The fact that there are so many lie narratives in Genesis, suggesting that lying is a prominent motif, demonstrates how common human beings lie.  It is considered one of the most basic forms of communication. We will explore the types of lies and draw some conclusions from them that show the practice of lying as a model of human behavior.  It seems that the author makes us think that at some point, even good men will lie.  Adam lies to God in the Garden, while Cain lies after murdering Abel. Both Abraham and Isaac lie to Abimelech about their wives. Sarah lies when she denied that she laughed when hearing that she would give birth; Jacob lies to Isaac when posing as Esau; Laban misleads Jacob when substituting Lea for Rachel; Rachel likewise misleads Laban when hiding the stolen idols; Jacob’s sons lie to the inhabitants of Shechem when offering to live with them in peace and then do so again when showing their father Joseph’s coat that they have dipped in the blood of a sheep. Joseph is devastated by a lie when Potiphar’s wife accuses him of attempted rape. Yet, he would later conceal his own identity from his brothers when they went to Egypt to purchase grain. Not only does he accuse them of being spies, a charge for which he has no evidence; he also deliberately manages a plot that enables him to falsely accuse Benjamin of stealing his silver chalice.
In each case, the falsehood, which may be by words or by deeds, is deliberate.  Each is aware of the truth but tries to withhold it from others. While the narrator does not commend liars, nowhere does the book call attention to the immorality of the action.  Even when a liar is exposed, as is Abraham by Abimelech in Genesis 20:9, the rebuke administered by the injured party does not focus on the lie itself but on its consequences: “What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.”.
DefinitionsÂ
Lying is not so easy to define because it is more complex that we might want to admit. For example, does manipulation depict a lie such as the serpents’ dialogue with Eve (3:1-5) the conduct of Joseph in Genesis 47, or the negotiation of the inhabitants of Hebron with Abraham over the sale of a burial cave (23:1-20)? Should lying be stretched to include a partial statement of facts, which omits some of the more uncomfortable or less pleasant ingredients (as does Rebekah when explaining to Isaac why Jacob must leave for Haran in Genesis 27:46?  These stories in Genesis are events in the lives of individuals that are presented as a narrative in which lies are clearly depicted or implied as the plot unfolds. The most detailed narrative involving lies in Genesis is in chapter 27. Here, Jacob misleads Isaac into bestowing on him the blessing intended for Esau. We will use this narrative as the example from which to base all the others.  From it, we will present parallels and differences in the other narratives.
These lie narratives consists of several stages that usually unfold in the same sequence. Each narrative normally starts with a background and presentation of the truth that will later be rejected with lies. The next stage is the scheme to lie. At this stage, the major players describe the intent and plot to deceive.  In some cases, this is a story by itself.  The next stage reveals the motives and intended benefits of their plan. Only afterward is the reader told the lie and how it is carried out.  Usually, the narrative ends with the disclosure of the lie and a discussion of its consequences.
In the case of Genesis 27, the background and presentation of the truth in found in verses 1-4. It reads, “And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him: ‘ Behold, here am I.’  And he said, ‘Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death. Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; And make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die“.  In other narratives, we come to the narrative with prior knowledge so that the background is not clearly laid out.  In this case, we are already aware of the division in Isaac’s family. Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob (cf. Gen. 25:28). The background is in the first verses that describe Isaac’s age, blindness, and intention to bless Esau.
Other examples in Genesis start the same way, but are more concise.  Cain and Abel (4:1-8), Sarah’s denial of her laughter starts with the fact of Sarah’s age; Jacob’s sons’ lie of Joseph’s death starts’with their attitude toward him as “the dreamer” (37:19), and the final twist in the saga of Joseph when he concealed his identity from his brothers (42:6-7).  In a few cases, the narrative does not start with this background, but the truth is told after the lie. In such cases, it appears that the narrator is seeking to magnify the gap between the lie and the truth by starting with the lie.