Book manuscript: Arkhipov S.V. Medical Record: The Contribution of a Middle Bronze Age Egyptian Physician to the Book of Genesis. Kyrö: Author’s Edition, 2026. – 312 pp. – 2 tables. – Bibliographical references: 856 entries. play.google.com , books.google.com
Chapter 11
Patient's Narrative and Interview
The
section of a medical record that accumulates information about a disease or
injury is customarily designated in Latin as anamnesis morbi, which translates
to "recollection of the disease". The facts contained in this section
are pivotal for establishing a diagnosis and determining treatment strategy. In
our case, anamnesis morbi represents the "recollection of the injury"
– specifically, the account provided by the victim or an eyewitness.
Supplementary information may be extracted from medical documentation and
occasionally from illustrative material accompanying the patient. The anamnesis
of Jacob's trauma and the disease that subsequently developed can only be
"gathered" from the pages of the Book of Genesis. No other sources
dating to the same period are at our disposal.
Information
regarding the injury sustained by Jacob is contained in the narrative of his
family's migration from Haran to Canaan. This account is presumed to include
passages written at a later period. Interpolations were made by editors between
the early 16th century and the mid-5th century BCE. We removed these at the
first stage of reconstructing Jacob's original oral narrative, yielding a
third-person retelling of the tradition. At the second stage, the narrative was
transformed into a first-person text. Thus, we obtained the most probable
transcript variant of the Jacob prototype's recollection of the
twenty-four-hour period during which his hip joint was injured.
To
restore an authentic account of the circumstances surrounding the trauma, we
excised portions of the text that have no direct bearing on the incident. These
include the speeches and actions of Jacob's counterpart, as well as his
thoughts and visions. The original version of the tradition, complete with
"additional materials", spans three chapters (31–33) of the Book of
Genesis. Passages recounting the ill-fated day that are significant for
understanding the nature of the injury are contained in Chapters 32 and 33.
These have been excerpted and transformed as indicated above, without altering
their core meaning. Below, we present variations of the "trauma
anamnesis" aimed at identifying the probable words of the victim.
Anamnesis of the Trauma According to the Text of Genesis The original text as recorded in the primary source:
[iii]
The
original text as recorded in the primary source:
Chapter
32.
"22 The present went thus on
before him and he lodged himself that night in the camp 23 And he rose up that
night, and he took his two wives, and his two women-servants, and his eleven
sons, and passed over the ford of the Yabbok. 24 And he took them, and sent
them over the stream, and sent over what he had. 25 And Jacob was left alone;
and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 26 And when he
saw that he could not prevail against him, he struck against the hollow of his
thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was put out of joint, as he was
wrestling with him. 27 And he said, Let me go, for the day hath dawned. And he
said, I will not let thee go until thou hast blessed me. 28 And he said unto
him. What is thy name? and he said, Jacob. 29 And he said, Not Jacob shall any
more be called thy name, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God
and with men, and hast prevailed. 30 And Jacob asked him, and said. Tell me, I
pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my
name? And he blessed him there. 31 And Jacob called the name of the place
Peniel : for I have seen an angel of God face to face, and my life hath been
preserved. 32 And the sun rose unto him as he passed by Penuel, and he halted
upon his thigh. 33 Therefore do the children of Israel not eat the sinew which
shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he struck
against the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew that shrank."
(1922LeeserI).
Chapter
33.
"1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he himself passed on before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept. 5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children ; and said, Who are these with thee ? And he said, The children whom God hath graciously given thy servant. 6 Then came the handmaids near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. 7 And Leah also with her children came near, and they bowed themselves ; and after that came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. 8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I have met? And he said, To find grace in the eyes of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother, keep unto thyself what thou hast. 10 And Jacob said, This must not be, I pray thee; if I have but found grace in thy eyes, then do thou receive my present at my hand; since I have seen thy face, it is as though I had seen the face of an angel, and because thou hast received me kindly. 11 Take, I pray thee, my present that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have a plenty of all. And he urged him, and he took it. 12 And he said. Let us depart, and move farther, and I will travel near thee. 13 And he said unto him. My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are a charge on me : and if they should overdrive them one day, all the flock would die. 14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass on before his servant: and I will lead on slowly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children may be able to travel, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. 15 And Esau said. Let me, I pray thee, leave with thee some of the people that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? Let me only find grace in the eyes of my lord. 16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built himself a house, and for his cattle he made booths; therefore he called the name of the place Succoth." (1922LeeserI).
