V’yishlach
He sent
“Silence of the Limping”
Genesis 32:3-36:43
Hosea 11:7-12:12 (A)
Obadiah 1:1-21 (S)
excerpted from Torah In the Balance, Volume I
Once again, students of the Torah are challenged when meditating on our weekly portions, which I have found to contain a wealth of information to contemplate. When I sit down to write my Torah commentaries, the choice of a subject matter to focus on can be overwhelming. There are many critical events to consider discussing, so one really has to search his heart and find out just what nugget of truth the Lord wants you to focus upon. After all, lengthy books have been written about certain aspects of the life and personal character of Jacob. And, my Torah commentaries are intended to be reflective, and not be like some of the technical, verse-by-verse resources we have in our ministry library.
As I filter my life through the lens of God’s Torah and plead for personally needed edification, I am magnetically drawn into the character strengths and flaws of Jacob. It is amazing how truly representative he is of so many of us! I can very easily identify with Jacob’s struggles as a chosen vessel for God’s Divine purposes. If you have ever endured any difficulties in your own life, then you can probably also empathize with many of Jacob’s character traits—perhaps his apparent silence as he limped down the mountain trails of modern-day Samaria and Judea. Consider the following verses and Jacob’s absent response:
“Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, ‘Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you will tell me I will give. Ask me a great amount for a dowry, and I will give whatever you ask of me, but give me the young lady as a wife.’ The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit when they spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister, and said to them, ‘We can’t do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach to us. Only on this condition will we consent to you. If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised, then will we give our daughters to you; and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our sister, and we will be gone’” (Genesis 34:11-17, WMB).
Just contemplate this critical juncture in the family, chosen by the Lord to be a light to the world, as they reentered the Promised Land and settled around the community of Shechem. At this point in the narrative, the defiling sexual encounter with Dinah had already occurred,[1] and restitution had to be made. Now a proposition is offered by the young prince Shechem and his father Hamor, to Jacob and his sons.
What really caught my attention, after rereading this selection of verses a number of times, is that Jacob was deafeningly silent when the proposals were being discussed. In fact, the Scriptures indicate that his sons answered the requests deceitfully, and with what is ultimately demonstrated to be murder in their hearts. But for some reason, the Patriarch Jacob, who had recently been renamed Israel in an awesome encounter with the Holy One,[2] did not speak up. Why was Jacob silent? Can we really know what was going on in his heart and mind?
It is apparent that by the time this event occurred in Jacob’s life, he was confidently aware that the God of his fathers was providing, protecting, and preserving him and his family for the fulfillment of His promises. What was it about Jacob which caused him to just bite his tongue, and not overrule his sons’ conniving requests as the elder? Could it be that he was plagued with the same problem many followers of God struggle with: the age-old battle between the Spirit and the flesh?
Our Common Human Condition
Lamentably, many of us have different flesh patterns which exercise their influences on choices we consider and decisions we make. Jacob’s life may be considered to be an “open book,” which we can each benefit and learn from, if we study and contemplate the things he did, said, and in this case did not say. Hopefully, if we are totally honest with ourselves, those wrestling with sinful behaviors will confess that they sometimes have about the same amount of success overcoming various flesh patterns as Jacob appears to have had.
Regrettably, confessing our faults is easier said than acted upon, considering the record we see in the Scriptures of fallen humanity. Even with the benefits of progressive revelation, many who claim a belief in the Creator God—and even His Son Messiah Yeshua—still struggle with battles of the flesh, and in experiencing victory over them. In Romans ch. 7, the Apostle Paul described a viewpoint with which too many people can relate:
“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin. For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. But if what I don’t desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good. So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good. For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice. But if what I don’t desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the law that, while I desire to do good, evil is present. For I delight in God’s Torah after the inward person, but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? I thank God through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s Torah, but with the flesh, sin’s law” (Romans 7:14-25, WMB).
