The First Book of Moses, called Genesis
Genesis 31
Chapter XXXI · Vol. I, pp. 264–266
1 Jacob upon displeasure departeth secretly. 19 Rachel stealeth her father's images. 22 Laban pursueth after him, and complaineth of the wrong. 34 Rachel's policy to hide the images. 36 Jacob's complaint of Laban. 43 The covenant of Laban and Jacob at Galeed.
1 And he heard athe words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this bglory.
B.C. 1739.
a Ps. 120.3,5; 57.4; 64. 3,4. Eze. 16.44. ver. 8,9. Ja. 3.8. Job 5.2. Pr. 14. 30; 27.4. Ec. 4.4. Tit. 3.3.
b Ps. 49.16,17; 17.14. ch. 45.13.
2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him cas before.
c Heb. as yesterday and the day before, ch. 30.27.
3 And the dLORD said unto Jacob, eReturn unto the fland of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be gwith thee.
4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,
5 And said unto them,5 I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath hbeen with me.
5 The conduct of Jacob in this case forms an admirable example of domestic management. As a husband and father he had power to decide upon the movements of his family; but he does not act upon that power; but wisely calls his wives into consultation, explains to them his motives, and obtains their full concurrence in his plans.—Note, Piety, reason, and affection should ever be the associates, guides, and balances of conjugal and parental authority—whilst free and unreserved consultation between husbands and wives, on all their domestic plans, interests, and cares, removes distrusts, promotes confidence, fixes affection, and, under the providence of God, lays the only sure foundation for family comfort and success.—C.
h To bid me depart, ver. 3,13.
6 And ye know, that iwith all my power I have served your father.
i ver. 40,42. Tit. 2.9, 10. 1 Pe. 2.18. Ep. 6.5-8. Col. 3.22-25.
7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten ktimes; but God lsuffered him not to hurt me.
k Often, ver. 41. Nu. 14.22.
l ch. 20.6. Ps. 105.14, 15.
8 If he said thus, mThe speckled shall be thy wages; then all6 the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ring-straked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ring-straked.
m ch. 30.32.
6 The most part.
9 Thus God hath taken away nthe cattle of your father, and given them to me.
A.M. 2265. B.C. 1739.
n Not my fraud, ver. 1.
10 And it came to pass, at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw oin a dream, and, behold, the 7rams which leaped upon the cattle were ring-straked, speckled, and grisled.
11 And pthe angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob. And I said, Here am I.
p Christ, ver. 5, 13; ch. 48. 16; 16. 7-13; 18. 1,17.
12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ring-straked, speckled, and grisled: for I have qseen all that Laban doeth unto thee.
13 I am the rGod of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: snow arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.
r Who appeared to thee there, ch. 28. 12, 18.
s ver. 3.
14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?8
8 We expect no benefit from our father; he hath dealt with us as if we had been strangers and slaves, and hath converted to his own use the money due to us as portions, and to you as wages.
15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath tsold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.
t ch. 29. 19, 27; ver. 41.
16 Foru all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.
u ver. 8, 9; ch. 30.35-43.
17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;
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, 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 vimages that were her father's.9
v Heb. teraphim. These were probably household idols, formed in the likeness of men, which they worshipped and consulted, Ju. 17.5; 18.14. Ho. 3. 4. Eze. 21.21. ch. 35. 2. Jos. 24. 2.—[It would appear that in the early ages of Jewish history the teraphim were not considered incompatible with the worship of the true God. They were regarded as his representatives in the household, especially when a priest or Levite could be induced to take charge of them, Ju. xvii.; Ho. 3.4. The people of those ages were superstitious; there was a natural propensity to idolatry; and this seems to have been the least offensive form which it assumed. But nevertheless the teraphim were repeatedly and severely condemned by the prophets.—P.]
9 The mention of the sheep-shearing and the stealing of the images in the same sentence, renders it extremely probable that these images were superstitiously connected with the safety and prosperity of the flock. And whilst we condemn all superstition as ever the handmaiden or forerunner of idolatry, let us recollect (to humble us) that it has not been confined to ancient times of darkness, but may still be found existing under the full light of Christianity. Even in our own days, a horse-shoe may still be seen nailed upon the threshold as a protection against disease in cattle-sheds, and even human dwellings; and not unfrequently on the mast of a ship as a preservative from storm and shipwreck.—Note, The comparison of ancient and modern opinions, customs, manners, and events, is often the most efficient key to difficulties of Scripture.—C.
20 And Jacob stole away unawares to 1Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.
1 Heb. the heart of Laban, i.e. without his knowing it.
21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river,2 and wset his face toward the mount Gilead.
