Cowboys and Shepherds Battled In Middle East

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                

In the Genesis story, Jacob, also known as Israel, and his family, including their livestock (cattle and sheep), arrive in Egypt due to a famine in Canaan. Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, asks about their occupation, and they identify themselves as shepherds. 

Pharaoh himself said to Joseph to tell his father Jacob to load up his

animals and go to Canaan.  Pharaoh gave him the best of the land

of Egypt and they will eat the fat of the land.  Take for yourselves from the land of Egypt wagons for your small children and for your wives;  transport your father and come;  for the best of all the land of Egypt---it is yours!  They took their livestock and their wealth which they had amassed in the land of Canaan and they came to Egypt--Jacob and all his offspring with him,  His sons and grandsons with him, his daughters and granddaughters and all his offspring he brought with him to Egypt;70

people in all went to Egypt.  

They are granted land in Goshen.  However, Pharaoh asks Jacob to watch   over his cattle as well, and Jacob agrees.  

The land of Goshen (Hebrew: אֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן, ʾEreṣ Gōšen) is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the area in Egypt that was allotted to the Hebrews by the Pharaoh during the time of Joseph (Book of Genesis, Genesis 45:9–10). They dwelt in Goshen up until the time of the Exodus, when they left Egypt. It is believed to have been located in the eastern Nile Delta, lower Egypt; perhaps at or near Avaris, the seat of power of the Hyksos kings.

Avaris, identified with the modern site of Tell el-Dab'a in the Nile Delta, is often linked to the biblical city of Rameses. The Israelites are believed to have lived and worked in Rameses, and the biblical text mentions Rameses as a place where they were enslaved and later left during the Exodus. Some scholars believe Avaris, the Hyksos capital, could be the same as the biblical Rameses.  The open range, while vast, was still limited, and both cattle and sheep needed grazing land. 

        Did the Pharaoh not know what he was asking of Jacob?  Cattle and sheep cannot exist on the same land!   We know that in the USA today.  The "Sheep Wars" were a series of conflicts in the American West, particularly in states like Colorado, Wyoming, and Oregon, stemming from competition over limited grazing lands between cattle ranchers and sheep herders.      

These wars, which occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, saw violence ranging from threats and property damage to mass killings of sheep and, in some cases, even violence against herders.                      

Jacob was set up to fail and then the Pharaoh could take back his land.  Jacob had afew cattle, but not a herd at this point, nor did he ever being he was a shepherdwith sheep and goats.                         

Joseph said to Pharaoh that his father and brothers, their flocks, their cattle, and everything they owned had arrived. from the land of Canaan and were in Goshen.These cattle are behind a fence.  That's the only way.  Sheep eat the grass down to the roots.  They graze by nibbling on plants, often closer to the ground than cattle. Sheep are less selective than cattle and will eat various forbs, legumes, and grasses. They also tend to graze more actively in the morning and late afternoon.  Sheep will eat more of the weeds in a pasture than cattle and can be used, in some situations, to control noxious weeds. Goats, for the most part, prefer to browse on woody plants, where they eat the young leaves and stems.  

While cattle use their tongues to pull and tear, sheep use their teeth to nibble, grazing much closer and getting into parts of the pasture that cattle either ignore or can't reach. This can increase grass tillering and sward productivity – meaning animals will, long-term, gain more weight.

In the Bible, specifically in Genesis, the story of Abraham and Lot's separation is rooted in a disagreement between their shepherds, ultimately leading to the division of their families and resources. This conflict, a result of increased livestock and limited land, necessitates a parting of ways for the two families. Abraham was born

about 1948 BCE, 4,000 years ago.  

Fear of others can be a powerful source of unity. In Exodus 1,The next Pharaoh singles out the rapidly expanding Hebrew minority as an emerging threat. What Genesis describes as God’s faithfulness in blessing the Israelites through many descendants (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6; 28:1-4; Exodus 1:7), Pharaoh describes as a terroristic threat that may endanger Egypt’s security and way of life. There is no hint in the biblical narrative that the Israelites are anything but good, faithful citizens of the empire. Yet the delusional Pharaoh imagines that the growing but still small Israelite minority in Egypt is more numerous and more powerful than we. He warns the Egyptians that in the event of war the Israelites might join our enemies and fight against us. Pharaoh’s responds by trying three different (but ultimately unsuccessful) strategies to stem the growth of the Israelite people: a) Exodus 1:11-14, Pharaoh enslaves the Israelites, b) Exodus 1:15-21, Pharaoh commands midwives to kill Hebrew boys at birth, and c) Exodus 1:22-2:10, Pharaoh commands all Egyptians to throw Hebrew boys into the Nile River.

Reference:

Tanakh, the Stone Edition (Old Testament)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_and_Lot%27s_conflict#:~:text=Abraham%20and%20Lot's%20conflict%20(Hebrew,a%20fight%20among%20their%20shepherds.

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-21/commentary-on-exodus-18-22-21-10-3