Adrien J Bledstein

Poor fellows!

I wonder, however, if Isaac may be understood to be a trickster type character. In her book Underdogs and Tricksters: A Prelude to Biblical Folklore, Susan Niditch points out that when Isaac deceives Abimelech in Genesis 26 and the deception is uncovered, that pattern is characteristic of a trickster (p. 51). However, she reads Isaac as an underdog and thinks he is deceived by Jacob whom she and others agree is a trickster figure (p. 99). In contrast, I suggest Isaac, Yishaq, may be translated Trickster.

Translating other Hebrew names, Binder (arising from the root rbq, tying fast, BDB p. 918) is Rebekah; Heel is Jacob (from bqe[) and Hairy-man is Esau, I recommend we read Genesis 27 as a Hebrew form of trickster tale with Isaac as the arch trickster. In the ancient Near East, gods and goddesses use trickster means to get their way. For example, in the wrestlings of gods Horus and Seth trickery is used in an effort to determine who will be king of the gods in Egypt. Among Sumerians, Inanna wins the divine me from her father Enki.

Let us imagine the Genesis narrator is a Hebrew woman who believes that YHWH alone is ruler of Judah-Israel and that her intent is to satirize humans who behave like the gods and goddesses of non-Hebrews. In particular, she cleverly prods men who wield power.

Understood from the point of view of a woman's wit, the tale becomes an ingenious succession narrative in which Trickster's anxieties about his health lead him to raise the issue of passing on the blessing to his favorite son. This mobilizes the mother, Binder, whose manipulation to have Heel blessed presents the possibility for Trickster to test each son: who is both clever and persistent enough to handle the blessing?

First I present an altered translation of the New Jewish Version of the text and my interpretation. The titles of sections of Genesis 26.34 to 28.9 correspond to sections of my rendition. Second, I consider imagining the storyteller as a woman with a mature sense of humor which encompasses an appreciation of human frailty.

 Choosing a Successor

Genesis 26:34When Hairy-man (Esau) was forty years old, he took to wife Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite; 35and they were a bitterness of spirit to Trickster (Isaac) and Binder (Rebekah). 27:1And because Trickster was old and his eyes dim from seeing, he called Hairy-man his son, the elder, and said to him, `My son', 2and he said to him, `Here I am'. And he said, `Please note that I am old, and I do not know the day of my death. 3Now, please take your gear, your quiver and bow, and go out into the open and hunt me some game. 4Then prepare a dish for me such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die'. 5And Binder heard when Trickster spoke to his son Hairy-man and Hairy-man went out to the field to hunt some game to bring. 6So Binder said to Heel (Jacob) her son, saying, `Pay attention, I heard your father speaking to your brother Hairy-man, saying 7 "Bring me some game and prepare a dish for me to eat that I may bless you before YHWH before I die". 8Now, my son, listen to my voice to what I instruct you. 9Go please to the flock and take from there two choice kids, and I will make of them a dish for your father, such as he likes. 10Then take it to your father to eat, in order that he may bless you before he dies'. 11Heel answered his mother Binder, `Look, my brother Hairy-man is a hairy man and I am smooth-skinned. 12Perhaps my father will touch me, I shall appear to him as a trickster and bring upon myself a curse, not a blessing'. 13But his mother said to him, `On me be your curse, my son. Just do as I say. Go. Take for me'.

