Mutuality
(1-minute read)
In a powerful final testament, Rebecca commands Jacob to uphold honor and love, even as she foretells her own death. Despite Esau’s bitter heart, she begs Isaac to protect Jacob from his wrath, igniting an emotional reckoning between father and sons. As Isaac approaches his own death, he imparts a lasting legacy to his family, calling for unity and adherence to divine covenant, blessing Jacob’s future and warning of judgment against betrayal. In a climactic farewell, Isaac dies, honored as kings are, while Jacob and Esau lay him to rest, united in grief, before facing their separate fates.
Major Characters
Minor Characters
Insignificant Characters
GENESIS
2%
JASHER
40%
JUBILEES
58%
Exposition
J: 46 | Y: 2228 | Rebekah asks Jacob to honor Isaac and Ishmael
Jubilees 35:1-6a
Rising Action
Rebekah tells Jacob she will die this year
Jubilees 35:6b-8
Rebekah pleads with Isaac on behalf of Jacob concerning Esau
Jubilees 35:9-17
Rebekah gives Esau her burial instructions and tells him to love his brother
Jubilees 35:18-24
Jacob also agrees to love his brother
Jubilees 35:25-26
Rebekah died and was buried in Machpelah
Jasher 36:5-6, Jubilees 35:27
Laban killed by YHWH
Jasher 36:7
Climax
Y: 2229 | Isaac calls Esau and Jacob to return to him
Jasher 47:1-3, Jubilees 36:1a
Isaac gives his sons burial instructions
Jubilees 36:1b-2
Isaac blesses his grandsons
Jasher 47:4-8, Jubilees 36:3-16
They all celebrate a final meal with Isaac
Jubilees 36:17
Falling Action
Isaac died and was buried in Machpelah
Genesis 35:28-29, Jasher 47:9-14, Jubilees 36:18
Esau and Jacob divide the inheritance
Jasher 47:15-30
Resolution
Esau takes his inheritance back to the land of Seir
Jasher 47:31-33, Jubilees 36:19
Jacob dwells in Hebron
Jubilees 36:20
Leah died and was buried in Machpelah
Jubilees 36:21-24
Jubilee: 46
Year: 2228
Rebekah asks Jacob to honor Isaac and Ishmaeli
Jubilees 35:1-6a
1 And in the first year of the first week of the forty-fifth jubilee [2157 A.M.] Rebecca called Jacob, her son, and commanded him regarding his father and regarding his brother, that he should honour them all the days of his life.
2 And Jacob said: ‘I will do everything as thou hast commanded me; for this thing will be honour and greatness to me, and righteousness before the Lord, that I should honour them.
3 And thou too, mother, knowest from the time I was born until this day, all my deeds and all that is in my heart, that I always think good concerning all.
4 And how should I not do this thing which thou hast commanded me, that I should honour my father and my brother!
5 Tell me, mother, what perversity hast thou seen in me and I shall turn away from it, and mercy will be upon me.’
6a And she said unto him: ‘My son, I have not seen in thee all my days any perverse but (only) upright deeds.
Rebekah tells Jacob she will die this year
Jubilees 35:6b-8
6b And yet I will tell thee the truth, my son: I shall die this year, and I shall not survive this year in my life; for I have seen in a dream the day of my death, that I should not live beyond a hundred and fifty-five years: and behold I have completed all the days of my life which I am to live.’
7 And Jacob laughed at the words of his mother. because his mother had said unto him that she should die; and she was sitting opposite to him in possession of her strength, and she was not infirm in her strength; for she went in and out and saw, and her teeth were strong, and no ailment had touched her all the days of her life.
8 And Jacob said unto her: ‘Blessed am I, mother, if my days approach the days of thy life, and my strength remain with me thus as thy strength: and thou wilt not die, for thou art jesting idly with me regarding thy death.’
Rebekah pleads with Isaac on behalf of Jacob concerning Esau
Jubilees 35:9-17
9 And she went in to Isaac and said unto him: ‘One petition I make unto thee: make Esau swear that he will not injure Jacob, nor pursue him with enmity; for thou knowest Esau’s thoughts that they are perverse from his youth, and there is no goodness in him; for he desires after thy death to kill him.
