We often hear about the immediate aftermath – the vengeance of Simeon and Levi. But what about Jacob and his family? Did they just pack up and leave? Well, according to the Legends of the Jews, as retold by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, there’s a whole chapter of conflict and conquest that often goes unmentioned.
At first, things were relatively peaceful. Jacob and his household returned to Shechem, settling in and establishing themselves. But this peace didn't last. After seven years, the surrounding Amorite tribes began to feel threatened. "Is it not enough that they have slain all the men of Shechem?" they asked, according to Ginzberg. "Should they be permitted now to take possession of their land, too?" And so, they gathered their forces to make war on the sons of Jacob.
Enter Judah. He becomes the hero of our story, leaping into the fray against the allied kings. The first adversary? Jashub, the king of Tappuah, a warrior seemingly clad in iron and brass from head to toe. Ginzberg paints a vivid picture of Jashub, mounted on his horse, casting spears with deadly accuracy, a formidable foe indeed.
But Judah is undeterred. He picks up a stone – a massive one, weighing sixty sela'im (a unit of weight) – and hurls it at Jashub, who was, and this detail is wonderfully specific, one hundred and seventy-seven ells and one-third of an ell away! The stone strikes Jashub's shield, unhorsing him. A fierce duel ensues, shields shatter, and in a moment of quick thinking, Judah wrests Jashub’s own shield from him and uses Jashub’s own sword to cut off his feet, then his head.
The battle doesn't end there, of course. Nine of Jashub's followers appear, ready to avenge their king. Judah, resourceful as ever, uses another well-aimed stone to disable the first attacker, grabs his shield, and defends himself against the remaining eight. It's a whirlwind of action!
Then, help arrives. Levi joins the fight, killing Elon, the king of Gaash, with an arrow. Judah dispatches the remaining eight. Even Jacob himself gets involved, slaying Zerori, the king of Shiloh! The Amorites, faced with this onslaught, lose their nerve and flee. The sons of Jacob pursue, each slaying a thousand men, according to Ginzberg’s retelling.
The story doesn't stop at Shechem. The sons of Jacob push onward to Hazor, where they face an even more severe encounter. Jacob himself takes down Pirathon, the king of Hazor, as well as Pasusi, Laban (king of Aram, no less!), and Shebir. Judah is, again, the first to scale the walls of Hazor, taking on four warriors at once before his brother Naphtali can even offer assistance. Together, Judah and Naphtali stand on the wall, dealing death to the enemy.
The other sons of Jacob follow, and they utterly destroy the Amorite host. They conquer Hazor, killing everyone and taking all the spoils. The next day, they move on to Sartan, and another bloody battle ensues. Sartan is a heavily fortified city, but the sons of Jacob are relentless. Judah, again leading the charge, scales the walls, followed by Gad, Simeon, Levi, Reuben, Dan, Naphtali, and Issachar. They capture the city.
According to Legends of the Jews, the sons of Jacob subdue five more cities in just five days: Tappuah, Arbel, Shiloh, Mahanaim, and Gaash. Finally, on the sixth day, the Amorites, utterly defeated, come to Jacob and his sons unarmed, begging for peace.
And here’s where things take an unexpected turn. The sons of Jacob agree to peace. The Amorites cede Timna and the land of Harariah to them. They also return all the stolen cattle and spoil, with a bonus of two head for every one they took. Jacob and his sons return to their respective areas, and the Amorites, finally, leave them in peace.
What are we to make of this? It's a far cry from the peaceful shepherd image we sometimes have of Jacob and his sons. This is a story of conquest, of military prowess, and of a people establishing their territory by force. It's a reminder that the stories of the Torah, and the legends that surround them, are complex and multifaceted. They offer us glimpses into a world far removed from our own, a world of tribal conflict, of fierce warriors, and of a people struggling to find their place in a land that was not always welcoming. And, perhaps, it makes us consider the price of peace, and the lengths to which people will go to secure it.
