Genesis 31

Jacob’s household leaves Laban

1 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob took everything our father owned and from it he produced all of this wealth."
2 And Jacob saw that Laban no longer liked him as much as he used to.
3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your ancestors and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
4 So Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah and summoned them into the field where his flock was.
5 He said to them, "I am aware that your father no longer likes me as much as he used to. But my father's God has been with me.
6 You know that I've worked for your father as hard as I could.
7 But your father cheated me and changed my payment ten times. Yet God didn't let him harm me.
8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your payment,' the whole flock gave birth to speckled young. And if he said, ‘The striped ones will be your payment,' the whole flock gave birth to striped young.
9 God took away your father's livestock and gave them to me.
10 When the flocks were mating, I looked up and saw in a dream that the male goats that mounted the flock were striped, speckled, and spotted.
11 In the dream, God's messenger said to me, ‘Jacob!' and I said, ‘I'm here.'
12 He said, ‘Look up and watch all the striped, speckled, and spotted male goats mounting the flock. I've seen everything that Laban is doing to you.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a sacred pillar and where you made a solemn promise to me. Now, get up and leave this country and go back to the land of your relatives.'"
14 Rachel and Leah answered him, "Is there any share or inheritance left for us in our father's household?
15 Doesn't he think of us as foreigners since he sold us and has even used up the payment he received for us?
16 All of the wealth God took from our father belongs to us and our children. Now, do everything God told you to do."
17 So Jacob got up, put his sons and wives on the camels,
18 and set out with all of his livestock and all of his possessions that he had acquired in Paddan-aram in order to return to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
19 Now, while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the household's divine images that belonged to her father.
20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not sending word to him that he was leaving.
21 So Jacob and his entire household left. He got up, crossed the river, and set out directly for the mountains of Gilead.
22 Three days later, Laban found out that Jacob had gone,
23 so Laban took his brothers with him, chased Jacob for seven days, and caught up with him in the mountains of Gilead.
24 That night, God appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and said, "Be careful and don't say anything hastily to Jacob one way or the other."
25 Laban reached Jacob after Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains. So Laban and his brothers also pitched theirs in the mountains of Gilead.
26 Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You have deceived me and taken off with my daughters as if they were prisoners of war.
27 Why did you leave secretly, deceiving me, and not letting me know? I would've sent you off with a celebration, with songs and tambourines and harps.
28 You didn't even let me kiss my sons and my daughters good-bye. Now you've acted like a fool,
29 and I have the power to punish you. However, your father's God told me yesterday, ‘Be careful and don't say anything hastily to Jacob one way or the other.'
30 You've rushed off now because you missed your father's household so much, but why did you steal my gods?"
31 Jacob responded to Laban, "I was afraid and convinced myself that you would take your daughters away from me.
32 Whomever you find with your divine images won't live. Identify whatever I have that is yours, in front of your brothers, and take it." Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 Laban went into Jacob's tent, Leah's tent, and her two servants' tent and didn't find them. So he left Leah's tent and went into Rachel's.
34 Now Rachel had taken the divine images and put them into the camel's saddlebag and sat on them. Laban felt around in the whole tent but couldn't find them.
35 Rachel said to her father, "Sir, don't be angry with me because I can't get up for you; I'm having my period." He searched but couldn't find the divine images.
36 Jacob was angry and complained to Laban, "What have I done wrong and what's my crime that you've tracked me down like this?
37 You've now felt through all of my baggage, and what have you found from your household's belongings? Put it in front of our relatives, and let them decide between us.
38 For these twenty years I've been with you, your female sheep and goats haven't miscarried, and I haven't eaten your flock's rams.
39 When animals were killed, I didn't bring them to you but took the loss myself. You demanded compensation from me for any animals poached during the day or night.
40 The dry heat consumed me during the day, and the frost at night; I couldn't sleep.
41 I've now spent twenty years in your household. I worked for fourteen years for your two daughters and for six years for your flock, and you changed my pay ten times.
42 If the God of my father—the God of Abraham and the awesome one of Isaac—hadn't been with me, you'd have no doubt sent me away without anything. God saw my harsh treatment and my hard work and reprimanded you yesterday."

Jacob and Laban’s treaty

43 Laban responded and told Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. Everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and about their sons?
44 Come, let's make a covenant, you and me, and let something be our witness."
45 So Jacob took a stone, set it up as a sacred pillar,
46 and said to his relatives, "Gather stones." So they took stones, made a mound, and ate there near the mound.
47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 Laban said, "This mound is our witness today," and, therefore, he too named it Galeed.
49 He also named it Mizpah, because he said, "The LORD will observe both of us when we are separated from each other.
50 If you treat my daughters badly and if you marry other women, though we aren't there, know that God observed our witness."
51 Laban said to Jacob, "Here is this mound and here is the sacred pillar that I've set up for us.
52 This mound and the sacred pillar are witnesses that I won't travel beyond this mound and that you won't travel beyond this mound and this pillar to do harm.
53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor will keep order between us." So Jacob gave his word in the name of the awesome one of his father Isaac.
54 Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and invited his relatives to a meal. They ate together and spent the night on the mountain.
55 Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his sons and daughters, blessed them, and left to go back to his own place.