10 And thou knowest all that he has done since the day Jacob his brother went to Haran until this day: how he has forsaken us with his whole heart, and has done evil to us; thy flocks he has taken to himself, and carried off all thy possessions from before thy face.
11 And when we implored and besought him for what was our own, he did as a man who was taking pity on us.
12 And he is bitter against thee because thou didst bless Jacob thy perfect and upright son; for there is no evil but only goodness in him, and since he came from Haran unto this day he has not robbed us of aught, for he brings us everything in its season always, and rejoices with all his heart when we take at his hands and he blesses us, and has not parted from us since he came from Haran until this day, and he remains with us continually at home honouring us.’
13 And Isaac said unto her: ‘I, too, know and see the deeds of Jacob who is with us, how that with all his heart he honours us; but I loved Esau formerly more than Jacob, because he was the firstborn; but now I love Jacob more than Esau, for he has done manifold evil deeds, and there is no righteousness in him, for all his ways are unrighteousness and violence, [and there is no righteousness around him.]
14 And now my heart is troubled because of all his deeds, and neither he nor his seed is to be saved, for they are those who will be destroyed from the earth and who will be rooted out from under heaven, for he has forsaken the God of Abraham and gone after his wives and after their uncleanness and after their error, he and his children.
15 And thou dost bid me make him swear that he will not slay Jacob his brother; even if he swear he will not abide by his oath, and he will not do good but evil only.
16 But if he desires to slay Jacob, his brother, into Jacob’s hands will he be given, and he will not escape from his hands, [for he will descend into his hands.]
17 And fear thou not on account of Jacob; for the guardian of Jacob is great and powerful and honoured, and praised more than the guardian of Esau.’
Rebekah gives Esau her burial instructions and tells him to love his brother
Jubilees 35:18-24
18 And Rebecca sent and called Esau and he came to her, and she said unto him: ‘I have a petition, my son, to make unto thee, and do thou promise to do it, my son.’
19 And he said: ‘I will do everything that thou sayest unto me, and I will not refuse thy petition.’
20 And she said unto him: ‘I ask you that the day I die, thou wilt take me in and bury me near Sarah, thy father’s mother, and that thou and Jacob will love each other and that neither will desire evil against the other, but mutual love only, and (so) ye will prosper, my sons, and be honoured in the midst of the land, and no enemy will rejoice over you, and ye will be a blessing and a mercy in the eyes of all those that love you.’
21 And he said: ‘I will do all that thou hast told me, and I shall bury thee on the day thou diest near Sarah, my father’s mother, as thou hast desired that her bones may be near thy bones.
22 And Jacob, my brother, also, I shall love above all flesh; for I have not a brother in all the earth but him only: and this is no great merit for me if I love him; for he is my brother, and we were sown together in thy body, and together came we forth from thy womb, and if I do not love my brother, whom shall I love?
23 And I, myself, beg thee to exhort Jacob concerning me and concerning my sons, for I know that he will assuredly be king over me and my sons, for on the day my father blessed him he made him the higher and me the lower.
24 And I swear unto thee that I shall love him, and not desire evil against him all the days of my life but good only.’
Jacob also agrees to love his brother
Jubilees 35:25-26
25 And he sware unto her regarding all this matter. And she called Jacob before the eyes of Esau, and gave him commandment according to the words which she had spoken to Esau.
26 And he said: ‘I shall do thy pleasure; believe me that no evil will proceed from me or from my sons against Esau, and I shall be first in naught save in love only.’
Rebekah died and was buried in Machpelah
Jasher 36:5
5 And Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel, the mother of Jacob, also died at that time in Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, and she was buried in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth.
Jubilees 35:27
27 And they eat and drank, she and her sons that night, and she died, three jubilees and one week and one year old, on that night, and her two sons, Esau and Jacob, buried her in the double cave near Sarah, their father’s mother.
Jasher 36:6
6 And the life of Rebecca was one hundred and thirty-three years, and she died and when Jacob heard that his mother Rebecca was dead he wept bitterly for his mother, and made a great mourning for her, and for Deborah her nurse beneath the oak, and he called the name of that place Allon-bachuth.
Laban killed by YHWH
Jasher 36:7
7 And Laban the Syrian died in those days, for God smote him because he transgressed the covenant that existed between him and Jacob.
