Covenants
Isaac, commanded by the Lord, leaves the famine-stricken land and returns to Hebron, dwelling apart from his son Esau, as he rebuilds his life in the footsteps of his father Abraham. In a divine encounter, the Lord promises Isaac a great blessing and the multiplication of his descendants, leading Isaac to renew his covenant with God and those around him. Amid tensions with Abimelech and the Philistines, Isaac strikes a peace deal but soon realizes the curse he believes is destined for his enemies, the Philistines. His proclamation foretells their utter destruction, a fate sealed in judgment and written on the heavenly tablets, as their name and seed are wiped from the earth.
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Genesis
42%
Jasher
8%
Jubilees
50%
Exposition
Jubilee: 45
Year: 2171
YHWH tells Isaac to return to Hebron
Jasher 28:16
Jacob returns to Hebron
Jasher 28:25
Rising Action
Year: 2172
Month: 1
Day: 1
Isaac goes to the Well of the Oath in Beersheba
Genesis 26:23
Jubilees 24:21
Climax
Day: 2
YHWH appears to Isaac
Genesis 26:24
Jubilees 24:22
Falling Action
Isaac built an altar and pitched his tent there
Genesis 26:25
Jubilees 24:23-24a
King Abimelech makes a covenant with Isaacv
Genesis 26:26-31
Isaac’s servants find water
Genesis 26:32
Jubilees 24:24b
Resolution
The well is given a name
Genesis 26:33
Jubilees 24:26
Another well is dug but water is not found
Jubilees 24:25
Isaac curses the Philistines
Jubilees 24:27-33
Jubilee: 45
Year: 2171
YHWH tells Isaac to return to Hebron
Jasher 28:16
16 And when the days of the famine had passed away the Lord appeared to Isaac and said unto him, Rise up, go forth from this place and return to thy land, to the land of Canaan; and Isaac rose up and returned to Hebron which is in the land of Canaan, he and all belonging to him as the Lord commanded him.
Jubilees 29:17, 19
17 For Isaac had returned from the Well of the Oath and gone up to the tower of his father Abraham, and he dwelt there apart from his son Esau.
19 And Isaac went up from the Well of the Oath and dwelt in the tower of Abraham his father on the mountains of Hebron,
Jacob returns to Hebron i
Jasher 28:25
25 And when Shem died Jacob returned to his father to Hebron which is in the land of Canaan.
Year: 2172
Month: 1
Day: 1
Isaac goes to the Well of the Oath in Beersheba
Genesis 26:23
23 And he went up from thence to Beersheba.
Jubilees 24:21
21 And he went up from thence to the Well of the Oath in the first year of the first week in the [2108 A.M.] forty-fourth jubilee.
Day: 2
YHWH appears to Isaac
Genesis 26:24
24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.
Jubilees 24:22
22 And the Lord appeared to him that night, on the new moon of the first month, and said unto him: ‘I am the God of Abraham thy father; fear not, for I am with thee, and shall bless thee and shall surely multiply thy seed as the sand of the earth, for the sake of Abraham my servant.’
Isaac built an altar and pitched his tent there
Genesis 26:25
25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.
Jubilees 24:23-24a
23 And he built an altar there, which Abraham his father had first built, and he called upon the name of the Lord, and he offered sacrifice to the God of Abraham his father.
24a And they digged a well
King Abimelech makes a covenant with Isaac
Genesis 26:26-31
26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.
27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?
28 And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;
29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.
30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.
31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
Isaac’s servants find water
Genesis 26:32
32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.
Jubilees 24:24b
24b and they found living water.
The well is given a name
Genesis 26:33
33 And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
Jubilees 24:26
26 And he called the name of that place the Well of the Oath; for there he had sworn to Abimelech and Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol the prefect Or his host.
Another well is dug but water is not found
Jubilees 24:25
25 And the servants of Isaac digged another well and did not find water, and they went and told Isaac that they had not found water, and Isaac said: ‘I have sworn this day to the Philistines and this thing has been announced to us.’
Isaac curses the Philistines
Jubilees 24:27-33
27 And Isaac knew that day that under constraint he had sworn to them to make peace with them.
28 And Isaac on that day cursed the Philistines and said: ‘Cursed be the Philistines unto the day of wrath and indignation from the midst of all nations; may God make them a derision and a curse and an object of wrath and indignation in the hands of the sinners the Gentiles and in the hands of the Kittim.
29 And whoever escapes the sword of the enemy and the Kittim, may the righteous nation root out in judgment from under heaven; for they shall be the enemies and foes of my children throughout their generations upon the earth.
