Humor and the Theology

of Hope:
Isaac as a Humorous Figure
JOEL S. KAMINSKY
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts

The Isaac narratives contain many rarely noticed elements of

humor. While enhancing the reader's enjoyment, humor is also
an integral component of a theology of hope in Genesis.

• here has been an unfortunate propensity to underemphasize or completely

I ignore humor in the Bible.1 This is caused by a variety of factors, including a
.^L. general reverence for the text, a Christian tendency to read the narratives in
the Hebrew Bible through the lens of the New Testament, a Jewish movement away from
attentiveness to the literary playfulness of the text (perhaps partially induced by a feeling
that Jews must show even greater reverence for the text than their Christian counterparts)
and,finally,the historical and linguistic distance between most readers and the original
writers of the biblical text.2 Until quite recently, this problem persisted even in the scholarly
community due to interest in source and form criticism, which focused more attention on
individual traditions than on the final text and its literary shape.

Growing interest in literary matters, however, has resulted in a series of studies on vari-
ous types of humor found in the biblical text, including satire, parody, comedy, ethnic

lr
ÏÏiis article is dedicated to my mentor, Professor Jon D. Levenson, who taught me that recognizing that sacred
texts contain humor is not only a laughing matter but also an occasion for serious theological reflection.
2
Several of these points are made by Y. Radday, "On Missing the Humour in the Bible: An Introduction," in On
Humour and the Comic in The Hebrew Bible, ed. Y. T. Radday and A. Brenner, JSOTSup 92 (Sheffield: Almond,
1990) 21-38.

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humor, and irony.3 There continues to be a lack of clarity over what constitutes certain gen-
res of humor and over how humor works in general. This is not surprising, because any
attempt to define humor or understand how it operates inevitably raises a host of complex
psychological and philosophical issues.4

While it is not possible to untangle here all the unanswered questions raised by the
phenomenon of humor, studying the use of humor in the Bible does illuminate some of
these larger issues. Furthermore,
exploring biblical humor in the light
Sarah's proclamation acknowledges the of larger questions about the nature
laughter generated by the absurdity of and function of humor in general
having a child so late In life, and also reveals that biblical authors used
anticipates the coming series of humor to make profound theologi-
comical adventures In which Isaac cal points. This article will highlight
hitherto rarely noticed comical fea-
plays the leading role.
tures in the Isaac narratives. I will
also argue that there is a connection
between the use of humor in the
Isaac narratives and the ability to hope and, furthermore, that the author(s) of Genesis
employed humor as a means to communicate a sense of hope to future readers and hearers
of the text.

HUMOR IN THE ISAAC NARRATIVES

Several scholars have examined the character of Isaac and the narratives that surround
him with an eye toward uncovering elements of humor.5 Generally, scholars have tended to
refer to various Greek genres such as comedy, satire, or irony to illuminate these stories.
While this approach has produced some excellent readings, it has also compelled many crit-
ics to overlook ways in which the biblical text reveals a type of humor less related to Greek
literary forms and more closely linked to the character of the schlemiel, the bumbling stu-
pidity of the Three Stooges and the slapstick antics of the Marx Brothers. My suspicion is
that most scholars do not find this type of humor in the biblical text for two reasons. Even
secular and critical scholars view the text as a classic masterpiece and presume that such an
elevated work could not contain coarse forms of humor. Moreover, biblical scholars and lit-

3
A good introduction to humor and wit in the Bible and in ancient Near East literature can be found in
"Humor and Wit," by G. Herion, E. Meltzer, B. Foster, E. Greenstein and A. Culpepper, ABD (New York:
Doubleday, 1992) 3.25-33. For more extensive discussion and bibliography, see Tragedy and Comedy in the Bible,
Semeia 32, ed. J. C. Exum (Decatur: Scholars Press, 1985) and J. W. Whedbee, The Bible and the Comic Vision
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998).
4
Perhaps the most famous treatment of humor is Sigmund Freud's Jokes and Their Rehtionship to the
Unconscious, trans, and ed. J. Strachey (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1960 [1905]). For a philosophical approach
to humor, see H. Bergson, "Laughter, in Comedy, ed. W. Sypher (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 1980 [1900]) 61-190.
5
These include J. C. Exum and J. W. Whedbee, "Isaac, Samson, and Saul: Reflections on the Comic and Tragic
Visions," Semeia 32 (1984) 5-40; E. M. Good, Irony in the Old Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1965) 89-106.

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R E A D I N G T H E BIBLE TODAY Interpretation 365

erary critics are more likely to be familiar with Greek literary forms than with slapstick
comedy and other crude forms of humor. Thus even Yehuda Radday, a Jewish interpreter
who takes others to task for missing so much of the humor of the Bible, proclaims that
"biblical humor is never scatological or frivolous, but intelligent, subtle, and implicit rather
than explicit."6 One wonders how Radday could make such a statement in light of the Eglon
narrative in Judges 3:12-30, which clearly exhibits scatological humor. And there is evi-
dence to suggest that the Isaac narratives contain both scatological and other, even cruder
forms of humor.

