When Brothers Dwell Together: The Preeminence of Younger Siblings in the Hebrew Bible (review)

Book Reviews 83 This is a rigorous yet eminently readable book. Anyone interested in the ascent theme will profit from Himmelfarb's learned treatment. The reader will come away with a deeper appreciation of several individual ascent texts in particular and of the ancient motif of ascent to heaven in general. J. Edward Wright Judaic Studies University of Arizona When Brothers DwellTogether: The Preeminence ofYounger Siblings in the Hebrew Bible, by Frederick E. Greenspahn. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. 193 pp. $29.95. From the ill-fated Abel to the successful Solomon, the fortunes of younger siblings occupy a disproportionate amount ofspace in the Hebrew Bible. Their stories are vivid and memorable. The discordant relationships between Jacob and Esau, Joseph, David and Solomon and their brothers are, perhaps, over-familiar. In this careful and perceptive study Frederick Greenspahn investigates the reasons for the frequency of such stories and the relationships therein. He draws on comparative material from the ancient near east and cites appropriate parallels from the folklore and customs of other cultures. However, he sets his inquiry firmly within the context of Israel's own self-image. Greenspahn explores the status of the firstborn son and the concept of primogeniture in inheritance, discerning in his sources, past and present, a cultural preference for the firstborn. This also occurs in the Bible, where the success of the younger is always unexpected and at some expense to the elder: the birthright was Reuben's to lose and Esau's to sell (p. 15). The firstborn play major roles in the divine and hl,lman realms. Israel is significantly described as God's "firstborn" (Exodus 4:22). However, there is no evidence of ultimogeniture, the notion that the youngest should inherit, and this makes the "remarkable chain of heroes" (p. 29) drawn from the youngest unnatural. Greenspahn goes on to dispute the argument that emphasis on the younger was designed to oppose the practice of the sacrifice of the firstborn by Israel and her neighbors. He concludes (p. 36) that the evidence does not support the common assumption that such a practice was widespread. Nor is it likely that the concentration on the young was a protest against primogeniture. Diversity in inheritance practices is found 84 SHOFAR Spring 1995 Vol. 13, No.3 in Mesopotamian sources, and in the Bible cases such as the daughters of Zelopehad (Numbers 27) show a similar variety in making bequests. Nor were preferred sons given complete control over their father's household (p. 55). For Esau and Jacob and Joseph and his brothers it was destiny, not property, that was at stake. This chapter contains a study of the word bekor, normally translated "firstborn." The author argues for a broader interpretation of the word, in Hebrew and cognate languages. He believes that more often than not the word connotes an heir selected or chosen by his father for any number of reasons, perhaps the son of a favorite wife. The determination was social rather than biological (p. 59). Naturally the bekor was superior, but the status could be transferred, which is why Jacob schemed to obtain Esau's bekora, birthright. The bekor is, therefore, the beneficiary of whatever advantages the system had to offer (p. 69), but not necessarily the eldest son. These conclusions are then applied to the Israelite royal succession. Greenspahn observes that few societies allow succession to be entirely automatic, and incumbents have some choice in designating their successors. In the Hebrew Bible there is also little support for primogeniture or automatic succession in the monarchy. The successor to David is a case in point: the large number of his male heirs, the untimely deaths of some, the jockeying of the remainder for position was only resolved by his decree in favor of Solomon. According to the author this style of succession remained throughoutJudaean history. In this Israel conformed to her environment. The success of the younger cannot, therefore, be viewed as a protest against any perceived natural rights or status of the firstborn. Its origin is to be sought in the motif of the triumph of the younger sibling that pervades the world's folk tales and traditions. Greenspahn believes that...