Oath Breakers
(1-minute read)
In a saga of betrayal, fierce oaths, and brutal battles, Esau’s sons are enraged when they learn that Jacob, their uncle, received their father’s birthright, sparking a desire for vengeance. Despite Esau’s reluctance, his sons force him to lead a coalition of mighty warriors from neighboring lands, intent on destroying Jacob. As the two brothers face off in a climactic confrontation, Esau’s venomous words echo the impossibility of peace between them, likening reconciliation to impossible feats in nature. But Jacob, standing firm, delivers a fateful arrow that claims Esau’s life, leading to a final, relentless clash where Jacob’s sons emerge victorious, subduing Esau’s descendants and imposing their yoke for generations to come.
Major Characters
Minor Characters
Insignificant Characters
JUBILEES
100%
Exposition
J: 46 | Y: 2229 | The sons of Esau question why Jacob received the portion of the elder
Jubilees 37:1-9a
Rising Action
The sons of Esau disobey their father and gather a great army
Jubilees 37:9b-10
Esau decides to lead the army
Jubilees 37:11-13
Jacob is told Esau is coming to attack but doesn’t believe it
Jubilees 37:14-16
Jacob speaks with Esau
Jubilees 37:17-23
Climax
Jacob prepares to attack Esau
Jubilees 37:24-25
Jacob kills Esau and Adoran
Jubilees 38:1-3
The sons of Jacob attack the armies and Jacob buries Esau
Jubilees 38:4-8
Falling Action
Jacob buries Esau
Jubilees 38:9
Resolution
The sons of Jacob took captives and made them servants
Jubilees 38:10-14
Jubilee: 46
Year: 2229
The sons of Esau question why Jacob received the portion of the elderi
Jubilees 37:1-9a
1 And on the day that Isaac the father of Jacob and Esau died, [2162 A.M.] the sons of Esau heard that Isaac had given the portion of the elder to his younger son Jacob and they were very angry.
2 And they strove with their father, saying ‘Why has thy father given Jacob the portion of the elder and passed over thee, although thou art the elder and Jacob the younger?’
3 And he said unto them ‘Because I sold my birthright to Jacob for a small mess of lentils, and on the day my father sent me to hunt and catch and bring him something that he should eat and bless me, he came with guile and brought my father food and drink, and my father blessed him and put me under his hand.
4 And now our father has caused us to swear, me and him, that we shall not mutually devise evil, either against his brother, and that we shall continue in love and in peace each with his brother and not make our ways corrupt.’
5 And they said unto him, ‘We shall not hearken unto thee to make peace with him; for our strength is greater than his strength, and we are more powerful than he; we shall go against him and slay him, and destroy him and his sons. And if thou wilt not go with us, we shall do hurt to thee also.
6 And now hearken unto us: Let us send to Aram and Philistia and Moab and Ammon, and let us choose for ourselves chosen men who are ardent for battle, and let us go against him and do battle with him, and let us exterminate him from the earth before he grows strong.’
7 And their father said unto them, ‘Do not go and do not make war with him lest ye fall before him.’
8 And they said unto him, ‘This too, is exactly thy mode of action from thy youth until this day, and thou art putting thy neck under his yoke.
9a We shall not hearken to these words.’
The sons of Esau disobey their father and gather a great army
Jubilees 37:9b-10
9b And they sent to Aram, and to ‘Aduram to the friend of their father, and they hired along with them one thousand fighting men, chosen men of war.
10 And there came to them from Moab and from the children of Ammon, those who were hired, one thousand chosen men, and from Philistia, one thousand chosen men of war, and from Edom and from the Horites one thousand chosen fighting men, and from the Kittim mighty men of war.
Esau decides to lead the army
Jubilees 37:11-13
11 And they said unto their father: Go forth with them and lead them, else we shall slay thee.’
12 And he was filled with wrath and indignation on seeing that his sons were forcing him to go before (them) to lead them against Jacob his brother.
13 But afterward he remembered all the evil which lay hidden in his heart against Jacob his brother; and he remembered not the oath which he had sworn to his father and to his mother that he would devise no evil all his days against Jacob his brother.
Jacob is told Esau is coming to attack but doesn’t believe it
Jubilees 37:14-16
14 And notwithstanding all this, Jacob knew not that they were coming against him to battle, and he was mourning for Leah, his wife, until they approached very near to the tower with four thousand warriors and chosen men of war.
15 And the men of Hebron sent to him saying, ‘Behold thy brother has come against thee, to fight thee, with four thousand girt with the sword, and they carry shields and weapons’; for they loved Jacob more than Esau. So they told him; for Jacob was a more liberal and merciful man than Esau.
16 But Jacob would not believe until they came very near to the tower.
Jacob speaks with Esau
Jubilees 37:17-23
17 And he closed the gates of the tower; and he stood on the battlements and spake to his brother Esau and said, ‘Noble is the comfort wherewith thou hast come to comfort me for my wife who has died. Is this the oath that thou didst swear to thy father and again to thy mother before they died? Thou hast broken the oath, and on the moment that thou didst swear to thy father wast thou condemned.’
