Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

Divine Deception in Genesis: A Scholarly Gap

Precursors to Divine Deception: The Ancient Near East and Anthropological Evidence

Toward a Theology of Deception

Assumptions and Methodology

The Ancestral Promise in Genesis

Definitions

A Brief Overview of the Book

A Trickster Oracle: Reading Jacob and Esau between Beten and Bethel (Genesis 25–28)

Introductory Remarks

A Trickster’s Oracle (Genesis 25:19–34)

Fulfilling the Trickster Oracle (Genesis 27:1–45)

Divine Corroboration at Bethel: Genesis 28 and Deception

Conclusion: A Trickster Oracle and Yhwh’s Preference for a Trickster

Divine Deception and Incipient Fulfillment of the Ancestral Promise (Genesis 29–31)

Introductory Remarks

The Trickster Tricked and Yhwh’s Role (Genesis 29:1–30)

Children, the Ancestral Promise, and Deception (Genesis 29:31–30:24)

Trickster as Blessing (Genesis 30:27–30)

The Great Escape and Yhwh’s Deception of Laban (Genesis 30:25–31:54)

Conclusion: Deception and Incipient Fulfillment of the Ancestral Promise

Replaying the Fool: Esau versus Yhwh and Jacob (Genesis 32–35)

Introductory Remarks

Encounters: Preparations for Reconciliation (Genesis 32:1–33)

Reconciliation and Deception (Genesis 33)

Deception and the Ancestral Promise, Reprise (Genesis 34–35)

Conclusion: Tricky Encounters

Concluding Remarks and Prospects for Further Study

Introductory Remarks

A Theology of Deception in the Jacob Cycle

Prospects for Further Study

Concluding Thoughts

Bibliography

Indexes

Index of Authors

Index of Scripture