Devotional Short Note on Genesis 27

 

This period in the life of Isaac as Genesis 26 calls the drought, were dry climatic circumstances (Genesis 26:1). F. A. Hassan (2007) online did a study on drought in this period. Genesis 26:1 would date it between 2099-2081 BCE. The Spade and Science confirm the biblical Text with absolute accuracy. Not maybe, probably, likely, assumingly, suggestingly but definitely.

Other evidence can be listed. The following compelling evidence supports the biblical text 100%.

Egyptian Texts

Gardiner the Egyptologist wrote that many texts around 2100 BCE complain of the absence of grain.

Biblical Text in Genesis 26

The Bible says that there was a drought in the days of Isaac between 2099-2081 BCE.

Delta Sediment Drilling

Modern sediment drilling in the Delta indicating a thin layer of reddish-brown silt dating to 2250-2050 BCE. “This layer indicates that the delta floodplain dried up for a long period of time, allowing iron reddish-brown iron oxides to accumulate at the surface (KROM ET AL. 2002)” wrote Hassan (2007) on page 360..

Memphis Drilling

“There is also compelling evidence from the ongoing drilling program at Memphis of dry conditions represented by the encroaching desert sand that began to engulf the Old Kingdom settlement during the First Intermediate Period (GIDDY and JEFFREYS 1991: 2).” The first Intermediate Period was around 2100 BCE.

Sand Storms in the Desert

          “The desert sand extended as a massive sheet of windblown sand over a distance of at least half a kilometer from the edge of the escarpment. It remained a prominent feature of the landscape until medieval times (GIDDY and JEFFREYS 1991: 2; JEFFREYS 1997: 3-4).”

Reduction of Nile Discharge

“The reduction of Nile discharge coincided with low rainfall in the source areas of the Nile, where a dry climatic phase is detected at the same time as the low Nile floods in Egypt c. 2200-2100 BCE (JOLLY and BONNEFILLE 1992; TAYLOR 1993; GASSE and VAN CAMPO 1994).”

 

Lake Kajemarum Oasis in Nigeria

“lake Kajemarum Oasis and dune deposits in northeastern Nigeria, at the border and Sahel, sensitive to climatic osci1lations, revealed that a marked deterioration of climate and vegetation commenced at c. 2150 BCE, leading to the formation of the present day semiarid landscape due to a pronounced shift in atmospheric circulation with significant degradation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (HOLMES ET AL. 1998).”

Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana

“investigation~ at Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana reveal that the level of the lake fell at c. 2150 BCE in response to arid conditions (TALBOT ET AL. 1984).”

Soreq Cave on east of the Mediterranean

“eastern· Mediterranean a massive reduction of 20-30% in rainfall at c. 2200 BCE is indicated by a high-resolution study of deposits at Soreq Cave (BAR-MATHEWS ET AL. 1999).”

Lake Sumxi in Tibet

“dry conditions were observed in a record from Lake Sumxi in Western Tibet at 2200 BCE (GASSE and VAN CAMPO 1994).”

Chile and the Marine Sediments

“in South America a definite transition to a variable late Holocene climate occurred at c. 2100 BCE as revealed by marine sediments off the southern coast of Chile (LAMY ET AL. 2000).”

Drought in Mid-continental North America

“a severe centennial scale drought in mid-continental North America 4200 years ago with apparent global linkages (BOOTH ET AL. 2005).”

Iceland Transition from grassland to arctic conditions

“a transition from birch and grassland vegetation to arctic conditions in Iceland at 2150 BCE (ROSE ET AL. 1997).”

 

References:

BOOTH, R. K.. JACKSON, S. T., STEVEN, L, KlITZBACH, J. E., and E. A. BETTIS III, J. KREIG and D. K. WRIGHT (EDS).

2005 A Severe Centennial-Scale Drought in Mid-Continental North America 4200 Years Ago and Apparent

Global Linkages. The Holocene 15: 321-328.

LAMY, E, HEBBELN, D., WEFER, G., and M. MARCHANT

2000 Reconstructing Latitudinal Shifts of the Southern Westerlies from Marine Sediment Studies along the Chilean Continental Margin. PAGES 8(2): 8-9.

ROSE, J., WHITEMAN, C. A., LEE, J , BRANCH, N. P., HARKNESS, D. D., and J. WALDEN.

1997 Mid- and Late-Holocene Vegetation, Surface Weathering and Glaciation, Fjalljokull Southeast Iceland. The Holocene 7(4): 457-471.

GASSE, F. and VAN CAMPO, E.

1994 Abrupt Post-Glacial Climate Events in West Asia and North Africa Monsoon Domains. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126: 435-456.

BAR-MATIlEWS, M., AYALON, A., KAUFMAN, A., and WASSERBURG, G. J.

1999 The Eastern Mediterranean Paleoclimate as a Reflection of Regional Events: Soreq Cave, Israel. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 166: 85-95.

