|
|
|
|
|
- Yes, date unknown
-
Name |
Issachar |
Gender |
Male |
Died |
Yes, date unknown |
Notes |
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issachar
«b»Issachar«/b»/«b»Yissachar«/b» («u»Hebrew «/u»: , «u»Modern «/u» «i»Yissa«/i» «u»Tiberian «/u» «i»Yi«/i» ; "Reward; recompense") was, according to the «u»Book of Genesis «/u», a son of «u»Jacob «/u» and «u»Leah «/u» (the fifth son of Leah, and ninth son of Jacob), and the founder of the «u»Israelite Tribe «/u» of «u»Issachar «/u»; however some «u»Biblical scholars «/u» view this as postdiction, an «u»eponymous «/u» «u»metaphor «/u» providing an «u»aetiology «/u» of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite confederation. The text of the «u»Torah «/u» gives two different «u»etymologies «/u» for the name of «i»Issachar«/i», which «u»textual scholars «/u» attribute to different sources - one to the «u»Yahwist «/u» and the other to the «u»Elohist «/u»; the first being that it derives from «i»ish sakar«/i», meaning «i»man of hire«/i», in reference to Leah's hire of Jacob's «u»sexual favours «/u» for the price of some «u»mandrakes «/u»; the second being that it derives from «i»yesh sakar«/i», meaning «i»there is a reward«/i», in reference to Leah's opinion that the birth of Issachar was a divine reward for giving her handmaid «u»Zilpah «/u» to Jacob as a concubine. Scholars suspect the former explanation to be the more likely name for a tribe, though some scholars have proposed a third etymology - that it derives from «i»ish Sokar«/i», meaning «i»man of Sokar«/i», in reference to the tribe originally worshipping «u»Sokar «/u», an Egyptian deity.
In the Biblical account, Leah's status as the first wife of Jacob, is regarded by «u»biblical scholars «/u» as indicating that the authors saw the tribe of Issachar as being one of the original Israelite groups; however, this may have been the result of a typographic error, as the names of «i»Issachar«/i» and «u»«i»Naphtali «/u»«/i» appear to have changed places elsewhere in the text, and the birth narrative of Issachar and Naphtali is regarded by «u»textual scholars «/u» as having been spliced together from «u»its sources «/u» in a manner which has highly corrupted the narrative. A number of scholars think that the tribe of Issachar actually originated as the «u»Shekelesh «/u» group of «u»Sea Peoples «/u» - the name «i»Shekelesh«/i» can be decomposed as «i»men of the Shekel«/i» in «u»Hebrew «/u», a meaning synonymous with «i»man of hire«/i» («i»ish sakar«/i»); scholars believe that the memory of such non-Israelite origin would have led to the Torah's authors having given Issachar a «i»handmaiden«/i» as a matriarch.
In «u»classical rabbinical literature «/u», it is stated that Issachar was born on the fourth of «u»Av «/u», and lived 122 years. According to the «u»midrashic Book of Jasher «/u», Issachar married «i»Aridah«/i», the younger daughter of «u»Jobab «/u», a son of «u»Joktan «/u»; the Torah states that Issachar had four sons, who were born in Canaan and migrated with him to «u»Egypt «/u», with their descendants remaining there until «u»the Exodus «/u». The midrashic Book of Jasher portrays Issachar as somewhat cowardly, or at least pragmatic, with him taking a feeble part in military campaigns involving his brothers, and generally residing in strongly fortified cities, opening the gates whenever challenged.
The «u»Talmud «/u» argues that Issachar's description in the «u»Blessing of Jacob «/u» - «i»Issachar is a strong «u»ass «/u» lying down between the sheepfolds: and he saw that settled life was good, and the land was pleasant; he put his shoulder to the burden, and became a slave under forced labour«/i» - is a reference to the religious scholarship of the tribe of Issachar, though scholars feel that it may more simply be a literal interpretation of Issachar's name, and the justification for the tribe of Issachar being a tributary to the «u»Canaanites «/u».
|
Person ID |
I61498 |
Glenn Cook Family |
Last Modified |
3 Dec 2009 |
-
|
|
|
|