While not part of the accepted biblical canon, Jasher (meaning "Upright" or "Correct Record") offers a fascinating, if sometimes embellished, account of biblical events. And Chapter 22? It’s a window into the lives of our patriarchs, filled with family drama, land disputes, and divine tests.
The chapter opens with Ishmael, son of Abraham and Hagar, returning to his father in the land of the Philistines. Abraham, we’re told, recounts the story of Ishmael's first wife and her misdeeds. It’s a reminder that even within the tents of our forefathers, there were ordinary—and sometimes complicated—family dynamics. Ishmael and his children settle with Abraham for quite some time.
But peace doesn't last. After 26 years, Abraham moves closer to Hebron. His servants dig wells, essential for life in that arid landscape. This leads to conflict with Abimelech, king of the Philistines, whose servants claim ownership of the wells. We then see a familiar theme: disputes over resources, a recurring motif throughout the Torah.
Abimelech confronts Abraham, and Abraham, in turn, rebukes him. Abimelech claims ignorance, swearing by God that he knew nothing of his servants' actions. To settle the dispute, Abraham gives Abimelech seven ewe lambs as a testimony to his ownership of the well. This leads to a covenant, and the well is named Beersheba, "Well of the Oath," because they both swore an oath concerning it.
Beersheba becomes more than just a well; it becomes a symbol of hospitality. Abraham plants a large grove there with four gates facing the four directions. According to the text, he plants a vineyard within this grove as well. Anyone passing by could enter, eat, drink, and refresh themselves. "For the house of Abraham was always open to the sons of men that passed and repassed," the text emphasizes. This generosity, this open-heartedness, isn't just about physical sustenance. Abraham also shares his belief in God with these travelers, guiding them to recognize their creator.
While Abraham is establishing himself in Beersheba, the narrative shifts back to Haran, where his brother Nahor and father Terah still reside. We get a detailed genealogy of Nahor's descendants through his wife Milcah and his concubine Reumah. It’s a reminder that while Abraham's story takes center stage, his family's story continues elsewhere. These lists of names, while perhaps seeming dry at first glance, are crucial for understanding the interconnectedness of the biblical narrative. These are the ancestors of future nations, each with their own destinies.
The descendants of Nahor spread out, founding cities and establishing their own identities. Two sons of Kemuel, Aram and Rechob, even build a city along the Euphrates, naming it after Pethor, son of Aram, calling it Aram-Naharaim. Similarly, the descendants of Kesed found a city in the land opposite Shinar, naming it Kesed, the land of Kasdim, or Chaldea.
The story returns to Terah, Abraham's father. In his old age, he takes another wife, Pelilah, who bears him a son named Zoba. Terah lives another 25 years after Zoba's birth, dying at the age of 205, and is buried in Haran. The text then continues to trace the lineage of Zoba, whose descendants, like those of Nahor, prosper and establish their own territories.
Meanwhile, Isaac, Abraham's son, is growing up. Abraham is teaching him the ways of God. The text tells us that "the Lord was with him."
A fascinating exchange occurs when Isaac is 37 years old. He and Ishmael are together, and Ishmael boasts about his circumcision at age thirteen, emphasizing his obedience to God’s command. Isaac responds with a powerful statement. He questions Ishmael's pride in merely removing a small piece of flesh. Isaac declares that if God were to ask Abraham to sacrifice him, Isaac, he would willingly agree.
This declaration doesn’t go unnoticed. The text states that "the Lord heard the word that Isaac spoke to Ishmael, and it seemed good in the sight of the Lord, and he thought to try Abraham in this matter." This sets the stage for one of the most profound and challenging narratives in the entire Torah: the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac.
The chapter culminates with a scene in the heavenly court. Satan appears before God, questioning the sincerity of humanity's devotion. He points to Abraham, suggesting that since Isaac's birth, Abraham has become lax in his service to God, offering no sacrifices or building altars.
God defends Abraham, declaring him to be a perfect and upright man. He even suggests that Abraham would not withhold Isaac if asked as a sacrifice. Satan challenges God to test Abraham, setting in motion the events that will unfold in the next chapter.
