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BerianAardvark -> RE: John 4:5 (6/7/2008 9:20:11 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: RJR_fan
SO -- Jesus met the woman at the well. The well was on the piece of ground that Jacob had given Joseph.
When did this transaction happen? I couldn't find it in Genesis.
In an arid country, a well is a capital asset, key to building one's walking wealth (flocks and herds). Since Joseph was only 17 when he was sold into slavery, the gifting would explain some of the brotherly resentment ....
I think the place where Jacob gave the land with the well on it to Joseph is here:
Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers. "I give you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow." (Genesis 48:21-22)
All of the land given to the people as an inheritance handled by lot, this is the only specific mention of a bequest.
It MIGHT be that this was how it "shook itself out" when they got to the Promised land:
Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph's sons. (Joshua 24:32)
As nearly as I can tell from the maps I looked at Shechem and Sychar are very close to each other (couldn't find one map that showed both).
Even though one verse says that Jacob won the land by his sword and bow, and the other says he bought it, there is a simple explanation, he bought some land near Shechem, but when the ruler of Shechem's son raped Dinah (Jacob's daughter), his sons (Simeon and Levi) avenged it by killing off all the men of the city. That is the only incident i could find where Jacob (even though through the surrogate of his sons) wared with anyone.
(Read Genesis 33:19 through 34:31 for the incident.) Even though Jacob didn't approve of the act, it would still (having been done by his sons) be considered something he had done.
The brothers didn't need a reason to hate Joseph other than that he was "Daddy's favorite", that he "finked on them" (Genesis 37:2), and had (and told them about) dreams where they bowed down to him.
One of the lesson that Joseph had to learn, without a doubt, while he was a slave in Egypt was discretion.
Hope this helps,
Tim
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