2 Gilead.—C.
22 And it was told Laban xon the third day that Jacob was fled.
x ch. 30. 36. Ex. 14.5, &c. Job 5.12,13.
23 And he took yhis brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.3
y Kinsfolk, ch. 13.8; 24.27. Ex. 2.11,13.
3 On the east of Canaan and west of Padan-aram.
24 And zGod came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, aTake heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.4
z See ch. 20. 3. Nu. 22.26. 1 Sa. 23.26.
a ver. 42. Ps. 105.14, 15. ch. 24.50. Is. 37 29.
4 Heb. from good to bad.
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, bWhat hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, cas captives taken with the sword?
A.M. 2265. B.C. 1739.
b ch. 3.13; 4.10; 12.18; 20.9,10; 26.10. Jos. 7.19. 1 Sa. 14.43.
c False, ver. 16; ch. 2.24.
27 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me,4 and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away dwith mirth, and with songs, with tabret,5 and with harp?
4 Heb. hast stolen me.
d Pr. 26.23-25.
5 Heb. toph. This is supposed to be the tympanum, an instrument very similar to our tambourine; it is much used in the East, and occupies a conspicuous place in all musical entertainments.—I.
28 And hast not suffered me eto kiss my sons and my daughters? Thou hast now fdone foolishly in so doing.
e ch. 29.13. Ex. 4.27.
f ver. 3, 13. 1 Co. 2.14.
29 It gis in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the hGod of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
g Ps. 52.1. Jn. 19.10,11.
30 And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen myi gods?
31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because kI was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me.
k ch. 20.11. Pr. 29.25.
32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before lour brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.
l ver. 23; ch. 19.7; 13.8. Ac. 4.19.
33 And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into mLeah's tent, and into the two maid-servants' tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.
m ch. 24.28,67.
34 Now nRachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them.6 And Laban searched7 all the tent, but found them not.
n ver. 19.
6 The objections of unbelievers against the Bible are generally founded on two false principles. 1. They enumerate all the weaknesses, errors, and sins of the most prominent Scripture characters, as things approved of God, because recorded in his word. 2. Presuming that Christians must consequently approve and defend every part of their conduct, they accuse Christianity and Christians of approving and defending what is evil. Both these assumptions are erroneous in all cases, consequently erroneous in the present example. Rachel was weak, superstitious, and, alas! it may have been covetous, and as sin is ever progressive, she succeeded in concealing one fault only by committing another. And if the Spirit of God in this, and in similar cases, have not uttered any special sentence of condemnation, it is simply because the law of God is presumed to be so well known as to require no particular exposition or application.—C.
7 Heb. felt.
35 And she said to her father, Let it not displease omy lord that I cannot prise up before thee; for qthe custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.
o ch. 18.12. 1 Pe. 2.18; 3.6. Ep. 6.1. Le. 19.3. Ex. 20.12.
p Le. 19.32. 1 Ki. 2.19.
q Le. 15.19. ch. 18.11.
36 And Jacob rwas wroth, and chode with Laban: 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? sset it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.
A.M. 2265. B.C. 1739.
s 1 Sa. 12.3,4. 1 Th. 2.10. 1 Pe. 2.12; 3.16. He. 13.18. Nu. 16.15.
38 This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she-goats thave not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have uI not eaten.
t Through my care and God's blessing, ch. 30.27.
u Eze. 34.2-4.
39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it: of xmy hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.
40 Thus I was; yin the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
41 Thus zhave 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 aten times.
z ver. 38. 2 Co. 11.26. 1 Co. 15.10.
a See ver. 7.
42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and bthe Fear8 of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty: God chath seen mine affliction, and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.
b God whom he feared, ch. 27.33. Is. 8.13. Ps. 76.11,12.
8 Fear is a state of mind modified by its object. A slave may fear a severe taskmaster, a child a tender parent. This modification of the feeling of fear arises from the feelings with which it is associated. In the slave it is associated with anticipated severity, in the child with unquestioned love. In the one it is the fear of terror, in the other the fear of reverence. There is a fear, sometimes supposed to be the fear of God, which is altogether inconsistent with true religion. It is not, however, the fear of God, but the fear of punishment. This slavish fear love casteth utterly out of the heart, 1 Jn. 4.18, while love cherisheth that godly fear which the Scripture declares to be the very beginning of wisdom, Pr. 1.7. C.——'The Fear of Isaac' signifies 'the God of Isaac.' The Hebrew word is used to denote not merely the abstract idea of 'fear,' but the person or object which causes it. It has this latter sense here. The rebuke which Jacob administered to Laban was sharp and deserved.—P.