The Testing of Heel

Genesis 27:14And he went and took and brought to his mother, and his mother prepared a dish such as his father liked. 15Binder then took the best clothes of her son Hairy-man, the elder, which were with her in the house, and dressed her son Heel, the younger, 16 and she covered his hands and the hairless part of his neck with the skins of the kids. 17Then she put in the hands of her son Heel the dish and the bread that she had prepared. 18So he comes to his father and says, `My father'. And he said, `Here I am. Who are you, my son'?[1] 19And Heel responds to his father, `I am Hairy-man, your first-born; I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me'. 20And Trickster said to his son, `How did you succeed so quickly, my son'?[2] and he said, `Because YHWH your Divinity caused the right thing to occur'. 21Trickster said to Heel, `Please come closer that I may feel you, my son--whether you are really my son Hairy-man or not'.[3] 22So Heel drew close to his father Trickster, who felt him and said, `The voice is the voice of Heel, but the hands are the hands of Hairy-man'.[4] 23And he did not acknowledge him because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Hairy-man, so he blessed him,[5] 24and he said, `Are you really my son Hairy-man'?[6] And he said, `I am'. 25So he said, `Serve me and let me eat of my son's game that my soul may bless you'.[7] So he served him and he ate, and he brought him wine and he drank. 26Then his father Trickster said to him, `Please come close and kiss me, my son';[8] 27and he went up and kissed him. And he smelled his clothes and he blessed him saying, `Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of the fields that YHWH has blessed. 28May the Divine give you Of the dew of heaven and the fat of the earth, Abundance of new grain and wine. 29Let peoples serve you, And nations bow to you; Be master over your brothers, And let your mother's sons bow to you. Cursed be they who curse you, Blessed they who bless you.

The Testing of Hairy-man

30No sooner had Heel left the presence of his father Trickster--after Trickster had finished blessing Heel--then his brother Hairy-man came back from his hunt. 31He too prepared a dish and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, `Let my father sit up and eat of his son's game, so that your soul may bless me'. 32His father Trickster said to him, `Who are you'? And he said, `I am Hairy-man, your first born'! 33Trickster was seized with very violent trembling and he said, `Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me and I ate of it before you came and I blessed him, also blessed will he be'? 34When Hairy-man heard his father's words, he burst into wild and bitter sobbing, and said to his father, `Bless me too, Father'! 35But he answered, `Your brother came with guile and took away your blessing'. 36He said, `Was he, then, named Heel that he might supplant me these two times? First he took away my birthright and now he has taken away my blessing'! And he added, `Have you not reserved a blessing for me?' 37Trickster answered, saying to Hairy-man, `But I have made him master over you: I have given him all his brothers for servants, and sustained him with grain and wine. What, then, can I still do for you, my son'? 38And Hairy-man said to his father, `Have you but one blessing, Father? Bless me too, Father'! And Hairy-man wept aloud. 39So his father Trickster answered, saying: See, your abode shall enjoy the fat of the earth And the dew of heaven above. 40Yet by your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; But when you grow restive, You shall break his yoke from your neck.

 Confirming the Successor

Genesis 27:41Now Hairy-man harbored a grudge against Heel because of the blessing which his father had given him, and Hairy-man said to himself, `Let but the mourning period of my father come, and I will kill my brother Heel'. 42When the words of her son Hairy-man, the elder, were reported to Binder, she sent for her son Heel, the younger, and said to him, `Your brother Hairy-man is consoling himself by planning to kill you. 43Now, my son, listen to me. Flee at once to Haran, to my brother, Laban. 44Stay with him a while, until your brother's fury subsides--45until your brother's anger against you subsides--and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will fetch you from there. Let me not lose you both in one day'! 46Then Binder said to Trickster, `I am disgusted with my life because of the Hittite women. If Heel marries a Hittite woman like these, from among the native women, what good will life be to me'? 28:1So Trickster sent for Heel and blessed him. He admonished him and said, `You shall not take a wife from among the Canaanite women. 2Up, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother's father, and take a wife there from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. 3May El Shaddai/ Divine Nurturer bless you, make you fertile and numerous, so that you become an assembly of peoples. 4May S/He grant the blessing of Abraham to you and your offspring, that you may possess the land where you are sojourning, which the Divine assigned to Abraham'. 5Then Trickster sent Heel off, and he went to Paddam-aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Binder, mother of Heel and Hairy-man. 6When Hairy-man saw that Trickster had blessed Heel and sent him off to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, charging him, as he blessed him, `You shall not take a wife from among the Canaanite women', 7and that Heel had obeyed his father and mother and gone to Paddan-aram, 8Hairy-man realized that the Canaanite women displeased his father Trickster. 9So Hairy-man went to Ishmael and took to wife, in addition to the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, sister of Nebaioth.