Many people are inclined to read Romans ch. 7 as Paul giving information about himself, and how it is fairly common for Believers to have sin problems they wrestle with and struggle to overcome. Paul seemed to be stating that he himself, even as a born again Believer and a chosen apostle of God, struggled with sin.
Certainly while we live in a sinful world and we will have to overcome temptation, is it appropriate for a Believer to use Romans 7 as an “excuse” to sin? In the recent past, many scholars have been led to think that Paul was not, in fact, talking about himself—but rather was speaking as a hypothetical Believer who was struggling with sin.[3] Paul himself, contrary to the Romans 7 sinner, was a relatively mature Believer who had overcome the vast majority of temptations.
Regardless of which view you take, the realities of our fallen world should force us to rely on the grace of God, because it is only by the salvation provided in Yeshua “that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4, WMB). Only by crying out to the Lord, will we be able to overcome temptation!
Many of the sinful temptations we encounter as Believers are simply flesh patterns which can be easily conquered, if we reach out in faith to our Heavenly Father and learn to discipline ourselves. Regardless of Jacob’s, or our own deceitful flesh patterns we may still be wrestling with here or there, God is still able to accomplish His will—just as the people destined to be His own possession did this as seen throughout the Torah and Tanakh. Let us take a look.
The Journey Home
Over twenty years had passed since Jacob left his brother Esau, and now, after reconciling with his father-in-law Laban,[4] he was faced with the prospect of facing his sibling and perceived enemy. Remember that the reason Jacob journeyed to the east was initially to depart from the wrath of his brother’s rage.[5] Now with two wives, two concubines, twelve children,[6] many slaves, and much livestock, he was returning to his original home with great trepidation. He vividly recalled Esau’s plans to kill him. In this illuminating parashah, Jacob’s character was permanently altered, having the socket of his thigh dislocated by wrestling with the Divine being all night long (Genesis 32:24-32). Yet Jacob not only received the blessing of being renamed Israel (he who struggles with God) for such endurance, but for many generations following, he represents the need for each of God’s followers to become dependent on Him—and perhaps how people often literally or figuratively come “limping” into the Kingdom.
But before we as Believers, like Jacob, can limp—or even drag ourselves—successfully into the presence of the Most High, we need to remember that in spite of our most fervent promises and prayers, He is still in ultimate control of things. If the Lord really does have a call upon your life to serve Him and make a difference for Him, regardless of your innate inability to fulfill your part of your pledges, He is big enough to work through you to accomplish His will. In spite of all of the negative idiosyncrasies of Jacob, God was still able to use Him and Jacob will be in the Kingdom (cf. Matthew 8:11; Luke 13:28).
Promises Made and Broken
Do you recall Jacob’s vow to God to give ten percent of all he had as payment for His provision and protection, from the previous Torah portion?
“Jacob vowed a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and the LORD will be my God, then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God’s house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give a tenth to you’” (Genesis 28:20-22, WMB).
Here, Jacob made a solemn vow at Bethel (Heb. Beit’El; meaning “house of God”) to give God ten percent of his wealth, as compensation for His protection and provision. But notice one other thing which was also pledged. At this critical juncture on his journey east, in his heart, Jacob yearned to return to his father Isaac’s house safely. Did Jacob at all forget about this? We know that the Lord did not, because in spite of Jacob’s personal problems, he was able to return to his home country—and he even found his brother Esau in a somewhat amicable mood:
“‘Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the livestock that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir.’ Esau said, ‘Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me.’ He said, ‘Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord’” (Genesis 33:14-15, WMB).
This scene occurred after Jacob’s incredible experience at Peniel, where he encountered, and even wrestled with, what some think was a pre-Incarnate manifestation of Messiah Yeshua. Even after this life altering experience, where he received his limp, Jacob still had a human tendency to say something he did not really mean. Was his fear of Esau still a motivating force in his life? What about his statements made to the Lord some twenty years earlier on his trek east? Did he forget that God wanted him to return to Isaac’s house, to carry on the call He had given the Patriarchs? Surely, God would protect him. It appears that for some reason, Jacob was content to simply cross the Jordan and settle in the land around Shechem:
“Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan Aram; and encamped before the city. He bought the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel” (Genesis 33:18-20, WMB).