30 And no remnant shall be left to them, Nor one that shall be saved on the day of the wrath of judgment; For destruction and rooting out and expulsion from the earth is the whole seed of the Philistines (reserved), And there shall no longer be left for these Caphtorim a name or a seed on the earth.
31 For though he ascend unto heaven, Thence shall he be brought down, And though he make himself strong on earth, Thence shall he be dragged forth, And though he hide himself amongst the nations, Even from thence shall he be rooted out; And though he descend into Sheol, There also shall his condemnation be great, And there also he shall have no peace.
32 And if he go into captivity, By the hands of those that seek his life shall they slay him on the way, And neither name nor seed shall be left to him on all the earth; For into eternal malediction shall he depart.’
33 And thus is it written and engraved concerning him on the heavenly tablets, to do unto him on the day of judgment, so that he may be rooted out of the earth.
Notes
i
The return of Jacob to Hebron was challenging to place. Jasher 28:25 says that Jacob returned to his father in Hebron after Shem died, however, Isaac was in Gerar then. It wouldn’t be until 2172 that Isaac would return to Hebron which is 13 years after the death of Shem. So, I’ve placed the return of Jacob after the famine ended.
Exposition
Jubilee: 45
Year: 2171
YHWH tells Isaac to return to Hebron
Jasher 28:16
When the days of the famine were over, the Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Get up, leave this place, and return to your land—the land of Canaan.” So Isaac got up from the Well of the Oath and returned to Hebron, which is in the land of Canaan, taking with him everything he owned, just as the Lord had commanded. He settled there near the tower of his father Abraham, living apart from his son Esau, in the mountains of Hebron.
Jacob returns to Hebron
Jasher 28:25
After Shem died, Jacob returned to his father in Hebron, which is in the land of Canaan.
Rising Action
Year: 2172
Month: 1
Day: 1
Isaac goes to the Well of the Oath in Beersheba
Genesis 26:23
Jubilees 24:21
In the 1st year of the 1st week in the 44th jubilee, Isaac went up from there to the Well of the Oath (Beersheba).
Climax
Day: 2
YHWH appears to Isaac
Genesis 26:24
Jubilees 24:22
That night, on the new moon of the 1st month, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants like the sand of the earth, for the sake of Abraham my servant.”
Falling Action
Isaac built an altar and pitched his tent there
Genesis 26:25
Jubilees 24:23-24a
Isaac built an altar there—the same one his father Abraham had originally built. He pitched his tent there, called on the name of the Lord, and offered a sacrifice to the God of his father Abraham. They also dug a well.
King Abimelech makes a covenant with Isaac
Genesis 26:26-31
Then Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, along with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol, the commander of his army. Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and sent me away from you?”
They replied, “We clearly saw that the LORD is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us—between you and us—and let us make a covenant with you. You will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you. We have done only good to you and sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.’”
So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank. The next morning, they got up early and swore an oath to each other. Isaac then sent them on their way, and they left in peace.
Isaac’s servants find water
Genesis 26:32
Jubilees 24:24b
That same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We have found water.”
Resolution
The well is given a name
Genesis 26:33
Jubilees 24:26
Isaac named that place the Well of the Oath (Shebah/Beersheba), because it was there that he had sworn the oath with Abimelech, Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the commander of his army.
Another well is dug but water is not found
Jubilees 24:25
Isaac’s servants dug another well but didn’t find any water. They went and told Isaac, “We didn’t find water.” Isaac said, “I swore today to the Philistines, and this has now been revealed to us.”
Isaac curses the Philistines
Jubilees 24:27-33
That day, Isaac realized that he had sworn under pressure to make peace with the Philistines. So he cursed them and said:
“Cursed be the Philistines until the day of wrath and indignation, from among all the nations. May God make them an object of ridicule, a curse, and a target of wrath and fury at the hands of sinful Gentiles and the Kittim. And whoever escapes the sword of the enemy and the Kittim, may a righteous nation root out in judgment from under heaven. They will be the enemies and adversaries of my children throughout their generations on the earth.
No remnant of them will remain; none will be saved on the day of wrath and judgment. Total destruction, uprooting, and expulsion from the earth is what the entire seed of the Philistines is destined for. No name or offspring will remain on earth for the Caphtorim. Even if one ascends to heaven, he will be brought down. If he strengthens himself on the earth, he will be dragged out. If he hides among the nations, he will be uprooted even from there. If he descends into Sheol, his condemnation will be great, and he will find no peace even there.
If he goes into captivity, those seeking his life will kill him along the way. Neither name nor offspring will remain for him anywhere on earth. He will depart into eternal damnation.”
And so it is written and engraved about him on the heavenly tablets, to be carried out on the day of judgment, so that he will be completely removed from the earth.