Biblical Jacob is a man of despair and vacillating identities. He is one of the three forefathers of Judaism; as such learning about him, teaches us about the origins of Judaism, and about models of personhood and particularly fatherhood. Jacob begins early life as one who contends with men closest to him, a driven fellow on the make. But, after deciding to return home to his parents and his cheated, murderous brother, he faces: the death of his favorite wife in childbirth (whom he unwittingly cursed), a son's incest, the rape of his only daughter and the (murderous) rebellion of his oldest sons. After battling an angel, he insists he be renamed and is called “Israel,” or “God-fighter.1” Nevertheless, unlike previously renamed Biblical characters, Jacob (“Follower”)/Israel (“God-fighter”) continues to vacillate between the two identities, depending on life's context. He arrives home in time to bury his father. When he hears about the (manufactured) “death” of his favorite son, Joseph, Jacob enters a mourning that shifts into despair. We discuss this first extended Biblical portrayal of mourning-unto-despair, focusing on the developmental antecedents of impaired Superego, an absent Ego Ideal and subsequent oscillating identities, which predispose him to despair. We also identify how Hebrew puns pivot the listener's attention.