While thefigureof Isaac in the Hebrew Bible has a comical dimension of much larger
proportions than has been previously noticed, I will make no attempt to find this type of
humor in every verse dealing with Isaac. Furthermore, I do not believe that finding humor
in parts of the Isaac tradition invalidates other readings that discern more solemn elements
within these traditions.7 One must not assume an either-or scenario, especially in a text as
complex as the Hebrew Bible. The beauty of the biblical text is precisely its ability to sustain
a myriad of narrative strategies, which allow the reader to hear different voices blending
together or challenging each other. Finally, my quest to find powerful elements of humor in
these narratives is not motivated, as certain critics might assert, by "some sort of decon-
structionist delight in mocking the sacred ancestor."8 Rather, I wish to enhance our knowl-
edge of Israelite culture, as well as deepen our appreciation of this ancient religion, which
recognized the power of humor to disclose a transcendent dimension of reality.

It is often noted that the root shq, the building block of Isaac's name, occurs several
times in Genesis, especially in the Isaac narratives. Observed lessfrequentlyis the way in
which these stories play with the various nuances of this root, highlighting the humorous
character of Isaac. The root shq can convey a variety of meanings, including the notion of
laughing or inducing laughter in others, mocking or being mocked, and engaging in sexual

6
Radday, aOn Missing the Humour in the Bible," 38. Equally questionable is E. Ullendorff's claim, in his other-
wise excellent article, that "the Old Testament may at times be bawdy in both substance and expression; it never is
lascivious, salacious or sly" ("The Bawdy Bible," BSOAS 42:3 [1979] 433).
7
The notion that a narrative is either humorous or serious but cannot possibly be both at once seems untrue to
everyday life experience, as well as to the texts currently under discussion. Many situations in life evoke a response
in humans that one could describe as either wanting to laugh and cry at once, or being confused about which
might be proper in a given situation. A classic example is a Jewish anecdote about a famous rabbi and a tailor. The
tailor measured the rabbi for a suit and told him to return in two weeks. When he returned the rabbi was told that
his suit was not quite ready but that it would be in two more weeks. Once again the rabbi returned and was told a
third time that his suit would be finished in two weeks. Sure enough when the rabbi returned the suit was still not
ready. In anger, the rabbi turned to the tailor and said, "God created the world in six days and you cannot finish
my suit in six weeks." The tailor looked at him and said, "Look at the world, you can see what a rush job looks
like." That this piece of wit conveys a serious theological point about evil in no way detracts from the fact that it is
funny.
8
F. Landy, "Are We in the Place of Averroes? Response to the Articles of Exum and Whedbee, Buss, Gottwald,
and Good," Semeia 32 (1984) 136. Landy is correct in arguing that the presence of comic elements in the Isaac nar-
ratives does not mean that it is a comedy. But the fact that the larger story may be tragic does not mean that some
individual elements within the story cannot be quite humorous. Perhaps it is precisely these humorous elements
that assist humans in the task of maintaining a coherent picture of a world filled with so much tragedy.

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play. As we will see, Isaac's character reveals all aspects of this Hebrew root.9

From the first indications of Isaac's future birth, people are laughing. Abraham laughs
to himself when God tells him that Sarah will give birth to a son (Gen 17:17). In what
appears to be J's doublet to P's birth announcement, Sarah is the one laughing, although
she seems afraid to admit it publicly (Gen 18:9-15). Perhaps this should be taken as a
metaphor for later hearers of the story who are supposed to be laughing, but seem afraid to
admit that a biblical story is actually comical. The leitmotiv that runs through all the narra-
tives surrounding Isaac is succinctly stated in Gen 21:6, a passage in which Sarah
announces, "God has made laughter for me; all who hear will laugh with me" (or alterna-
tively, "at me"). The use of the word shq in this passage is not simply a synonym for joy, as
suggested by certain commentators.10 Rather, Sarah's proclamation acknowledges the laugh-
ter generated by the absurdity of having a child so late in life and also anticipates the com-
ing series of comical adventures in which Isaac plays the leading role.