Here in Shechem, the Scriptures record how Jacob followed the family tradition established by his grandfather Abraham when he purchased the caves at Machpelah in Mamre near Hebron. How could this be? Years earlier, a fleeing Jacob indicated a hunger to be reunited with his father (Genesis 28:21), and even weeks earlier, as the broken and renamed Israel, he promised his brother he would come to his father in Seir. So why did Jacob stop at Shechem, and not proceed any further?
“Just Give Me Peace”
Jacob changed his mind and purchased land near Shechem. Soon, his growing family and extensive herds become permanent fixtures among the Shechemites. He even erected an altar which signified his allegiance to the Lord, an indication how he did not plan on moving anywhere anytime soon. Did he not remember his vows to the Lord and the corresponding covenants promised to him?
Most can identify with Jacob/Israel at this point in his life. He just wanted peace. He had just come through the trauma of encountering his brother, and certainly felt a great deal of relief of how his life and the lives of his family had been spared. He knew that Esau had become very wealthy, and that Esau’s holdings would perhaps create a conflict if he relocated to the area around Hebron, which included the region of Seir to the east. He somehow justified his decision to simply settle into the community around Shechem. The Scriptures do not indicate how long Jacob and his family had been a part of the Shechem area, but in due time, circumstances erupted, creating serious tension between the indigenous population and the children of Jacob/Israel:
“Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, lay with her, and humbled her” (Genesis 34:1-2, WMB).
Whether Dinah was actually raped, or whether she had consensual relations with Shechem the prince because he convinced her to do so, is not the point. The fact remains that she ventured into the neighborhood, and became known among the young people of Shechem’s community. In time, she attracted the attention of the young prince. Before long, whether by force or enticement, the sexual act took place. Apparently, the prince was deeply attracted to Dinah and he asked for her hand in marriage:
“His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady. Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor, saying, ‘Get me this young lady as a wife.’ Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah, his daughter; and his sons were with his livestock in the field. Jacob held his peace until they came. Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to talk with him. The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing that ought not to be done. Hamor talked with them, saying, ‘The soul of my son, Shechem, longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. You shall dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Live and trade in it, and get possessions in it’” (Genesis 34:3-10, WMB).
Jacob was in quite a dilemma. After he heard the reports of this transgression, he waited silently to ponder his reaction. He might have recalled when he had his first encounter with Rachel at the well in Paddan-Aram many years earlier:
“Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s relative, and that he was Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father” (Genesis 29:11-12, WMB).
In the social mores of that day, it was not proper for a man to kiss a woman at their initial meeting, but Jacob had succumbed to the physical attraction he bore his cousin. And as it turned out, they ended up being far more than “kissing cousins.” Is it possible that Jacob understood how passion and longing could be used to further God’s plans for His people? He had certainly seen how it worked out in his life. He might have concluded that God was working through these unfortunate circumstances with Dinah and Shechem.
A Deafening Silence
Hamor, the father of Shechem, made a plea for the hand of Dinah for his son.[7] But what is interesting to note, is how Jacob never responded to any of the overtures. Instead, it was his sons who retorted back with the conditions of intermarriage. Why was he so silent on the matter? Did he simply consent to the arrangement which was proposed, and allow his sons to figure out the finer details? Certainly, if he disagreed with the proposal, he could have said something, and the conditions for family unions would not be acted upon. Instead, Jacob/Israel, knowing that his sons were livid, allowed the conditions to be offered. Did he know what was in their hearts, or was he more interested in maintaining peace? Here are the conditions which were determined:
“The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit when they spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister, and said to them, ‘We can’t do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach to us. Only on this condition will we consent to you. If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised, then will we give our daughters to you; and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our sister, and we will be gone’” (Genesis 34:13-17, WMB).
