Interesting Facts

• Serah was the daughter of Hadurah from her first marriage to Malkiel before Hadurah married Asher.
• She was brought into Jacob’s household at the age of three when her mother married Asher.
• Serah is described as a “very good and subtle” damsel who knew how to play the harp.
• She played a crucial role in informing Jacob that his son Joseph was alive and ruling in Egypt through a song accompanied by her harp.
• Jacob blessed Serah for reviving his spirit with her news, wishing that death would never prevail over her .

Genealogy

• Serah’s mother was Hadurah, who was the daughter of Abimael, the son of Eber, the son of Shem.
• Her father was Malkiel, the son of Elam, the son of Shem.
• After Malkiel’s death, her mother Hadurah married Asher, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, making Jacob her step-grandfather.
• Through her mother’s marriage to Asher, Serah had four half-brothers: Yimnah, Yishvah, Yishvi, and Beriah.
• She is listed as the sister of Asher’s sons who went down to Egypt.

Historical Context

Serah’s early life was situated in the land of Canaan, within the household of Jacob, following her mother’s marriage to Asher. The cultural context emphasized familial ties and the importance of lineage. The narrative highlights Serah’s presence within Jacob’s extended family. Later in her life, a significant event was the apparent loss of Joseph, which deeply grieved Jacob. In this context of mourning, Serah’s role in bringing news of Joseph’s survival in Egypt becomes particularly meaningful. Her ability to communicate this news in a way that Jacob could believe and find solace suggests a culture where oral tradition and perhaps musical expression played a role in transmitting important information and emotions. The subsequent journey of Jacob and his entire household to Egypt due to famine and Joseph’s provision would have been a major historical shift during her lifetime.

Narrative

Serah’s narrative within the selected sources centers around a pivotal moment in the Jacob saga: the revelation that Joseph was alive. When Jacob’s sons returned from Egypt, hesitant and unsure how to break the news of their encounter with Joseph, who they believed was an Egyptian ruler, they enlisted Serah’s help. Her role was not one of direct confrontation or explanation but rather a subtle communication through music and song . She played the harp and sang words conveying that “Joseph my uncle is living, and he ruleth throughout the land of Egypt, and is not dead” . This method of revealing the truth proved effective as Jacob listened to her repeatedly, and “joy entered the heart of Jacob at the sweetness of her words, and the spirit of God was upon him, and he knew all her words to be true” . Serah’s action not only brought immense relief to Jacob but also facilitated the eventual reunion of the entire family in Egypt. Her character, as depicted in this episode, is marked by her skill, her subtlety, and her positive impact on the family’s emotional state, leading to a blessing from Jacob himself . While her presence is limited to this specific event, her contribution is significant in moving the overarching narrative forward from a state of grief and uncertainty to one of hope and eventual reconciliation.