At first the people that lived round about Shechem made no attempt to molest Jacob, who had returned thither after a while, together with his household, to take up his abode there and establish himself. But at the end of seven years the heathen began to harass him. The kings of the Amorites assembled together against the sons of Jacob to slay them in the Valley of Shechem. "Is it not enough," they said, "that they have slain all the men of Shechem? Should they be permitted now to take possession of their land, too?" and they advanced to render battle. Judah leapt into the midst of the ranks of the foot soldiers of the allied kings, and slew first of all Jashub, the king of Tappuah, who was clad in iron and brass from top to toe. The king was mounted, and from his horse he cast his spears downward with both hands, in front of him and in back, without ever missing his aim, for he was a mighty warrior, and he could throw javelins with one hand or the other. Nevertheless Judah feared neither him nor his prowess. He ran toward him, snatching a stone of sixty sela'im from the ground and hurling it at him. Jashub was at a distance of one hundred and seventy-seven ells and one-third of an ell, and, protected with iron armor and throwing spears, he moved forward upon Judah. But Judah struck him on his shield with the stone, and unhorsed him. When the king attempted to rise, Judah hastened to his side to slay him before he could get on his feet. But Jashub was nimble, he stood ready to attack Judah, shield to shield, and he drew his sword to cut off Judah's head. Quickly Judah raised his shield to catch the blow upon it, but it broke in pieces. What did Judah now? He wrested the shield of his opponent away from him, and swung his sword against Jashub's feet, cutting them off above the ankles. The king fell prostrate, his sword slipped from his grasp, and Judah hastened to him and severed his head from his body. While Judah was removing the armor of his slain adversary, nine of Jashub's followers appeared. Judah slung a stone against the head of the first of them that approached him, with such force that he dropped his shield, which Judah snatched from the ground and used to defend himself against his eight assailants. His brother Levi came and stood next to him, and shot off an arrow that killed Elon, king of Gaash, and then Judah killed the eight men. And his father Jacob came and killed Zerori king of Shiloh. None of the heathen could prevail against these sons of Jacob, they had not the courage to stand up before them, but took to flight, and the sons of Jacob pursued after them, and each slew a thousand men of the Amorites on that day, before the going down of the sun. And the other sons of Jacob set forth from the Hill of Shechem, where they had taken up their stand, and they also pursued after them as far as Hazor. Before this city they had another severe encounter with the enemy, more severe than that in the Valley of Shechem. Jacob let his arrows fly, and slew Pirathon king of Hazor, and then Pasusi king of Sartan, Laban king of Aram, and Shebir king of Mahanaim. Judah was the first to mount the walls of Hazor. As he approached the top, four warriors attacked him, but he slew them without stopping in his ascent, and before his brother Naphtali could bring him succor. Naphtali followed him, and the two stood upon the wall, Judah to the right and Naphtali to the left, and thence they dealt out death to the warriors. The other sons of Jacob followed their two brothers in turn, and made an end of exterminating the heathen host on that day. They subjugated Hazor, slew the warriors thereof, let no man escape with his life, and despoiled the city of all therein. On the day following they went to Sartan, and again a bloody battle took place. Sartan was situated upon high land, and the hill before the city was likewise very high, so that none could come near unto it, and also none could come near unto the citadel, because the wall thereof was high. Nevertheless they made themselves masters of the city. They scaled the walls of the citadel, Judah on the east side being the first to ascend, then Gad on the west side, Simon and Levi on the north, and Reuben and Dan on the south, and Naphtali and Issachar set fire to the hinges upon which the gates of the city were hung. In the same way the sons of Jacob subdued five other cities, Tappuah, Arbel, Shiloh, Mahanaim, and Gaash, making an end of all of them in five days. On the sixth day all the Amorites assembled, and they came to Jacob and his sons unarmed, bowed down before them, and sued for peace. And the sons of Jacob made peace with the heathen, who ceded Timna to them, and all the land of Harariah. In that day also Jacob concluded peace with them, and they made restitution to the sons of Jacob for all the cattle they had taken, two head for one, and they restored all the spoil they had carried off. And Jacob turned to go to Timna, and Judah went to Arbel, and thenceforth the Amorites troubled them no more.