Year: 2229
Isaac calls Esau and Jacob to return to him
Jasher 47:1
1 And Isaac the son of Abraham was still living in those days in the land of Canaan; he was very aged, one hundred and eighty years old, and Esau his son, the brother of Jacob, was in the land of Edom, and he and his sons had possessions in it amongst the children of Seir.
Jasher 47:2
2 And Esau heard that his father’s time was drawing nigh to die, and he and his sons and household came unto the land of Canaan, unto his father’s house, and Jacob and his sons went forth from the place where they dwelt in Hebron, and they all came to their father Isaac, and they found Esau and his sons in the tent.
Jubilees 36:1a
1a And in the sixth year of this week [2162 A.M.] Isaac called his two sons Esau and Jacob, and they came to him,
Jasher 47:3
3 And Jacob and his sons sat before his father Isaac, and Jacob was still mourning for his son Joseph.
Isaac gives his sons burial instructions
Jubilees 36:1b-2
1b and he said unto them: ‘My sons, I am going the way of my fathers, to the eternal house where my fathers are.
2 Wherefore bury me near Abraham my father, in the double cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, where Abraham purchased a sepulchre to bury in; in the sepulchre which I digged for myself, there bury me.
Isaac blesses his grandsons
Jasher 47:4-6
4 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Bring me hither thy sons and I will bless them; and Jacob brought his eleven children before his father Isaac.
5 And Isaac placed his hands upon all the sons of Jacob, and he took hold of them and embraced them, and kissed them one by one, and Isaac blessed them on that day, and he said unto them, May the God of your fathers bless you and increase your seed like the stars of heaven for number.
6 And Isaac also blessed the sons of Esau, saying, May God cause you to be a dread and a terror to all that will behold you, and to all your enemies.
Jasher 47:7
7 And Isaac called Jacob and his sons, and they all came and sat before Isaac, and Isaac said unto Jacob, The Lord God of the whole earth said unto me, Unto thy seed will I give this land for an inheritance if thy children keep my statutes and my ways, and I will perform unto them the oath which I swore unto thy father Abraham.
Jubilees 36:3
3 And this I command you, my sons, that ye practise righteousness and uprightness on the earth, so that the Lord may bring upon you all that the Lord said that he would do to Abraham and to his seed.
Jubilees 36:4-16
4 And love one another, my sons, your brothers as a man who loves his own soul, and let each seek in what he may benefit his brother, and act together on the earth; and let them love each other as their own souls.
5 And concerning the question of idols, I command and admonish you to reject them and hate them, and love them not, for they are full of deception for those that worship them and for those that bow down to them.
6 Remember ye, my sons, the Lord God of Abraham your father, and how I too worshipped Him and served Him in righteousness and in joy, that He might multiply you and increase your seed as the stars of heaven in multitude, and establish you on the earth as the plant of righteousness which will not be rooted out unto all the generations for ever.
7 And now I shall make you swear a great oath -for there is no oath which is greater than it by the name glorious and honoured and great and splendid and wonderful and mighty, which created the heavens and the earth and all things together- that ye will fear Him and worship Him.
8 And that each will love his brother with affection and righteousness, and that neither will desire evil against his brother from henceforth for ever all the days of your life so that ye may prosper in all your deeds and not be destroyed.
9 And if either of you devises evil against his brother, know that from henceforth everyone that devises evil against his brother shall fall into his hand, and shall be rooted out of the land of the living, and his seed shall be destroyed from under heaven.
10 But on the day of turbulence and execration and indignation and anger, with flaming devouring fire as He burnt Sodom, so likewise will He burn his land and his city and all that is his, and he shall be blotted out of the book of the discipline of the children of men, and not be recorded in the book of life, but in that which is appointed to destruction, and he shall depart into eternal execration; so that their condemnation may be always renewed in hate and in execration and in wrath and in torment and in indignation and in plagues and in disease for ever.
11 I say and testify to you, my sons, according to the judgment which shall come upon the man who wishes to injure his brother.
12 And he divided all his possessions between the two on that day and he gave the larger portion to him that was the first-born, and the tower and all that was about it, and all that Abraham possessed at the Well of the Oath.
13 And he said: ‘This larger portion I will give to the firstborn.’
14 And Esau said, ‘I have sold to Jacob and given my birthright to Jacob; to him let it be given, and I have not a single word to say regarding it, for it is his.’