[iv]
We
have compiled a third-person retelling of Jacob's tradition regarding the day
of the injury, its circumstances, symptoms, and mechanism. The dialogue of
interlocutors and the author's commentary have been removed, alongside an
editorial insertion from a later era. A prime example is the first part of
verse 33 in Chapter 32: "Therefore the children of Israel do not eat the
displaced tendon which is on the hip joint to this day" (Gen. 32:33). The
phrase "to this day" clearly indicates a gloss; it could not have
been uttered by the victim. Nor does it belong to the implicit context, as the
authors were unaware that the plot would eventually receive a religious
interpretation. Another passage removed by us reads: "therefore he called
the name of the place Succoth" (Gen. 33:17). This is likewise an editorial
explanation aimed at readers unfamiliar with the etymology of the name, which
derives from the Akkadian word for "shore". Thus, we have preserved
only the text directly pertaining to the injury.
Chapter 32.
"22 … he lodged himself that
night in the camp 23 And he rose up that night, and he took his two wives, and
his two women-servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford of the
Yabbok. 24 And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over what
he had. 25 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until
the breaking of the day. 26 And when he saw that he could not prevail against
him, he struck against the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's
thigh was put out of joint, as he was wrestling with him. … 32 And the sun rose
unto him as he passed by Penuel, and he halted upon his thigh. 33 … because he
struck against the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew that shrank."
(1922LeeserI).
Chapter
33.
"1 ... And he divided the
children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. ... 3 And he
himself passed on before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times,
until he came near to his brother. ... 12 And he said. Let us depart, and move
farther, and I will travel near thee. 13 And he said unto him. … 14 Let my
lord, I pray thee, pass on before his servant: and I will lead on slowly,
according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children may be able to
travel, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. ... 16 So Esau returned that day
on his way unto Seir. 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built himself a
house, and for his cattle he made booths; therefore he called the name of the
place Succoth." (1922LeeserI).
[v]
Below
are potential recollections of the Jacob prototype regarding the key events of
the twenty-four-hour period during which the hip joint was damaged. The
anamnesis, divided into verses and chapters, is presented as a reconstructed
transcript of a first-person account. Square brackets contain our replacements
of the original text.
Chapter
32.
"22 … [I] lodged [myself] that
night in the camp 23 And [I] rose up that night, and [I] took [my] two wives,
and [my] two women-servants, and [my] eleven sons, and passed over the ford of
the Yabbok. 24 And [I] took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over
what [I] had. 25 And [I] was left alone; and there wrestled a man with [me]
until the breaking of the day. 26 And when he saw that [I] could not prevail
against him, he struck against the hollow of [my] thigh ; and the hollow of
[my] thigh was put out of joint, as he was wrestling with [me]. … 32 And the
sun rose unto [me] as [I] passed by Penuel, and [I] halted upon [my] thigh. 33
… because he struck against the hollow of [my] thigh on the sinew that shrank."
Chapter
33.
"1 ... And [I] divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. ... 3 And [I myself] passed on before them, and bowed [myself] to the ground seven times, until [I] came near to [my] brother. ... 12 And [Esau] said. Let us depart, and move farther, and I will travel near thee. 13 And [I] said unto him. … 14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass on before [thy] servant: and [I] will lead on slowly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children may be able to travel, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. ... 16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17 And [I] journeyed to Succoth and built [myself] a house, and for [my] cattle [I] made booths; therefore [I] called the name of the place Succoth."