18 And then Esau answered and said unto him, ‘Neither the children of men nor the beasts of the earth have any oath of righteousness which in swearing they have sworn (an oath valid) for ever; but every day they devise evil one against another, and how each may slay his adversary and foe.
19 And thou dost hate me and my children for ever. And there is no observing the tie of brotherhood with thee.
20 Hear these words which I declare unto thee, If the boar can change its skin and make its bristles as soft as wool, Or if it can cause horns to sprout forth on its head like the horns of a stag or of a sheep, Then will I observe the tie of brotherhood with thee And if the breasts separated themselves from their mother, for thou hast not been a brother to me.
21 And if the wolves make peace with the lambs so as not to devour or do them violence, And if their hearts are towards them for good, Then there shall be peace in my heart towards thee
22 And if the lion becomes the friend of the ox and makes peace with him And if he is bound under one yoke with him and ploughs with him, Then will I make peace with thee.
23 And when the raven becomes white as the raza, Then know that I have loved thee And shall make peace with thee Thou shalt be rooted out, And thy sons shall be rooted out, And there shall be no peace for thee’
Jacob prepares to attack Esau
Jubilees 37:24-25
24 And when Jacob saw that he was (so) evilly disposed towards him with his heart, and with all his soul as to slay him, and that he had come springing like the wild boar which comes upon the spear that pierces and kills it, and recoils not from it;
25 Then he spake to his own and to his servants that they should attack him and all his companions.
Jacob kills Esau and Adoran
Jubilees 38:1-3
1 And after that Judah spake to Jacob, his father, and said unto him: ‘Bend thy bow, father, and send forth thy arrows and cast down the adversary and slay the enemy; and mayst thou have the power, for we shall not slay thy brother, for he is such as thou, and he is like thee let us give him (this) honour.’
2 Then Jacob bent his bow and sent forth the arrow and struck Esau, his brother (on his right breast) and slew him.
3 And again he sent forth an arrow and struck ‘Adoran the Aramaean, on the left breast, and drove him backward and slew him.
The sons of Jacob attack the armies
Jubilees 38:4-8
4 And then went forth the sons of Jacob, they and their servants, dividing themselves into companies on the four sides of the tower.
5 And Judah went forth in front, and Naphtali and Gad with him and fifty servants with him on the south side of the tower, and they slew all they found before them, and not one individual of them escaped.
6 And Levi and Dan and Asher went forth on the east side of the tower, and fifty (men) with them, and they slew the fighting men of Moab and Ammon.
7 And Reuben and Issachar and Zebulon went forth on the north side of the tower, and fifty men with them, and they slew the fighting men of the Philistines.
8 And Simeon and Benjamin and Enoch, Reuben’s son, went forth on the west side of the tower, and fifty (men) with them, and they slew of Edom and of the Horites four hundred men, stout warriors; and six hundred fled, and four of the sons of Esau fled with them, and left their father lying slain, as he had fallen on the hill which is in ‘Aduram.
Jacob buries Esau
Jubilees 38:9
9 And the sons of Jacob pursued after them to the mountains of Seir. And Jacob buried his brother on the hill which is in ‘Aduram, and he returned to his house.
The sons of Jacob took captives and made them servants
Jubilees 38:10-14
10 And the sons of Jacob pressed hard upon the sons of Esau in the mountains of Seir, and bowed their necks so that they became servants of the sons of Jacob.
11 And they sent to their father (to inquire) whether they should make peace with them or slay them.
12 And Jacob sent word to his sons that they should make peace, and they made peace with them, and placed the yoke of servitude upon them, so that they paid tribute to Jacob and to his sons always.
13 And they continued to pay tribute to Jacob until the day that he went down into Egypt.
14 And the sons of Edom have not got quit of the yoke of servitude which the twelve sons of Jacob had imposed on them until this day.
i. Did this story actually happen? If Jubilees 38:2 is correct, then Esau died when he was 120 years old and all the following events involving him didn’t happen. However, if Jasher 56:63-64 is correct, Esau would have died during the same year as Jacob at the age of 150.
(12-minute read)
Exposition
J: 46 | Y: 2229 | The sons of Esau question why Jacob received the portion of the elder
Jubilees 37:1-9a
On the day Isaac, the father of Jacob and Esau, died, Esau’s sons heard that Isaac had given the elder’s portion to Jacob, his younger son, and they were furious. They confronted their father and said, “Why did your father give Jacob the elder’s portion and pass you over, even though you’re the older and Jacob’s the younger?”
Esau replied, “Because I sold my birthright to Jacob for a small bowl of lentils. And the day my father sent me out to hunt and bring him something to eat so he could bless me, Jacob came with deception, brought my father food and drink, and received the blessing. My father then placed me under his authority. And now, our father made both of us swear not to harm each other in any way—that we would live in peace and love with one another and not act corruptly.”
But they said, “We won’t listen to you about making peace with him. Our strength is greater than his, and we’re more powerful. We’ll attack him, kill him, and destroy both him and his sons. If you won’t join us, we’ll harm you too. So listen—let’s send messengers to Aram, Philistia, Moab, and Ammon and recruit brave warriors who are eager to fight. Let’s go against Jacob and wipe him off the earth before he becomes too strong.”