15 And Isaac said, May a blessing rest upon you, my sons, and upon your seed this day, for ye have given me rest, and my heart is not pained concerning the birthright, lest thou shouldest work wickedness on account of it.
16 May the Most High God bless the man that worketh righteousness, him and his seed for ever.’
Jasher 47:8
8 Now therefore my son, teach thy children and thy children’s children to fear the Lord, and to go in the good way which will please the Lord thy God, for if you keep the ways of the Lord and his statutes the Lord will also keep unto you his covenant with Abraham, and will do well with you and your seed all the days.
They all celebrate a final meal with Isaac
Jubilees 36:17
17 And he ended commanding them and blessing them, and they eat and drank together before him, and he rejoiced because there was one mind between them, and they went forth from him and rested that day and slept.
Isaac died and was buried in Machpelah
Genesis 35:28-29
28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.
29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Jasher 47:9-10
9 And when Isaac had finished commanding Jacob and his children, he gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people.
10 And Jacob and Esau fell upon the face of their father Isaac, and they wept, and Isaac was one hundred and eighty years old when he died in the land of Canaan, in Hebron, and his sons carried him to the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth for a possession of a burial place.
Jubilees 36:18
18 And Isaac slept on his bed that day rejoicing; and he slept the eternal sleep, and died one hundred and eighty years old. He completed twenty-five weeks and five years; and his two sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Jasher 47:11-14
11 And all the kings of the land of Canaan went with Jacob and Esau to bury Isaac, and all the kings of Canaan showed Isaac great honor at his death.
12 And the sons of Jacob and the sons of Esau went barefooted round about, walking and lamenting until they reached Kireath-arba.
13 And Jacob and Esau buried their father Isaac in the cave of Machpelah, which is in Kireath-arba in Hebron, and they buried him with very great honor, as at the funeral of kings.
14 And Jacob and his sons, and Esau and his sons, and all the kings of Canaan made a great and heavy mourning, and they buried him and mourned for him many days.
Esau and Jacob divide the inheritance
Jasher 47:15-30
15 And at the death of Isaac, he left his cattle and his possessions and all belonging to him to his sons; and Esau said unto Jacob, Behold I pray thee, all that our father has left we will divide it in two parts, and I will have the choice, and Jacob said, We will do so.
16 And Jacob took all that Isaac had left in the land of Canaan, the cattle and the property, and he placed them in two parts before Esau and his sons, and he said unto Esau, Behold all this is before thee, choose thou unto thyself the half which thou wilt take.
17 And Jacob said unto Esau, Hear thou I pray thee what I will speak unto thee, saying, The Lord God of heaven and earth spoke unto our fathers Abraham and Isaac, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land for an inheritance forever.
18 Now therefore all that our father has left is before thee, and behold all the land is before thee; choose thou from them what thou desirest.
19 If thou desirest the whole land take it for thee and thy children forever, and I will take this riches, and it thou desirest the riches take it unto thee, and I will take this land for me and for my children to inherit it forever.
20 And Nebayoth, the son of Ishmael, was then in the land with his children, and Esau went on that day and consulted with him, saying.
21 Thus has Jacob spoken unto me, and thus has he answered me, now give thy advice and we will hear.
22 And Nebayoth said, What is this that Jacob hath spoken unto thee? Behold all the children of Canaan are dwelling securely in their land, and Jacob sayeth he will inherit it with his seed all the days.
23 Go now therefore and take all thy father’s riches and leave Jacob thy brother in the land, as he has spoken.
24 And Esau rose up and returned to Jacob, and did all that Nebayoth the son of Ishmael had advised; and Esau took all the riches that Isaac had left, the souls, the beasts, the cattle and the property, and all the riches; he gave nothing to his brother Jacob; and Jacob took all the land of Canaan, from the brook of Egypt unto the river Euphrates, and he took it for an everlasting possession, and for his children and for his seed after him forever.
25 Jacob also took from his brother Esau the cave of Machpelah, which is in Hebron, which Abraham had bought from Ephron for a possession of a burial place for him and his seed forever.
26 And Jacob wrote all these things in the book of purchase, and he signed it, and he testified all this with four faithful witnesses.
27 And these are the words which Jacob wrote in the book, saying: The land of Canaan and all the cities of the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, and the Gergashites, all the seven nations from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates.