TALBOT, M. R., LIVINGSTON, D. A., PALMER, P. G., MALEY, J., MELACK, J. M., DILIBRlAS, G., and S. GULLIKSEN

1984 Preliminary Results from Sediment Cores from Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana. Palaeoecology of Africa 16:173-192.

HOLMES, J. A., P. FOTHERGILL, A, STREET-PERROTT, E A., and R. A. PERROTT

1998 A High-Resolution Holocene Ostracod Record from the Sahel Zone of Northeastern Nigeria. Journalof Palaeclimnology 20: 369-380.

JOLLY, D. and BONNEFILLE, R.

1992 Histoire et dynamique du marecage tropical de Ndurumu (Burundi), donnees polliniques. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 75: 133-151.

TAYLOR, D. M.

1993 Environmental Change in Montane Southwest Uganda: a Pollen Record for the Holocene from Ahakagyezi Swamp. The Holocene 3(4): 324-332.

GASSE, F. and VAN CAMPO, E.

1994 Abrupt Post-Glacial Climate Events in West Asia and North Africa Monsoon Domains. Earth andPlanetary Science Letters 126: 435-456.

KROM, M.D., STANLEY, J. D., CUFF, R. A., and J. E. WOODWARD

2002 Nile river sediment fluctuations over the past 7000 years and their key role in sapropel development. Geology 30(1): 71-74.

GIDDY, L. and JEFFREYS, D.

1992 Memphis, 1991 JEA 78: 1-11.

F. A. Hassan (2007). "Droughts, Famine and the Collapse of the Old Kingdom: Re-Reading lpuwer." In The Archaeology and Art of Ancient Egypt. Essays in Honor of David B. O'Connor. Edited by Zahi A. Hawass and Janet Richards ANNALES DU SERVICE DES ANTIQUITES DE L'EGYPTE. CAHIER N° 36 Volume I, PUBLICATIONS DU CONSEIL SUPREME DES ANTIQUITES DE L'EGYPTE. Online downloaded from http://www.gizapyramids.org/pdf_library/hassan_fs_oconnor.pdf), page 360ff.

According to Genesis 11:11, Shem lived 500 years after the birth of his son Arpachsad who was born in 2590 BCE. That means Shem died during this severe drought 10 years after the marriage of Isaac and Rebekkah. It was in 2080, ten years after Shem died, that Jacob and Esau was born and Abraham died in 2065 BCE twenty five years after Shem died. Abraham knew Shem and had firsthand knowledge about the Flood and Noah and so did Isaac and Rebekkah. Shem experienced the severe drought and so did Abraham, both times. The early one when Abraham went to Egypt and this time in 2100 BCE.

Shulgi of the Ur III dynasty ruled between 2095-2047 BCE. From wikipaedia comes this information: “He proclaimed himself a god in his 23rd regnal year. Some early chronicles castigate Shulgi for his impiety: The Weidner Chronicle (ABC 19) states that "he did not perform his rites to the letter, he defiled his purification rituals". CM 48 charges him with improper tampering with the rites, composing "untruthful stelae, insolent writings" on them. The Chronicle of Early Kings (ABC 20) accuses him of "criminal tendencies, and the property of Esagila and Babylon he took away as booty." In was in 2073 BCE that Shulgi deified himself. Personality cult worship is an evil that is still encouraged even in modern times. Both Abraham and Eber died after this crazy event with Shulgi of Ur.

Peleg was born in 2491 BCE and Eber according to Genesis 11:17 lived 430 years after his birth and died in 2061, just 4 years after Abraham. The name Eber means Habiru or Hebrew.

Isaac was born in 2140 BCE and he died in 2000 BCE according to Genesis 35:28-29. He died four years after the fall of the Ur III dynasty under Ibbisin. In this chapter, for Isaac to be old and the eyes not well, it must have been close to 2000 sometime but that date can be calculated in the following way. 

Jacob worked 20 years for Laban, fourteen for the wives and six for the cattle, thus for Jacob to come back to his father still alive from Padam-Aram in Genesis 35:27, means that it must be 20 years before 2000, thus about 2020 BCE.

It was in 2040 BCE when Esau was 40 years old that he took a Hittite wife and this grieved Sarah and Isaac very much. Shortly afterwards they sent Jacob away and sometime between 2040 BCE (marriage of Esau) and 2000 BCE (death of Isaac) the 20 years working for Laban of Jacob must be fitted in.

So this chapter fits the context shortly after Esau’s marriage in 2040 BCE and before Jacob went to Laban. That means between 2040-2030 BCE, Isaac developed a cataract disease maybe? (Genesis 27:1).

The rest of the chapter is very familiar with all readers. The great deception of Jacob and Rebekkah.

 

Dear Lord

The Bible is true and speaks history not fables or stories and every word and nuance counts, also for us, not only for them. We rely on Your impact in our lives. In Jesus Name. Amen.