Texts in Conversation
In Genesis 47, Jacob’s dying act is to make Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan, showing how Joseph was the favored son. Jubilees changes this moment, having Jacob instead hand all his books to Levi, shifting the inheritance to the priestly line.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 47:29
Hebrew Bible
28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years; the years of Jacob’s life were 147 in all. 29 The time for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph said, “I will do as you say.” 31 Jacob said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” So Joseph gave him his word. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.
Jubilees 45:16
Pseudepigrapha
15 He slept with his fathers and was buried near his father Abraham in the double cave in the land of Canaan — in the grave which he had dug for himself in the double cave in the land of Hebron. 16 He gave all his books and the books of his fathers to his son Levi so that he could preserve them and renew them for his sons until today.
Search:
Notes and References
... While Jubilees retains Joseph's significance in the public sphere, it reduces his significance in the sphere of the family, where he is treated just as one of the sons among whom the privileged one is not Joseph (Jubilees had also earlier omitted his dreams to that effect), but Levi, to whom Jacob gave his books and those of his father (45:16). 'Jacob's designation of Levi as heir to the patriarchal books (Jubilees 45:16) replaces his final testament to Joseph (Genesis 47:29-31).' Referring to Jubilees 46:10, Halpern-Amaru writes: 'By placing Amram at the patriarchal homestead, that is, on the mountain of Hebron, Jubilees assigns to him the precise role that its exegesis had so deliberately taken away from the biblical Joseph.' ...
Loader, William
Enoch, Levi, and Jubilees on Sexuality: Attitudes towards Sexuality in the Early Enoch Literature, the Aramaic Levi Document, and the Book of Jubilees
(p. 203) Eerdmans, 2007
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.