28 And the city of Hebron Kireath-arba, and the cave which is in it, the whole did Jacob buy from his brother Esau for value, for a possession and for an inheritance for his seed after him forever.
29 And Jacob took the book of purchase and the signature, the command and the statutes and the revealed book, and he placed them in an earthen vessel in order that they should remain for a long time, and he delivered them into the hands of his children.
30 Esau took all that his father had left him after his death from his brother Jacob, and he took all the property, from man and beast, camel and ass, ox and lamb, silver and gold, stones and bdellium, and all the riches which had belonged to Isaac the son of Abraham; there was nothing left which Esau did not take unto himself, from all that Isaac had left after his death.
Esau takes his inheritance back to the land of Seir
Jasher 47:31
31 And Esau took all this, and he and his children went home to the land of Seir the Horite, away from his brother Jacob and his children.
Jubilees 36:19
19 And Esau went to the land of Edom, to the mountains of Seir, and dwelt there.
Jasher 47:32-33
32 And Esau had possessions amongst the children of Seir, and Esau returned not to the land of Canaan from that day forward.
33 And the whole land of Canaan became an inheritance to the children of Israel for an everlasting inheritance, and Esau with all his children inherited the mountain of Seir.
Jacob dwells in Hebron
Jubilees 36:20
20 And Jacob dwelt in the mountains of Hebron, in the tower of the land of the sojournings of his father Abraham, and he worshipped the Lord with all his heart and according to the visible commands according as He had divided the days of his generations.
Leah died and was buried in Machpelahii
Jubilees 36:21-24
21 And Leah his wife died in the fourth year of the second week of the forty-fifth jubilee, [2167 A.M.] and he buried her in the double cave near Rebecca his mother to the left of the grave of Sarah, his father’s mother
22 And all her sons and his sons came to mourn over Leah his wife with him and to comfort him regarding her, for he was lamenting her for he loved her exceedingly after Rachel her sister died;
23 For she was perfect and upright in all her ways and honoured Jacob, and all the days that she lived with him he did not hear from her mouth a harsh word, for she was gentle and peaceable and upright and honourable.
24 And he remembered all her deeds which she had done during her life and he lamented her exceedingly; for he loved her with all his heart and with all his soul.
i. Jubilees 35:27 states that Rebekah was 155 years old when she died. If she died in 2157 according to Jubilees 35:1 then she would be 149. Jasher 36:6 says she was 133. Since Isaac died in the year 2229 at age 180 and Rebekah is asking her sons to honor Isaac, then she probably died in 2228.
ii. The events from Jubilees 36:21 to Jubilees 38:14 are difficult to reconcile. See the comment for Jasher 41:2 which says Leah died 8 years earlier. Jubilees 37:14 says that Jacob was mourning the death of Leah in [2162] which is before her death in [2167]. Jasher 56:46-63 has Esau battling with the sons of Jacob after Jacob died and Esau dies in Jasher 56:64 which is 28 years after this event.
(28-minute read)
Exposition
J: 46 | Y: 2228 | Rebekah asks Jacob to honor Isaac and Ishmael
Jubilees 35:1-6a
In the 1st year of the 1st week of the 45th jubilee, Rebekah called her son Jacob and instructed him concerning his father and his brother, telling him to honor them all the days of his life.
Jacob replied, “I’ll do everything just as you’ve told me, because this will bring me honor and greatness, and it will be righteousness before the Lord if I honor them. And you know, mother, from the day I was born until today, everything I’ve done and everything in my heart—I always think well of everyone. So how could I not do what you’re asking and honor my father and my brother? Tell me, mother, if you’ve ever seen any wrong in me, and I’ll change, and mercy will come to me.”
She said to him, “My son, I’ve never seen anything wrong in you—only right and upright actions.”
Rising Action
Rebekah tells Jacob she will die this year
Jubilees 35:6b-8
She continued, “But I have to tell you the truth, my son: I’m going to die this year. I won’t make it through the year, because I’ve seen in a dream the day of my death—that I won’t live beyond 155 years. And now, I’ve completed all the days I was given to live.”
Jacob laughed at his mother’s words when she told him she would die. She was sitting right across from him, still strong and healthy—she was coming and going as usual, could see clearly, her teeth were strong, and no illness had ever touched her throughout her life.