So, what do we take away from this chapter? It’s a blend of the mundane and the extraordinary. We see family dynamics, land disputes, and the everyday lives of our ancestors. But woven through it all is the thread of faith, obedience, and the ever-present possibility of divine testing. It reminds us that even in the most ordinary of lives, there is the potential for profound spiritual challenges and growth. And sometimes, it’s in those in-between moments, in the spaces between the big stories, that we truly understand what it means to be human, and to be in relationship with the Divine.
Sacred-texts Apocrypha Index Previous Next Book of Jasher, Chapter 22 1 And Ishmael then rose up and took his wife and his children and his cattle and all belonging to him, and he journeyed from there and he went to his father in the land of the Philistines. 2 And Abraham related to Ishmael his son the transaction with the first wife that Ishmael took, according to what she did. 3 And Ishmael and his children dwelt with Abraham many days in that land, and Abraham dwelt in the land of the Philistines a long time. 4 And the days increased and reached twenty six years, and after that Abraham with his servants and all belonging to him went from the land of the Philistines and removed to a great distance, and they came near to Hebron, and they remained there, and the servants of Abraham dug wells of water, and Abraham and all belonging to him dwelt by the water, and the servants of Abimelech king of the Philistines heard the report that Abraham's servants had dug wells of water in the borders of the land. 5 And they came and quarreled with the servants of Abraham, and they robbed them of the great well which they had dug. 6 And Abimelech king of the Philistines heard of this affair, and he with Phicol the captain of his host and twenty of his men came to Abraham, and Abimelech spoke to Abraham concerning his servants, and Abraham rebuked Abimelech concerning the well of which his servants had robbed him. 7 And Abimelech said to Abraham, As the Lord liveth who created the whole earth, I did not hear of the act which my servants did unto thy servants until this day. 8 And Abraham took seven ewe lambs and gave them to Abimelech, saying, Take these, I pray thee, from my hands that it may be a testimony for me that I dug this well. 9 And Abimelech took the seven ewe lambs which Abraham had given to him, for he had also given him cattle and herds in abundance, and Abimelech swore to Abraham concerning the well, therefore he called that well Beersheba, for there they both swore concerning it. 10 And they both made a covenant in Beersheba, and Abimelech rose up with Phicol the captain of his host and all his men, and they returned to the land of the Philistines, and Abraham and all belonging to him dwelt in Beersheba and he was in that land a long time. 11 And Abraham planted a large grove in Beersheba, and he made to it four gates facing the four sides of the earth, and he planted a vineyard in it, so that if a traveler came to Abraham he entered any gate which was in his road, and remained there and ate and drank and satisfied himself and then departed. 12 For the house of Abraham was always open to the sons of men that passed and repassed, who came daily to eat and drink in the house of Abraham. 13 And any man who had hunger and came to Abraham's house, Abraham would give him bread that he might eat and drink and be satisfied, and any one that came naked to his house he would clothe with garments as he might choose, and give him silver and gold and make known to him the Lord who had created him in the earth; this did Abraham all his life. 14 And Abraham and his children and all belonging to him dwelt in Beersheba, and he pitched his tent as far as Hebron. 15 And Abraham's brother Nahor and his father and all belonging to them dwelt in Haran, for they did not come with Abraham to the land of Canaan. 16 And children were born to Nahor which Milca the daughter of Haran, and sister to Sarah, Abraham's wife, bare to him. 17 And these are the names of those that were born to him, Uz, Buz, Kemuel, Kesed, Chazo, Pildash, Tidlaf, and Bethuel, being eight sons, these are the children of Milca which she bare to Nahor, Abraham's brother. 18 And Nahor had a concubine and her name was Reumah, and she also bare to Nahor, Zebach, Gachash, Tachash and Maacha, being four sons. 19 And the children that were born to Nahor were twelve sons besides his daughters, and they also had children born to them in Haran. 20 And the children of Uz the first born of Nahor were Abi, Cheref, Gadin, Melus, and Deborah their sister. 21 And the sons of Buz were Berachel, Naamath, Sheva, and Madonu. 22 And the sons of Kemuel were Aram and Rechob. 23 And the sons of Kesed were Anamlech, Meshai, Benon and Yifi; and the sons of Chazo were Pildash, Mechi and Opher. 24 And the sons of Pildash were Arud, Chamum, Mered and Moloch. 25 And the sons of Tidlaf were Mushan, Cushan and Mutzi. 26 And the children of Bethuel were Sechar, Laban and their sister Rebecca. 27 These are the families of the children of Nahor, that were born to them in Haran; and Aram the son of Kemuel and Rechob his brother went away from Haran, and they found a valley in the land by the river Euphrates. 