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

Pharaoh Asking Jacob Resume Questions Of Age And Occupation

 Nadene Goldfoot                                           

   People of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and his 12 sons, shepherds

The Pharaoh was inquisitive about his  viceroy's father, Jacob of Canaan, and asked him his age and  occupation.  Joseph knew beforehand what the questions would be and so prepped Jacob.

(Gen.47:1-13).  Joseph was his father's 11th son, 1st son of Rachel-Jacob's true love.  Rachel died later in childbirth to Benjamin, raised by his step-mothers.  Joseph was the apple of his father's eye, making his siblings very jealous, so jealous that they sold him to some passing Ishmaelites in a caravan one day who sold him again in Egypt.  From this lowly position with the gift of dream interpretation, he rose to the position of viceroy to the pharaoh.                             

  Jacob's 10 sons, happy they arrived finally in Egypt

Joseph spoke to the Pharaoh first and told him that his father and brothers were there in Goshen with their flocks, their cattle, everything they had.  The Pharaoh then replied to Joseph that the land of Egypt is before you;  settle your father and your brothers in the region of Goshen, the best part of the land.  If you think there are capable men among them, appoint them as chamberlains over my livestock.                                  

                                                A bull

      Cows pictures in mural

Long-horned, humpless domestic cattle were well established in the Nile Valley by 4000 B.C. These cattle, known as the Egyptian or Hamitic Longhorn, appear in pictographs in Egyptian pyramids.Over the next twenty centuries (2.000 years), the Egyptian Longhorn migrated with its owners from the Nile to Ethiopia, and then down to the southern reaches of Africa.

Joseph insinuates that they have brought both cattle and sheep.  We know today that you have only one and not the other, and that sheep men and cattle men do not get along as their animals' needs are different.  Sheep could ruin the cattle range.  The pharaoh unknowingly is giving away good grazing land for his growing herd of cattle.                                

     Drawing of Sheep Raid in Colorado

One of the most drawn-out of those conflicts was the so-called range wars. Beginning in the 1880s, cattlemen and sheepmen fought over land and water; dozens of sheepherders were murdered, and up to 100,000 sheep were slaughtered, all before a Colorado congressman ended the violence in 1934.So what led to this conflict? Sheep and cattle came to the Americas with Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s and immediately made their mark on the landscape. That is, they ate everything in sight. While sheep get all the blame, overgrazing by both sheep AND cattle helped turn the dry west into true desert in places. 

 This is true in my father's day, and is the background of many cowboy movies, but not now with beef prices so high.  They are finding some new facts, raising the two animals together these days. “The biological needs of sheep fit very well with cattle,” Ringwall says. That’s because cows and ewes tend to eat different things, Ollila says. Cattle eat the taller grasses while sheep eat forbs and short grasses.

   Joseph on the left in the striped cloak; looking for 5 lean brothers

Joseph picked out five of his brothers, the least muscular ones, to meet the Pharaoh first. The reason was that if Pharaoh were introduced to powerful men, he would enlist them in his military (so thought Rashi-rabbi in year 1040-1105).  Joseph chose the five who were least impressive physically.  Pharaoh asked them what their occupation was.  They answered that they were shepherds, and that their forefathers had also been shepherds.   Then they explained that there was no grazing land left for their flocks for the famine is severe in Canaan.  They then asked permission to live in Goshen.  

Joseph introduced Jacob, his father, to the pharaoh.  Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and Pharaoh asked him how old he was.  Jacob replied that he was 130 years old.  He went on, saying that he'd had good and bad days so far, but he hadn't reached the old age yet that his ancestors had reached.  Evidently he felt he was only middle-aged.    Jacob blessed the pharaoh again, and left the room. Joseph had been his 11th son and he was already a man, 2nd only leader of Egypt under the pharaoh, having gone from slave to  viceroy.  The land was given to him and his brothers.  

The Pharaoh knew the answer to his question he put to Jacob already because Joseph had told him about being shepherds, and his siblings had also told the Pharaoh.  Pharaoh was just double checking on everyone's honesty.  

