164 - When Brothers Dwell Together: The Preeminence of Younger Siblings in the Hebrew Bible

When Brothers Dwell Together: The Preeminence of Younger Siblings in the Hebrew Bible
By Frederick E. Greenspalm
New York, Oxford University Press, 1994. 193 pp. $29.95.

Does birth order determine our destiny? Do older or younger siblings receive preferential treatment? While we tend to assume that firstborns are singled out for special attention (whether for sacrifice, inheritance, or succession), the Hebrew Bible, from Abel to Solomon, shows a marked preference for younger siblings, most often set within a narrative of conflict and rivalry.

Drawing on insights from law, anthropology, folklore, and linguistics, Frederick E. Greenspahn argues that this literary bias does not Correspond to actual practice, either as a reflection of ultimogeniture (right of the, youngest) or as a protest against primogeniture (right of the eldest). In ancient Israel, a father was free to give preferential treatment to his favorite (bŭkō/"chief heir") regardless of birth order. The function of the biblical younger son motif is to mirror Israel's self-understanding: Success of the nation and its leaders comes not from superior virtue or political strength (about which Israel felt uncertain), but from God.

Deborah Klee
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA.