Genesis 31:3

3 The Lord said to Jacob, "Go back to the land where your ancestors lived, and I will be with you."

Genesis 31:3 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 31:3

And the Lord said unto Jacob
In answer to a prayer of his; or seeing what difficulties and discouragements Jacob laboured under, he appeared unto him for his encouragement and instruction how to proceed: return unto the land of thy fathers;
the land of Canaan, given to Abraham and Isaac by promise: and to thy kindred:
his father and mother, and brother, who all dwelt in the land of Canaan at this time, or as many as were living: or "to thy nativity" ^F23, the place where he was born, and to which he must have a natural desire to return: and I will be with thee;
to protect him from any injury that might be attempted to be done unto him, either by Laban or Esau.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 (Ktdlwml) "ad natale solum", Tigurine version; "ad nativitatem tuam", Vatablus, Drusius.

Genesis 31:3 In-Context

1 One day Jacob heard Laban's sons talking. They said, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned, and in this way he has become rich."

2 Then Jacob noticed that Laban was not as friendly as he had been before.

3 The Lord said to Jacob, "Go back to the land where your ancestors lived, and I will be with you."

4 So Jacob told Rachel and Leah to meet him in the field where he kept his flocks.

5 He said to them, "I have seen that your father is not as friendly with me as he used to be, but the God of my father has been with me.