Perhaps no other topic has flown under the proverbial radar of biblical commentators handling the Jacob Narrative—especially modern commentators—more than Jacob’s apparent unfulfilled vow to tithe to God noted in Genesis 28:22. Did he, or did he not, fulfill his vow to pay a tenth of his goods to God? In this paper I argue that Jacob does in fact fulfill this vow when he gives his extravagant “gift” (minch h) to his brother Esau. Based upon his rhetorical and linguistic presentation—coupled with the historical milieu—in chapters 32–33 the author of Genesis presents Esau not only as superior to Jacob but also in a God-like manner. In doing this, the author implicitly creates a scenario whereby Esau becomes the ideal candidate in the immediate context to receive Jacob’s tithe. This conclusion is strengthened by the canonical precedent of Abram’s tithing to Melchizedek in Genesis 14.
