Archaeological evidence supports the idea in the Old Testament historical books that pre-exilic Israelites were prone to doubt about their status as the favored people of Yahweh. Numerous sites reveal evidence of Israelites worshiping both Yahweh and other deities, just as the historical books give regular reports of Israel’s temptation to follow other gods. One might be tempted to follow some other deity when one is unsure about the favor of Yahweh. Faithfulness to Yahweh despite certainty is what makes the story of Jacob special.
This paper argues that while in retrospect Jacob is the last of the three great patriarchs of Israel, prior to the end of the Jacob cycle in Genesis 35 the man Jacob cannot be sure. We can point to episodes in which God affirms Jacob and grants him favor, but these pronouncements are uncertain at best. God tells Rebekah that her older son will serve his brother, but Genesis does not tell us whether Rebekah ever shared this with Jacob. Jacob obtains Esau’s birthright and blessing, but by way of deception, so we cannot be sure that God will grant the favor associated with these. God makes promises to Jacob at Bethel, but God makes them in a dream – and how can Jacob be sure that his dream does not merely reflect his own wishes? While Abraham and Isaac can be certain early on that they have been chosen by God, Jacob hears unambiguously of God’s favor only at the end of his story in Genesis 35. The Jacob cycle thus builds to this point, with Jacob living a life of uncertainty about his relationship with God.