Uncovered
(1-minute read)
In a storm of forbidden desire and betrayal, Reuben, driven by jealousy for his mother Leah, succumbs to temptation and secretly lies with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. Bilhah awakes in horror, discovering her violator is none other than Reuben, her shame sealed in silence. Jacob, upon learning of his son’s grievous sin, is consumed with rage, casting Reuben into disgrace and severing ties with Bilhah forever. This act of profound defilement shakes the moral order, prompting divine wrath and eternal decrees of death for those who dare commit such an unholy transgression.
Major Characters
Minor Characters
Insignificant Characters
GENESIS
24%
JASHER
24%
JUBILEES
52%
Exposition
J: 46 | Y: 2214 | M: 10 | D: 2 | Reuben lusts for Bilhah
Jubilees 33:2
Rising Action
Reuben visits Bilhah in secret
Jubilees 33:3
Climax
Reuben sleeps with Bilhah
Genesis 35:22a, Jasher 36:14, Jubilees 33:4-6
Falling Action
Bilhah tells Jacob what happened
Jubilees 33:7-9
Resolution
The law concerning sleeping with your father’s wife ordained on the heavenly tablets
Jubilees 33:10-20
Reuben’s birthright is given to Joseph, the kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi
Jasher 36:15
A recollection of the sons of Jacob and their mothers
Genesis 35:22b-26, Jasher 36:16-18, Jubilees 33:22
Y: 2216 | Jacob and his family dwell in Hebron
Genesis 35:27, Jasher 36:19, Jubilees 33:21, 23
Esau dwells in the land of Seir
Jasher 36:20, 28
Y: 2213-2219 | Eliphaz’s children born
Genesis 36:11-12, 15-16, Jasher 36:23a, 36:27b
Jubilee: 46
Year: 2214
Month: 10
Day: 2
Reuben lusts for Bilhah
Jubilees 33:2
2 And Reuben saw Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, the concubine of his father, bathing in water in a secret place, and he loved her.
Reuben visits Bilhah in secret
Jubilees 33:3
3 And he hid himself at night, and he entered the house of Bilhah [at night], and he found her sleeping alone on a bed in her house.
Reuben sleeps with Bilhah
Genesis 35:22a
22a And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it.
Jasher 36:14
14 And Reuben was jealous for his mother Leah on account of this, and he was filled with anger, and he rose up in his anger and went and entered the tent of Bilhah and he thence removed his father’s bed.
Jubilees 33:4
4 And he lay with her, and she awoke and saw, and behold Reuben was lying with her in the bed, and she uncovered the border of her covering and seized him, and cried out, and discovered that it was Reuben.
Jubilees 33:5-6
5 And she was ashamed because of him, and released her hand from him, and he fled.
6 And she lamented because of this thing exceedingly, and did not tell it to any one.
Bilhah tells Jacob what happened
Jubilees 33:7-9
7 And when Jacob returned and sought her, she said unto him: ‘I am not clean for thee, for I have been defiled as regards thee; for Reuben has defiled me, and has lain with me in the night, and I was asleep, and did not discover until he uncovered my skirt and slept with me.’
8 And Jacob was exceedingly wroth with Reuben because he had lain with Bilhah, because he had uncovered his father’s skirt.
9 And Jacob did not approach her again because Reuben had defiled her. And as for any man who uncovers his father’s skirt his deed is wicked exceedingly, for he is abominable before the Lord.
The law concerning sleeping with your father’s wife ordained on the heavenly tablets
Jubilees 33:10-20
10 For this reason it is written and ordained on the heavenly tablets that a man should not lie with his father’s wife, and should not uncover his father’s skirt, for this is unclean: they shall surely die together, the man who lies with his father’s wife and the woman also, for they have wrought uncleanness on the earth.
11 And there shall be nothing unclean before our God in the nation which He has chosen for Himself as a possession.
12 And again, it is written a second time: ‘Cursed be he who lieth with the wife of his father, for he hath uncovered his father’s shame’; and all the holy ones of the Lord said ‘So be it; so be it.’
13 And do thou, Moses, command the children of Israel that they observe this word; for it (entails) a punishment of death; and it is unclean, and there is no atonement for ever to atone for the man who has committed this, but he is to be put to death and slain, and stoned with stones, and rooted out from the midst of the people of our God.
14 For to no man who does so in Israel is it permitted to remain alive a single day on the earth, for he is abominable and unclean.
15 And let them not say: to Reuben was granted life and forgiveness after he had lain with his father’s concubine, and to her also though she had a husband, and her husband Jacob, his father, was still alive.
