GENESIS
CHAPTER 31
The Lord commands Jacob to return to Canaan, and he departs secretly—Laban pursues him; they resolve their differences, and make a covenant of peace—Laban blesses his descendants, and he and Jacob part company.
1 AND he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; [ Jacob has taken the best of everything that our father had and left us with nothing. Probable comeing from living a life of luxurery and now being forced to do some work. ] and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory. [ Jacob has gotten all of the credit for everything and it was because of our dad not because of Jacob - or at least that is how they see it. ]
2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. [ Labans attitude toward Jacob has changed from good to bad. ]
3 And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, [ Jacob calls a family council with his wives to get their opinion as to what to do. He is smart as if he were to just leave they might hold a grudge against him; or believe that maybe he was cheating their dad. But if they are part of the decision and they see that it is what is best for their respective families then he will nat have to worry. ]
5 And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.
7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. [ God blessed Jacob dispite what Laban tried to do to rip him off. ]
8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.
9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. [ Jacob bears his testimony that it is God who has blessed him; it is God who has made his herd large - and all of this dispite the fact that Laban was trying to cheat him. ]
10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.
12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: [ in other words, only the male sheep and goats who were colored would favor the increase to Jacob; as they were the one's responsible for producing the offspring among Laban's flocks that would favor Jacob. ] for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.
13 I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: [ Remember when Jacon first traveled from Canaan to Haran 20 years ago he made a promise to the Lord Gen 28:18 that if the Lord would waych over him he would b faithful and do what the Lord asked of him - including paying a tithe. ] now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.
14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? [ As part of their individual considerations to leave their father ]
15 Are we not counted of him strangers? [ or are we treated any differently than a stranger would be? ] for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. [ Laban has squandered his daughters inheritance. Where as the proceeds of the work done by Jacob for each of his wives 7 for Leah and 7 more for Rachel were to have been treated as personal property of each wife their dowry; hence they were sold or stolen from. The average dowry or work period for a wife was abvout 3 years so Jacob had worked harder and longer than most. They should have been set aside to provide security for each of them as they started their families. ]
16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, [ or our inheritance ] and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.
18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, [ Haran ] for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s. [ What exactly did Rachel take from her Father? Images is sometimes translated from hebrew as teraphim or false gods, other translations suggest "household Gods". some suggestion is made that they were astrological devices used to tell the future. Suggestion is also made that these were tied to their legal inheritance. We might ask ourselves why did Rachel steal these kind of articles? Why would she want to bring idolaterous items with them? There is much debate among scholars about what the images were that were stolen by Rachel and
what they represented. Was Laban an idolator? If so, why did Jacob go all the way back to Haran to find a wife if they were idolators like the Canaanites? Others believe they were astrological devices used for telling the future. But this suggestion raises the same question. One scholar theorized that these images were somehow tied in with the legal rights of inheritance (see Guthrie, New Bible Commentary, p. 104). If this theory is correct, the possessor of the teraphim had the right to inherit the father’s property. This circumstance would explain why Rachel stole the images, since her father had “stolen” her inheritance (see Genesis 31:14–16). It would also explain Laban’s extreme agitation over their loss and Jacob’s severe penalty offered against the guilty party (see Genesis 31:31).
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21 so he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward [ set his direction toward ] the mount Gilead.
23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead. [ Laban appears to have come with power and vengence. He did not waste any time. Why? Was it because of what Rachel had taken? Did he assume that it was Jacob who had taken the things? ]
24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. [ Be careful what you say to Jacob. You do not need to treaten him, or try to convince him to do other than he has planned. Remember it is the Lord that has instructed Jacob to return home. ]
25 ¶ Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead.
26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword? [ Laban is not paying much heed to the council given him from the angel. Or maybe he is and this is the best he can do at calming down. He accusses Jacob of taking his daughters captive, by force. ]
27 Wherefore [ why ] didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp? [ I believe that both Laban and Jacob know that this is not true. Laban would not have given them a social send off party. ]
28 And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.
29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. [ Laban instructs Jacob that he came with the intent to get justice and to hurt Jacob; but that the angel had persuaded him not too. ]
30 And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore [ why ] hast thou stolen my gods? [ First Jacob did not take the images; and he did not even know that they were taken vs 32. Second; if the images were indeed part of the inheritance or dowry of Rachel and Leah then they would not have been stolen but they were just taking what was rightfully theirs. ]
31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me.
32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: [ obviously Jacob does not know that Rachel has taken the images, or he would not have been so bold as to suggest death to him or her that took them. ] before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. [ So feel free to search the entire camp; and if you find it you can have it back, because it is not here. ] For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.
33 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent.
34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.
35 And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. [ she claims that she is on her period, and therefore cannot get up from the chair in which she is sitting. ] And he searched, but found not the images.
36 ¶ And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: [ Jacob has had enough and strikes back with some words of his own toward Laban. The next 6 verses exclaim how he takes Laban to task over how he has treated him unfairly. ] and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
37 Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.
38 This twenty years have I been with thee; [ Jacob has been living with Laban for 20 years now. ] thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, [ have not lost their young but have given birth to them. ] and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; [ those killed by wild animals; I did not even eat but brought them to you. ] I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.
40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. [ I have sacrificed alot to take care of your sheep. the bitter cold, the dry hot days and a lot of sleepless nights - it was a sacrifice day in and day out. ]
41 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.
42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight. [ you have seen for yourself and know full well that it was God who blessed me and you because of it. You have acknowledged it by the fact that you wanted to keep me around for the results; if it was not so you would have sent me on my way a long time ago. ]
43 ¶ And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: [ or all that you have came from me (Laban) ] and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born? [ what can I do to make it right with you. Either Laban has been touched by the rebuke from Jacob or he is just a very smoothe talker. ]
44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap. [ as part of making a covenant. they are off the normal ground as they are on the heap of stones, so what they proceed to do it special sacred. This was a cultural way of doing things. ]
47 And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: [To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means "witness pile" in Aramaic)).
] but Jacob called it Galeed. [ Jacob called it Galeed (which means "witness pile" in Hebrew).
]
48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;
49 And Mizpah; [ is Hebrew for "watchtower." As mentioned in the Bible, it marked an agreement between two men, with God as their witness. The two men then determined to erect a watchtower, a Mizpah, to commemorate this promise, even though no person was present other than the two men when it was made, for "God is a witness between you and I". Both of the men also agreed that they would consider the mizpah a border between their respective territories, and that would not pass the watchtower to visit one another "to do evil" (Genesis 31:52).] for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; [ typically a covenant is made between God and man with another man standing as a witness. here there is no man to witness so they declare God to be as their witness. ] see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.
51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;
52 This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. [ the covenant was that they would do nothing going forward to harm one or another ]
53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. [ with God as their witness ] And Jacob sware by the fear [ with respect ] of his father Isaac.