28 And they built a city there, and they called the name of the city after the name of Pethor the son of Aram, that is Aram Naherayim unto this day. 29 And the children of Kesed also went to dwell where they could find a place, and they went and they found a valley opposite to the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 30 And they there built themselves a city, and they called the name at the city Kesed after the name of their father, that is the land Kasdim unto this day, and the Kasdim dwelt in that land and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly. 31 And Terah, father of Nahor and Abraham, went and took another wife in his old age, and her name was Pelilah, and she conceived and bare him a son and he called his name Zoba. 32 And Terah lived twenty-five years after he begat Zoba. 33 And Terah died in that year, that is in the thirty-fifth year of the birth of Isaac son of Abraham. 34 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and he was buried in Haran. 35 And Zoba the son of Terah lived thirty years and he begat Aram, Achlis and Merik. 36 And Aram son of Zoba son of Terah, had three wives and he begat twelve sons and three daughters; and the Lord gave to Aram the son of Zoba, riches and possessions, and abundance of cattle, and flocks and herds, and the man increased greatly. 37 And Aram the son of Zoba and his brother and all his household journeyed from Haran, and they went to dwell where they should find a place, for their property was too great to remain in Haran; for they could not stop in Haran together with their brethren the children of Nahor. 38 And Aram the son of Zoba went with his brethren, and they found a valley at a distance toward the eastern country and they dwelt there. 39 And they also built a city there, and they called the name thereof Aram, after the name of their eldest brother; that is Aram Zoba to this day. 40 And Isaac the son of Abraham was growing up in those days, and Abraham his father taught him the way of the Lord to know the Lord, and the Lord was with him. 41 And when Isaac was thirty-seven years old, Ishmael his brother was going about with him in the tent. 42 And Ishmael boasted of himself to Isaac, saying, I was thirteen years old when the Lord spoke to my father to circumcise us, and I did according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to my father, and I gave my soul unto the Lord, and I did not transgress his word which he commanded my father. 43 And Isaac answered Ishmael, saying, Why dost thou boast to me about this, about a little bit of thy flesh which thou didst take from thy body, concerning which the Lord commanded thee? 44 As the Lord liveth, the God of my father Abraham, if the Lord should say unto my father, Take now thy son Isaac and bring him up an offering before me, I would not refrain but I would joyfully accede to it. 45 And the Lord heard the word that Isaac spoke to Ishmael, and it seemed good in the sight of the Lord, and he thought to try Abraham in this matter. 46 And the day arrived when the sons of God came and placed themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with the sons of God before the Lord. 47 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? and Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 48 And the Lord said to Satan, What is thy word to me concerning all the children of the earth? and Satan answered the Lord and said, I have seen all the children of the earth who serve thee and remember thee when they require anything from thee. 49 And when thou givest them the thing which they require from thee, they sit at their ease, and forsake thee and they remember thee no more. 50 Hast thou seen Abraham the son of Terah, who at first had no children, and he served thee and erected altars to thee wherever he came, and he brought up offerings upon them, and he proclaimed thy name continually to all the children of the earth. 51 And now that his son Isaac is born to him, he has forsaken thee, he has made a great feast for all the inhabitants of the land, and the Lord he has forgotten. 52 For amidst all that he has done he brought thee no offering; neither burnt offering nor peace offering, neither ox, lamb nor goat of all that he killed on the day that his son was weaned. 53 Even from the time of his son's birth till now, being thirty-seven years, he built no altar before thee, nor brought any offering to thee, for he saw that thou didst give what he requested before thee, and he therefore forsook thee. 54 And the Lord said to Satan, Hast thou thus considered my servant Abraham? for there is none like him upon earth, a perfect and an upright man before me, one that feareth God and avoideth evil; as I live, were I to say unto him, Bring up Isaac thy son before me, he would not withhold him from me, much more if I told him to bring up a burnt offering before me from his flock or herds. 55 And Satan answered the Lord and said, Speak then now unto Abraham as thou hast said, and thou wilt see whether he will not this day transgress and cast aside thy words. 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