Topical Bible: Anger: Justifiable: Jacob

◄ Anger: Justifiable: Jacob ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical narrative, Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebekah, is a patriarch whose life is marked by significant events that evoke a range of emotions, including justifiable anger. Jacob's experiences, as recorded in the Book of Genesis, provide insight into the nature of righteous indignation and the circumstances under which anger is deemed justifiable.

One notable instance of Jacob's justifiable anger occurs in Genesis 31. After serving his father-in-law Laban for many years, Jacob becomes increasingly frustrated with Laban's deceitful behavior. Laban repeatedly changes Jacob's wages and attempts to exploit him, despite the prosperity Jacob brings to Laban's household. Jacob's anger is justified as it arises from Laban's unjust treatment and broken promises. In Genesis 31:6-7 , Jacob confronts Laban, saying, "You know that I have served your father with all my strength. Yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to harm me."

Jacob's anger is further justified by divine intervention. God appears to Jacob in a dream, instructing him to return to his homeland and promising His protection. This divine endorsement underscores the righteousness of Jacob's indignation and his decision to leave Laban's household. In Genesis 31:3 , the Lord says to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you."

Another instance of Jacob's justifiable anger is found in Genesis 34, following the defilement of his daughter Dinah by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite. Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, respond with wrath and deceit, leading to the massacre of the men of Shechem. While Jacob's initial reaction is one of silence and contemplation, his anger becomes evident when he rebukes Simeon and Levi for their excessive violence and the potential repercussions on his family. In Genesis 34:30 , Jacob says, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. We are few in number; if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed."

Jacob's anger in this context is justified by the violation of his daughter and the threat to his family's safety. However, his response also reflects a concern for justice and the preservation of his household, rather than a desire for vengeance.

Throughout these narratives, Jacob's anger is portrayed as a response to injustice and wrongdoing. His experiences highlight the complexity of human emotions and the circumstances under which anger can be considered justifiable within a biblical framework. Jacob's account serves as a reminder of the importance of seeking divine guidance and maintaining righteousness in the face of adversity.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 31:36
And Jacob was wroth, and strived with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Chapter xxx
... 2. Jacob's anger is justifiable, for his wife has given vent to a foolish
and a sinful utterance. She certainly has every reason ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxx.htm

Chapter xlii
... the fact that many were bound for Egypt on the same mission as Jacob's sons when ...
This harshness is not the outgrowth of a natural and almost justifiable anger. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xlii.htm

Chapter xl
... Since v.1 said "they sinned," v.2 very likely speaks of a justifiable anger on
Pharaoh's ... not to be put on a par with the dreams of Abraham and Jacob, in which ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xl.htm

The Fourth Book
... We think that very crime justifiable in our own case that we ... he is not moved by any
passion or anger, yet such ... not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it ...
//christianbookshelf.org/salvian/on the government of god/the fourth book.htm

The Sermon on the Mount
... there is an indignation that is justifiable, even in ... provocation feel at liberty
to indulge anger or resentment ... Christ is the ladder that Jacob saw, the base ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 31 the sermon on.htm

Aaron, his Office no Palliation of his Sin, 61.
... 73. Anger, ill effects of in a priest, [13]51. ... 231. Deceit, when justifiable,
[106]37, [107]38. ... 186. Rachel, wife of Jacob, [380]238. ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/aaron his office no palliation.htm

Doctrinal and Moral Treatises. Index of Subjects.
... 312]351; in real events, [313]460, [314]470, [315]492; no lie if the thing figured
is true, [316]460; Jacob's deceit was ... Anger, darkens the mind's eye, [348]490 ...
/.../on care to be had for the dead /doctrinal and moral treatises index.htm

Preface by the Editor.
... comfort themselves with being the sons of Jacob, from whom ... concurred, that they would
not be justifiable in fighting ... Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/preface by the editor.htm

Mr. Bunyan's Last Sermon:
... the Word, and the goodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit, and He is gone; I
tempted the devil, and he is come to me; I have provoked God to anger, and He ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/mr bunyans last sermon .htm