Genesis 31:30

30 Suppose, if thou covetedest to go to thy kinsmen, and the house of thy father was in desire to thee, why hast thou stolen my gods? (And even if thou covetedest to go to thy kinsmen, and thou desiredest to return to thy father's house, why hast thou stolen my household gods?)

Genesis 31:30 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 31:30

And now, [though] thou wouldest needs be gone
Or, "in going wouldest go" ^F9, was determined upon it, and in haste to do it: because thou sore longedst after thy father's house,
or "desiring didst desire it" ^F11; had a vehement desire for it, which Laban signifies he should not have opposed, if he had let him know his mind: but be it so that he had ever so great desire to leave him and return to his father's house, says he, [yet], wherefore, hast thou stolen my gods?
what reason had he for that? if he took away himself, his wives, his children, his goods, what business had he with his gods? he could not claim these as his, meaning the images or teraphim before mentioned, ( Genesis 31:19 ) ; by which it appears that Laban was some way or other guilty of idolatry in the use of these images; looking upon them as types, or representations of God, as Josephus ^F12 calls them, and worshipped God in them, or along with them and by them; for he could never think they were truly and really gods, that could not preserve themselves from being stolen away, and that must be a poor god that a man may be robbed of.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 (tklh Klh) "eundo ivisti", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius.
F11 (htpokn Pok) "desiderando desiderabis", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius, Piscator.
F12 Antiqu. l. 1. c. 19. sect. 9.

Genesis 31:30 In-Context

28 Thou sufferedest not that I should kiss my sons and daughters; thou hast wrought follily. (Thou hast not allowed me to kiss good-bye my grandsons and my daughters; yea, thou hast done foolishly.)

29 And now soothly mine hand may yield evil to thee (And now truly my hand should yield evil to thee), but the God of thy father said to me yesterday, Beware that thou speak not any hard thing with Jacob.

30 Suppose, if thou covetedest to go to thy kinsmen, and the house of thy father was in desire to thee, why hast thou stolen my gods? (And even if thou covetedest to go to thy kinsmen, and thou desiredest to return to thy father's house, why hast thou stolen my household gods?)

31 Jacob answered, That I went forth while thou knewest not, I dreaded lest thou wouldest take away thy daughters from me violently; (And Jacob answered, I went away while thou knewest not, for I feared that thou wouldest violently take away thy daughters from me;)

32 soothly that thou reprovest me of theft, at whomever thou findest thy gods, be he slain before our brethren; seek thou, (for) whatever thing of thine (that) thou findest at me, and take it away (but for thou hast accused me of theft, yea, with whomever thou findest thy gods, be he killed here before all our kinsmen; seek thou, and whatever thing of thine that thou findest with me, take it away). Jacob said these things, and knew not that Rachel had stolen the idols.