Joseph had become ruler (under Pharaoh) over the land, much of the administrative power of Egypt was now concentrating in the Delta region (with the capital actually relocating there during the Hyksos period which followed). During a famine, due to irrigation, the Delta region would also suffer the least (Genesis 41:53-57). When Joseph wanted his family to move into the land, the Land of Goshen was a primary location for a number of reasons...

It was close to where Joseph lived and worked (including nearby large-scale food storage).

It was ideal land for raising flocks and herds

It kept them closer to a border area nearest Canaan

The final reason, listed above, has much intertwined with it. During this time in Egypt, shepherds were considered outcasts. Had Joseph's family needed to travel further into Egypt, away from their border of entry, it would have provoked reaction from the Egyptian people. All these reasons came together to enable Joseph to provide his people with some of the best land in the country (for tending livestock, versus growing crops).Genesis 46:28-43 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time. 30 Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive." 31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me.

(Was age given logical?  This was over 4,000 years ago, and writing numerals was quite different.  It's a miracle we still have copies of Moses' 5 books-this being in Genesis. Factual?  Smudging of writing?  style of numbering?  It makes no difference.  The heart of the story is profound and applicable for every generation of people.  It all fits together like a 1000 piece puzzle is meant to end up.  

Resource:

Tanakh, The Stone Edition

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://www.beefmagazine.com/pasture/sheep-cattle-the-combination-really-works

https://www.interweave.com/fiber-nation/sheep-and-cattle-wars/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20drawn,ended%20the%20violence%20in%201934.

 

How Our Intelligence Came From Shepherds

 Nadene Goldfoot                               

Population geneticists and scientists have divided our time period between hunters and farmers.  I'd add Shepherds in that mix as well,, for much came from generations of our men being shepherds.

Abram, later called Abraham, was a shepherd.  He was not born to be a shepherd.  His father was an idol-maker in the large and bustling city of Ur of the Chaldees, which has already been excavated and its finds proving this fact.  Abraham left Ur and moved to Canaan with his father.  He turned to his sheep-herding skills and had men to help.                                       

When Abraham left his home in Haran and set out for the land of Canaan, his family was probably already quite large by modern standards. We know that his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot came with him, but so did an unspecified number of people and possessions (Gen. 12:5). Soon Abraham would become very wealthy, having acquired servants and livestock as well as silver and gold (Gen. 12:16; 13:2). He received people and animals from Pharaoh during his stay in Egypt, and the precious metals would have been the result of commercial transactions, indicating the Lord as the ultimate one to bestow blessing.                                     

 Evidence that both Abraham and Lot had become successful lies in the quarreling that broke out between the herders for each family over the inability of the land to support so many grazing animals. Eventually, the two had to part company in order to support their business activities (Gen. 13:11).

Gen.13:5-13) And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together, for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and between the herdmen of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8 And Abram said unto Lot, "Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and between thee and between my herdmen and between thy herdmen, for we be brethren; Lot was Abraham's nephew. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee; if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, I will go to the left. "Lot saw the Plain of Jordan that was well watered. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan while Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain and pitched tents as far as Sodom."  Here, cattle are mentioned, not sheep.  Later, towards our day in the 1800s we find that sheep herders and cattlemen cannot share the same land, either.   

— Genesis 13:5-9^[1]

But Abraham's son, Isaac, was a shepherd in the Negev, and so was his son, Jacob.  The lessons they learned while carrying out their duties only helped to develop more dendrites in their brains in decision-making. One of Jacob's sons was Judah who had a son, Boaz, kinsman of Naomi of Bethlehem who married Ruth of Moab. They had a son, Oved whose son was Jesse, father of David, king of Israel.  David was a great shepherd who caught the eye of the prophet, Samuel.  

David was chosen  to be the King of Israel (1010-970 BCE) . We know him as the boy who kills Goliath, the Philistine giant as the mighty boy of God who destroys the enemies of God. He is the chosen King of Israel, the man who found favor with Samuel and G-d.  "David: 34 I work as a shepherd for my father. Whenever a lion or a bear has come and attacked one of my lambs, 35 I have gone after it and struck it down to rescue the lamb from the predator’s mouth; if it turned to attack me, I would take it by the chin, beat it, and kill it. 36 I have killed both a lion and a bear; and as your servant I will kill this uncircumcised Philistine, too, since he has dared to taunt the armies of the living God."