Their father replied, “Don’t go and don’t start a war with him, or you’ll fall before him.”
But they answered, “This is exactly how you’ve always been, from your youth until now—you’re putting your neck under his yoke. We’re not going to listen to this.”
Rising Action
The sons of Esau disobey their father and gather a great army
Jubilees 37:9b-10
So they sent messengers to Aram and to ‘Aduram, their father’s friend, and hired 1,000 trained warriors. They also brought in 1,000 hired men from Moab and the children of Ammon, 1,000 trained fighters from Philistia, 1,000 warriors from Edom and the Horites, and 1,000 mighty soldiers from the Kittim.
Esau decides to lead the army
Jubilees 37:11-13
Then they said to their father, “You will go with them and lead them—or we’ll kill you.”
Esau was furious and deeply angry that his sons were forcing him to lead them against Jacob. But then he remembered all the bitterness he had hidden in his heart against Jacob and forgot the oath he had made to his father and mother that he would never do evil to Jacob.
Jacob is told Esau is coming to attack but doesn’t believe it
Jubilees 37:14-16
Meanwhile, Jacob didn’t know they were coming to fight him. He was still mourning the death of his wife Leah when they got very close to the tower with 4,000 trained warriors. The men of Hebron sent word to him: “Your brother is on his way to fight you with 4,000 armed men, all carrying shields and weapons.” They warned him because they loved Jacob more than Esau.
They told him this because Jacob was known to be more generous and kind than Esau. Still, Jacob didn’t believe it until they were right near the tower.
Jacob speaks with Esau
Jubilees 37:17-23
Jacob shut the gates of the tower, stood on the battlements, and called out to Esau. He said, “What a noble way to comfort me for the death of my wife. Is this the oath you swore to our father and again to our mother before they died? You’ve broken that oath, and from the moment you swore it, you were condemned.”
Esau answered, “Neither people nor animals keep any righteous oath that lasts forever. Everyone plots evil against one another and looks for ways to destroy their enemies. You hate me and my children forever. You don’t honor the bond of brotherhood. Listen to what I say: If a boar could change its skin and grow soft wool like a sheep, or grow horns like a stag or a sheep, then I would honor the brotherhood with you. If a child could separate from its mother and live, then maybe you could have been a brother to me. If wolves could live in peace with lambs and not devour them, and if their hearts wished them well, then I’d have peace in my heart toward you. If a lion made peace with an ox and shared a yoke to plow the land, then I’d make peace with you. And when a raven turns white like a raza bird, then you’ll know I’ve loved you and made peace with you. But you will be wiped out, and your sons will be wiped out. There will be no peace for you.”
Climax
Jacob prepares to attack Esau
Jubilees 37:24-25
When Jacob saw how fully Esau’s heart and soul were set on killing him—coming at him like a wild boar charging a spear that kills it without retreat—he gave the order to his men and servants to rise up and fight Esau and all his companions.
Jacob kills Esau and Adoran
Jubilees 38:1-3
Then Judah said to Jacob, “Father, draw your bow, shoot your arrows, and strike down the enemy. Take the lead. We won’t kill your brother ourselves, since he’s your own blood. Let’s show him that much respect.”
So Jacob drew his bow, shot an arrow, and hit Esau in the right side of his chest, killing him. Then he fired another arrow at ‘Adoran the Aramean, striking him in the left side of the chest, and killed him too.
The sons of Jacob attack the armies and Jacob buries Esau
Jubilees 38:4-8
The sons of Jacob and their servants then moved out, dividing into groups to attack from all 4 sides of the tower. Judah led the charge on the south side, with Naphtali, Gad, and 50 servants. They killed everyone in their path—no one escaped. Levi, Dan, and Asher attacked from the east with 50 men, killing the warriors from Moab and Ammon.
Reuben, Issachar, and Zebulun came from the north with 50 men and wiped out the warriors from Philistia.
Simeon, Benjamin, and Enoch (Reuben’s son) came from the west with 50 men and killed 400 strong fighters from Edom and the Horites. Another 600 ran away. 4 of Esau’s sons fled with them, leaving their father’s body where he had fallen on the hill in ‘Aduram.
Falling Action
Jacob buries Esau
Jubilees 38:9
The sons of Jacob chased them all the way to the mountains of Seir. Jacob buried his brother on the hill in ‘Aduram and returned home.
Resolution
The sons of Jacob took captives and made them servants
Jubilees 38:10-14
The sons of Jacob kept pressing hard on Esau’s sons in the mountains of Seir and forced them to submit, making them servants. They sent word to their father to ask whether they should make peace or destroy them.
Jacob told them to make peace, so they did. But they put the yoke of servitude on them, and the people paid tribute to Jacob and his sons from then on. They kept paying tribute until Jacob went down to Egypt. And to this day, the descendants of Edom have not been freed from the yoke of servitude that Jacob’s 12 sons placed on them.
This chart shows who was alive in the years 2229-2231.