Choosing a Successor

At forty years of age, Hairy-man takes two Hittite wives who irritate both parents. Trickster is bedridden and his eyesight dim, but his appetite, including senses of smell and taste, is hearty. With exaggeration typical of trickster figures, he anticipates the worst and calls in his eldest to prepare for blessing.

Binder is present when her husband sends Hairy-man off on a day's errand. Did Trickster mean for her to hear? Once before, Trickster and Binder cooperated in outwitting a powerful man, Abimelech king of Gerar (Gen. 26). As Abraham and Sarah had before, the couple presented Binder as Trickster's sister to keep the husband alive among covetous strangers. Later, however, in view of the monarch's window, Trickster was seen mesaheq, fondling Binder. Uniting Isaac with other trickster figures, this is a sexual play on the name Yishaq which may also mean `he will laugh', `jest', `sport' or `toy with' (BDB p. 850). This deception/undeception in Gerar won the couple royal protection.

Now, given their different preferences in sons, Trickster may have an inkling that Binder will tell her favorite son Heel that Hairy-man is about to be blessed. Of course she does, commanding Heel to approach his father in the guise of Hairy-man.

Commentators fall on both sides in answer to the question: Is Isaac deceived? Reading Isaac as Trickster we know he is not deceived. The important question becomes: Why does he proceed with the blessing? I suggest that once Binder put into motion the deception, Trickster's ill-defined wish comes into focus as he realizes that Binder sent Heel pretending to be Hairy-man. The wily old man takes the opportunity to see for himself which son is most suited to carry the blessing of Abraham. Who is clever enough to survive among arrogant, powerful men? Whatever the consequences, Trickster won't be blamed.

Why does Binder conceive this risky circumvention of her first-born? A clue is in her repetition of Trickster's instructions to Hairy-man. For Heel to hear, she adds `bless you before YHWH'. She believes `the older will serve the younger', which was the divine oracle given to her while the twins struggled in her womb (Gen. 25.23). Her certainty parallels Abraham's when he sends his servant to the home land to find a wife for Trickster. She knows that Heel will win the blessing just as Abraham knew that the Divine would guide his servant to the appropriate wife. As one chosen by the Divine (Gen. 24), Binder is confident that the right son will be blessed, but Heel must act now. She knows he wants the blessing. On his own initiative he took advantage of Hairy-man's hunger and bought the birthright, the first-born's double portion (Gen. 25.27-34).

Just as King David holds the divine gift of the crown of Judah-Israel, Trickster administers Abraham's unique gift from YHWH: the promise of the land of Canaan. Hairy-man expects to succeed his father. Deprived of a voice in this momentous event for the family, Binder considers her husband's character and fears. Trickster is cautious with forceful men, as we witness from his maneuvering with Abimelech and his counselors. He survives through deception then undeception; retreat, then standing his ground in Genesis 26. With sensitivity to relationships, Binder manages to avert conflict through imaginative circumvention.

Three words which have to do with deceiving or tricking are used in the episode: Yishaq, he laughs or mocks; meta^cte^ca, trickster (Gen. 27.12); and mirma, guile (Gen. 27.35). This cluster of terms and the use of the latter two regarding Heel indicates the narrator's intent as Trickster passes the mantle to the next generation trickster.

Binder contrives a situation whereby Trickster may bless Heel yet shift the blame away from himself. She knows well her husband and sons. If Heel implements her plan, he will surely win his father's blessing. Heel's only objection is that he may be found out as a trickster, misaheq, and be cursed. When Binder accepts responsibility for consequences, Heel eagerly carries out her instructions.

The Testing of Heel

Heel passes the preliminary test. Eight times Trickster questions his son's identity. First, after hearing Heel address him, he asks `Who are you my son'? (19) Second, `How did you succeed so quickly, my son'. (20) Third, `Please come closer that I may feel you, my son--whether you are really my son Hairy-man or not'. (21) Fourth, he observes, `The voice is the voice of Heel, but the hands are the hands of Hairy-man'. (22) Fifth, we are told by the narrator: `And he did not acknowledge him because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Hairy-man, so he blessed him'. (23) Hikiro may be read as recognize, regard, or acknowledge, as when Ruth says to Boaz, `why do you acknowledge me, seeing I am a stranger'? (2.10) I suggest that at this point Trickster accepts Heel's disguise yet continues to prod, testing Heel's resolve and stamina. Sixth, `Are you really my son Hairy-man'? (24) Seventh, `Serve me and let me eat of my son's game', (25) and this man who loves the taste of game eats the dish of young goats prepared by Binder. Surely he knows the difference. Eighth, `Please come close and kiss me, my son'. (27) Trickster smells him and may be pleased that even clothing has been considered by Binder for the deception of both Hairy-man and Heel.