The occupation of shepherd first appears in Gen. 4:2, when Abel, “a keeper of sheep,” comes into conflict with Cain, “a tiller of the ground,” and the shepherd’s humble status can be seen in the contrast drawn between David’s pastoral and royal careers (2Sam 7:8; Ps 78:70-71). Cain killed Abel.  Most of the shepherd’s work involved a routine of leading the sheep to food and water and returning them to the safety of the fold. Shepherds were often nomads, required to put up with simple food, harsh weather (Gen 31:40), and primitive lodging (Song 1:8; Isa 38:12). Such routine hardships were occasionally accompanied by danger from wild animals, e.g., lions, bears, and wolves (1Sam 17:34-35; Isa 31:4; Amos 3:12; Mic 5:8;  Shepherds also had to be on guard against thieves (Gen 31:39;  Throughout the Bible, the customs of shepherds are often used to illustrate spiritual principles (e.g., sheep without a shepherd are like those who have strayed from God), and shepherds are compared to spiritual overseers (Num 27:16-17;  The shepherd’s work is also used to describe God’s activity (Gen 48:15; Gen 49:24; Ps 23; Ezek 34). 

They learned to defend their sheep from predators, to fight to defend them.  They learned a skill in match-making to create the generations they were looking for.  They learned empathy in helping to deliver the babies, to feel for the mothers, the miracle of life. 

In Genesis 30 Laban asked Jacob to “name his wages,” and Jacob said, “Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. And . . . in the future . . . any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen” (Genesis 30:32–33). Laban agreed, and the animals were divided. Laban separated out the multi-colored animals, leaving only the solid-colored animals for his son-in-law to tend. The agreement seemed to favor Laban, as speckled or spotted sheep and goats were the exception, not the rule.

To increase his flocks (and diminish Laban’s), Jacob instituted some sort of folk-medicine selective breeding process. He took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled the bark to create white stripes on them. “Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted” (Genesis 30:38–39). It is unclear how or if these striped branches impacted the mating of the animals. The Bible simply records what Jacob did and the result in the flock, with no explanation.  Jacob was practicing science and didn't know it, or did he?  

 They acted as the army, the doctors, and the mothers to these sheep, giving them tender love and care.  They even may have learned of the partnership they might have had with a dog who could have helped them, though I haven't read about any on duty with them.  

A drought hit Canaan and Jacob and his family turned to Egypt.  They packed their things and the family of 70 people set out for Egypt.  When they got there, they were able to let their sheep graze to their content.  The Egyptian nobles saw that the family of 70 grew extra fast.  No doubt they had mid-wives who were successful in delivering babies from years of practice with their sheep.  The Israelites were eventually taken as slaves.  

From the time they entered Egypt to the time Moses delivered them from slavery was 400 years.  I imagine that only about 50 years after arriving were years of freedom.  In fact, when Moses witnessed an overseer beating an Israelite slave, he attacked and killed him, which was not okay, so he realized what he had done and had to head for the bush, the wilds of Midian and stay there as he was now a wanted man.  Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. 

Resource:

Tanakh, The Stone Edition

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/HarperCollinsBibleDictionary/s/shepherd

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jacob-speckled-spotted.html

Amazing 2 Parts in Old Testament That Make You Wonder

 Nadene Goldfoot                                          

The most intriguing part of the bible to me was  the famous story of Gideon and the 300 Lappers. This certainly one of the most curious and misunderstood episodes in the Hebrew Bible. In chapter 7 of the Book of Judges, the Lord instructs Gideon to reduce his massive army to an elite group of only 300 soldiers by means of a strange water drinking test. Why does Gideon need to get rid of so many soldiers? What possible connection could there be between the way that a soldier drinks and his combat abilities?  Gideon lived in the 12th century BCE and was a member of the tribe of Manasseh.  He defeated the Midianites near En Harod using the group of picked volunteers.  Then he was offered the kingship but refused it, say that he was loyal to the principal that G-d is king of Israel.  (Judg. 6-8).  

