Are You Pulling My Leg?

Don't you love an epiphany? Sometimes I can go months without noticing that my wife has moved a framed picture in the house. I will say, "when did you do that?" She'll laugh and say, "about six weeks ago." Sometimes it takes me awhile to notice what one would think obvious.

A couple of weeks ago, while I was studying the account of Jacob and Esau in Genesis, I noticed something for the first time. I was looking at Jacob's name and how it conveyed his character. If you have read much about Jacob, you know he was a trickster, a schemer. We are also told that his name means "one who grasps the heel." This is obviously in reference to his holding of his twin brother Esau's heel when they were born.

I grew up hearing the expression "Are you pulling my leg?" This means "Are you trying to trick me?" Could it be that this expression dates back to Genesis? Seems completely reasonable to me. What do you think?