Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Genesis, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
God, Humanity, and Creation
Mistrust, Disobedience, and Death
Covenants and Faith in God’s Promises
The Role of Women
Summary
Analysis
Isaac blesses Jacob once again, telling him not to marry a Canaanite woman. Instead, he must travel to his grandfather Bethuel’s homeland of Paddan-aram and take one of his uncle Laban’s daughters as his wife. Isaac prays that God will bless Jacob and his offspring with Abraham’s blessing, and that the land where he dwells as an alien will one day belong to him. Jacob does as Isaac says. When Esau sees that Isaac doesn’t want his sons to have Canaanite wives, he goes to Ishmael and marries Ishmael’s daughter Mahalath.
Like Abraham before him, Isaac sends Jacob to marry a woman from among his own people, who worships his God, instead of a local woman. Though Isaac had originally intended Abraham’s blessing for Esau, he now seems to be reconciled to the fact that it belongs to Jacob—Jacob will carry on Abraham’s and Isaac’s blessings of land and offspring. Esau, meanwhile, tries to do something that will gain his parents’ approval.
Themes
On his way to Haran from Beer-sheba, Jacob stops and sleeps for the night, using a stone for a pillow. He dreams of a ladder reaching to heaven; angels ascend and descend on the ladder. In the dream, the LORD stands beside him and declares his promise to give this land to Jacob and his many offspring, blessing the earth’s families through them. He further promises to be with Jacob wherever he goes. When Jacob wakes up, he is awestruck by the encounter with God. He takes the stone and sets it up as a pillar, calling the place Bethel. He vows that the LORD will be his God, and that out of what God gives him, he will always give back one-tenth.
On his way to his mother’s family, Jacob experiences a dramatic divine confirmation of the blessings his father has given him. In his dream, Jacob sees a visual sign of the connection between earth and heaven, humanity and God. God also repeats the promise of offspring, land, and personal blessing. Jacob dedicates the place as Bethel, which means “house of God,” reflecting his belief that God is making the earth a dwelling for himself through his blessing of Jacob.
Themes