[vi]
Here
we present the preferred version of the Jacob prototype's account of the injury
without division into verses and chapters. We believe a physician
"heard" a similar recollection from the victim. Presumably, what was
spoken was transcribed into a third-person narrative and incorporated into the
literary work. When asked "what happened", Jacob recounted the following:
"I lodged myself that night in
the camp. And I rose up that night, and I took my two wives, and my two
women-servants, and my eleven sons, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok. And
I took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over what I had. And I was
left alone; and there wrestled a man with me until the breaking of the day. And
when he saw that I could not prevail against him, he struck against the hollow
of my thigh ; and the hollow of my thigh was put out of joint, as he was
wrestling with me. And the sun rose unto me as I passed by Penuel, and I halted
upon my thigh because he struck against the hollow of my thigh on the sinew
that shrank. … And I divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto
the two handmaids. And I myself passed on before them, and bowed myself to the
ground seven times, until I came near to my brother. And Esau said. Let us
depart, and move farther, and I will travel near thee. And I said unto him. Let
my lord, I pray thee, pass on before thy servant: and I will lead on slowly,
according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children may be able to
travel, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. So Esau returned that day on his
way unto Seir. And I journeyed to Succoth and built myself a house, and for my
cattle I made booths; therefore I called the name of the place Succoth."
A historical nomad living in the
Middle East during the Middle Bronze Age could not have navigated a narrative
in this manner. Instead, the reconstructed redaction aligns remarkably well
with the golden age of Middle Kingdom Egyptian literature, specifically with
masterpieces composed strictly in the first person: The Tale of Sinuhe, The
Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, The Dispute Between a Man and His Ba, The
Instruction of Amenemhat, and, to some extent, The Tale of the Eloquent
Peasant.
The above excerpts from the reworked tradition of Jacob formed the basis of the ancient Egyptian physician's diagnosis. The assistants likely took notes during the clarifying interrogation as well. Unfortunately, this document is lost forever. We do not know the contents of the introductory conversation, which was not recorded. The doctor did not miss the opportunity to question Jacob's close relatives who were near him on the day of the injury and in the immediate period following it. Regarding the content of these conversations and the information the doctor derived from them, we know absolutely nothing. We possess only the material from the Book of Genesis. Our reconstructed text is intended to clarify the course of events underlying the Old Testament narrative of the Jacob prototype.
[vii]
Recollections
of the events of the twenty-four-hour period in which Jacob sustained his
injury appear plausible at first glance. The episode recounting the
conversation with an angel (Gen. 32:27–31) is perceived as an anomaly; it
resembles a passage borrowed from another work. We are not the first to note
this. E. J. Hamori (2011) wrote that in the legend of Jacob's struggle: there
is reason to believe that the Israelite author knew some version of Gilgamesh,
and specifically the scene of the contest between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. What is
present here is not simply an instance of a shared motif or a logical grouping
of elements, but an unexpected and striking series of correspondences. Here,
the author sees an analogy with the scene in the second tablet of the Epic of
Gilgamesh: "Enkidu blocked the door with his foot, he did not allow
Gilgamesh to enter. They grappled with each other, locked like bulls, they
shattered the doorpost, the wall shook" (1961ДьяконовИМ).
It
seems to us that there are greater correspondences between the biblical battle
and the visions of the ailing Enkidu recorded in the seventh tablet:
"Enkidu raised his eyes from his bed, speaking to the door as to a person:
'Wooden door, senseless and foolish, with no understanding in it! For you I
sought wood twenty leagues away, until I saw a tall cedar – no tree in the
world was equal to it.'" Further we read: "Into the entrails of
Enkidu pain penetrated, on the bed of night where he lay alone. At night he
recounted his sorrows to his friend: 'My friend, I saw a dream this night: the
heavens cried out, the earth answered, in the dark night I stand alone, I see a
man – his face is gloomy, like the storm-bird his face appears. His wings are
bird's wings, his talons are eagle's talons. I began to fight him – he overcame
me, I began to defend myself – he jumped onto my shoulders, opened the earth,
submerged me…'" (1961ДьяконовИМ).
