Biblical Sibling Rivalry
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In the stories of various sibling groups in the Bible, we can see that one of the clear effects of sibling rivalry is the dispersion of peoples, serving as an explanation of why different groupings of people take place. The Bible explains the development of different nations and groups of people by reference to their seminal founders, usually brothers who fought and separated for some reason. Relations between siblings in Genesis tend to be antagonistic, often based on disputes about the right of succession in the family and about the way inheritance is divided. The story of Cain and Abel, the first siblings, sets the tone for the relationship. It is not that every pair of siblings leads to a murderous act, but rather that tensions between siblings produce a variety of crimes and other problems. As with the outcome of the story of Cain and Abel, one of the results in each of these stories is the dispersion of people throughout the world as groups associated with different siblings move into new territory. Some of these peoples, such as the sons of Cain, are seen as enemies, while others are more benign. Biblical history can be seen as a history of tensions between people who are in truth related in some fashion, having originated from a common root and then having moved apart.God gives Moses a series of laws in addition to the Ten Commandments, and one of these holds that the firstborn is entitled to a double portion of the inheritance that will be divided among the
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ty about the meaning of the sin committed by Ham - it seems to have been accidental that he saw his father naked, and what this means in any case is open to some dispute. The results are not in dispute, though - whatever Ham saw, he told his brothers about it, compounding his offense and angering them. The other brothers joined with their father against Ham, and Ham's son, Canaan, and his progeny were cursed. The descendants of the three sons of Noah would become the three major divisions of peoples known to the ancient world - those of the Arabian peninsula, the north of Africa, and the people of the Caucasus region (Genesis 10:10).
The distortion of human relationships is seen in various sibling relationships in which one brother seeks dominion over others. One of the most obvious such instances is seen in the story of the twins Esau and Jacob. Even with twins, one child is older than the other. Esau is the firstborn, but Jacob becomes involved in a devious scheme with his mother to cheat Esau out of his rightful place, meaning taking both his inheritance and his role as leader of the family. Jacob succeeds in this scheme. Esau is not blameless, for he sells his birthright and thus breaks the tradition and the law himse
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Approximate Word count = 1451
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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