Although primogeniture is commonly assumed to have prevailed throughout the world and firstborns are regarded as most likely to achieve success, many of the most prominent figures in biblical literature are younger offspring, including Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, and Solomon. Central to the plot of most biblical stories, the sibling relationships depicted are rarely harmonious, and the surprising preference for younger siblings is an intriguing and unexplained pattern.
Using evidence from a wide range of disciplines. Frederick E. Greenspahn presents a seminal interpretation of this phenomenon. In this study, he demonstrates that ancient Israelite fathers were in fact free to choose their primary heirs. The Bible's propensity for younger offspring, Greenspahn shows, reflects neither a legally mandated norm nor a protest against the prevailing custom, but rather conforms to a widespread folk motif, evoking innocence, vulnerability, and destiny. Within the biblical context, this theme heightens God's role in supporting ostensibly unlikely heroes.
Drawing on the resources of law, anthropology, folklore, and linguistics, Greenspahn shows how, in portraying younger siblings triumphing over older ones, these tales serve as complex parables of God's relationship to his chosen people, and reflect Israel's own discomfort with the contradiction between its theology of election and the reality of political weakness.
Industry Reviews
"This provocative and wide-ranging study provides a long-overdue systematic treatment of the hitherto unexplained preference for younger siblings in biblical stories....This is a seminal work by an established biblical scholar and belongs in every library with an interest in biblical scholarship."--Choice
"...an important study of a major motif of Old Testament literature....Greenspahn makes some important discoveries and conclusions....Greenspahn has produced a fine study of an important motif, one that is rich in exegetical and theological insights. His arguments are rooted in concrete evidence and persuasive in their presentation."--The Princeton Seminary Bulletin
"Excellent Monograph."--Theological Studies
"The study is well researched and documented.... his arguments deserve careful attention."--Journal of Biblical Literature
"The book is lucidly written and provides a fresh and thought-provoking approach to an often neglected area of Old Testament research....the book contains many stimulating insights and interesting observations."--Journal of Theological Studies
"This provocative and wide-ranging study provides a long-overdue systematic treatment of the hitherto unexplained preference for younger siblings in biblical stories....This is a seminal work by an established biblical scholar and belongs in every library with an interest in biblical scholarship."--Choice
"...an important study of a major motif of Old Testament literature....Greenspahn makes some important discoveries and conclusions....Greenspahn has produced a fine study of an important motif, one that is rich in exegetical and theological insights. His arguments are rooted in concrete evidence and persuasive in their presentation."--The Princeton Seminary Bulletin
"Excellent Monograph."--Theological Studies
"The study is well researched and documented.... his arguments deserve careful attention."--Journal of Biblical Literature
"The book is lucidly written and provides a fresh and thought-provoking approach to an often neglected area of Old Testament research....the book contains many stimulating insights and interesting observations."--Journal of Theological Studies
"This volume is exceedingly well-researched and impressively documented....This volume should become significant for consultation on this subject."--The Catholic Biblical Quarterly