The
symptoms described in Enkidu's case reminded us of typhoid fever. Supporting
this diagnosis are "weakness": "Enkidu lay down before Gilgamesh";
impairment of consciousness, delirium: "Speaking to the door as to a
person", the curse of the "harlot Shamhat"; hallucinations:
"Enkidu heard the word of Shamash the hero", "My friend, I saw a
dream this night: … I see a man – his face is gloomy, … I saw crowned
sovereigns"; abdominal pain: "Into the entrails of Enkidu pain
penetrated"; the peak period of the disease: "Illness consumes
Enkidu's body, the eleventh and twelfth" day; and toward the end of the
second week, a fatal outcome is described: "'What kind of sleep has now
overcome you? You have become dark and do not hear me!' But he cannot raise his
head. He touched his heart – it beats no more" (1961ДьяконовИМ). It appears that this is the
earliest description of a dangerous intestinal infection, most likely typhoid
fever; less likely cholera, salmonellosis, botulism, or dysentery.
Immediately
preceding the dream or hallucination, Enkidu first curses and then blesses the
harlot Shamhat. By contrast, according to the Book of Genesis, the night battle
precedes Jacob receiving the blessing from the angel (Gen. 32:30). One gets the
impression of an intentional alteration of the sequence of scenes and the
outcome of the struggle by the author of the primary source. It is widely
recognised that "...ancient authors freely compiled earlier works"
(1985LambertWG). Supporting our hypothesis is the fact that the seventh tablet
of the Epic of Gilgamesh was discovered among the ruins of the settlement of
Megiddo, situated in the western part of the Jezreel Valley. Moreover, "it
is clear that the text of Gilgamesh arrived in Canaan at an earlier stage"
(2009GorenY_Na'amanN). We venture to suggest that the work was delivered during
the Hyksos period, when connections between the lands controlled by Egypt and
Mesopotamia expanded.
As
is clear from the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu fought against a "spirit of
disease" as understood by representatives of Sumero-Akkadian culture.
Depictions of demons have been identified on at least two Mesopotamian clay
incantation tablets dating to the Old Babylonian period (2011FinkelIL). Here we
refer to tablets BM 92669 and BM 92670, housed in the British Museum
(1963PinchesTG). Anonymous authors depicted malevolent spirits in the form of
men, representing agents of disease that needed to be frightened away or
exorcised. Presumably, a similar image was intended by the author of the Book
of Genesis when describing the scene of Jacob's struggle with the angel. On the
verso of the Edwin Smith Papyrus, a scribe inscribed incantations for
protection against miasmas, demons, and messengers of Sekhmet, wherein demonic
entities are assumed to be male (1930BreastedJH). In the Hittite world, a close
connection also existed between magic and medicine. Disease was often
considered the result of the pernicious influence of demons or punishments,
again sent by angry gods or demons (2026ArnottR).
A
similarity to the Old Testament battle is found in an ancient Hittite ritual
text. It presents a struggle between the goddess Hebat and the king, "who
holds her until they begin to argue over who overcame whom; the argument ends
with the king's request for a blessing" (2003УолтонДХ_ЧавалесМУ). This refers to clay tablet KBo 21, found in
Hattusa and dated to the Middle Hittite period, that is, approximately
1500–1100 BCE (cdli.earth). Researchers examining the tablet
have drawn attention to the striking identity of structure and similarity of
content present in both the Hittite and biblical narratives. This indicates an
extremely low probability that the presence of numerous identical elements and
their shared sequential order in both texts is a matter of chance. At the same
time, an important distinction has been noted. The content of the Hittite
inscription represents an isolated event integrated into a ritual, whereas the
text of the Book of Genesis is an episode in the ongoing history of the
patriarchs (1983TsevatM). The goddess Hebat held a leading position in the
Hurrian pantheon and in many individual cult centeres of Syria and eastern
Anatolia, serving as a kind of Syrian mother-goddess. Among the Hittites, she
was identified with the Sun goddess of Arinna (2002BryceT).
