Foreshadowing
GENESIS
16%
JASHER
7%
JUBILEES
77%
Exposition
J: 46 | Y: 2214 | M: 6 | D: 1 | YHWH asks Jacob to dwell in Bethel
Genesis 35:1, Jasher 36:1
Jacob tells his household to remove all of their strange gods and Jacob buries them in Shechem
Genesis 35:2-4, Jubilees 31:1-2
The surrounding cities are terrified by the sons of Jacob
Genesis 35:5, Jubilees 30:26
M: 7 | D: 1 | Jacob and his household arrive in Bethel where he builds an altar
Genesis 35:6-7, Jasher 36:2-3, Jubilees 31:3
Rising Action
D: 13 | Jacob, Levi, and Judah visit with Isaac
Jubilees 31:4-11
Climax
Isaac prophesies over Levi
Jubilees 31:12-17
Isaac prophesies over Judah
Jubilees 31:18-21
Falling Action
Levi and Judah sleep to Isaac’s right and left
Jubilees 31:22-23
Jacob tells Isaac the things that have happened and Isaac blesses YHWH
Jubilees 31:24-25
In the morning Jacob tells Isaac about the vow he made in Bethel
Jubilees 31:26
Isaac can’t be a part of the sacrifice but allows Rebekah to go
Jubilees 31:27-30
Resolution
Jacob reflects on the blessing of Isaac
Jubilees 31:31-32
Jubilee: 46
Year: 2214
Month: 6
Day: 1
YHWH asks Jacob to dwell in Betheli
Genesis 35:1
1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.
Jasher 36:1
1 At that time the Lord appeared unto Jacob saying, Arise, go to Bethel and remain there, and make there an altar to the Lord who appeareth unto thee, who delivered thee and thy sons from affliction.
Jacob tells his household to remove all of their strange gods and Jacob buries them in Shechem
Genesis 35:2
2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
Jubilees 31:1
1 And on the new moon of the month Jacob spake to all the people of his house. saying: ‘Purify yourselves and change your garments, and let us arise and go up to Bethel, where I vowed a vow to Him on the day when I fled from the face of Esau my brother, because he has been with me and brought me into this land in peace, and put ye away the strange gods that are among you.’
Genesis 35:3
3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
Genesis 35:4
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
Jubilees 31:2
2 And they gave up the strange gods and that which was in their ears and which was on their necks and the idols which Rachel stole from Laban her father she gave wholly to Jacob. And he burnt and brake them to pieces and destroyed them, and hid them under an oak which is in the land of Shechem.
The surrounding cities are terrified by the sons of Jacob
Genesis 35:5
5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
Jubilees 30:26
26 And the dread of the Lord was upon all the cities which are around about Shechem, and they did not rise to pursue after the sons of Jacob; for terror had fallen upon them.
Month: 7
Day: 1
Jacob and his household arrive in Bethel where he builds an altarii
Genesis 35:6
6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.
Jasher 36:2
2 And Jacob rose up with his sons and all belonging to him, and they went and came to Bethel according to the word of the Lord.
Genesis 35:7
7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
Jasher 36:3
3 And Jacob was ninety-nine years old when he went up to Bethel, and Jacob and his sons and all the people that were with him, remained in Bethel in Luz, and he there built an altar to the Lord who appeared unto him, and Jacob and his sons remained in Bethel six months.
Jubilees 31:3
3 And he went up on the new moon of the seventh month to Bethel. And he built an altar at the place where he had slept, and he set up a pillar there, and he sent word to his father Isaac to come to him to his sacrifice, and to his mother Rebecca.
Day: 13
Jacob, Levi, and Judah visit with Isaac
Jubilees 31:4-11
4 And Isaac said: ‘Let my son Jacob come, and let me see him before I die.’
5 And Jacob went to his father Isaac and to his mother Rebecca, to the house of his father Abraham, and he took two of his sons with him, Levi and Judah, and he came to his father Isaac and to his mother Rebecca.
6 And Rebecca came forth from the tower to the front of it to kiss Jacob and embrace him; for her spirit had revived when she heard: ‘Behold Jacob thy son has come’; and she kissed him.
7 And she saw his two sons, and she recognised them, and said unto him: ‘Are these thy sons, my son?’ and she embraced them and kissed them, and blessed them, saying: ‘In you shall the seed of Abraham become illustrious, and ye shall prove a blessing on the earth.’
8 And Jacob went in to Isaac his father, to the chamber where he lay, and his two sons were with him, and he took the hand of his father, and stooping down he kissed him, and Isaac clung to the neck of Jacob his son, and wept upon his neck.
9 And the darkness left the eyes of Isaac, and he saw the two sons of Jacob, Levi, and Judah, and he said: ‘Are these thy sons, my son? for they are like thee.’
10 And he said unto him that they were truly his sons: ‘And thou hast truly seen that they are truly my sons’.
11 And they came near to him, and he turned and kissed them and embraced them both together.
Isaac prophesies over Levi
Jubilees 31:12-17
12 And the spirit of prophecy came down into his mouth, and he took Levi by his right hand and Judah by his left.
13 And he turned to Levi first, and began to bless him first, and said unto him: May the God of all, the very Lord of all the ages, bless thee and thy children throughout all the ages.
14 And may the Lord give to thee and to thy seed greatness and great glory, and cause thee and thy seed, from among all flesh, to approach Him to serve in His sanctuary as the angels of the presence and as the holy ones. (Even) as they, shall the seed of thy sons be for glory and greatness and holiness, and may He make them great unto all the ages.
15 And they shall be judges and princes, and chiefs of all the seed of the sons of Jacob; They shall speak the word of the Lord in righteousness, And they shall judge all His judgments in righteousness. And they shall declare My ways to Jacob And My paths to Israel. The blessing of the Lord shall be given in their mouths To bless all the seed of the beloved.
