The Book of Eli [Hebrew for My God] is a great movie – a religious man is attempting to keep the word of the Bible alive, following a world-wide apocalypse by fire equivalent to Noah’s flood. There’s action, but it’s not mindless action being shoved down the audience’s throat at every turn. There’s violence, but it’s calculated violence. Beyond all other components, Denzel plays the central character with his usual commitment and slays the role like he slays his feeble competition. Not even a human devil named Carnegie can alter his mission. Reciting the Bible word for word would have been a satisfying enough ending, but seeing Kunis as Solara become the new Eli following his death added another layer.
Watching this movie gives three layers of dimension to the minimalistic biblical accounts of the battles fought by a handful of YHVH’s righteous followers to keep the knowledge of the One True God alive in the post-flood era through their actions by faith in God’s promises.
The Book of Jasher, reprinted below, may or not be the same document quoted as an authoritative source by Holy Scripture, but its details of supernatural feats of victory over wickedness by the early Hebrews are consistent with later biblical accounts of the same Spirit-empowered feats of valor and are therefore credible, not as invented stories, but as the pre-existing basis for these men’s faith that the same God will likewise supernaturally empower their actions on his behalf.
The following has been condensed from the original, beginning with Jacob’s return from Harran to claim his inheritance of the Promised Land from his father Isaac.
When the women of the land went to the city of Shechem to dance with the daughters of the people of the city – think Mardi Gras – Dinah the daughter of Jacob also went along with them. And Shechem the son of Hamor, the prince of the land beheld Dinah the daughter of Jacob sitting with her mother – not publicly flaunting her sexuality – And he had her taken by force and placed her in his house.
The sons of Jacob were very much grieved concerning their sister, and they all came home fired with anger and sat before their father and they spoke unto him kindled with wrath, saying, Surely death is due to this man and to his household, because the Lord God of the whole earth commanded Noah and his children, now behold Shechem has both ravaged and committed fornication with our sister, and not one of all the people of the city spoke a word to him. Surely thou understandest that the judgment of death is due to Shechem, and to his father, and to the whole city.
And Shechem spoke before Jacob and his sons, saying, May I find favor in your sight that you will give me your daughter, and whatever you say unto me that will I do for her. And Simeon and Levi answered Hamor and Shechem his son deceitfully, saying, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised – i.e. give a blood offering of the most precious part of a man’s body to God; Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city. And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren – just two men! – took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
And the information reached Jashub king of Tapnach, And Jashub wondered at this, saying…the like has not been from the days of Nimrod, and not even from the remotest time [i.e. prior to the flood in the days of the giants] has the like taken place. And Jashub king of Tapnach sent to all the kings of the Amorites [hybrid giants] that surrounded Shechem and Tapnach, saying, Go up with me and assist me, and we will smite Jacob the Hebrew and all his sons, and destroy them from the earth. And the seven kings of the Amorites assembled with all their armies, about ten thousand men with drawn swords, and they came to fight against the sons of Jacob;
And Judah said unto Simeon and Levi, and unto all his brothers, Strengthen yourselves and be sons of valor, for the Lord our God is with us, do not fear them. Stand forth each man, girt with his weapons of war, his bow and his sword, and we will go and fight against these uncircumcised men; the Lord is our God, He will save us. And they rose up, and each girt on his weapons of war, great and small, eleven sons of Jacob, and all the servants of Jacob with them. And all the servants of Isaac who were with Isaac in Hebron, all came to them equipped in all sorts of war instruments, and the sons of Jacob and their servants, being one hundred and twelve men, went towards these kings, and Jacob also went with them.
And the Lord heard the prayers of Isaac and Jacob, and he filled the hearts of all these kings’ advisers with great fear and terror that they unanimously exclaimed, Surely you know that their God is exceedingly fond of them, and has done mighty things for them, such as have not been done from days of old, and amongst all the gods of nations, there is none can do like unto his mighty deeds. Surely he delivered their father Abraham, the Hebrew, from the hand of Nimrod, and from the hand of all his people who had many times sought to slay him. He delivered him also from the fire in which king Nimrod had cast him, and his God delivered him from it. And who else can do the like? surely it was Abraham who slew the five kings of Elam, when they had touched his brother’s son who in those days dwelt in Sodom.
And have you not heard what their God did to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to Abimelech king of Gerar? And behold, we ourselves saw with our eyes that Esau, the brother of Jacob, came to him with four hundred men, with the intention of slaying him, for he called to mind that he had taken away from him his father’s blessing and who delivered him from his hands but his God in whom he trusted? he delivered him from the hand of his brother and also from the hands of his enemies, and surely he again will protect them. Who does not know that it was their God who inspired them with strength to do to the town of Shechem the evil which you heard of? and all these kings returned with their camps on that day, each to his own city, and they did not at that time fight with the sons of Jacob.
And in the one hundred and fifth year of the life of Jacob all those kings of the Canaanites and Amorites that surrounded the city of Shechem, again assembled against the sons of Jacob.
