Echoes of Gilgamesh in the Jacob Story

Abstract

It was popular for some time to seek apparent Near Eastern parallels to bibli cal narratives. The methodology employed was at times problematic, and conclu sions were often overstated, as similarities between texts explicable in any number of ways were attributed to direct relationship.1 For some biblical texts, of course, there is stronger evidence for Near Eastern influence. I propose that this is the case in regard to one text for which a Near Eastern counterpart has not previously been suggested: the story of Jacobs wrestling match in Gen 32:23-33 (Eng. 32:22-32). There is reason to believe that the Israelite author knew some form of Gilgamesh, and particularly the scene of the wrestling match between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.2 The case presented here is not simply one of a shared motif or logical group ing of elements, but one of an unexpected and striking series of correspondences