Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 32
Overview
This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.Avraham and Yaakov and Name Changes
There are many points of contact between the narratives of Avraham and Yaakov, including the fact that each is granted a change of name by God.
Tools
- Makbilot Bamikra points out that Yaakov’s name change is one of many in Tanakh. However, Avraham and Yaakov are the only two people whose names are changed by Hashem, perhaps pointing to some deeper connection between the two figures.
Articles
- See Avraham and Yaakov for an exploration of this and many other thematic and linguistic parallels between these two figures.
- In his article, The Parallel Between Yaakov and Avraham, Professor Yonatan Grossman notes how Yaakov, like Avraham, (but unlike Yitzchak) is tasked with creating the nation and not just continuing the line. Perhaps the Divine name change relates to this role.
Yaakov's Double Name Change
The text speaks of Yaakov's change of name twice, once when his name is changed by the "man" (perhaps, angel) in Bereshit 32:29 and once when it is changed by Hashem directly in Bereshit 35:10.
Tools
- Tanakh Lab – Compare the two episodes in the Tanakh Lab, here.
Articles
- See Vayishlach: From Yaakov to Yisrael by R. Menachem Leibtag for an exploration of how these two narratives describing Yaakov’s name change interact with each other and why it was necessary for Yaakov to receive a name change twice. R. Leibtag suggests that the name Yisrael represents Yaakov’s newly-developed ability to act directly when confrontation is called for, and that the dual narrative of the name change serves to confirm Yaakov’s right to the blessings he initially received through deceiving his father.
Yaakov and Esav, Moshe and Aharon
There are parallels between the narrative of the anticipated reunion of Yaakov and Esav in Bereshit 32-33 and the reunion of Moshe and Aharon in Shemot 4.1
Tools
- Concordance – The concordance demonstrates that the root "פגש" appears only four times in Torah, twice in each of these stories, perhaps a linguistic hint to compare the two.
Sources
- See Rashbam who draws parallels between the stories of Yaakov’s and Moshe’s near-death encounters with angels in Bereshit 32 and Shemot 4, noting that both relate to a refusal/delay to fulfill a mission.
Articles
- See Moses in Danger, by R. Alex Israel, for an exploration of these parallel stories. R. Israel suggests that both relate to a character's avoidance of a mission and the repercussions of such delay. The solution, as Tzipporah recognizes, is to overcome this reluctance through decisive action.2