Isaac and Ishmael. The first comical adventure comes just a few verses later when
Ishmael's behavior incites Sarah to drive him and his mother out of their home. Exactly
what Ishmael did in Gen 21:9 is a matter of some controversy, but clearly it involves a pun
on Isaac's name. The Masoretic text reads, "When Sarah saw the son whom Hagar the
Egyptian had borne for Abraham playing [mesakèq]? In this reading, either Ishmael is sim-
ply playing in a frivolous manner, or perhaps "Ishmael was acting like Isaac, claiming Isaac's
spot."11 Many exegetes, however, add the phrase found in the Septuagint, "with Isaac her
son" (meta Isaak tou huiou antes), which helps clarify the text, although it still leaves the text
ambiguous enough to sustain a variety of interpretations. These include Ishmael playing
with Isaac, mocking or persecuting Isaac (see Gal 4:21-31) or, even more sinister, molesting
Isaac.12

Although one cannot be sure which of these interpretations is correct (perhaps the
writer or redactor chose language that was purposely ambiguous), one can see an impor-
tant part of Isaac's character revealed here. Overshadowed by his stepbrother at his own
party, Isaac relies on his mother's intervention to remedy this situation, and to ensure that
this never happens again. It is not difficult to see in Isaac elements of the male who is dom-

9
A summary of shq's various meanings in Genesis seems appropriate here. It is used to convey the idea of
"laughing'' in Gen 17:17; 18:12,13, twice in v. 15 and 21:6. It appears to connote "mocking" in 19:14 and perhaps
in 21:9. Finally, it sometimes means "to sexually fondle" as in Gen 26:8; 39:14,17. For a complete survey of the
biblical uses of shq and its alternate form'shq,see A. Brenner, "On the Semantic Field of Humour, Laughter and the
Comic in the Old Testament," in Radday and Brenner, On Humour, 39-58.
10
C. Westermann, Genesis 12-36, trans. J. J. Scullion (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1985) 334; E. Speiser, Genesis, AB
1 (Garden City: Doubleday, 1982) 153-57.
H
G. W. Coats, "Strife Without Reconciliation: A Narrative Theme in the Jacob Traditions," in Werden und
Wirken des Alten Testaments, ed. R. Albertz, et al (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1980) 97.
12
"Behaving wantonly with someone," as suggested in G. von Rad, Genesis, OTL (Philadelphia: Westminster,
1973) 232. The rabbis also think that Ishmael may have committed some type of sexual immorality by linking the
use of the root shq in this verse to Gen 39:17, in which Potiphar's wife uses the same root to claim that Joseph tried
to seduce her. However, they suggest that Sarah saw Ishmael acting improperly toward other women rather than
toward Isaac (Gen. Rab. 53.11).

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READING THE BIBLE TODAY Interpretation 367

inated by the women in his life,firstby his mother and later by his wife.13 As Bergson notes,
"Comedy depicts characters we have already come across and shall meet again. It takes note
of similarities. It aims at placing types before our eyes."14 It is possible that Sarah's severe
demand that Abraham drive Hagar and Ishmael out of the house is an overreaction. If so, a
scene that portrays Sarah as a doting mother and a demanding wife would evoke more than
a little laughter. But more importantly, this passage is the first of several in which Isaac
plays a passive role as others manipulate him and shape his future destiny. While some
might argue that this motif is not
funny because Isaac is a helpless
child who has just been weaned, it
The presence of humor In the akedah may
should be clear that humor does not
be seen as a type of gallows humor. The
only occur between consenting
adults. In fact, a child or a childlike function of such humor Is to provide a
character is an excellent vehicle for release or distraction from the terror of
humor. "It need only be noted that a the narrative and thus help the audience
comic character is generally comic in continue listening to the story rather than
proportion to his ignorance of him- fleeing from It In horror or disgust.
self. The comic person is uncon-
scious."15 Isaac's passivity, which
tends to engender crisis situations,
has an element of humor in it. Indeed, it seems that this incident contains thefirsthint of
Isaac's schlemiel quality: he is the "active disseminator of bad luck."16 The schlemiel Isaac,
intending no harm to anyone, causes Sarah to demand that Abraham expel Hagar and
Ishmael from their household.

The Akedah. A more difficult text to interpret in a humorous manner is the akedah
story, in which Abraham nearly sacrifices his son Isaac at God's request. But even this pas-
sage contains certain elements that could be read in a humorous fashion. Someone might
be inclined to argue that Isaac is just a toddler at this point, but the fact that he carries the
wood (Gen 22:6) and asks about the missing lamb needed for the sacrifice (v. 7) suggests
that the Isaac of this narrative is a teenager or an adult. One wonders whether his willing-
ness to carry the wood, his question to his father after three days of travel concerning the
lack of a sacrificial animal, and his silence after Abraham's answer may be less a sign of
Isaac's innocence or consent than an indication that he is mentally deficient. Although it is

"Although the stereotype of the Jewish male who is dominated by his mother is a modern phenomenon, I
strongly suspect that characters who were manipulated by their mothers or wives were humorous in the eyes of the
biblical audience. Other examples are Bathsheba's manipulation of David in 1 Kings 1 and Ahab's infantile
response to Naboth followed by Jezebel's action of taking control of the situation (1 Kgs 21:1-16). There is also an
element of humor in Eve's feeding the fruit to Adam, who then blames Eve and implicitly God who created her
(Gen 3:12). This lack of tolerance for passive males is probably connected to biblical assumptions about the neces-
sity of maintaining clearly defined gender roles as a way of reinforcing the cosmic order (Deut 22:5 and Esther
1:10-20).
14
Bergson, Laughter, 166.
"Bergson, Laughter, 71.
16
R. R. Wisse, The Schlemiel as Modem Hero (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1971) 14.