Jacob said, “Mother, I’ll consider myself blessed if my life lasts as long as yours and if I stay as strong as you have. You’re not going to die—you’re just teasing me about dying.”
Rebekah pleads with Isaac on behalf of Jacob concerning Esau
Jubilees 35:9-17
Then Rebekah went to Isaac and said, “I have just one request to make of you: make Esau swear that he won’t harm Jacob or pursue him with hatred. You know what Esau’s been like—his thoughts have been twisted since he was young, and there’s nothing good in him. After you die, he wants to kill Jacob. You’ve seen all he’s done since the day Jacob left for Haran up until now—he’s turned his back on us completely and done us wrong. He took your flocks and carried off everything you had, right in front of you. And when we pleaded with him to return what was ours, he only acted like he was showing pity.
“He’s bitter toward you because you blessed Jacob—your perfect and upright son. There’s nothing but good in Jacob, and since the day he came back from Haran, he hasn’t taken a thing from us. Instead, he brings us everything at the proper time, and he’s always happy to give. He blesses us, and since he returned from Haran, he’s never left us. He stays with us all the time, honoring us.”
Isaac answered her, “I know and see what Jacob does. He truly honors us with all his heart. I used to love Esau more than Jacob because he was the firstborn. But now I love Jacob more than Esau, because Esau has done so many evil things. There’s no righteousness in him—everything he does is violent and wrong. My heart is troubled because of what he’s done, and neither he nor his descendants will be saved. They will be destroyed from the earth and rooted out from under heaven, because he has turned away from the God of Abraham and gone after his wives, their impurity, and their mistakes—he and his children.
“You’re asking me to make him swear not to kill Jacob—but even if he swears, he won’t keep his oath. He won’t do good—only evil. But if he tries to kill Jacob, he’ll be handed over to Jacob and won’t escape. He’ll fall into Jacob’s hands. So don’t worry about Jacob—his guardian is mighty, powerful, honored, and praised far above Esau’s guardian.”
Rebekah gives Esau her burial instructions and tells him to love his brother
Jubilees 35:18-24
Then Rebekah sent for Esau, and when he came, she said, “I have a request for you, my son. Will you promise to do it for me?”
He replied, “I’ll do everything you ask. I won’t refuse your request.”
She said, “When I die, I want you to bury me near Sarah, your father’s mother. And I ask that you and Jacob love each other—that neither of you will seek to harm the other, but only love one another. If you do this, you’ll both prosper and be honored in the land. No enemy will rejoice over you, and you’ll be a blessing and a mercy to everyone who loves you.”
He said, “I’ll do everything you’ve asked. I’ll bury you near Sarah, my father’s mother, just as you’ve asked, so your bones will be beside hers. And I will love Jacob, my brother, more than anyone else. I have no other brother in the world but him—and it’s not even a big thing for me to love him, because he’s my brother. We were formed together in your womb and came into the world together. If I don’t love my own brother, who would I love? I even ask you to speak to Jacob for me and for my sons, because I know he’ll surely rule over me and my sons. When our father blessed him, he made Jacob greater and me lesser. I swear to you I’ll love him and never wish him harm—only good—for the rest of my life.”
Jacob also agrees to love his brother
Jubilees 35:25-26
He swore to her about everything. Then Rebekah called Jacob in front of Esau and gave him the same instructions she had given Esau.
Jacob said, “I’ll do what you ask. Believe me—no evil will come from me or my sons against Esau. I’ll only try to outdo him in love.”
Rebekah died and was buried in Machpelah
Jasher 36:5-6, Jubilees 35:27
That night, Rebekah and her sons ate and drank together. Then Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel and mother of Jacob, died at the age of 3 jubilees and 8 years in Hebron, also called Kireath-arba. Her sons Jacob and Esau buried her in the double cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth.
Rebekah lived 133 years. When Jacob heard that his mother had died, he wept bitterly for her and mourned greatly for both her and Deborah, her nurse, beneath the oak. He named that place Allon-bachuth.
Laban killed by YHWH
Jasher 36:7
In those days, Laban the Syrian died because God struck him down for breaking the covenant between him and Jacob.
