Religion Facts: Jacob

Jacob plays an important role in the Bible because he is the third patriarch of the Jewish people whom God made a covenant with. From his descendents, the tribes of Israel were formed. In this article, you will learn facts and trivia regarding Jacob, including details of his birth and death.

His Birth

After 20 years of marriage, Isaac and Rebekah had Jacob and his twin brother, Esau when Isaac was 60 years old. During the pregnancy, Rebekah was experiencing discomfort and she went to ask God why she was suffering. A prophecy was delivered that twins were fighting in her womb and would continue to be at odds with one another for the rest of their lives. She was told that even after they would lead two separate nations, they would continue to fight.

In the prophecy, it was also mentioned that the older twin would serve the younger twin to mean that one people would be stronger than the other. The two nations would never attain power at the same time and when one faltered, the other would emerge as stronger. When Rebekah received the prophecy, she did not share the information with Isaac.

The Bible

The life of Jacob is told in the Book of Genesis , chapters 25 to 50.

Adopted Sons

Jacob had adopted two sons of Joseph, who were named Ephraim and Manasseh. He took in the children as his own. When he felt that he was nearing death, he blessed each of his 12 sons with varying blessings that he viewed appropriate according to the individual. Judah, who was his fourth born, received the first blessing because Reuben had been incestuous, and Levi and Simeon were guilty of betrayal.

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob had a vision of a ladder or staircase that reached into heaven where angels traveled up and down, which is where the term “Jacob’s ladder” came from that reached into heaven where angels traveled up and down, which is where the term “Jacob’s ladder” came from. At the top of the ladder, the voice of God was heard, who repeated a variety of the blessings upon him.

Some believe that the ladder was a reference to the exiles that the Jewish people would suffer before the coming of the Jewish Messiah. The angels were representative of the exiles of Babylonia, Persia, and Greece, which is why each climbed up a certain number of steps. This signified the number of years of their exile before they ‘fell down’. However, the angel who represented the last exile kept climbing higher and higher into the clouds.

Jacob was fearful that his children would never be free of his twin’s domination. Yet, God assured him that at the End of Days, Edom would also fall down at some point. When Jacob awakened from his vision, he continued to Haran in the morning, which he named ‘Bethel’ or ‘God’s house.’