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368 Interpretation OCTOBER 2 0 0 0

hard to support such a reading on the basis of this passage alone, the cumulative evidence
from several other episodes discussed below indicates that Isaac is indeed a bit of a bumbler
and a dullard.17 If this is true, perhaps one is supposed to laugh at Isaac's lack of resistance
and his complete acceptance of Abraham's reply "that God would provide the lamb."

A scene in which Abraham toys with his intellectually challenged son is not a type of
humor that is permissible in our politically correct era. But comedy is frequently built upon
the motif of a wiser or craftier individual who takes advantage of someone of lesser intelli-
gence. Bugs Bunny is the modern master of this genre of comedy. This type of humor also
occurs in the Jacob and Joseph stories, as well as elsewhere in the Bible (e.g., in the Ehud
episode of Judges 3). It should not be shocking that Genesis 22 contains humor, because
after all, Isaac, the character associated with laughter, is central to this narrative.
Furthermore, the presence of humor in the akedah may be seen as a type of gallows humor.
The function of such humor is to provide a release or distraction from the terror of the
narrative and thus help the audience continue listening to the story rather thanfleeingfrom
it in horror or disgust. If one wishes to argue that horror and humor do not usually occur
in close proximity to each other, it must be pointed out that it is common in our culture for
tragedies ranging from the Holocaust to the space shuttle disaster to be featured in jokes.

Isaac and Rebekah. The next major episode occurs in Genesis 24, the narrative in which
Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for his now motherless son. This chapter begins
with a scene in which Abraham stresses that Isaac must not under any circumstances leave
the land of Israel and go to Mesopotamia (24:1-9). This motif recurs in 26:1-5, in which
God prohibits Isaac from going to Egypt. Why is such strong language of prohibition
addressed by Abraham to his servant and God to Isaac to prevent Isaac from leaving
Canaan? Both Abraham and Jacob lived in Mesopotamia, Israel, and Egypt. Why is it that
Isaac breaks the expected patriarchal narrative pattern and never goes to either
Mesopotamia or Egypt? I suggest that both Abraham and God know Isaac is a bit of an
incompetent and are therefore worried that if he left the land of Israel, he might never
make the journey back home. Equally troubling is the question of why Isaac cannot find his
own wife. Is it possible that Abraham believes that anyone who met Isaac before the engage-
ment would never agree to marry him? There are other elements of comedy in this narra-
tive: the servant decides that if he asks a woman for water and she responds by giving him
some water, as well as watering his camels, then she must be sent by God as the perfect
match for Isaac (24:12-21). Although the test acknowledges the importance of hospitality
in the Abraham story (18:1-15), it is so simple that anyone trained in basic courtesy would

17
While I make an extensive literary argument below, it should be noted that modern medical theory would
also predict that Isaac, born to very aged parents and possibly was the product of an incestuous union (Gen
20:12), would have a diminished mental capacity.

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READING THE BIBLE TODAY Interpretation $69

pass it.18 In fact, Rebekah is the first person to take the test, and she immediately passes it.

Since Isaac is the focus of this study, let us turn to the meeting of Rebekah and Isaac
(24:61-67). The narrative action between w. 61 and 62 creates what modern moviegoers
would picture as a split screen. Rebekah leaves Mesopotamia (v. 61), while the reader
returns to the land of Canaan and learns what Isaac is doing (v. 62). Suddenly, Rebekah's
several hundred mile journey has ended, and Isaac spots her caravan from afar (v. 63). But
the beginning of this verse, in which the reader is told that Isaac had gone out lasuah in the
field before evening, is enigmatic. As Westermann tells us, the phrase has been translated "to
think," "to meditate," "to pray," "to lament the dead," or "to take a stroll."19 It is likely that
this word is related to a similar word stah, found in 1 Kgs 18:27. Hence the Septuagint ren-
ders both words with a form of adolesched, meaning to prate or talk idly. Yet there is a histo-
ry of interpretation now reinforced by modern philological research that suggests this word
has something to do with either urination or defecation.20 If this is also the meaning of the
enigmatic läsuah found in Gen 24:63, one has here a hysterically funny and crude parody of
a "classic love scene." The partners are approaching from opposite sides of the screen and
tension is building toward theirfirstencounter. In this version, however, Isaac is relieving
himself when he spies a caravan from a distance. Unfortunately, before Isaac can do any-
thing to avoid being seen in this rather humiliating situation, Rebekah lifts up her eyes and
spots Isaac urinating or defecating in the field. That Rebekah, in fact, was shocked by what
she saw gains further support when one considers the very end of v. 64. Most often the last
three words of this verse are translated rather innocuously with expressions such as "she
alighted" (Speiser and von Rad), "dismounted" (Westermann), or "slipped quickly" (NRSV)
from her camel. I would argue, however, that the phrase watippol meal haggâmâlshould be
translated in a more literal fashion as "she fell off of the camel."21 Here one finds a scene
much closer to the comedy of the Three Stooges than to any analogy drawn from Greek
comedy.