Genesis 31 Commentary

Chapter 31

Jacob departs secretly. (1-21) Laban pursues Jacob. (23-35) Jacob's complaint of Laban's conduct. (36-42) Their covenant at Galeed. (43-55)

Verses 1-21 The affairs of these families are related very minutely, while (what are called) the great events of states and kingdoms at that period, are not mentioned. The Bible teaches people the common duties of life, how to serve God, how to enjoy the blessings he bestows, and to do good in the various stations and duties of life. Selfish men consider themselves robbed of all that goes past them, and covetousness will even swallow up natural affection. Men's overvaluing worldly wealth is that error which is the root of covetousness, envy, and all evil. The men of the world stand in each other's way, and every one seems to be taking away from the rest; hence discontent, envy, and discord. But there are possessions that will suffice for all; happy they who seek them in the first place. In all our removals we should have respect to the command and promise of God. If He be with us, we need not fear. The perils which surround us are so many, that nothing else can really encourage our hearts. To remember favoured seasons of communion with God, is very refreshing when in difficulties; and we should often recollect our vows, that we fail not to fulfil them.

Verses 22-35 God can put a bridle in the mouth of wicked men, to restrain their malice, though he do not change their hearts. Though they have no love to God's people, they will pretend to it, and try to make a merit of necessity. Foolish Laban! to call those things his gods which could be stolen! Enemies may steal our goods, but not our God. Here Laban lays to Jacob's charge things that he knew not. Those who commit their cause to God, are not forbidden to plead it themselves with meekness and fear. When we read of Rachel's stealing her father's images, what a scene of iniquity opens! The family of Nahor, who left the idolatrous Chaldees; is this family itself become idolatrous? It is even so. The truth seems to be, that they were like some in after-times, who sware by the Lord and by Malcham, ( Zepheniah 1:5 ) ; and like others in our times, who wish to serve both God and mammon. Great numbers will acknowledge the true God in words, but their hearts and houses are the abodes of spiritual idolatry. When a man gives himself up to covetousness, like Laban, the world is his god; and he has only to reside among gross idolaters in order to become one, or at least a favourer of their abominations.

Verses 36-42 If Jacob were willingly consumed with heat in the day, and frost by night, to become the son-in-law of Laban, what should we refuse to endure, to become the sons of God? Jacob speaks of God as the God of his father; he thought himself unworthy to be regarded, but was beloved for his father's sake. He calls him the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac; for Abraham was dead, and gone to that world where perfect love casts out fear; but Isaac was yet alive, sanctifying the Lord in his heart, as his fear and his dread.

Verses 43-55 Laban could neither justify himself nor condemn Jacob, therefore desires to hear no more of that matter. He is not willing to own himself in fault, as he ought to have done. But he proposes a covenant of friendship between them, to which Jacob readily agrees. A heap of stones was raised, to keep up the memory of the event, writing being then not known or little used. A sacrifice of peace offerings was offered. Peace with God puts true comfort into our peace with our friends. They did eat bread together, partaking of the feast upon the sacrifice. In ancient times covenants of friendship were ratified by the parties eating and drinking together. God is judge between contending parties, and he will judge righteously; whoever do wrong, it is at their peril. They gave a new name to the place, The heap of witness. After this angry parley, they part friends. God is often better to us than our fears, and overrules the spirits of men in our favour, beyond what we could have expected; for it is not in vain to trust in him.

Footnotes 7

  • [a]. LXX; MT includes he had acquired, the livestock in his possession.
  • [b]. Or testimony
  • [c]. Or mound of witness (Aram)
  • [d]. Or mound of witness
  • [e]. Or observation
  • [f]. LXX; MT includes their father’s God.
  • [g]. 32:1 in Heb

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 31

This chapter relates how that Jacob observing that Laban and his sons envied his prosperity, and having a call from God to return to his own country, acquaints his wives with it; and reports to them Laban's ill usage of him, and the wonderful appearance of God to him, and for him, and his orders to him to depart from thence, Ge 31:1-13; to which they agreed, knowing full well their father's unkindness, and that they had nothing to expect from him, and therefore judged it best to go off with what they had got through the gift of God unto them, Ge 31:14-16; upon which Jacob set out privately, with all he had, towards his own country, while Laban was shearing his sheep, Ge 31:17-21; three days after, Laban, being informed of it, pursued after Jacob, and overtook him at Mount Gilead; but was warned by the way to be cautious what he said to him, Ge 31:22-25; yet nevertheless he warmly expostulated with him about his secret flight, not giving him the opportunity of taking his leave of his children, and especially for taking away his gods, Ge 31:26-30; to which Jacob gave an answer, Ge 31:31-35; and in his turn was warm likewise, and chided Laban severely for his hot pursuit of him, his charge of stealth, when he could find nothing on him, his hard labour for the space of twenty years with him, and his ill requital of him for it, Ge 31:36-42; however, upon the whole, an amicable agreement was made between them, and they parted in a friendly manner, Ge 31:43-55.

Genesis 31 Commentaries

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