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: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?
44 Now therefore come thou, dlet us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
d ch. 21.32; 26.31.
45 And Jacob took a estone, and set it up for a pillar.
e Heap of stones for a memorial, ver. 45,48,52.
46 And Jacob said unto his fbrethren, Gather stones: and they took stones, and made an heap; and they did eat there upon the heap.
f ver. 23,32,37,54.
47 And Laban called it gJegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galeed.9
g That is, the heap of eye-witnesses, He. 12.1.
9 i.e. The heap of witnesses. — [The word Gilead signifies 'rugged,' and was intended to indicate the physical aspect of the country, of which it was the original name. After Jacob and Laban made the covenant, Jacob raised the heap of stones and called it Galeed, 'the heap of witness;' thus making the name of the mountain apply, by a slight change of sound, to the heap he had raised. Such a play upon words is very common in the East even yet. Laban called the heap Jegar-sahadutha, which in his own Aramaic language was identical in meaning with Galeed. The exact spot is unknown; but it must have been near Mahanaim.—P.]
48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called hGaleed;
h Or, Gilead, ver. 23. De. 2.36; 3.16. Jos. 13.8,9.
49 And iMizpah: for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, kor if thou shalt take other wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; 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.
53 Thel God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, mjudge betwixt us. And Jacob sware nby the Fear of his father Isaac.1
A.M. 2265. B.C. 1739.
l ch. 17.7. Ex. 3.6. Jos. 24.2.
m See ch. 16.5.
n De. 6.13. ver. 42; ch. 14.22; 21.24; 24.3; 26.28.
1 A second time God is styled the Fear of Isaac. The reason seems to be, that when Isaac thought of God, a holy reverent fear was the predominant feeling of his mind. This is exemplified, ch. 27.23. — Note, While true religion renovates every man, and the whole man, it may still exhibit a peculiar character in each individual. In one love, in another fear, in another zeal, may be predominant. Every godly principle will be in existence, but one in the liveliest exercise.—C.
54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice2 upon the mount, and called his brethren oto eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.
2 Or, killed beasts.
o ch. 21.8; 37.25; 26.30. Ex. 18.12.
55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, pand blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.
p ch. 33.4. Nu. 23.5,8,11. De. 23.5; 32.36. Ac. 28.4,5. Ps. 76.10.
Notes
[Ver. 13. This is a simple statement, but there is most cheering truth embodied in it. He had vowed prospectively to dedicate a tenth of his property to the Lord, and thus in the ordinary affairs of life to testify his complete dependence on the divine will. Now after a long and hard struggle, when wealth was acquired, and by the envy of an unjust master was placed in peril, the Lord graciously reminds him of the vision at Bethel. P.]
Reflections.—What stings do riches carry with them, that for them a man is envied of his neighbour! But base-minded indeed are those wretches who are ungrateful, and who reckon temporal wealth the principal glory. What an evil world is this, where the best behaviour cannot secure one's reputation! Too often sour looks deprive families of their best supports. It is a mercy that, in the very crisis of difficulty, God visits and comforts his people: that he never changes, but wills that we should live near to him. When we get worldly blessings in a new-covenant channel, they are doubly sweet; and yet, when outward mercies increase, we have great need to be stirred up to think of our celestial home. When we have gone safely out under God's direction, we need not fear to return under his care. But how apt are the best to forget the distinguished service of God, unless they be both driven and drawn to it! How pleasant when married persons dwell together in unity, and do nothing important without mutual consent! How strong is our affection to idols, when we will rather steal them than want them! and how despicable those deities that can be stolen and hidden among the stuff! God hath in his hand the hearts of all men; and he will continue to rescue his people when upon the brink of ruin, and will restrain their most outrageous enemies. Bad hearts are pregnant with evil surmises; and, if God hinder their mischievous designs, they readily pretend that they never formed them. Whatever wicked men think of foolish mirth and riotous feasting at the parting of friends, it is ordinarily a token of much coldness or corruption in religion. Rough and undeserved reproaches provoke even good men and of calm spirits to vindicate themselves with heat, and to recriminate on their reproachers; and even to utter hasty wishes, which would render them miserable if they took effect. But God can marvellously overrule the rage of men to a most friendly issue. And with meekness and prudence we ought to cherish even the smallest approach towards peace and reconciliation. To forgive and forget injuries, and render good for evil, is truly Christian; and near relations are doubly bound to mutual forgiveness and living in peace. But solemn covenants, amongst all, should be undertaken with the greatest deliberation, and observed with the most heedful attention.