It
is impossible to pinpoint the exact primary source of the plot: whether it was
the Hittite story or the Old Testament epic. The scene might have been borrowed
by the authors of the Book of Genesis from the Epic of Gilgamesh, while the
Hittite cuneiform tablet records a shortened paraphrase. The biblical narrative
mentions the Hittites more than once. Abraham buys a field and a cave from the
"sons of Heth" (Gen. 23:20). Esau's first two wives originated from
this ethnic group: "Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bahsemath
the daughter of Elon the Hittite" (Gen. 26:34–35). According to tradition,
Jacob lived for a long time in Haran (Gen. 31:38). The settlement was situated
near the borders of the Hittite Kingdom and, during certain past periods,
belonged to it.
On
the island of Thera, in the city of Akrotiri buried under a layer of ash from
the Minoan eruption, a fresco depicting boxing boys with religious undertones
was discovered. The image reveals a concept of contest (agon) hidden from a
superficial glance, characteristic of the "mindset of the pre-Greek
inhabitants of Aegean, wherein its artists managed to convey it with a subtlety
and grace of which Greek painters and sculptors were incapable" (2007НемировскийАИ). Remarkably, a Minoan community
producing characteristic frescoes existed in Avaris under the Hyksos
(2018BietakM). In view of the above, Aegean civilisation might also have been
reflected in Jacob's struggle with the angel.
Ancient
myths should not be indiscriminately dismissed as "inventions". Some
of them are based on real events. Like massive stone blocks, they are laid into
the foundation of the social structure of communities, their jurisprudence,
culture, and creative works. According to R.E. Guiley, the dramatic scene set
forth in the concluding part of Chapter 32 of the Book of Genesis has elicited
much commentary from Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant theologians, biblical
scholars, and literary critics. Does Jacob wrestle with God or with an angel?
There is no single answer, but the story has been rationalised, romanticised,
viewed as myth, and interpreted symbolically (2004GuileyRE).
Cuneiform
tablet E 2014.62 from Uruk (Otago Museum, Dunedin), belonging to the
Mesopotamian medico-magical corpus of the Achaemenid period (547–331 BCE),
vividly depicts a battle with a spirit. On the obverse of the tablet,
prescriptions (medicines) counteracting the attack of the demon Lamashtu are
provided in Akkadian, while the reverse contains two related incantations. It
is not ruled out that the tablet contains materials from a medical collection
of the Old Babylonian period. On its reverse, in the first incantation, we find
fragments describing the struggle with the demon: this is the image … my flesh
and veins (sa.meš.mu), and the left part of my flesh … [he smashes, behind me
he continues] to go in order to cut the throat, he stands ready … His 'self' is
like me, his flesh is like my flesh. Clay from the pristine mountains, tallow,
and wax I mix, and I create his image, because he sought me, searched for me.
In the evening watch, in the middle watch, and in the morning watch every day,
day and night he did this, but on this day, salvation is ordained. Before you I
stood firm. Enki and [his son] Asalluhi sent me, and I came [to] give life
(2016ZilbergP_HorowitzW).
The
text resembles the biblical struggle of Jacob with the angel in the final part
of the night (Gen. 32:25–30). The indication that "the dawn has
broken" (Gen. 32:27) corresponds to the morning watch of the night, which
lasted from two to six o'clock in the morning (1999РинекерФ_МайерГ). On the reverse of tablet E 2014.62, in
addition to the text, there is a drawing of a humanoid figure with a tail,
horns [or long ears], and a narrow snout [of a goat or wolf] – an embodiment of
disease that was required to be molded and consigned to the fire
(2016ZilbergP_HorowitzW). It appears that this drawing is a visualisation of
the disease demon Lamashtu as conceived by the exorcist. We noted that the
Akkadian text of the tablet mentions "flesh and veins". This final
anatomical element also figures in the legend of the struggle between the
literary Jacob and the angel.
The
Reverend J. Skinner (1851–1925) remarked regarding Jacob's struggle: a bolder
anthropomorphic narrative is not to be found in Genesis; and unless we shut our
eyes to some of its most vivid features, we must give up the attempt to
translate it entirely into terms of religious experience. Further, the
theologian notes that the conversation between Jacob and the angel is perhaps a
remnant of a more ancient version, belonging to a primitive stage of thought
where he who possesses the true name of a god can command the power of its
bearer (1910SkinnerJ).
