Among the more memorable narratives in the Old Testament are those about Israel’s ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, culminating in the splendidly-told story of Joseph. In Genesis, these men are the recipients of promises for their descendants. Later in the Old Testament, from Moses onwards, it is in fulfilment of those promises that the Hebrews are brought out of Egypt, constituted a national community by covenant, and taken into Canaan. Thus, Abraham, Isaac