells his son, “let your mother’s sons bow to you” he is regarding Jacob now, who is younger and must yield to Esau. He also says “let peoples serve you” which refers to having enough power that he could essentially sit back and relax while others did work for him.
This demonstrates how the ancient Hebrew culture valued the power of men. Here, it is evident that aside from the belief that men were masterful over women, certain men were also masterful over other men, and the ultimate symbol of this masterfulness was bowing. If one man had other men bowing to him, he was surely blessed by God, and others had to yield to and obey him. This being a part of Isaac’s blessing shows that one of the ultimate achievements of men in ancient Hebrew culture was to achieve a level of supremacy, which brings that person closer to the status of God. Rebekah's eagerness for Jacob to receive this very blessing also demonstrates how privileged one was to receive such a blessing from a father, the revered head of the household.
~*Priscilla Sena*~
"Take your gear, you quiver and bow, and go out into the open and hunt me some game. Then prepare a dish for me such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my innermost blessing before I die"(85)
ReplyDeleteThis passage is from Jacob: In Pursuit of Blessing. Here, Isaac is telling his first born son, Esau, to hunt something and make him one of his last meals. In return, he will give Esau his greatest blessing. It seems that Isaac prefers Esau because he can hunt. This is similar to The First Murder, where Abel's offering is preferred because it is made of meat. This shows one of the values of the nomadic culture the story came from. Hunting would have been a valued trait, as it would not be efficient to farm while moving frequently.
"'Abraham! Abraham!' And he answered, 'Here I am." And he said, "Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from me.'" (76)
ReplyDeleteThis is a passage from the end of Abraham: A Promise, a Test. Where Abraham is about to offer his own son up as a sacrifice for God on an altar he built. An angel then came down and said "Do not raise your hand against the boy..." And reassuring Abraham that he did not have to offer his own favorite son up towards god. This, ultimately was in fact the "test" that God had given Abraham, a test to find out if Abraham feared him or not. Abraham, of course, passed the test by not withholding his own son, in fear of God, hence why the angel had come down to stop Abraham. So in other words, by offering up your most valuable possessions for the well being of one's faith, one can show that they will go to the farthest lengths possible not just to prove fear, but also their trust and belief in God.
~Dan Digilio
"I will serve seven years for your younger daughter Rachel." Laban said, "Better that I give her to you than that I should give her to an outsider." (87)
ReplyDeleteThis passage demonstrates the way woman were treated during this time and how they were often objectified woman. After reading this part of the story it is clear to how degraded woman were and how they were handed off from their father to a husband. Laban gave Leah to Jacob, only Jacob wanted Rachel to be his wife so to solve the issue Laban gives Rachel to him as well. Today that would be considered out of the ordinary to have more than one spouse but in this culture it is not frond upon. Also this quote is in a conversation between Laban and Jacob and neither of the woman were included on the decision nor did they care what they thought.
Haley Hughes
The Lord God said:
ReplyDelete"Fear not Abram.
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great"
The vision that Abram saw on his way to building his own land in "Abraham: A Promise, A Test" is significant because it essentially shows how God acts towards humans. Although He punishes us, He is always there to watch over and protect us. First, God gives Abram the land to create his own empire. Then He tells Abram that He is a shield, which describes perfectly how God acts in relation to humans. He is a shield because He is strong, stable, a protection, and a forgiveness. Also, a shield fits to a person for maximum protection, and God does the same because everyone has their own relationship with him. Next God says to Abram that his rewards will be great. The reward that Abram asks for is children, to which God responds that his offspring will be equal to the amount of the stars in the sky. This says that ancient Hebrew culture valued children because thinking that someone could have an infinite amount of offspring shows the importance of the generations to them. Also it shows that the ancient Hebrews thought of God as a shield, because of the strong sense of protection they felt from Him.
Kaitlyn Labich
“Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land I will show you.” (71)
ReplyDeleteThis quote from “Abraham: A Promise, A Test” is a significant quote because the Lord is telling Abraham to drop everything he is doing now because he has a special covenant for him. The Lord wants to send Abraham and his wife, Sarah, to the land of Canaan. When Abraham heard the Lord tell him to leave his native land, he did as he was told, because the covenant said that the Lord promised to make his name great, a great nation, and how he will be a blessing. When I read this first sentence, it really stood out to me because the Lord is sharing great opportunity with Abraham, but this also shows that Abraham trusts the Lord in what he says and will act upon what he says. This showed that Abraham has full trust in the Lord and will seek any opportunity he opens for him.
~Kate Sears
"Two nations are in your womb,
ReplyDeleteTwo separate peoples shall issue from your body;
One people shall be mightier than the other, And the older shall server the younger."
This quote is from Jacob: In Pursuit of Blessing. By calling the two babies in her womb two nations it shows they will be important. It gives a sense they will be a big part of something since nations are what make up the entire world. It also shows that there will be conflict between the to just like there are conflicts between nations. With conflicts comes two opposing sides which foreshadow the parent's favoritism between each child (Father favorites Esau; Rebekah favors Jacob ). Each nation has the support of others like the Father and Mother supporting their favorites. It also can be interpreted as the support toward the end of the story as Jacob has his child, wives, and maids and Esau has the four hundred men.
When it is mentioned that one shall be mightier than the other, it foreshadows Jacob's blessing from the father gives him more power than Esau. Esau becomes jealous of this because now the youngest son withholds the support of the father and mother.This all leads back to God calling the two babies in the womb nations; the fight against each other for the power and support of others.
-Steph PIERCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxo
And Sarai said to Abram, "The wrong done me is your fault! I myself put my maid in your bosom; now that she see that she is pregnant, I am lowered in her esteem." (72-3)
ReplyDeleteThis quote is from Abraham; a promise, a test.
This quote shows Sarai's jealousy of Hagar being pregnant, because even though she gave Abram permission, and even urged him to conceive a child with her maid, she didn't truly realize what that meant until she saw that Hagar was pregnant with the child that she hadn't wanted to be born by her, not by her maid. I believe that it shows that in the culture that created the story, pregnancy was seen as something wonderful, and something to be envious of.
-James Massucco
"Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have no withheld your son, your favored one, from me." (76)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stands out to me because God is talking to Abraham and asking him to do the opposite of what he has already told him. Abraham knew that killing his own son was wrong, but he had so much faith in God and since God had told him it was what he had to do, he did it without really any hesitation. Because it is such a big thing to ask of somebody, giving up your own child to a spiritual master, God was not sure that Abraham would follow through. But seconds before Abraham almost fulfilled what he was asked, God stopped him because it's basically the thought that counts. Abraham proved that he was putting God first and that's all God needed to spare his son and be satisfied.
-Maddie
"Two nations are in your womb,
ReplyDeleteTwo seperate peoples shall issue from your body;
One people shall be mightier than the other, And the older shall serve
the younger." (84)
This quote, from Jacob: In Pursuit of Blessing, possesses a lot of symbolism that contributes too not only the story, but cultural aspects. The Lord refers to the children as nations in her womb. This shows that the children will a major part of the story, just as nations are of the world. The mightier child, Jacob, is almost like a more powerful nation, such as the U.S. today. The older one, Esua, was said to serve the younger one, also much like nations today. The qoute also foreshadows the conflicts between the brothers that are caused by jealously and hatred. The fact that one brother would overpower the other, would create a bad relationship. It seems to be a universal ratio of brothers that there is always the one who stands out, and the one who looks up to, or "serves", the other. This passage gives the idea that every child matters, and that every child can make a difference in a nation.
-Hannah