Examples Of Sibling Rivalry In Genesis

Sibling Rivalries in Genesis

Elder siblings always seem to pick fights with their younger brothers. In the ensuing fight, neither party emerges without a sense of regret. Simply put, siblings don’t always get along. As Genesis suggests, the idea of siblings competing for attention from a father figure is a prevalent theme found since the first humans walked the Earth. This competition brews unhealthy relationships between siblings and ultimately results in the siblings parting ways. The three stories that best demonstrate this idea are those of Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, and Cain and Abel.

Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, gives birth to twins, Esau and Jacob. Like their predecessors Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob differ greatly in their

appearance and skills. While “Esau was a man skilled in hunting, a man of the field,” Jacob was “a simple man, a dweller in tents” (25. 27-28). Isaac favored Esau because he hunted for food, but Rebekah’s favorite was Jacob. The sibling rivalry between these two arises as early as they are born. Jacob comes out of the womb “grasping Esau’s heel” (25. 26). Even though Esau is the firstborn, Jacob grabs on to his heel as if he’s trying to come out before him. This just goes to show how competitive these siblings are for attention. Another instance of competition between Esau and Jacob happens shortly before Isaac dies. On his deathbed, Isaac wants to bless Esau; however, he is blind, and Rebekah devises a plan to give Jacob the blessing instead. Esau finds out that his blessing has been stolen, and becomes angry. Jacob, knowing that Esau will kill him given the chance, runs away. This series of events rip apart the relationship that Esau and Jacob have, and they part their separate ways.

The next generation, a sibling rivalry occurs between Joseph and his brothers. Jacob “loved Joseph more than all his sons, for he was the child of his old age, and he made him an ornamented tunic. And his brothers saw it was he their father loved more than all his brothers, and they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him” (37. 3-4). It becomes apparent very early on in the story of Joseph that his brothers are jealous of all the attention he receives from their father. This hatred is furthered when Joseph describes his dream to his brothers. Joseph told his brothers, “We were binding sheaves in the field, and, look, my sheaf arose and actually stood up, and, look, your sheaves drew round and bowed to my sheaf” (37. 7-8). Upon hearing this, Jacob actually considered the idea of bowing down to Joseph, which made Joseph’s brothers even angrier. This anger stemmed from jealousy that Joseph had all of their father’s attention. Later on, when Joseph is sent by his father to meet his brothers in Dothan, he is completely unaware that they are plotting something. His older brothers Reuben and Judah actually argue over what they want to do with Joseph. His brothers end up selling him to Ishmaelites, and eventually he is brought over to Egypt. In the course of a few days, Joseph and his brothers are in completely different places, separated by a barrier of jealousy.

Admittedly, in the stories of Esau and Jacob, as well as in Joseph and his brothers, the siblings reunite towards the end of the plot.

However, in most cases, the damage dealt to the relationship is too much for reconciliation to handle. For example, in Genesis there lies between Cain and Abel one such rivalry. Having both been born from Eve, Cain became a farmer and Abel a herder. One day, both brothers bring offerings to God; Cain brings a fruit and Abel brings an animal from his flock. God acknowledges Abel’s offering but ignores Cain’s offering, leaving him angry. Then Cain, the older brother, “rose against Abel his brother and killed him” (4. 8-9). This act of violence exhibits not only Cain’s impulsiveness, but also his irrationality in assessing the situation. Cain’s motive for attacking and killing his brother is constructed purely out of frustration and desperation. In reality, God was the one who chose the offering, so Cain should have vented out his anger at Him. However, because he was God, Cain could not do anything. So, he took out his anger on the only other person in the equation, his brother. This action signifies the moment when Cain and Abel split apart. In this case, there is no way for the siblings to reunite because one of them is

dead.

Sibling rivalries occur everywhere in Genesis and in the real world. Throughout Genesis, these rivalries play a big role by shaping the experiences and outcomes of peoples’ lives. For example. if Jacob had never run away from home, he would have never met Rachel and Leah, and would therefore not have children with them. In our modern day lives, sibling rivalries, not like the ones in Genesis, actually act as catalysts for learning experiences and friendly competition. For example, a friendly game of one on one basketball serves as a teaching tool as well as a competitive game.