Climax
Y: 2229 | Isaac calls Esau and Jacob to return to him
Jasher 47:1-3, Jubilees 36:1a
Isaac, the son of Abraham, was still alive in those days, living in the land of Canaan. He was very old—180 years—and Esau, his son and Jacob’s brother, was living in the land of Edom, where he and his sons owned property among the people of Seir.
In the 6th year of that week, Esau heard that his father’s death was near. He came with his sons and household to the land of Canaan, to his father’s house. Jacob and his sons left their home in Hebron and also came to see their father, and when they arrived, they found Esau and his sons already in the tent.
Jacob and his sons sat with their father Isaac, and Jacob was still mourning the loss of his son Joseph.
Isaac gives his sons burial instructions
Jubilees 36:1b-2
He said to them, “My sons, I’m going the way of my fathers, to the eternal home where they now rest. So bury me near Abraham my father, in the double cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite—the one Abraham bought as a burial place. In that tomb, which I dug for myself, that’s where I want to be buried.”
Isaac blesses his grandsons
Jasher 47:4-8, Jubilees 36:3-16
Isaac said to Jacob, “Bring me your sons so I can bless them.”
Jacob brought his 11 sons to his father. Isaac placed his hands on them, embraced each one, and kissed them. He blessed them all that day and said, “May the God of your fathers bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven.”
Isaac also blessed Esau’s sons, saying, “May God make you feared and dreaded by everyone who sees you and by all your enemies.”
Then Isaac called Jacob and his sons again. They all sat before him, and he said to Jacob, “The Lord God of the whole earth told me, ‘I will give this land to your descendants if they follow my statutes and my ways. I will fulfill to them the oath I swore to your father Abraham.’ My sons, love one another as a man loves his own soul. Look for ways to help your brothers and live in unity. Love each other deeply, just like your own selves.
As for idols, I warn and command you to reject and hate them—do not love them. They are full of lies for those who worship them and bow to them. Remember the Lord God of Abraham, your father. I also worshipped and served Him with righteousness and joy, so that He would increase your numbers like the stars and establish you on earth as a righteous people who will never be uprooted, for all generations.
Now I will make you swear a solemn oath—the greatest one—by the glorious, honored, great, splendid, wonderful, and mighty name that created heaven, earth, and all things. Swear that you will fear and worship Him. That you will love your brothers in truth and righteousness. That you will never intend harm toward one another for all your days, so that you may succeed in all you do and not be destroyed.
But if any of you schemes against his brother, know this: from now on, anyone who plans evil against his brother will fall by his own plot. He will be cut off from the land of the living, and his descendants will be wiped from under heaven. On the day of wrath, judgment, and burning anger—like what happened to Sodom—his land and city and all he owns will be destroyed by fire. His name will be erased from the book of the discipline of humanity and not written in the book of life, but in the book destined for destruction. He will go to eternal condemnation—forever cursed, hated, afflicted, and tormented.
I say and testify this to you, my sons, based on the judgment that will come upon anyone who seeks to harm his brother.”
That day, Isaac divided all his possessions between his two sons, giving the larger portion to the firstborn—including the tower, everything around it, and all that Abraham had owned at the Well of the Oath. He said, “This larger portion goes to the firstborn.”
Esau replied, “I already sold and gave my birthright to Jacob. Let it go to him—I have nothing to say about it, for it belongs to him.”
Isaac said, “May a blessing rest on you and your descendants today, for you’ve given me peace. My heart isn’t troubled about the birthright anymore—unless you act wickedly because of it. May the Most High God bless the man who lives righteously, him and his descendants forever.
So now, my son, teach your children and grandchildren to fear the Lord and walk in the right path that pleases Him. If you keep the Lord’s ways and laws, He will keep His covenant with Abraham, and He will be good to you and your children all your days.”
They all celebrate a final meal with Isaac
Jubilees 36:17
After Isaac finished giving his instructions and blessing them, they all ate and drank together in his presence. He was filled with joy because they were united in heart. Then they left him and rested that day and slept.
Falling Action
Isaac died and was buried in Machpelah
Genesis 35:28-29, Jasher 47:9-14, Jubilees 36:18
When Isaac had finished instructing Jacob and his sons, he passed away and was gathered to his people. Jacob and Esau leaned over their father’s face and wept. Isaac was 180 years old when he died in the land of Canaan, in Hebron. He had completed 25 weeks and 5 years. His sons carried him to the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had purchased from the children of Heth as a burial site.
