Genesis 35:19-29

C. What became of Isaac 25:19-35:29

A new toledot begins with Genesis 25:19. Its theme is "the acquisition of the blessing and its development and protection by the Lord." [Note: Ross, Creation and . . ., p. 433.]

Moses set up the whole Jacob narrative in a chiastic structure that emphasizes the fulfillment of the promise of the seed and the seed’s prosperity.

"A Oracle sought; Rebekah struggles in childbirth; bekorah birthright; birth; themes of strife, deception, fertility (Genesis 25:19-34).

B Interlude: strife; deception; berakah blessing; covenant with foreigner (26).

C Deception; berakah stolen; fear of Esau; flight from land (Genesis 27:1 to Genesis 28:9).

D Encounter (<paga’) with the divine at sacred site near border; berakah (Genesis 28:10-22).

E Internal cycle opens: arrival; Laban at border; deception; wages; Rachel barren; Leah fertile (Genesis 29:1 to Genesis 30:21).

F Rachel fertile; Jacob increases the herds (Genesis 30:22-43).

E’ Internal cycle closes: departure; Laban at border; deception; wages (31).

D’ Encounters (<paga’) with divine beings at sacred sites near border; berakah (32).

C’ Deception planned; fear of Esau; berakah gift returned; return to land (33).

B’ Interlude: strife; deception; covenant with foreigner (34).

A’ Oracle fulfilled; Rachel struggles in childbirth; berakah; death resolutions (Genesis 35:1-22)." [Note: Ibid., p. 85. Cf. Fishbane, p. 42; Wenham, Genesis 16-50, p. 169; Waltke, Genesis, p. 352.]

The Flood story also has a palistrophic structure, and both stories have a similar statement at the middle (turning point): God remembered Noah (Genesis 8:1) and God remembered Rachel (Genesis 30:22). This emphasizes that God controls events and saves His people.

". . . the author of Genesis has deliberately split the Jacob-Joseph story into two parts by putting the family history of Esau Genesis 36:1 to Genesis 37:1 in the middle. This allows him to alternate the genealogies of the non-elect lines of Ishmael (Genesis 25:12-18) and Esau (Genesis 36:1 to Genesis 37:1) with the fuller family histories of the chosen lines of Terah (Abraham) (Genesis 11:27 to Genesis 25:11), Isaac (Jacob) (Genesis 25:19 to Genesis 35:29), and Jacob (Joseph) (Genesis 37:2 to Genesis 50:26) to produce a total of five patriarchal family histories. This matches the five family histories of pre-patriarchal times . . ." [Note: Wenham, Genesis 16-50, p. 168.]