Goyim IN GENESIS 35:11 AND THE ABRAHAMIC PROMISE OF BLESSINGS FOR THE NATIONS (original) (raw)

When Jacob left Paddan-Aram to return to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him at Bethel and blessed him, saying, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name. . . . I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you” (Gen 35:10–12; esv, emphasis added). God’s promise to Jacob in Gen 35:11 is puzzling. Surely, the nation of Israel shall come from Jacob, but who is this “company of nations” (μywg lhq) that shall come from Jacob? Despite this enigmatic statement in Gen 35:11, few interpreters have addressed the issue.1 Those who comment on the phrase, μywg lhq, may be categorized in two ways. First, some interpret μywg lhq as referring to the tribes of Israel.2 Second, others point out that it alludes to Gen 17:4–5, where God promise...