18
Sarna notes that a single camel after a long journey would require at least 25 gallons of water and thus argues
that Rebekah's actions are extraordinary because she would have had to draw 250 gallons for the ten camels men-
tioned in 24:10 (N. M. Sarna, Genesis: The Traditional Hebrew Text with NewJPS Translation/Commentary
[Philadelphia: JPS, 1989] 164). However, I would point out that we do not know when the servant last stopped
before arriving at the well and that one should not presume that he expected any woman to lift 250 gallons of
water. If Sarna is correct, there is something equally comical in the servant's expectation of such an action from
Isaac's future bride and in the marriage of Isaac to such a powerful woman.
19
Westermann, Genesis 12-36, 390.
20
G. A. Rendsburg, "Hebrew sw/yh and Arabic ihh? in Fucus: A Semitic/Afrasian Gathering in Remembrance of
Albert Ehrman, éd. Y. L. Arbeitman, Amsterdam Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science 58
(Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1988) 419-30. For fuller bibliography, see p. 421 n. 9 of Rendsburg's article. For a
comprehensive treatment of this word that reaches different conclusions, see G. Vail, "What was Isaac Doing in the
Field (Genesis XXIV 63)?" VT44 (1994) 513-23, as well as Rendsburgs response in VT 45 (1995) 558-60.
21
An almost identical usage of the verb npl is found in 2 Kgs 5:21, in which Naaman dismounts quickly or even
possibly jumps from the chariot. However, it is not likely that the verb in Kings implies that Naaman fell off the
chariot because the verbal action of dismounting is linked to an infinitive that speaks of Naaman greeting Gehazi.
But in the instance in Genesis, Rebekah has no idea who the man coming to greet them is, and therefore she had
no reason purposely to get off her camel. Interestingly enough, the Septuagint translates the two passages with dif-
ferent verbs: katepëdësen (she leaped down) in Gen 24:64 and epestrepsen (he turned aside) in 2 Kgs 5:21. The
apparatus in the BHS suggests emending the passage in Genesis to watepen (and she turned), but clearly there is
more textual evidence for such a reading in IQngs than in Genesis.

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370 Interpretation OCTOBER 2 0 0 0

This scene becomes even runnier when Rebekah innocently asks the servant in charge
of her caravan "who is this guy walking through the field to meet us?" only to find out that
this is her husband-to-be (v. 65). One wonders whether Rebekah's veiling herself at the end
of v. 65 also contains a comical twist. Even if the bride-to-be normally did this, as indicated
by Laban's ruse of substituting Leah for Rachel (Gen 29:23-25) and also by the language of
Song of Songs 4:1, 3, it may serve a more humorous function in this narrative. As Bergson
astutely observes, the ceremonial side of life always has "a latent comic element, which is
only waiting to burst into full view."22 One could picture that Rebekah, after falling off her
camel, is so disgusted or embarrassed that she veils herself in hopes of not being recognized
as his future wife. Or perhaps, the comedy of Isaac urinating or defecating during his initial
introduction to Rebekah is juxtaposed with the seriousness of the custom in which female
modesty requires the bride to veil herself before her wedding. Such a juxtaposition of comi-
cal and serious elements is a recurring feature of many types of humor. The final note in
chapter 24 is sounded as Isaac becomes the only biblical character to bring his new wife
into his mother's tent, and, by doing so, he is finally comforted after his mother's death. It
may be that his mother's tent was the nicest one around, but one cannot help wondering
why such a detail is only mentioned in this narrative. I contend that this last detail is an
indication that Isaac is a weak character who apparently never gets over his Oedipal con-
nection to his mother. But this also adds to the general humor of the narrative: Rebekah is
talked into an arranged marriage with someone who is still too attached to his mother, even
though she is dead.