Before too long, the requirement to circumcise all the men of Shechem was enacted in order for the intermarriage and assimilation to take place. But what was intended to take place did not occur. The treachery which was in the hearts of Simeon and Levi surfaced, and they completed a murderous engagement. As our Torah portion summarizes,
“On the third day, when they were sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword, came upon the unsuspecting city, and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and Shechem, his son, with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away. Jacob’s sons came on the dead, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, that which was in the city, that which was in the field, and all their wealth. They took captive all their little ones and their wives, and took as plunder everything that was in the house” (Genesis 34:25-29, WMB).
After the entire male population of Shechem was murdered—which was fairly easily to liquidate thanks to the pain of circumcision—the rest of the brothers completed the task of stealing all the wealth of the city. Can you imagine such deceitful actions being committed by the chosen people of God? Where was the compassion for the indiscretion of Dinah, and the young prince Shechem who wanted to make restitution? There was no mercy or grace found in the proud hearts of these sons of Jacob/Israel. Instead, murder and revenge prevailed. After these vile acts, the reaction of Jacob is finally recorded as he rebuked Simeon and Levi:
“Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.’ They said, ‘Should he deal with our sister as with a prostitute?’” (Genesis 34:30-31, WMB).
The dialogue ends, and Jacob and company move.
A Divine Response
Jacob quickly recognized that these actions imperiled his entire family. There is no Biblical record of Jacob responding to the pleas Simeon and Levi offered in their defense. Instead, the next recorded statement came from God Himself. The Lord reminded Jacob to return to Bethel to recall the promises made to Him:
“God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother’” (Genesis 35:1, WMB).
Another altar is erected, memorializing the promises received.[8] The journey continues down the hills of the Promised Land toward Hebron, and Jacob finally gets back on the trail to his father Isaac’s home. But again there are challenges. His beloved wife Rachel died at the birth of Benjamin, in what is modern-day Bethlehem.[9] The love of Jacob’s life is taken from him. On the journey, Jacob’s eldest son Reuben sins, thus forfeiting his position to become the leader of the next generation:
“Israel traveled, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder. While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve” (Genesis 35:21-22, WMB).
And, the journey back home continues… Finally, the full circle is completed and Jacob/Israel is back at his father’s side. The promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are being fulfilled. And, the most ironic thing occurs from our human perspective, as Isaac died and his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him:
“Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners. The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years. Isaac gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him” (Genesis 35:27-29, WMB).
The Journey Completed
Regardless of all the bad decisions which Jacob made along his journey, the promise to be returned to the land of his fathers is completed. Of course, he was without the love of his life, Rachel, and was further burdened by the sinful acts of his sons in Shechem during the final leg of their trek south. But he did not forget these critical events in his life. In fact, the whole future of the nation of Israel would be, in many respects, determined by some of the things which occurred during these travels down the hills of what would later be called Samaria and Judea.
In his final days, as Israel was blessing his sons, the ultimate destinies of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi were uttered. Because of their lustful and treacherous acts, they lost the right to receive the blessings bestowed upon the firstborn. Instead, such a firstborn status was ultimately passed onto Judah:
“Jacob called to his sons, and said: ‘Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come. Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in dignity, and excelling in power. Boiling over like water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch. Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence. My soul, don’t come into their council. My glory, don’t be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. The obedience of the peoples will be to him. Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be red with wine, his teeth white with milk’” (Genesis 49:1-12, WMB).
From these blessings and penalizations, you can see how the actions which took place in Shechem were indeed inappropriate. If the murders were consistent with God’s laws and His true intention, then Simeon or Levi would have inherited the blessing of firstborn. But instead, those blessings were passed onto Judah.
Lessons Learned
In our study of the Torah, today’s challenge is to reflect upon the life of Jacob and his sons, and seek a better way. What is our Heavenly Father trying to reveal to us as we contemplate the traumatic life of Jacob, and his struggle to return to the home of his father? Regardless of Jacob’s bad decisions and the consequences of them, God was still going to accomplish His will via the people He had chosen to represent Him in the world. For unknown reasons, He did not cover up or hide the transgressions of the people chosen to be His own possession. The Biblical record includes their faults, demonstrating such a chosen people to truly be people.