16 Thy mother has called thy name Levi, And justly has she called thy name; Thou shalt be joined to the Lord And be the companion of all the sons of Jacob; Let His table be thine, And do thou and thy sons eat thereof; And may thy table be full unto all generations, And thy food fail not unto all the ages.
17 And let all who hate thee fall down before thee, And let all thy adversaries be rooted out and perish; And blessed be he that blesses thee, And cursed be every nation that curses thee.’
Isaac prophesies over Judah
Jubilees 31:18-21
18 And to Judah he said: ‘May the Lord give thee strength and power To tread down all that hate thee; A prince shalt thou be, thou and one of thy sons, over the sons of Jacob; May thy name and the name of thy sons go forth and traverse every land and region. Then shall the Gentiles fear before thy face, And all the nations shall quake [And all the peoples shall quake].
19 In thee shall be the help of Jacob, And in thee be found the salvation of Israel.
20 And when thou sittest on the throne of honour of thy righteousness There shall be great peace for all the seed of the sons of the beloved; Blessed be he that blesseth thee, And all that hate thee and afflict thee and curse thee Shall be rooted out and destroyed from the earth and be accursed.’
21 And turning he kissed him again and embraced him, and rejoiced greatly; for he had seen the sons of Jacob his son in very truth.
Levi and Judah sleep to Isaac’s right and left
Jubilees 31:22-23
22 And he went forth from between his feet and fell down and bowed down to him, and he blessed them and rested there with Isaac his father that night, and they eat and drank with joy.
23 And he made the two sons of Jacob sleep, the one on his right hand and the other on his left, and it was counted to him for righteousness.
Jacob tells Isaac the things that have happened and Isaac blesses YHWH
Jubilees 31:24-25
24 And Jacob told his father everything during the night, how the Lord had shown him great mercy, and how he had prospered (him in) all his ways, and protected him from all evil.
25 And Isaac blessed the God of his father Abraham, who had not withdrawn his mercy and his righteousness from the sons of his servant Isaac.
In the morning Jacob tells Isaac about the vow he made in Bethel
Jubilees 31:26
26 And in the morning Jacob told his father Isaac the vow which he had vowed to the Lord, and the vision which he had seen, and that he had built an altar, and that everything was ready for the sacrifice to be made before the Lord as he had vowed, and that he had come to set him on an ass.
Isaac can’t be a part of the sacrifice but allows Rebekah to goiii
Jubilees 31:27-30
27 And Isaac said unto Jacob his son: ‘I am not able to go with thee; for I am old and not able to bear the way: go, my son, in peace; for I am one hundred and sixty-five years this day; I am no longer able to journey; set thy mother (on an ass) and let her go with thee.
28 And I know, my son, that thou hast come on my account, and may this day be blessed on which thou hast seen me alive, and I also have seen thee, my son.
29 Mayest thou prosper and fulfil the vow which thou hast vowed; and put not off thy vow; for thou shalt be called to account as touching the vow; now therefore make haste to perform it, and may He be pleased who has made all things, to whom thou hast vowed the vow.’
30 And he said to Rebecca: ‘Go with Jacob thy son’; and Rebecca went with Jacob her son, and Deborah with her, and they came to Bethel.
Jacob reflects on the blessing of Isaac
Jubilees 31:31-32
31 And Jacob remembered the prayer with which his father had blessed him and his two sons, Levi and Judah, and he rejoiced and blessed the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac.
32 And he said: ‘Now I know that I have an eternal hope, and my sons also, before the God of all’; and thus is it ordained concerning the two; and they record it as an eternal testimony unto them on the heavenly tablets how Isaac blessed them.
i. Month 6 is chosen because it’s the month before month 7 mentioned in Jubilees 31:3. It’s also within 60 days of Jacob moving to Shechem and the events surrounding the defilement of Dinah.
ii. Because Jasher 31:21, which states that Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born even though he was actually 96, is off by 5 years, Jasher 36:3 is off by 6 years making Jacob 105 years old. Also, Jubilees 31:27 states that Isaac is 165 years old during this time.
iii. Jubilees 31:3 states that this event occurs in the 7th month of this year. Jubilees 16:13 states that Isaac was born in the 3rd month in the middle of the month. Therefore, we should not conclude that today is Isaac’s birthday as he is 165 years and 4 months old.
Exposition
J: 46 | Y: 2214 | M: 6 | D: 1 | YHWH asks Jacob to dwell in Bethel
Genesis 35:1, Jasher 36:1
Jacob tells his household to remove all of their strange gods and Jacob buries them in Shechem
Genesis 35:2-4, Jubilees 31:1-2
The surrounding cities are terrified by the sons of Jacob
Genesis 35:5, Jubilees 30:26
M: 7 | D: 1 | Jacob and his household arrive in Bethel where he builds an altar
Genesis 35:6-7, Jasher 36:2-3, Jubilees 31:3
Rising Action
D: 13 | Jacob, Levi, and Judah visit with Isaac
Jubilees 31:4-11
Climax
Isaac prophesies over Levi
Jubilees 31:12-17
Isaac prophesies over Judah
Jubilees 31:18-21
Falling Action
Levi and Judah sleep to Isaac’s right and left
Jubilees 31:22-23
Jacob tells Isaac the things that have happened and Isaac blesses YHWH
Jubilees 31:24-25
In the morning Jacob tells Isaac about the vow he made in Bethel
Jubilees 31:26
Isaac can’t be a part of the sacrifice but allows Rebekah to go
Jubilees 31:27-30
Resolution
Jacob reflects on the blessing of Isaac
Jubilees 31:31-32
This chart shows who was alive in years 2214-2219.
Years with question marks are estimates.