Isaac the schlemiel The humorousness of Isaac's character is often revealed in his
propensity to engage in "baser" activities. Thus the reader is told that Isaac prefers Esau to
Jacob because Esau fed Isaac from the game that he caught (Gen 25:28).23 Such humor is
amplified when, as in the end of Genesis 24, Isaac gets caught in the midst of a baser act
that normally occurs out of the public eye. This scenario has a close analogy in Gen
26:6-11. This is the only wife-sister episode in which the woman is not taken home by the
foreign ruler (cf. Gen 12:15; 20:2), suggesting that the deception may have been entirely
unnecessary. Furthermore, the way in which Isaac is caught involves a very funny scene in
which Abimelech looks out of his window and sees Isaac fondling (or literally "Isaac
Isaacing" [yisehâq mesaheq]) Rebekah (v. 8). Upon seeing this, Abimelech immediately
deduces that Isaac lied to him.
The comments of the king later on suggest that the danger was more imagined than real. If this
is so, then the patriarch does not emerge as someone who is clever and resourceful The shape
of the story suggests rather the hero as a bumbler who in spite of his inept handling of the situa-
tion comes out on top.24

"Bergson, Laughter, 89.

23
The verse literally says "Isaac loved Esau because food was in his mouth" (kt-sayid beptw). The antecedent of
"his" is probably Isaac and thus the NJPS translation "because he had a taste for game "
24
R. C. Culley, Studies in the Structure of Hebrew Narrative, Semeia Supplements 3 (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1976)
39.

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R E A D I N G THE BIBLE TODAY Interpretation 371

This is the scene in which Isaac moves closest to being a schlemiel much like Forrest
Gump. Not only does Isaac disseminate misfortune, but the comedy generated by Isaac in
this narrative appears to be "existential, deriving from his very nature in its confrontation
with reality."25

The final scene to be discussed is the one in which Isaac is tricked into blessing Jacob
instead of Esau. As noted above, Isaac's tendency to favor Esau because he likes the food
Esau prepares for him implies that Isaac has a propensity to overindulge in the baser plea-
sures, and may also indicate that he is a bit dimwitted. This impression is confirmed in the
scene in which Isaac, who according to Gen 31:38 and 35:29 does not die until twenty years
later, claims he is about to die and tells Esau to go hunt game and prepare his last supper so
that he can bless him.26 Immediately, Rebekah comes on the scene and incites her favorite
son Jacob to deceive Isaac in order to fulfill the prophecy of Gen 25:23, a prophecy that
Isaac is either ignorant of or bent on ignoring. Alternatively, it is possible that Isaac knows
of the prophecy but reads it as "the elder, the younger will serve."27 This latter possibility
may reveal a kind of humorous stubbornness that leads Isaac to read reality in an inverted
manner, or, alternatively, it may be
another indication of Isaac's lack of
intelligence. There is a structural affinity, as well as a
direct connection, between humor and
Clearly Jacob's fooling of Isaac
does not reveal Jacob's great acting hope. Each proclaims that the reality of
ability, but Isaac's utter stupidity. everyday life does not necessarily
One wonders how Isaac could have have the final word.
failed to notice, or to take more seri-
ously, the clues that indicate this
cannot be Esau. Jacob returns too quickly with game for his father (v. 20a), and when Jacob
is questioned about his all too swift success, he attributes it not to his skill as a hunter but
to God's help (v. 20b), a piety that does not seem to fit Esau. Then Isaac notices that the
voice belongs to Jacob (v. 22) but chooses to ignore this fact because he mistakes the goat
hair that Jacob has on his hands and neck for Esau's body hair (w. 22-23). Finally, Isaac
declares that the clothes Jacob is wearing smell of the field (v. 27), even though they were
stored in Rebekah's house (v. 15). Quite often blind people compensate for their lack of

25
Wisse, The Schlemiel, 14. G. Stansell drew my attention to Forrest Gump as an apt analogy to the bumbler
who always comes out on top.
26
It is possible that this specific humorous twist was created by a redactor who wove the various traditions
together. However, it is entirely possible that the redactor intended to enhance the comic effect of Isaac's character
by turning him into thefirstJewish hypochondriac. The analysis of chapter 26 provides evidence that Isaac may
have had a tendency to overreact to various life situations. Furthermore, if one reckons from Gen 25:26 that Isaac
was sixty when Rebekah gave birth to Jacob and Esau and one assumes that the story in Genesis 27 followed
immediately after 26:34, then Isaac was only one hundred when he blessed Jacob. Inasmuch as 35:28 reports that
he was one hundred and eighty when he died, the gap between Isaac's blessing and his death would increase from
twenty to eighty years. This point is made by J. G. Williams, "The Comedy of Jacob: A Literary Study," /AAR
Supplement, 46/2 (1978) 262.
27
A reading suggested by R.E. Friedman in his book The Disappearance of God: A Reverent Investigation of Three
Divine Mysteries (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1995) 112.

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372 Interpretation OCTOBER 2 0 0 0

sight by developing a keen sense of touch, smell, and hearing. Isaac's lack of sensory percep-
tion and his general gullibility indicate that Isaac is either a dullard or perhaps senile at this
point in his life.