Each time Trickster tests, either Heel's response or Binder's preparations permit Trickster to pretend to be deceived by Heel's hoax. Heel persists, and Trickster rewards his son with fertility of field, mastery over his kin, blessings not curses, thus fulfilling the oracle to Binder. However, calculating Trickster withholds the Divine promise unique to Abraham: possession of the land and offspring to inherit it.

The Testing of Hairy-man

Hairy-man fails his test. He enters with a hearty greeting. Trickster trembles violently with fear now that he must cope directly with Hairy-man's grief. Pulling himself together, he says, `Your brother came with guile, mirma, and took away your blessing' (27.35). Hairy-man sobs bitterly, `have you not reserved a blessing for me'? Crafty Trickster tells his son precisely what he gave Heel: mastery over brothers, sustenance with grain and wine, blessings not curses. Now the father inquires: `What, then, can I still do for you, my son'?

Theoretically Hairy-man could answer: `Bless me with the land and descendants to inherit it'!

And Trickster could respond to his favorite: `Yes! Yes'! Instead, Hairy-man doesn't know. All he can do is sob: `Have you but one blessing, father'? So Trickster blesses him with fertility of field, affirmation of the roughneck that he is, and concludes with an outlet to Hairy-man's frustration by offering the hope that he will free himself from servitude. Regarding the Divine promise to Abraham--Trickster has reserved the land for Heel.

Confirming the Successor

Binder hears about Hairy-man's muttering that he will kill Heel as soon as the old man is dead. First she treats her common concerns with Heel telling him to save his life and get a wife in Haran. Second, she raises with Trickster their shared complaint, the troublesome wives of Hairy-man. Without a word of reprimand to Heel for his farcical disguise, Trickster now affirms Heel as his successor by giving him the blessing of Abraham.

Imagining the Storyteller

Themes and style indicative of women storytellers emerge from this re-reading within the larger Binder-Trickster cycle, Genesis 24-28.9. The woman's character is valued, and a man in authority is vulnerable and devious. Man and woman cooperate in order to survive. These themes may point to a woman writer when combined with style characteristic of Hebrew women storytellers.

Repetition in particular marks `female narrative structure', according to folklorist, geniza scholar S. D. Goitein in an essay entitled: `Women as Creators of Biblical Genre'.

When we read for example the story of Eliezer and Rebekah at the well (Gen. 24), it is difficult to shake the impression that we have before us a typical woman's story... because the technique of double and triple repetition which is so prominent in the story is....characteristic of female narrative structure--as I have found it for example in Yemenite collections (p. 31).

He further observes that he `sometimes heard women's poetry spoken by men and men's by women; and yet the gender of the author was always immediately apparent' (p. 2), and he recommends this as instructive for students of literature.

For examples of this repetitious style of communication by women within the Bible, I point the reader to the young women who respond to Saul and his servant in 1 Samuel 9.11-14. Abigail addressing David in 1 Samuel 25.24-30 and the wise woman of Tekoa appealing to David as king in 2 Samuel 14.4-20 share this mode of expression. Though the effort of Tamar, daughter of David, to dissuade her brother Amnon from raping her is relatively brief in 1 Samuel 13.12-17, her appeal includes repetition. It is of interest that H. Gunkle in remarking on repetitious speeches in Genesis 37-50 characterizes them as being `effeminate' and `sentimental' (p. 389). What was derogatory towards feminine modes of expression in 1910 is in 1991 appreciated as simply a different mode of communication. The `effeminate' speeches of Judah in Genesis 44.18-34 may indicate we are hearing a man in a suppliant position speak through the medium of a woman storyteller.