16 For until that time there had not been revealed the ordinance and judgment and law in its completeness for all, but in thy days (it has been revealed) as a law of seasons and of days, and an everlasting law for the everlasting generations.
17 And for this law there is no consummation of days, and no atonement for it, but they must both be rooted out in the midst of the nation: on the day whereon they committed it they shall slay them.
18 And do thou, Moses, write (it) down for Israel that they may observe it, and do according to these words, and not commit a sin unto death; for the Lord our God is judge, who respects not persons and accepts not gifts.
19 And tell them these words of the covenant, that they may hear and observe, and be on their guard with respect to them, and not be destroyed and rooted out of the land; for an uncleanness, and an abomination, and a contamination, and a pollution are all they who commit it on the earth before our God.
20 And there is no greater sin than the fornication which they commit on earth; for Israel is a holy nation unto the Lord its God, and a nation of inheritance, and a priestly and royal nation and for (His own) possession; and there shall no such uncleanness appear in the midst of the holy nation.
Reuben’s birthright is given to Joseph, the kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi
Jasher 36:15
15 At that time the portion of birthright, together with the kingly and priestly offices, was removed from the sons of Reuben, for he had profaned his father’s bed, and the birthright was given unto Joseph, the kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood unto Levi, because Reuben had defiled his father’s bed.
A recollection of the sons of Jacob and their mothers
Genesis 35:22b
22b Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
Jasher 36:16
16 And these are the generations of Jacob who were born to him in Padan-aram, and the sons of Jacob were twelve.
Genesis 35:23-26
23 The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:
24 The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:
25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:
26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid: Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.
Jasher 36:17-18
17 The sons of Leah were Reuben the first born, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and their sister Dinah; and the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
18 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, were Gad and Asher, and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, were Dan and Naphtali; these are the sons of Jacob which were born to him in Padan-aram.
Jubilees 33:22
22 And these were the names of the sons of Jacob: the first-born Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, the sons of Leah; and the sons of Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin; and the sons of Bilhah, Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah, Gad and Asher; and Dinah, the daughter of Leah, the only daughter of Jacob.
Year: 2216
Jacob and his family dwell in Hebron
Genesis 35:27
27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
Jasher 36:19
19 And Jacob and his sons and all belonging to him journeyed and came to Mamre, which is Kireath-arba, that is in Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned, and Jacob with his sons and all belonging to him, dwelt with his father in Hebron.
Jubilees 33:21
21 And in the third year of this sixth week [2145 A.M.] Jacob and all his sons went and dwelt in the house of Abraham, near Isaac his father and Rebecca his mother.
Jubilees 33:23
23 And they came and bowed themselves to Isaac and Rebecca, and when they saw them they blessed Jacob and all his sons, and Isaac rejoiced exceedingly, for he saw the sons of Jacob, his younger son and he blessed them.
Esau dwells in the land of Seir
Jasher 36:20
20 And his brother Esau and his sons, and all belonging to him went to the land of Seir and dwelt there, and had possessions in the land of Seir, and the children of Esau were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land of Seir.
Jasher 36:38
38 And Esau and his children dwelt in the land of Seir the Horite, the inhabitant of the land, and they had possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly, and Jacob and his children and all belonging to them, dwelt with their father Isaac in the land of Canaan, as the Lord had commanded Abraham their father.
Year: 2213-2219
Eliphaz’s children borni
Genesis 36:11-12
11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.
12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau’s wife.
Genesis 36:15-16
15 These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,
16 Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah.
Jasher 36:23a
23a These are the children of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan; and the sons of Eliphaz the son of Esau were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz and Amalex,
Jasher 36:27b
27b that is Timna who came to Jacob and his sons, and they would not give ear to her, and she went and became a concubine to Eliphaz the son of Esau, and she bare to him Amalek.
i. It seems like Duke Korah doesn’t belong in the Genesis 36:16 list.
(10-minute read)
Exposition
J: 46 | Y: 2214 | M: 10 | D: 2 | Reuben lusts for Bilhah
Jubilees 33:2
Reuben saw Bilhah, Rachel’s maid and his father’s concubine, bathing in a hidden place, and he became infatuated with her
Rising Action
Reuben visits Bilhah in secret
Jubilees 33:3
That night, he secretly hid himself and went into Bilhah’s house, where he found her asleep alone on her bed.
Climax
Reuben sleeps with Bilhah
Genesis 35:22a, Jasher 36:14, Jubilees 33:4-6
After Israel had settled in the land beyond Migdal Eder, Reuben, out of jealousy for his mother Leah, became furious and slept with Bilhah, thereby violating his father’s bed. She woke up and saw Reuben lying next to her. She pulled back the edge of her covering, grabbed him, and screamed when she realized it was Reuben. Ashamed because of what had happened, she let him go, and he fled. She grieved deeply over what had occurred but didn’t tell anyone.
