© Charles Chandler

 

Genesis 33

 

17 But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house and made booths for his livestock.

This "Succoth" was on the East Bank, commonly identified with Deir Alla, which might have been the home of Balaam, and thus one of Esau's sanctuaries. In the present thesis, given the context, this was Jacob building up a food store in anticipation of the arrival of the exiles in the 1312-Exodus. The date range would be 1320~1312 bce, after the birth of Joseph when the family was still in Mitanni, but before the Main Exodus.