Primogeniture

Description

Certain narratives in Genesis could be evasive to grasp and interpret. Among these narratives are those that are ridden in culture, and can be understood in the light of their attendant culture. Genesis featured some cultural practices of the ancients, and Primogeniture is one of them. The understanding of this cultural practice of Primogeniture is key to understanding the narratives seen in the passages: the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden, Cain and Abel narrative, the genealogy in Genesis Chapter five, Ishmael-Isaac story, Esau-Jacob story, Reuben-Judah/Reuben-Joseph story, Manasseh-Ephraim story, Leah-Rchael story and Lot’s daughters’ story. Chapters one and two are structured as a lead in for a broader picture of what primogeniture is and its practices in the Nncient Near East. With this, the work proves that it was a common practice among the ancients, and was not bizarre to the ancestors of the Israelites.