This reality should not encourage Believers to pursue things contrary to God’s way. Instead, with the benefits of the Scriptural records preserved for us, we should learn to honor the verbal commitments we have made to the Lord and to each other. We should recognize that what we say and what we do have long term consequences for us, as well as our children. We should learn from the mistakes of those who have preceded us, so we do not repeat them. We see that Reuben, Simeon, and Levi were denied the blessing of being the chosen, main leaders of Israel.
Spirit-Led Decisions
Like the Apostle Paul who listed the example of a sinner in Romans ch. 7, wanting to overcome temptation, if we similarly struggle, we should be willing to admit our faults and strive to do better. Jacob had faults which did hamper his effectiveness in accomplishing God’s purpose for his life, and what we commonly remember him for are the good things he achieved near the end of his life—not necessarily in the time period we are considering in this parashah.
We each should strive to let the Spirit of God and His will prevail in our decisions, not succumbing to any excuses as to why our way might be better, and certainly not waiting until the end of our lives to be the most effective in His service. We each have choices to make, and if we are filled up with the Ruach HaKodesh, we should seriously consider the negative consequences which will result if we are guided by a sinful ethic. As we mature in our walks of faith, it should be natural for us to simply choose the path the Lord has laid out, guided by the imperative of love. Paul summarized what God’s love (agapē) is to chiefly embody in his words to the Corinthians:
“Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with…When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 11, WMB).
Walking in unconditional love is, at times, a difficult action to take, but one which pleases our Heavenly Father. It definitely exhibits the traits of a maturing holy one or saint, who submits himself or herself to the required will of the Lord.
Secondly, when encountering those inside, and even outside of the Body of Messiah, we need to exercise grace and mercy. Yeshua the Messiah spoke specifically about one’s natural, fleshly proclivity to judge others:
“Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5, WMB).
If we take this truth to heart, we will knowingly conclude that our flesh often wants to justify itself, without first examining its own faults. We might look down on others who do not see things we way we do, or who remain in immaturity. Rather than be a partial human judge—it is much better to humble ourselves, pray for those who are wrestling with issues of sin, and let the impartial Judge, God Himself, work through the issues with such people. Who in his or her right mind would want to judge another person’s heart, when such a person’s own heart has glaring deficiencies which need to be worked through?
Finally, we have an excellent summary remark to consider by James the Just:
“Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20, WMB).
Is it not better for Spirit-led followers of Messiah Yeshua to seek this level of restitution with those who have strayed from the truth? Such a restoration, though, needs to be tempered with the same love and mercy which saved us!
The life of Jacob and his choices have been preserved for our instruction. Jacob was always reminded of his encounter with God at Peniel as he limped through the remainder of his life (Genesis 32:25, 31-32). Have you ever had a dramatic, life altering event, which has initiated needed change away from the ways of the flesh? As you contemplate V’yishlach this week, what important lesson might you be overlooking? Hopefully, unlike Jacob who wrestled with God, the only limps we have in life are those that come from bent knees in continual prayer and humble submission to God’s will—and not any kind of reminder for chastisement from Him. In such prayer, we will learn the discernment of when to speak, and when to be silent.
NOTES
[1] Genesis 34:1-5.
[2] Genesis 32:24-32.
[3] For a summary of this, consult J.M. Everts, “Conversion and Call of Paul,” in Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid, eds., Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993), 158.
Do note that while many Romans commentators today recognize the possibility that the “I” in Romans 7 is not Paul speaking about himself, there are many different conclusions drawn as to what is being specifically communicated if this is not autobiographical material.
[4] Genesis 31:43-55.
[5] Genesis 27:42-28:5.
[6] While Benjamin had yet to be born (Genesis 35:18), Dinah was a part of this company (Genesis 30:21).
[7] Genesis 34:6ff.
[8] Genesis 35:7, 9-15.
[9] Genesis 35:16-20.