Goitein does `not discuss women as authors but as creators of biblical literary genres' (p. 5). In a note (p. 32 n. 19), he discounts as female folk story many other passages with recapitulations `for specific purposes'. Presumably male storytellers would have purpose for repetition while female would not, a premise I reject. I do, however, agree with his observation:

Nor is the interesting conjecture of H.M. & N.K. Chadwick in THE GROWTH OF LITERATURE (Cambridge, 1936), that the stories about David were written by or for women, on account of the great amount of women's doings in them (Michal, Abigail, Rizpah daughter of Aiah, Bathsheba, Tamar, Avishag) acceptable as a basis for investigation, for it is too general (p. 31, n. 2).

Drawing upon Goitein's insights of three and a half decades ago, I propose we enlarge our vision of the possibility of women authors on the basis of combining content with style and purpose. A woman writer rather than a man would be more likely to highlight the theme that the mother as well as the father exercises influence toward determining which son will inherit the blessing.

Eight times in the course of the narrative in Genesis 24, the fact that Binder is divinely appointed to be Trickster's wife is stated or implied. The repetition there serves to emphasize, to an audience unaccustomed with the concept, that women as well as men are chosen to perpetuate the promise, a fundamental, repeated point regarding the matriarchs. Sarah, not Hagar nor Keturah, is designated by the Deity as mother of the child meant to carry the promise. Rebekah both is chosen and receives the oracle supporting Jacob. Unloved by Jacob, Leah feels appreciated by YHWH whom she praises in naming her fourth son Judah; and Tamar waylays Judah, becoming an ancestress to David. Substance as well as form and intention suggest we are hearing a woman's narrative.

Furthermore, studies on humor and the use of satire show that members of an under class, such as women in a patriarchal culture, are accustomed to using irony and disguised means of communicating with those in power. Within the Bible, the crafty woman from Tekoa was called by Joab, commander of the royal army, for circumspect communication with King David. Though Joab instructed her regarding basic content, she was engaged for her artistry. After she convinces David with her tragic tale of one son killing another, one may read with irony her flattery of the monarch whom she has hoodwinked into recalling his son Absalom from exile. She says, perhaps archly: `my lord the king is like an angel of God, understanding everything, good and bad' (2 Sam. 14.17). This prompts David to realize Joab is behind the ruse. Similarly, I suggest a woman storyteller may have used irony or humor to address current issues at court and subtly to rebuke the monarch. The `rebuker' or `wise instructor' is a genre recognized by Goitein among ancient Hebrew and Arab women (pp. 11-12).

Goitein also notes that `the Yemenite woman, despite her lowly and limited social position, expressed in her poetry public opinion on the events of the day'. Furthermore, `in most of these poems there is a generous helping of mockery, or at least a humorous strain' (p.2). Such observations of women's mockery of contemporary events is suggestive for imagining the narrator in Genesis 24-28.

With appreciation of ironic intent, we may see that the narrator, on the one hand, treats lightly, though empathically, a man like Hairy-man whose assumption of power is based on first-born status and physical prowess. On the other hand, she highlights the shrewdness of characters who are vulnerable--a woman, an elderly father, a younger son.

Resemblances between the Binder-Trickster cycle and the so-called Court History or Succession Narrative (1 Sam. 7; 11-20; 1 Kings 1-2) concluding in the first two chapters of 1 Kings become visible when we note the narrator's use of repetition and the interactions of the prophet Nathan, Bathsheba, and David. Both Isaac and King David are the humans in authority at the time, yet each is portrayed as both vulnerable and deceptive.

When David is old and restricted to bed (as Trickster is), Adonijah (something like Hairy-man) proclaims himself king. Four times we hear details of Adonijah's seizure of kingship: first from the narrator, second from Nathan to Bathsheba, third from Bathsheba to David, fourth from Nathan to David. This results in David's acknowledging a vow to Bathsheba that Solomon would succeed him. Nowhere in the Court History do we actually hear David make such a vow, so we may wonder if in fact he did swear or if at this moment he realizes (as Trickster did) that he must act--either allow Adonijah to usurp the throne or choose Solomon to succeed him according to the wishes of Nathan and Bathsheba. Bathsheba like Binder has support from a divine oracle naming Solomon Jedidiah, `beloved of Yah' (2 Sam. 12.24-5).

