Sibling rivalry due to jealousy, hate, rage is a prevalent pattern that exists sometimes among brothers and sisters. There are some known examples of sibling rivalry in Genesis. These feelings of jealousy and anger were due to comparison and the preference from an external character. Some of the examples of sibling rivalry found in Genesis are the story of Cain and Abel and also the story of Joseph.
In our reading of Genesis, both Cain and Abel, were children of Adam and Eve. Abel “became a herder of sheep” ( an important animal who is present throughout different stories in the bible), whereas, Cain was a “tiller of the soil.” The reading says that one day, Cain brought to the Lord, an offering from the “fruit of the soil” and Abel brought the healthiest sheep he had as an offering. Both made an offering to God; nevertheless, God was more pleased with Abel’s offering and did not regard Cain and his offering. God knew that Abel was very happy to be able to provide the best of him and what he had to offer; Abel also demonstrated that he was willing to put God first. With his offering, Abel showed that he was richly thankful to God who had given him everything, life, health, and wellbeing. In the reading it is also stated that Abel “had brought from the firstlings of his flock.” On the contrary, Cain just brought whatever ordinary produce he had on hand and God knew it too. So, God accepted Abel’s offering because it was offered out of a heart full of gratitude. God did not accept Cain’s offering because it was a sign of half-hearted effort to curry God’s favor. As a result, Cain gets jealous, the reading states that he “was very incensed, and his face fell.” Cain was aware of God’s preference so he got very upset and directed his anger towards his brother. The reading states that the Lord said to Cain:
“Why are you incensed,
And why is your face fallen?
For whether you offer well,
Or whether you do not,
At the tent flap sin crouches
And for you is its longing
But you will rule over it.”
Sibling jealousy and rivalry was what caused a brother to rise against another brother; in this reading, Cain rose against Abel and killed him. The comparison of offerings and the preference that God had towards Abel, are some of the common reasons why there is sibling rivalry and jealousy. The same happened in the story of Joseph. In this story, Joseph’s siblings try to eliminate him because they felt threatened and saw him as their competition. They all experienced the feelings of jealousy, envy and anger. The reason they felt threatened is because their father always showed preference for Joseph and he loved him so much that would always show his affection and love towards him. For example, based on the reading, a sign of preference that Joseph’s father had towards him is the ornamental tunic Joseph received as a gift from his father, it was given to him but none to his siblings. Another reason why Joseph’s brother felt that way towards him was the fact Joseph had some dreams that were of very dislike to them. In Joseph’s first dream the families binding sheaves were all laying in a field then Joseph’s sheave stood upright while his brother’s sheaves all began to bow to his; this propelled that brother’s envy and frustration into full out hatred for their brother. Then he had a second dream, which was very similar but this time there were eleven stars, the sun and the moon, and they all were bowing to him. The brothers were so furious and the reading indicated that his brothers were “wrought up at him.”
Cain and Able’s story and Joseph’s story are very similar in that jealousy and envy are the driving source of the sibling rivalry. Cain was jealous of the favor from God, and Joseph’s brothers were jealous of the favor from Jacob, their father. Envy, anger and jealousy, are some of the common feelings that caused the rivalry between siblings, it was magnify by comparisons and preferences of an external character such as God ( in Cain and Abel story ) and a father ( in Joseph’s story ). Comparisons and preferences, tend to lead to sibling rivalry and feelings of anger, hate and jealousy.
