The Hebrew Patriarchs as Family Heads

The Hebrew patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—led worship as the heads of their families, bowing down to the Lord and offering sacrifices to him. Abraham built altars to the Lord and "called upon his name" because of his promises of the land and a multitude of descendants (Genesis 12:7–8). Likewise, Jacob, at the Lord’s command, built an altar at Bethel (Genesis 35:1–3). He had wrestled with the messenger of the Lord at Penuel and prevailed (Genesis 32:22–32) yet bore in his body the marks of that nocturnal struggle even to the end of his life, when he "worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff" (Hebrews 11:21). Job, who might have been a contemporary of the patriarchs, offered sacrifices on behalf of his family (Job 1:5), and prayer on behalf of his friends, that their offerings might be acceptable to God by virtue of his intercession (Job 42:7–9).