Once David decides in favor of Solomon, three times we hear what is done. First, David gives instructions; second, the narrator describes how they were carried out; third, Jonathan son of Abiathar reports to Adonijah. For contrast one may look at a male version in Scriptures, the priestly rendition of succession in 1 Chronicles 20.1. Omitted are the waning of David, the lethal rivalry between sons, and the mention of wives or daughter. Repetitious narratives concerned with people's interactions, familial intrigues and tragedies do not interest the priests (1 Chron. 22.8-10).

Along with multiple repetitions pointed out by Goitein as a technique of women storytellers, I suggest that complex characterizations, human vulnerability, ambiguities in motivation (more common to women than to men according to Carol Gilligan in her study of moral development, In a Different Voice), and ironic turns of events, distinguish a woman narrator in both Genesis and the Court History.

Through the veil of humor in the Binder-Trickster cycle one may read a trenchant but circumspect message addressing the pressing issue of succession for aging but wily King David. With tales of the king's ancestors in covenant with YHWH, she prepares David to choose the smartest son and to let go of command.

I also imagine she is the Court Historian. After David dies, her writings might be anonymously incorporated into the book of Nathan mentioned by the priests in 1 Chronicles 29.29; 2 Chronicles 9.29; 29.25. She records recent events of the family of David without comedy, but in her matchless style recognizable from a combination of repetition, irony, and ambiguity regarding those who hold and influence power among mortals.

Adrien Janis Bledstein, Independent Scholar, Chicago, Illinois

                                          Endnotes    

1. J. Cheryl Exum and William Whedbee portray Isaac as "the most comical of Israel's ancestors" (p. 123), characterizing him as "typically an innocent, passive man and [who] is set up again and again--a classic half-pathetic, half-humorous dupe" (p. 131). "Isaac, Samson, and Saul: Reflections on the Comic and Tragic Visions," ON HUMOR AND THE COMIC IN THE HEBREW BIBLE ed. Y.T. Radday and A. Brenner (Sheffield: Almond, JSOT 92, 1990) 122-34.

2. See goddesses as trickster figures, Carole Fontaine, "The Deceptive Goddess in Ancient Near Eastern Myth: Inanna and Inaras" Semeia 42 (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988). In Hebrew matriarchal-patriarchal stories, it is vulnerable humans who use trickster means.

3. Naomi Steinberg, in her study `Israelite Tricksters' Semeia 42 (1988): 1-13, remarks: "so-called trickster tales analyzed by scholars typically contain no explicit reference to such a figure" (p. 2). If we read the name Isaac as Trickster, combined with the other terms in his climatic scene, I suggest the narrator is explicit.

4. PROOFTEXTS 8 (1988): 1-33. I am grateful to Michael Carasik for sending me his English translation. The original article was published in Hebrew, 1957. Goitein's insight that parts of Hebrew Scripture might be women's tales, songs, conversation, proverbs included by male scribes preceded both R.E. Friedman and H. Bloom by three decades.

5. I recommend anthropologist-linguist Deborah Tannen's two studies of conversational styles THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! and YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND. (NY: Ballentine Books, 1986 and 1990).

6. See C. Fontaine: "Stereotyping women as deceivers...reveals a `truth' about the condition of women (or any powerless, marginated group) under patriarchy: where women are debarred by status from direct action to achieve their goals without fear of reprisal, they will resort to indirect strategies such as deception, gossip, and counselling, which are available to those of inferior status" (p. 85). She further notes that "the strategy for effective action most closely associated with women characters in the Hebrew Bible is a morally ambivalent one". As narratives in Genesis and Samuel are morally "ambivalent," I suggest this may indicate a woman narrator. See also, Regina Barreca, THE USED TO CALL ME SNOW WHITE...BUT I DRIFTED: WOMEN'S STRATEGIC USE OF HUMOR (New York, Viking, 1991) and Steinberg, pp. 3-4.