The exact origin of the motif of man's biblical struggle with a mystical force is unknown. We believe that this plot segment originated in Mesopotamia and was first reflected in the Epic of Gilgamesh no later than the Old Babylonian period. Jacob's night battle with a supernatural force that damaged his hip joint is mentioned by the prophet Hosea, who laboured in the 8th century BCE. In the 12th chapter of the religious and ethical Book of Hosea, there are the words: "3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: 4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us" (here and below, the books of the Bible following the Pentateuch are cited in the King James Version, matching the author's reference to standard canonical translations). Thus, Jacob's contest was demonstrably known 2–3 centuries prior to the final codification of the Book of Genesis in the late 6th or 5th century BCE (2017OliverS).
[ix]
A
medical worker usually begins a conversation with an injured patient by
introducing themselves. In the absence of contact with the patient, eyewitnesses
to the incident or those who transported the victim are questioned, and, if
possible, the patient's identity is established. Following mutual
introductions, the orthopedic surgeon asks the first and most critical
question: "What happened to you?" Evidently, the ancient Egyptian
doctor who consulted the prototype of the literary Jacob asked the same thing.
In brief, the diagnostician might have heard the following response: "A
man wrestled with me … And when he saw that he could not prevail against me, he
touched the socket of my hip; and the socket of my hip was dislocated as I
wrestled with him" (Gen. 32:25–26, in our transformation).
Based
on what was said, the doctor understood that the cause of the health impairment
was trauma. According to the victim, the injury was sustained in hand-to-hand
combat with an unknown opponent. Today, it would be classified as an
intentional injury resulting from interpersonal violence (2018AldridgeE_YonY).
Harm to the body was inflicted by an unidentified individual without the use of
weapons or any objects. As a result, Jacob sustained bodily injury that led to
an impairment of gait function (Gen. 32:32).
Jacob's
struggle has long attracted the attention of writers and artists. Paintings and
sculptures invariably depict a physical combat. As a rule, these feature two
wrestling men, with the body of one conveying an extreme degree of strain. This
is how the battle from Chapter 32 of the Book of Genesis was "seen"
by Harmensz van Rijn Rembrandt, Alexander Ivanov, Gustave Doré, Paul Gauguin,
Eugène Delacroix, Vladimir Ivanov, Alexander Lyagin, Jacques Lipchitz, and Marc
Chagall (2024АрхиповСВ).
We have identified over two hundred paintings, icons, drawings, sculptures,
frescoes, and bas-reliefs dedicated to this plot. Masters of fine arts have
captured specifically hand-to-hand combat. It is no wonder that a similar
perception dominates the minds of most readers of the tradition regarding
Jacob's duel.
The perception of single combat is shaped by the narrative phrases: "a man wrestled with him" (Gen. 32:25); "saw that he could not prevail against him", "he wrestled with him" (Gen. 32:26); "let me go", "I will not let you go" (Gen. 32:27); "you have wrestled" (Gen. 32:29). Physical contact between the combatants is mentioned twice in the text: the opponent "touched" Jacob (Gen. 32:26,33). In this, one sees an echo of a real fight between two human beings. Jacob himself sincerely believes in the reality of what occurred, hearing the words in the night: "you have wrestled … and have prevailed" (Gen. 32:29). Victory in the contest did not come easily to him. The effort expended gave rise to sincere words: "my life was preserved" (Gen. 32:31). This candid statement expressed relief at escaping past danger. Jacob survived an event in which, beneath the shadow of the destroying angel, death and existence touched. And whether it all transpired in a dream or in reality mattered little. It was not fated to be forgotten – it was constantly brought to mind day after day, unto his deathbed, by every step of his impaired gait (Gen. 32:32). The legendary struggle with the divine messenger was also kept fresh in memory throughout his life by hip pain worsening toward evening, restricted movement, bodily deformity, and shortening of the injured leg.
Upon hearing about an injury
sustained by a patient in a fight, we usually ask ourselves: "Who
inflicted the trauma?" or "Who did this?" It is desirable to
reflect this in the medical documentation, even though the physician does not
conduct an investigation. From the first phrase of Jacob's account of the
incident, it is clear that the injury was inflicted by a "man" (Gen.