All the kings of Canaan came with Jacob and Esau to bury Isaac, showing him great honor at his death. The sons of Jacob and Esau walked barefoot in mourning all the way to Kireath-arba, lamenting as they went. Jacob and Esau buried Isaac with great honor in the cave of Machpelah, in Kireath-arba in Hebron, just as kings are buried. Jacob, Esau, their sons, and all the kings of Canaan held a great and sorrowful mourning and continued to grieve for him for many days.
Esau and Jacob divide the inheritance
Jasher 47:15-30
When Isaac died, he left all his livestock and possessions to his sons. Esau said to Jacob, “Let’s divide everything our father left into two parts, and I’ll choose my portion.”
Jacob replied, “Let’s do it.”
Jacob gathered everything Isaac had left in Canaan—the livestock and property—and divided it into two parts before Esau and his sons. He said, “Here it is. Pick whichever half you want.”
Then Jacob said, “Listen to what I want to say. The Lord God of heaven and earth spoke to our fathers, Abraham and Isaac, saying, ‘I will give this land to your descendants as an everlasting inheritance.’ So now everything our father left is here, and the whole land is before you—take whichever you want. If you want the land, take it for you and your children forever, and I’ll take the wealth. But if you prefer the wealth, take it, and I’ll take the land as my inheritance forever for me and my children.”
At that time, Nebayoth, Ishmael’s son, was in the land with his children. Esau went to consult with him and said, “This is what Jacob told me and how he answered me. What do you think?”
Nebayoth replied, “What is Jacob saying? Look, the people of Canaan are living safely in their land, and Jacob claims he’ll inherit it forever. So take your father’s wealth and leave the land to Jacob, just as he said.”
So Esau returned to Jacob and followed Nebayoth’s advice. Esau took all of Isaac’s wealth—the people, the animals, livestock, and property—everything. He gave Jacob nothing. Jacob took all the land of Canaan, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River, as an everlasting possession for himself and his descendants. He also took the cave of Machpelah in Hebron from Esau—the one Abraham had bought from Ephron—to keep as a family burial place forever.
Jacob wrote all of this in a deed of purchase, signed it, and had it witnessed by 4 faithful witnesses.
These are the words Jacob wrote in the document: “The land of Canaan and all the cities of the Hittites, Hivites, Jebusites, Amorites, Perizzites, and Gergashites—all 7 nations—from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates River. And the city of Hebron, Kireath-arba, and the cave within it—all of it was purchased by Jacob from Esau for full value, as a possession and inheritance for his descendants forever.”
Jacob placed the deed, the signed agreement, the commands, the statutes, and the revealed book in a clay jar so they would last a long time. He gave them to his children. Meanwhile, Esau took everything else his father had left—men and animals, camels and donkeys, oxen and sheep, silver and gold, precious stones and bdellium—everything Isaac had owned. Esau left nothing behind.
Resolution
Esau takes his inheritance back to the land of Seir
Jasher 47:31-33, Jubilees 36:19
Esau took all of this and returned with his children to his home in Seir the Horite, in the land of Edom, away from Jacob and his children.
Esau had land and possessions among the people of Seir, and from that day on, he never returned to Canaan. The whole land of Canaan became an everlasting inheritance for the children of Israel, and Esau and his descendants inherited Mount Seir.
Jacob dwells in Hebron
Jubilees 36:20
Jacob lived in the hills of Hebron, in the tower in the land where his father Abraham had once sojourned. He worshipped the Lord with all his heart, following the visible commands as God had appointed for each generation.
Leah died and was buried in Machpelah
Jubilees 36:21-24
Leah, Jacob’s wife, died in the 4th year of the 2nd week of the 45th jubilee. Jacob buried her in the double cave, near his mother Rebecca and to the left of Sarah’s grave, his father’s mother.
All of Leah’s sons and Jacob’s sons came to mourn with him and comfort him because he grieved deeply for her. He had loved her greatly after Rachel died. Leah had been upright and kind in all her ways and had honored Jacob. During all the years they lived together, he never heard a harsh word from her—she was gentle, peaceful, righteous, and honorable. Jacob remembered everything she had done in her life and mourned deeply for her, for he had loved her with all his heart and soul.
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