And when Jacob ceased praying to the Lord the earth shook from its place, and the sun darkened, and all these kings were terrified and a great consternation seized them. For the Lord caused them to hear the voice of chariots, and the voice of mighty horses and the voice of a great army accompanying them. And these kings were seized with great terror at the sons of Jacob, and whilst they were standing in their quarters, behold the sons of Jacob advanced upon them, with one hundred and twelve men, with a great and tremendous shouting.
And Judah took up a large stone from the ground and with the stone struck an enemy on his shield, that Jashub fell off from his horse. And Judah stripped Jashub of his coat of mail also took off the iron and brass that was about Jashub. And when the sons of Jacob saw what Judah had done to Jashub, they all ran into the ranks of the other kings and fought. And the sons of Jacob caused fifteen thousand of their men to fall, and they smote them as if smiting at gourds, and the rest fled for their lives.
And the sons of Jacob [like their Grandfather Abraham’s household] smote a great smiting amongst the kings and their armies, about four thousand men, and whilst they were smiting the army of the kings, Jacob was occupied with his bow confining himself to smiting the kings, and he slew them all – Parathon king of Chazar, Susi king of Sarton, and Laban king of Bethchorin, and Shabir king of Machnaymah, an arrow to each of them,
And all the men that remained of the armies of the kings were greatly afraid of their lives, and they ran to the city of Chazar, and they all entered the city for safety. And four mighty men stood against the entrance of the city, with drawn swords and spears in their hands, and they placed themselves opposite the sons of Jacob, and Naphtali with his sword cut off their heads at one stroke. And he turned to the other two and slew them. And the sons of Jacob came to the city and Judah sprang upon the top of the wall, and Simeon and Levi followed him, and they all three descended from the wall into the city. And slew all the men who ran for safety into the city, and also the inhabitants of the city with their wives and little ones, they slew with the edge of the sword. And the sons of Jacob took the spoil of the city of Chazar, the flocks and herds, and the property, and they took all that could be captured, and went away that day from the city.
And on the next day the sons of Jacob went to Sarton, a very high and fortified city, and it had a rampart fifty cubits /~75 feet high and forty cubits / ~60 feet in depth, and the inhabitants of Sarton speedily took away the [draw]bridge of the road of the city, from its place.
And the sons of Jacob all rose and sprang over the rampart with the force of their strength, and through their might passed the forty cubits’ breadth of the rampart. And when they had passed the rampart they stood under the wall of the city, and the inhabitants from the top of the wall were casting stones and arrows upon them, and they sprang and ascended the top of the wall, and Judah went up first to the east part of the city. And Gad and Asher went up after him to the west corner of the city, and Simeon and Levi to the north, and Dan and Reuben to the south. And the men who were on the top of the wall all fled from the wall, descended into the city, and concealed themselves in the midst of the city. And Issachar and Naphtali that remained under the wall approached and broke the gates of the city, and kindled a fire at the gates of the city, that the iron melted, and all the sons of Jacob came into the city, they and all their men, and they fought with the inhabitants of the city of Sarton, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and no man stood up before them. And all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton were powerful men, one of them would pursue a thousand, and two of them would not flee from ten thousand of the rest of men. And the sons of Jacob slew all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton with the edge of the sword, that no man stood up against them, and they left the women in the city.
And when the sons of Jacob went from the city of Sarton they met the inhabitants of Tapnach coming out to fight with the sons of Jacob, and they thought to retake from them the booty and the spoil which they had captured from Chazar and Sarton, and the sons of Jacob smote them and they all fell before the sons of Jacob.
And the sons of Jacob returned and came to Tapnach, to take away the spoil of Tapnach, and when they heard that the people of Arbelan had gone out to meet them to save the spoil of their brethren, with their wives to fight with the sons of Jacob, for their wives were experienced in battle, about four hundred men and women. And all the sons of Jacob shouted with a loud voice, and they all ran toward the inhabitants of Arbelan, and with a great and tremendous roaring like the noise of lions and like the roaring of the sea and its waves. And fear and terror possessed their hearts and they retreated and fled before them into the city, and the combat was very severe amongst them the whole of that day till evening, and the sons of Jacob had almost perished in that battle, and the sons of Jacob cried unto the Lord and greatly gained strength toward evening, and the sons of Jacob smote all the inhabitants of Arbelan by the edge of the sword, men, women and little ones.