32:25). Evidence of a hand-to-hand duel between two humans is provided by
repeated references to wrestling (Gen. 32:25–26, 29). From what is read, it
seems plausible that the opponent was a human being. However, according to the
text: he "touched the socket of the hip … and the socket of the hip was
dislocated" (1978БроерМ_ЙосифонД,a, Gen.
32:26); "thigh was put out of
joint"(1922LeeserI, Gen. 32:32). Based on this, we conclude that the
adversary possessed colossal, "inhuman" strength. Traumatic hip
dislocation most commonly occurs as a result of high-energy impact (2002АнкинЛН_АнкинНЛ; 2005КорниловНВ_ГрязнухинЭГ). The ligaments of the joint in question are
exceptionally strong. For example, the iliofemoral ligament alone can withstand
a load of 300–600 kg (1963КовановВВ_ТравинАА; 1985ИваницкийМФ).
The
Middle Ages provided practical proof of the extraordinary strength of human hip
joint ligaments. During the quartering of criminals, the strength of four
powerful horses was sometimes insufficient to rupture the main stabilizing
ligament of the hip joint. In one experiment, its maximum tensile strength on a
cadaver was 350 kg (1921BrausH). In a series of experiments, rupture of the hip
ligamentous apparatus occurred at a tensile load ranging from 408 to 1343 kg,
averaging 850 kg (1947НиколаевЛП). An ordinary person in hand-to-hand combat is incapable of
"dislocating" a hip. Upon hearing of such an occurrence from a
patient, a physician has every right to disbelieve it, relying on common sense,
clinical experience, and perhaps experimental data.
From
the retelling of Jacob's words, it is clear that eyewitnesses to the fight were
absent, as it is stated: "Jacob was left alone" (Gen. 32:25).
Incidentally, the caravan was populous: two wives, two concubines, eleven sons,
and a daughter, along with "people" including "messengers"
and "servants" (labourers) who followed numerous "herds" (Gen.
32:4, 8, 20, 23). By our calculations, approximately 40 people accompanied the
victim. Any one of them could have seen or heard the noise of Jacob fighting a
person of extraordinary strength. The presence of livestock kept in field
conditions strictly requires the presence of watchmen. Otherwise, the livestock
would scatter across the countryside or fall prey to predators. Therefore, some
of the herdsmen remained awake. They were watching the herds or, in the early morning
hours, were already watering the animals before the march.
Furthermore,
Jacob anticipated an attack from his brother Esau, as evidenced by the phrase:
"he will come and attack me, and the mothers with the children" (Gen.
32:12). Consequently, lookouts were designated from among the "servants".
Guards and those keeping watch over the herds could have heard the sounds made
by those struggling. Jacob himself could have warned his companions of danger
or called for help with shouts. None of these occurred. The battle took place
"one-on-one" and, paradoxically, without sound. Uncannily, none of
those awake heard Jacob's conversation with the unknown stranger in the night
either (Gen. 32:27–30). It is highly unlikely that the arguing individuals were
neither seen nor heard by the herdsmen or camp lookouts. Even assuming that
Jacob went to rest on the opposite bank of the Jabbok River, this would not
have prevented hearing the sound of battle. We know for certain that the Old
Testament stream is narrow and the surrounding terrain is open.
Much
is clarified by the phrase spoken by Jacob's opponent: "you have wrestled
with an angel" (Gen. 32:29). In other words, the battle took place with a
mystical being endowed with unnatural abilities. The victim himself came to
believe this, noting: "I have seen an angel face to face" (Gen.
32:31). The prophet Hosea echoes this: the battle was with an angel (Hos.
12:4). The absolute majority of commentators in subsequent centuries agree with
him. As is clear from our primary source, Jacob beheld angels in dreams.
Fleeing to Haran from his angered brother, he sees in a dream a ladder "to
heaven" with angels ascending and descending, and hears the words of God (Gen.
