Thus, at major turning-points in the story75—Abraham’s call, his circumcision, the offering of Isaac, the transition from Abraham to Isaac and from Isaac to Jacob, and in the sojourn in Egypt—the narrative quietly insists that Abraham and his progeny inherit the role of Adam and Eve. There are, interestingly, two differences which emerge in the shape of this role. The command (‘be fruitful …’) has turned into a promise (‘I will make you fruitful …’),76 and possession of the land of Canaan, together with supremacy over enemies, has taken the place of Adam’s dominion over nature.