Additionally, at the end of this episode, there are two explanations for Jacob's journey
to Mesopotamia. Although these variations are due to different sources, it is clear that the
way in which they are ordered is lit-
erarily significant. Rebekah wants to
The fulfillment of God's promises, In s e n d J a œ b a w a y b e a m s e fae i s ^

spite of Isaac's Incompetence, Is a way danger of being killed by Esau. But if

of revealing God's greatness. And most she told Isaac that she wished to
Importantly, It Is In the laughter evoked send Jacob away because Esau was
by Isaac that one finds the strength angry at him, Isaac might very well
to believe, even when trust In have ignored her plea and told her
to live with the consequences of her
God's promises seems absurd.
deception. Therefore, Rebekah
avoids a potential fight with Isaac
and still gets her way by using
another deception. She argues, in a voice that appears to have echoed loudly through much
of Jewish history, that if he marries one of the local Hittite women she might as well be
dead.28 Isaac heeds her voice and not only sends Jacob off without an argument, he also
blesses him a second time (28:3-4). Once again Isaac is passively manipulated by Rebekah.
One should not be surprised that in a male-dominated culture like ancient Israel's women
typically worked behind the scenes to exert control over the men in their lives. "We need
think only of Eve, Sarah, Hagar, Rebecca, Rachel, Deborah, Ruth, Naomi, Hannah,
Bathsheba, Jezebel, and Esther to realize that the subordination of woman in Israel did not
mean her insignificance."29 The narratives surrounding many of these female characters
exhibit a high degree of humor inasmuch as the audience becomes aware of the act of
manipulation, while the male characters continue to believe that they are in control of the
situation. Rebekah is a character of this type along with Abigail (1 Samuel 25), Bathsheba (1
Kings 1), Jezebel (1 Kings 21), and Esther.

One further piece of humor in this last text might be gleaned from Esau's behavior in
28:6-9. In these verses, Esau seems to have inherited Isaac's lack of intelligence. Esau fails to
grasp that the primary reason Rebekah is sending Jacob to Mesopotamia is to avoid a con-
frontation between the two brothers, and instead he assumes that it may have been his pre-
vious choice of wives (26:34-35) that led Isaac to withhold the blessing that Esau felt he
deserved (28:6). So Esau marries a non-Canaanite woman to please Isaac (28:8-9). But by

28
This is clearly the sense of tàmma. itì hayytm. If one reads this as an act put on by Rebekah, the humor of the
situation is enhanced.
29
J. D. Levenson, "I Samuel 25 as Literature and History," in Literary Interpretations of Biblical Narratives, ed. Κ.
R. R. Gros Louis (Nashville: Abingdon, 1982) 232.

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READING THE BIBLE TODAY Interpretation 373

choosing to marry a daughter of Ishmael, he further ensures that he will not receive any
additional blessings and that his descendants will not be part of the chosen lineage.

THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

What are the theological implications of this type of exegesis? It is my contention that
the writers of the biblical text used humor not only to enhance the aesthetic experience of
the reader or listener, but also to make a deeper theological point. One of the major themes
in Genesis is God's promises to the patriarchs. There are times when humans are expected
to trust in God's promises even when they seem unrealistic or even impossible. Inasmuch as
God's promises require the patriarchs to develop a hope that rejects a common-sense
worldview, one should not be surprised to find humor in these narratives. There is a struc-
tural affinity, as well as a direct connection, between humor and hope. Each proclaims that
the reality of everyday life does not necessarily have the final word. As Peter Berger notes,
humor challenges the dominant tragic worldview that confines humans to a stoic accep-
tance of the current conditions of existence.
At least for the duration of the comic perception, the tragedy of man is bracketed. By laughing at
the imprisonment of the human spirit, humor implies that this imprisonment is notfinalbut
will be overcome, and by this implication provides yet another signal of transcendence—in this
instance in the form of an intimation of redemption.30

Hope presents a similar challenge to the status quo and also provides, in Berger's words, a
"signal of transcendence."31

So it seems that the character most associated with comic laughter in Genesis is pur-
posefully introduced at the point in the narrative where one's everyday beliefs are most
called into question. It is by no means clear that the ancient audience found it any easier
than a modern one to believe that God could cause an eighty-nine year old woman to con-
ceive a child by a ninety-nine year old man. Thus, these authors introduced Isaac and the
type of humor associated with his name as a way to suggest to the audience that God often
fulfills God's plans by making a mockery of human expectations. Humor is part of the lan-
guage of hope that points to a higher order than the one in which we normally live. That
the ancient authors relied on humor as a theological device can be seen elsewhere in the
Isaac cycle. In particular, the humor generated by the encounter between the mentally slow
Isaac and the larger world in which he lives is part of a theology that hints at a God who

^P. Berger, A Rumor ofAngels, expanded edition (New York: Doubleday, 1990) 79. A similar point is made by R.
Niebuhr, "Humour and Faith, ' in Holy Laughter: Essays on Religion in the Comic Perspective, ed. M. C. Hyers (New
York: Seabury, 1969) 134-49. This latter collection contains several other excellent articles exploring the connec-
tion between humor and religion.
31
Berger, Rumor, 68-72.

