BIBL 410
BIBL 410 Weekly Study Questions 7 Liberty University answers
complete solutions.
Isaac: Jacob and Esau
Answer thoroughly the following questions based on this module/week’s Reading &
Study material:
1. Who is Eliezer?
Eliezer is the “eldest servant of his house” (v. 2) is not named but commentators almost
unanimously identify him with Eliezer, whom Abraham had previously proposed to be
the heir to his property (15:2). (Davis 227)
2. Remember the discussion about the location of Ur (Module/Week 5)? Does the location
of the city of Nahor, as given by Davis, influence the location of Ur? Explain your
answer. The city of Nahor is described by Abraham as his country (24:4). Genesis 12:1
does not specify the city in which Abraham dwelled when God called Him, but other
passages of Scripture point to the city of Ur (Davis, 164). According to Davis, the more
likely and more generally accepted view is that Ur was located in southern
Mesopotamia (Davis, 165), which does not line up with the location where Eliezer
traveled, as Davis notes that Eliezer went north to the city of Nahor. (Davis, 228)
3. Why was Eliezer’s journey successful? Eliezer was persistant in prayer and sensitive
to God’s spirit. (Davis, 230)
4. What does the mentioning of Ishmael and his sons tell us about God?
God fulfilled his promise to Ishmael, and his son”s are not just twelve tribes of the
princes, but also locations.(Davis,231)
5. “The elder shall serve the younger” tells us what about God?
God does not play up to the customs of the times, and does as he sees fit.
6. Explain in detail the patriarchal custom of the birthright. The patriarchal custom of the
birthright, the eldest son had particular privileges in the ancient patriarchal household.
During the father’s lifetime the eldest was over his brothers; after his father died, he
received a double share of the inheritance and became head and priest of the family. He
could lose the rights of primogeniture if he committed a grave offense: “The status of
the first-born was bound with responsibilities and obligations on the one hand, and
rights, privileges and prerogatives on the other, including a double portion of the
patrimony.
All these were formalized by the father’s testamentary blessing. (Davis, 232-233)
7. What practical lesson can parents learn from the story of Jacob and Esau? The story of
Jacob and Esau can serve as a practical warning to parents who give one child
preferential treatment over the other. (Davis, 233)
8. When a famine hit the land, what did Isaac do? Be thorough. Isaac and his family went
to Gerar in search of food. The king of that region was Abimelech, which was not the
actual name of the king but a dynasty title. Ninety-seven years had passed since
Abraham’s first treaty with Abimelech, and is probably not the one identified in 21:22.
While in Gerar, Isaac fell to the same lie that Abraham used for twenty-five years.
Fearing that Abimelech would kill him in order to take his attractive wife, he declared
Rebekah his sister. (Davis, 234)
BIBL 410 Weekly Study Questions 7 Liberty University answers
complete solutions.
Isaac: Jacob and Esau
Answer thoroughly the following questions based on this module/week’s Reading &
Study material:
1. Who is Eliezer?
Eliezer is the “eldest servant of his house” (v. 2) is not named but commentators almost
unanimously identify him with Eliezer, whom Abraham had previously proposed to be
the heir to his property (15:2). (Davis 227)
2. Remember the discussion about the location of Ur (Module/Week 5)? Does the location
of the city of Nahor, as given by Davis, influence the location of Ur? Explain your
answer. The city of Nahor is described by Abraham as his country (24:4). Genesis 12:1
does not specify the city in which Abraham dwelled when God called Him, but other
passages of Scripture point to the city of Ur (Davis, 164). According to Davis, the more
likely and more generally accepted view is that Ur was located in southern
Mesopotamia (Davis, 165), which does not line up with the location where Eliezer
traveled, as Davis notes that Eliezer went north to the city of Nahor. (Davis, 228)
3. Why was Eliezer’s journey successful? Eliezer was persistant in prayer and sensitive
to God’s spirit. (Davis, 230)
4. What does the mentioning of Ishmael and his sons tell us about God?
God fulfilled his promise to Ishmael, and his son”s are not just twelve tribes of the
princes, but also locations.(Davis,231)
5. “The elder shall serve the younger” tells us what about God?
God does not play up to the customs of the times, and does as he sees fit.
6. Explain in detail the patriarchal custom of the birthright. The patriarchal custom of the
birthright, the eldest son had particular privileges in the ancient patriarchal household.
During the father’s lifetime the eldest was over his brothers; after his father died, he
received a double share of the inheritance and became head and priest of the family. He
could lose the rights of primogeniture if he committed a grave offense: “The status of
the first-born was bound with responsibilities and obligations on the one hand, and
rights, privileges and prerogatives on the other, including a double portion of the
patrimony.
All these were formalized by the father’s testamentary blessing. (Davis, 232-233)
7. What practical lesson can parents learn from the story of Jacob and Esau? The story of
Jacob and Esau can serve as a practical warning to parents who give one child
preferential treatment over the other. (Davis, 233)
8. When a famine hit the land, what did Isaac do? Be thorough. Isaac and his family went
to Gerar in search of food. The king of that region was Abimelech, which was not the
actual name of the king but a dynasty title. Ninety-seven years had passed since
Abraham’s first treaty with Abimelech, and is probably not the one identified in 21:22.
While in Gerar, Isaac fell to the same lie that Abraham used for twenty-five years.
Fearing that Abimelech would kill him in order to take his attractive wife, he declared
Rebekah his sister. (Davis, 234)