And on the fifth day the sons of Jacob heard that the people of Gaash had gathered against them to battle, and in Gaash there was a strong and mighty people of the people of the Amorites, and Gaash was the strongest and best fortified city of all the cities of the Amorites, and it had three walls. And the sons of Jacob came to Gaash and they found about five hundred men standing at the top of the outer-most wall, and a people numerous as the sand upon the sea shore were in ambush for the sons of Jacob from without the city at the rear thereof. And the sons of Jacob were enclosed between the people of Gaash, and the battle was both to their front and rear, and all the men that were upon the wall, were casting from the wall upon them, arrows and stones. And Judah, seeing that the men of Gaash were getting too heavy for them, gave a most piercing and tremendous shriek and all the men of Gaash were terrified at the voice of Judah’s cry, and men fell from the wall at his powerful shriek, and all those that were from without and within the city were greatly afraid of their lives. And the sons of Jacob turned against the men of Gaash who were with them from without the city, and they smote them terribly. And the sons of Jacob slew all those men who were without the city, and the sons of Jacob still drew nigh to effect an entrance into the city, and to fight under the city walls, but the inhabitants of Gaash threw arrows and stones upon them like showers of rain, and they fled from under the wall.
And the people of Gaash who were upon the wall, seeing that the sons of Jacob could not prevail over them from under the wall, reproached the sons of Jacob and reviled them with their gods, And Judah was jealous of his God in this matter, and he called out and said, O Lord, help, send help to us and our brothers. And he ran at a distance with all his might, with his drawn sword in his hand, and he sprang from the earth and by dint of his strength, mounted the wall and all the men that were upon the wall were terrified when they saw Judah’s strength, and Judah continued to cry and he exclaimed, O Lord help us, O Lord deliver us, and he cried out with a loud voice upon the wall, and the cry was heard at a great distance and Dan sprang up to the wall, all the men upon the wall fled up to the second wall, and they threw arrows and stones upon Dan and Judah from the second wall, but they both sprang upon the second wall and the people of the city who were upon the second wall all cried out and descended below between the walls. And Issachar and Zebulun drew nigh to break the doors of the city, and Jacob and all his sons and all their young men came into the city in different directions, and the battle waged against them from the front and the rear, and the sons of Jacob smote them terribly, and slew about twenty thousand of them men and women. And the blood flowed like a brook of water and reached the desert of Bethchorin.
And the people of Bethchorin saw at a distance the blood flowing from the city of Gaash, and said, Surely this is the work of the Hebrews, for they are still carrying on war in all the cities of the Amorites. And those people hastened each took his weapons of war, and they cried out to all the inhabitants of Bethchorin, who also girt on their weapons of war to go and fight with the sons of Jacob.
And all the inhabitants of Bethchorin were mighty men, one of them would not flee from before a thousand men, and they fought on that night upon the castle, and their shouts were heard on that night from afar, and the earth quaked at their shouting. And all the sons of Jacob were afraid of those men, as they were not accustomed to fight in the dark, and they were greatly confounded, and the sons of Jacob cried unto the Lord, saying, Give help to us O Lord, deliver us that we may not die by the hands of these uncircumcised men. And the Lord hearkened to the voice of the sons of Jacob, and the Lord caused great terror and confusion to seize the people of Bethchorin, and they fought amongst themselves the whole night, one man with his brother, and the other with his neighbor, and the whole earth shook at their voice, for they were powerful above all the people of the earth. And all the inhabitants of the cities of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites and all the kings of Canaan, and also those who were on the other side of the Jordan, heard the noise of the shouting on that night. And they said, Surely these are the battles of the Hebrews who are fighting against the seven cities, who came nigh unto them; and who can stand against those Hebrews?
And the sixth day appeared, and all the inhabitants of Canaan saw at a distance all the people of Bethchorin lying dead and strewed about as the carcasses of lambs and goats.
And the sons of Jacob did unto Bethchorin as they had done to Gaash and Tapnach, and as they had done to Chazar, to Sarton and to Shiloh.
And the inhabitants of the land observed them from afar, and all the inhabitants of the land were afraid of the sons of Jacob who had done this thing, for no king from the days of old had ever done the like. And the seven kings of the Canaanites resolved to make peace with the sons of Jacob, for they were greatly afraid of their lives, on account of the sons of Jacob. And the number of kings that came to Hebron, to make peace with the sons of Jacob, was twenty-one kings.
And the king of Hebron sat with his captains before Jacob and his sons and said unto Jacob, I beseech thee my lord, all the kings of the Canaanites have this day come to make peace with you, and they all came before the sons of Jacob, with presents in their hands for Jacob and his sons, and bowed down to them to the ground, and these kings sat before Jacob and his sons, and they spoke unto them, saying, we have come unto you to form a treaty of peace between us, and now therefore contract with us a covenant of peace and truth, that you will not meddle with us, inasmuch as we have not meddled with you. And the sons of Jacob made them tributary from that day forward and they sent or brought them many gifts in those days – in acknowledgement of the protection that the Hebrews provided from other warring nations.
And these kings then urged the sons of Jacob and begged of them to return all the spoil they had captured from the seven cities of the [giant] Amorites, and the sons of Jacob did so, and they returned all that they had captured, the women, the little ones, the cattle and all the spoil which they had taken, and they sent them off, and they went away each to his city and there was peace from that day forward between the sons of Jacob and the kings of the [giant] Canaanites, until the children of Israel came to inherit the land of Canaan – no empire building, but a commonwealth of nations.
Kingdom Come 