Falling Action
Bilhah tells Jacob what happened
Jubilees 33:7-9
When Jacob returned and sought her, she told him, “I am not clean for you, for I have been defiled in relation to you. Reuben defiled me—he lay with me in the night while I was asleep. I didn’t realize until he uncovered my skirt and slept with me.”
Jacob was furious with Reuben for sleeping with Bilhah, as it meant he had uncovered his father’s nakedness. After that, Jacob never approached Bilhah again because she had been defiled by Reuben.
Any man who uncovers his father’s skirt commits a deeply wicked act and is detestable before the Lord.
Resolution
The law concerning sleeping with your father’s wife ordained on the heavenly tablets
Jubilees 33:10-20
This is why it’s written and commanded on the heavenly tablets that no man should sleep with his father’s wife or uncover his father’s skirt. It is unclean, and they must both be put to death—the man who lies with her and the woman—for they have brought impurity into the world.
There must be nothing unclean among the people that God has chosen as His own possession. And again, it is written: “Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, for he has uncovered his father’s shame,” and all the holy ones of the Lord responded, “So be it; so be it.”
And you, Moses, must command the children of Israel to keep this law, because it carries the punishment of death. It is unclean, and there is no forgiveness—ever—for anyone who commits this sin. He must be put to death, stoned, and removed from among the people of God. No one in Israel who does such a thing is allowed to live even a single day, because he is detestable and unclean.
And they must not say, “Reuben was allowed to live and was forgiven after he slept with his father’s concubine, and she was forgiven too, even though she had a husband and Jacob, her husband, was still alive.”
Because at that time, the full law, judgment, and commandment had not yet been revealed to everyone. But in your days, it has been revealed as a law of appointed times and seasons—an everlasting law for all future generations. There will be no end to the enforcement of this law and no atonement for it. Both must be cut off from among the people on the same day they commit the act—they must be executed.
So you, Moses, must write this law down for Israel so they can follow it and avoid committing a sin that leads to death. The Lord our God is a just judge. He does not show favoritism and does not accept bribes. Tell them these words of the covenant so they may hear, obey, and be careful to avoid destruction and being removed from the land. For anyone who does such things is unclean, detestable, corrupt, and defiled in the eyes of our God.
There is no greater sin than this type of fornication committed on earth. Israel is a holy nation, chosen by the Lord, His inheritance—a priestly and royal people for His own possession. Such impurity must never be found among the holy nation.
Reuben’s birthright is given to Joseph, the kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi
Jasher 36:15
Because Reuben had defiled his father’s bed, the birthright along with the kingly and priestly roles were taken from the sons of Reuben. The birthright was given to Joseph, the kingship to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi.
A recollection of the sons of Jacob and their mothers
Genesis 35:22b-26, Jasher 36:16-18, Jubilees 33:22
These are the children born to Jacob in Padan-aram—he had 12 sons.
The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid: Dan and Naphtali.
The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid: Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob, born to him in Padan-aram.
Y: 2216 | Jacob and his family dwell in Hebron
Genesis 35:27, Jasher 36:19, Jubilees 33:21, 23
In the 3rd year of the 6th week, Jacob, his sons, and everyone with him traveled to Mamre, which is Kireath-arba, in Hebron—the place where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. Jacob and all with him settled there with Isaac and Rebekah. When they arrived, they bowed before Isaac and Rebekah. Upon seeing them, Isaac and Rebekah blessed Jacob and all his sons. Isaac was overjoyed to see Jacob’s children and he blessed them.
Esau dwells in the land of Seir
Jasher 36:20, 28
Esau, his sons, and everyone with him went to the land of Seir and settled there. They acquired possessions in Seir and multiplied greatly. The children of Esau became very numerous in the land of Seir the Horite. Meanwhile, Jacob, his children, and all who were with them stayed with Isaac in the land of Canaan, just as the Lord had commanded their father Abraham.
Y: 2213-2219 | Eliphaz’s children born
Genesis 36:11-12, 15-16, Jasher 36:23a, 36:27b
The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
Timna was Eliphaz’s concubine—she had previously come to Jacob and his sons, but they refused to listen to her. She gave birth to Amalek (also called Amalex) for Eliphaz. These were the children of Adah, Esau’s wife.
These are the dukes who came from the sons of Esau. From Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn, came: Duke Teman, Duke Omar, Duke Zepho, Duke Kenaz, Duke Korah, Duke Gatam, and Duke Amalek. These were the dukes descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom, all sons of Adah.
This chart shows who was alive in the years 2214-2218.