28:12–15). Fearing retribution from Laban's sons, Jacob again has a night
vision and speaks with an angel (Gen. 31:1, 10–13). Hence, it is assumed that
Jacob's struggle was virtual. In the words of certain clergymen, the Old
Testament struggle took place "in spirit" (1819Архимандрит_Филарет). The founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther
(1483–1546), wrote in 1542, commenting on the battle in Chapter 32: this
passage is considered by all to be one of the most obscure in the entire Old
Testament (2019AnderasP).
Whether
a disembodied entity could cause a hip dislocation by touch is a theological
question. To us, it appears that the ancient Egyptian physician who consulted
Jacob would have rejected the fact of a physical struggle. The diagnostician
might have believed that the battle took place in thought, but not in reality.
We allow that in a dream Jacob imagined that his "hip joint was
dislocated" (Gen. 32:26). Meanwhile, evidence in favor of a battle that
actually occurred was the indisputable "fact of limping" (Gen.
32:32). The impaired gait unambiguously indicated physical, rather than purely
conceptual, injury.
The
joint trauma, according to Jacob, was sustained in single combat (Gen. 32:26).
The text indicates that the "hip joint was dislocated" during the
time "when he wrestled" (Gen. 32:26). Traumatic hip dislocation is a
severe injury resulting in prolonged immobility and often a brief loss of
consciousness due to neurogenic shock. In the scenario described by Jacob,
following the injury he retained clarity of mind and the ability to speak;
moreover, he continued to hold his opponent (Gen. 32:27). In our opinion, this
additionally testifies to the unreality of the event described during the night
at the Jabbok River.
The
duality of the narrative in the Book of Genesis is self-evident: the
"man" is transformed into a mythical "angel", while a
purely conceptual struggle results in a genuine physical injury. At this point,
one might cease further reasoning based on scientific knowledge – stating that
the text is religious provides sufficient explanation. Yet, embedded within
this ancient account is a reference to a pathology of a genuinely existing
anatomical element of the hip joint – the ligament of the head of femur (lat. ligamentum
capitis femoris), as confirmed by our authoritative colleagues
(1851MaimonidesM; 1923,2004PreussJ; 2026SrinivasanS_SakthivelS).
Information regarding this specific structure could not have entered the text by chance or been the product of deliberate invention. It is reasonable to surmise that someone with medical training analysed the words of the Jacob prototype and set down the clarified recollections utilizing medical terminology. A materialist physician would silently reject the reality of both the night battle and the "angel" who inflicted the injury. Consequently, the first two standard questions posed to the victim, along with the answers received, failed to advance the diagnostician in understanding the details of the incident.
Title & Contents / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16 / Chapter 17 / Chapter 18 / Chapter 19 / Chapter 20 / Chapter 21 / Chapter 22 / Chapter 23 / Chapter 24 / Chapter 25 / References / Notes
Russian-language version:
Титул и оглавление / Глава 1 / Глава 2 / Глава 3 / Глава 4 / Глава 5 / Глава 6 / Глава 7 / Глава 8 / Глава 9 / Глава 10 / Глава 11 / Глава 12 / Глава 13 / Глава 14 / Глава 15 / Глава 16 / Глава 17 / Глава 18 / Глава 19 / Глава 20 / Глава 21 / Глава 22 / Глава 23 / Глава 24 / Глава 25 / Список литературы
Author of the publication
Arkhipov S.V. – Independent Researcher, MD, PhD, Orthopedic Surgeon, Medical Writer, Finland.
Correspondence: Sergey Arkhipov, e-mail: archipovsv @ gmail.com
Publication history
October 23, 2026 - online version of the book is published.
Suggested citation
Arkhipov S.V. Medical Record: The Contribution of a Middle Bronze Age Egyptian Physician to the Book of Genesis. Chapter 11. About the round ligament of the femur. October 23, 2026. https://roundligament.blogspot.com/2026/10/medical-record-chapter-11.html
Note
Keywords
hip joint, hip dislocation, osteoarthritis, ligament of the head of femur, ligamentum teres, ligamentum capitis femoris, Minoan Eruption, Bronze Age, Ancient Medicine, Ancient Egypt, Edwin Smith Papyrus, Biblical Chronology, Genesis, Genesis Protograph, Bereshit
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