Have you ever looked up the meaning of your name? Names used to mean something, and although your parents might not have had a meaning in mind you can look up the origins of what your name once said about the person it was given to. In my case, Clark means “a learned man” or “clergy.” I like that. On the other hand my surname, Bunch, means “person with a humpback.” Oh well. At least my parents didn’t choose that one.
In the Old Testament it was not uncommon for God to change a person’s name when he called them. The meanings of names were well known in those cultures. As noted previously, Abram (father) was changed to Abraham (father of many) when God promised he would father a great nation. The God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob was about to affect another change: Jacob is also referred to as Israel. The meaning may be debatable, but most likely means “has striven with God.” His name changes after he wrestles with the angel of the Lord in Gen 32. The name may also suggest “has been saved by God” depending on verb usage. Hebrew is an archaic language, and translating the Old Testament is sometimes more art than science. The meaning of El is clear, and there can be no doubt that Jacob has dealt with God.
By the time Jacob became Israel he had a large family. In Gen. 29 we learn that Jacob fell in love with Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his uncle. An arrangement was made to “earn” Rachel in exchange for seven years of service. After serving the seven years, Laban gave his older daughter Leah to Jacob instead. He cited their custom of not giving away the younger daughter before the older had been wed. Jacob worked for Laban another seven years in order to marry Rachel. After a lot of jealousy, manipulation and hurt feelings (reality television has nothing on Gen. 29 and 30) Jacob fathered a total of 11 children: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon by Leah; Gad and Asher by Leah’s handmaid Zilpah; Dan and Naphtali by Rachel’s handmaid Bilhah; and finally Joseph by Rachel herself. After wrestling with God, becoming Israel, and being reunited with his brother Easu back in his homeland, Jacob fathered his twelfth and final child Benjamin. Benjamin is the baby, known by Jacob as the child of his old age, and in chapter 35 Rachel dies in child-birth. So it is by four different women and incredible circumstances that Jacob/Israel is the father of 12 sons. It is interesting to note that the angel of the Lord told Jacob he would be called Israel in chapter 32, but then God repeats this to Jacob in chapter 35.
For a while, the children of Israel refers to these 12 young men, plus their sister. In time the children of Israel will become synonymous with the nation of Israel. The descendants of Israel are going to be known by which son of Israel is their ancestor, and within a few hundred years they will number nearly one million. The twelve tribes of Israel, however, are not exactly the same as these 12 sons listed above. Manasseh, for instance, is the firstborn son of Joseph. We have to get this family of Israel down into Egypt before we can tell that story.
Next time: the coat of many colors, and the boy who dreamed big.