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374 Interpretation OCTOBER 2 0 0 0

makes fools wise and the wise foolish.32

The tendency to upset human expectations in humorous fashion also has connections
to the well documented biblical propensity to proclaim that God favors the underdog. The
writers can thereby show how God brings God's plan to fruition even when all the odds are
against success. Isaac's incompetence, far from interfering with God's unfolding plan, is
itself part and parcel of this plan. Thus the fulfillment of God's promises, in spite of Isaac's
incompetence, is a way of revealing God's greatness. And most importantly, it is in the
laughter evoked by Isaac that one finds the strength to believe, even when trust in God's
promises seems absurd. One can easily see that God's promises are under constant threat of
non-fulfillment in the Isaac narratives simply by noting Isaac's extremely delayed birth, or
his inability to find his own wife. My contention is that because the promises made to
Abraham appear to be in constant danger of coming to an abrupt end in the narratives sur-
rounding Isaac, the authors of these narratives consistently use humor to help one continue
to believe in God's promises. As I indicated above, this use of humor may even extend to
the narrative of the binding of Isaac, in which humor would allow the reader to laugh in
the face of potential tragedy and thus continue to trust in God even when such trust seems
rationally unwarranted.33

CONCLUSIONS

The story of Isaac is much funnier than has often been noticed. Some will no doubt
object to this reading of the Isaac narratives by noting that even if certain points made here
are sound, others are unlikely. Furthermore, they may argue that one can never be sure that
the humor I find is really in the text, rather than in an anachronistic reading of my own
making. After all, every text cited above has been interpreted in a more serious fashion. It is
true that one cannot definitively prove that ancient Israelites found certain elements of the
Isaac narratives humorous. But if one hopes to make any effort at discovering biblical
humor, one must take a chance and construct a reasonable argument. My argument, like
many arguments made by biblical scholars, including the Documentary Hypothesis itself, is
based both on cumulative evidence and on the argument's ability to explain various
nuances in the text that have been previously overlooked or ignored. One who simply pro-
poses alternative explanations for individual readings offered in this essay, without attempt-
ing to make sense of the larger narrative pattern of the Isaac story, has not reckoned fully

32
Y. Zakovitch makes a similar claim when he argues that the Bible sometimes uses humor to make the theo-
logical point that one cannot rely on humans, but only on God ("Humor and Theology or the Successful Failure of
Israelite Intelligence: A Literary-Folkloric Approach to Joshua 2," in Text and Tradition: The Hebrew Bible and
Folklore, ed. S. Niditch [Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1990] 75-98).
33
An analogue to this use of humor can be found in Exodus 1-2, a narrative in which Pharaoh commands the
killing of all Jewish male infants. He isfirstmade a fool of by the two midwives who disobey his orders and who
then make up a ridiculous story to explain their non-compliance. Later, his own daughter actually ends up paying
Moses' mother to nurse the child who will bring down the plagues upon Egypt and liberate the Jewish people from
Egyptian servitude.

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R E A D I N G THE BIBLE TODAY Interpretation 375

with the argument presented here. In fact, an important part of my argument is that it takes
seriously the notion that the canonical text presents a coherent character named Isaac. It is
not just a collection of unrelated stories told by different authors about substantially differ-
ent characters, all named Isaac. If there is indeed a coherent character named Isaac, and if I
have managed to prove one or two instances in which Isaac is dimwitted and causes others
to laugh at him, there may be good reason to maintain that other narratives surrounding
Isaac, though less obviously humorous, also involve the same dimwitted character who
causes others to laugh and by doing so enables them to hope.

Although I have focused almost exclusively on the humor in the Isaac narratives, it is
just one aspect of a complex and polyphonous work of art. In fact, it is wrong to speak of
humor as if it can be isolated from the rest of life. Humor is a dimension of human experi-
ence that can occur anywhere, at any time.34 Inasmuch as great works of art attempt to cap-
ture the richness and complexity of life, one should not be surprised to find that the Bible,
too, contains humor. The Bible continues to capture our attention because each time one
returns to it, one discovers previously unnoticed dimensions. Illuminating the more unusu-
al facets of this sacred text does not diminish or exclude previously noted dimensions.
Instead, it discloses yet another layer of meaning within the biblical text. And this, in turn,
enriches not only our understanding of ancient Israelite culture and religion, but our
understanding of ourselves as well.

34
This point is made by P. Berger in his recent book on humor: "The comic is perceived as the perception of an
otherwise undisclosed dimension of reality—not just of its own reality (as a player perceives the reality of a game),
but of reality as such. The comic intrusion is the occurrence of this perception in every possible realm of experi-
ence." See Berger, Redeeming Laughter: The Comic Dimension of Human Experience (New York: Walter de Gruyter,
1997) 14.

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