                                                                              

The Lord said to Gideon, “All those who lap the water with their tongues, as a dog laps, you shall put to one side; all those who kneel down to drink, putting their hands to their mouths, you shall put to the other side.” The number of those that lapped was 300; but all the rest of the troops knelt down to drink water.

It is clear that there are two groups of men: (1) the “lappers” and (2) the “kneelers.” The smaller group of 300 “lappers” are chosen to remain while the larger group of 9700 “kneelers” are sent home. But the exact details of how each group’s drinking style differs are quite confusing. We tend to picture the “lappers” lying on their bellies with their tongues in the water drinking boorishly like dogs, whereas the “kneelers” are genuflecting down on one knee politely using their hands as a cup.

When I first read this, I immediately saw a difference in mental abilities between the 2 groups.  The more advanced were the kneelers, while the more primitive were the lappers.  

 According to this interpretation, Gideon favored the “lappers” because they were less civilized, more animalistic and perhaps even less intelligent than the “kneelers”, and thus the opportunity for God to magnify his role in the victory becomes all the greater. 

However, further reading in my Tanakh, the Stone Edition, tell me another way of looking at this picture.    In order to thoroughly discredit the idea that idols had any power, G-d commanded Gideon to test his volunteers in a manner that would exclude anyone with even a tendency toward idolatry.  Less than one percent of the original army was deemed worthy.  Whether they lay prostrate on the ground to lap like dogs, or knelt to reach the water, their actions indicated that they were in the habit of making obeisance (a gesture expressing deferential respect, such as a bow or curtsy). Rashi did not approve of the kneeling gesture as evidently what people did when seeing an idol.   (Rashi)  

Another section that impressed me as to solving problems was Jacob  in raising sheep and increasing his flock.  Jacob had to work 7 years in order to have his Uncle Laban allow him to marry Rachel, Laban's daughter.  

Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane [or chestnut or sycamore] trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.

 And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped 

and all the black in the flock of Laban. 

He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 

Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, 

but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 

Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys. (Genesis 30:37–43)

Jacob was tricked by Laban and wound up with Leah, Rachel's sister, the one with weak eyes.  He had to work another 7 years to marry Rachel, his first love.  This served Laban right for the trick he played on Jacob.  

This teaches us that though it is never permitted to steal or lie, one must protect oneself against thieves and connivers.  Jacob resorted to several devices to outwit his uncle and retain what was rightfully his under the original terms of the agreement.    (Talmud, Megillah) 

I was highly impressed with Jacob's ability to influence the DNA of the sheep in how they were colored and marked into striped, speckled and spotted coats.  Then again, how he handled the strong and the feeble sheep and divided them.  All that figuring out such a problem happened centuries ago.  Abraham, his grandfather, was born in the 2nd millennium or about 1948 BCE.  His sons were Isaac and Isaac begat the twins, Jacob and Esau, so Jacob could have been born anywhere around 1900 BCE to 1850 BCE.  Moses was born in 1391 BCE, so that gives us a point of reference as to how far back Jacob goes.  All this happened about  4,000 years ago!  

I wonder if any scientists have tried what Jacob did to increase his flock?  Science seems to enter the thinking of these two people of the Old Testament, using it to solve their problems.  

The question has come up of who came first, the 300 Spartans of Greece or Gideon's 300 soldiers of Israel.  Israel's story took place in the 12th century  BCE, so happened first.  Herodotus's story of the of Leonidas's  300 Spartans that fought and died for Sparta, which was a part of Greece, took place about 530-480 BCE.  Herodotus, the author, lived even later from 484-425 BCE.  

Resource:

https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/holy-land-studies/gideons-doglike-lappers/

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2006/10/help-solve-this-bible-translation-mystery.html#:~:text=The%20Lord%20said%20to%20Gideon,knelt%20down%20to%20drink%20water.