72 | Genesis 31:1
Jacob Flees From Laban
Ja cob heard that La ban ’ s sons were say ing , “ Ja cob has taken ev ery thing our fa ther
31 owned and has gained all this wealth from what be longed to our fa ther .” 2 And Jacob no ticed that La ban ’ s at ti tude to ward him was not what it had been .
3 Then the Lord said to Ja cob , “ Go back h to the land of your fa thers and to your rel a tives , and I will be with you .” i
4 So Ja cob sent word to Ra chel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were . 5 He said to them , “ I see that your fa ther ’ s at ti tude to ward me is not what it was be fore , but the God of my fa ther has been with me . j 6 You know that I ’ ve worked for your fa ther with all my strength , k 7 yet your fa ther has cheated me by chang ing my wages ten times . l How ever , God has not al lowed him to harm me . m 8 If he said , ‘ The speck led ones will be your wages ,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speck led young ; and if he said , ‘ The streaked ones will be your wages ,’ n then all the flocks bore streaked young . 9 So God has taken away your fa ther ’ s live stock and has given them to me . o
10 “ In breed ing sea son I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mat ing with the flock were streaked , speck led or spot ted . 11 The an gel of God p said to me in the dream , ‘ Ja cob .’ I an swered , ‘ Here I am .’ 12 And he said , ‘ Look up and see that all the male goats mat ing with the flock are streaked , speck led or spot ted , for I have seen all that La ban has been do ing to you . q 13 I am the God of Bethel , r where you anointed a pil lar and where you made a vow to me . Now leave this land at once and go back to your na tive land . s ’”
14 Then Ra chel and Leah re plied , “ Do we still have any share in the in her i tance of our father ’ s estate ? 15 Does he not re gard us as for eign ers ? Not only has he sold us , but he has used up what was paid for us . t 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our fa ther be longs to us and our chil dren . So do what ever God has told you .”
17 Then Ja cob put his chil dren and his wives on cam els , 18 and he drove all his live stock ahead of him , along with all the goods he had ac cu mu lated in Pad dan Aram , a to go to his father Isaac u in the land of Ca naan . v 19 When La ban had gone to shear his sheep , Ra chel stole her fa ther ’ s house hold gods . w
20 Moreover , Jacob deceived x
La ban the Ar a mean by not tell ing him he was run ning away . y 21 So he fled with all he had , crossed the Eu phra tes River , and headed for the hill coun try of Gilead . z
31:3 h ver 13 ; Ge 32:9 i Ge 21:22 ; 26:3 ; 28:15
31:5 j Ge 21:22 ; 26:3 31:6 k Ge 30:29
31:7 l ver 41 ; Job 19:3 m ver 52 ; Ps 37:28 ;
105:14 31:8 n Ge 30:32
31:9 o ver 1 , 16 ; Ge 30:42
31:11 p Ge 16:7 ; 48:16 31:12 q Ex 3:7
31:13 r Ge 28:10-22 s ver 3 ; Ge 32:9
31:15 t Ge 29:20
31:18 u Ge 35:27 v Ge 10:19
31:19 w ver 30 , 32 , 34- 35 ; Ge 35:2 ; Jdg 17:5 ; 1Sa 19:13 ; Hos 3:4
31:20 x Ge 27:36 y ver 27
31:21 z Ge 37:25
31:24 a Ge 20:3 ; Job 33:15 b Ge 24:50
31:26 c Ge 27:36 d 1Sa 30:2‐3
Laban Pursues Jacob
22 On the third day La ban was told that Ja cob had fled . 23 Taking his relatives with him , he pur sued Ja cob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill coun try of Gil ead . 24 Then God came to La ban the Ar a mean in a dream at night and said to him , a “ Be care ful not to say any thing to Ja cob , ei ther good or bad .” b
25 Ja cob had pitched his tent in the hill coun try of Gil ead when La ban over took him , and La ban and his rel a tives camped there too . 26 Then La ban said to Ja cob , “ What have you done ? You ’ ve de ceived me , c and you ’ ve car ried off my daugh ters like cap tives in war . d 27 Why did you run off se cretly and de ceive me ? Why didn ’ t you tell me , so I could send
a 18 That is , Northwest Mesopotamia
31:1 – 21 Jacob Flees From Laban . Tension arises when Laban ’ s sons become jealous of Jacob ’ s prosperity . Against this background , the Lord instructs Jacob to return to Canaan . Speaking privately to his wives , Rachel and Leah , Jacob emphasizes how God has actively enriched him and invites them to join him as he returns to Canaan . Acknowledging that their father has also mistreated them , they willingly agree to flee from their homeland with Jacob . 31:3 the land of your fathers . God ’ s brief instruction to Jacob highlights that Canaan is the homeland of his fathers . This was not so when God called Abraham ( 12:1 ). 31:7 your father has cheated me . Jacob explains to Rachel and Leah that their father has repeatedly changed his terms of employment . On every occasion , however , God has intervened , preventing Laban from harming Jacob . Consequently , Jacob has received more and more of Laban ’ s livestock . The outcome reflects what Isaac said when he blessed Jacob : those who curse him will be cursed , and those who bless him will be blessed ( 27:29 ; cf . 12:3 ). 31:14 – 16 For once Rachel and Leah agree . Their future will be best served by going with Jacob , especially since God has been with him . 31:19 – 20 Rachel stole . . . Jacob deceived . Although it is not immediately obvious from most English translations , these verses describe two thefts . The Hebrew text of v . 20 says , “ Jacob stole the heart of Laban ”; in Hebrew the idiom “ to steal someone ’ s heart ” means to deceive or trick a person ( see vv . 26 – 27 ). While Jacob steals Laban ’ s heart ( i . e ., deceives him ), Rachel steals her father ’ s gods . Later , Laban accuses Jacob of stealing everything that Jacob now possesses ( v . 43 ). 31:19 household gods . The objects Rachel steals may be small figurines that resemble certain gods . Worshipers thought that the gods were present in these images or idols , hence Laban speaks of them as “ my gods ” ( v . 30 ). Perhaps Rachel steals these household gods because she hopes that possessing them will bring her good fortune and deprive her father of such benefit . If so , she has not fully broken free from her polytheistic upbringing ( see 35:2 ; Josh 24:2 ). She may also have taken the items for their monetary value if they were made of precious metals . 31:21 Jacob travels south from Paddan Aram toward Canaan . hill country of Gilead . Located southeast of the Sea of Galilee , about 400 miles ( 645 kilometers ) south of Harran . 31:22 – 55 Laban Pursues Jacob . Distrust and deception run deep within Laban ’ s family . Jacob departs for Canaan when Laban is away . However , Jacob ’ s father-in-law eventually overtakes Jacob and his retinue . After a heated encounter , the two men make a treaty guaranteeing not to harm each other . 31:22 – 23 Jacob and his family have journeyed for ten days before Laban overtakes them . By pursuing them so far , Laban demonstrates his determination to confront Jacob . 31:26 – 29 Laban portrays Jacob ’ s actions as deceptive . Laban says that he , on the other hand , would have willingly and joyfully celebrated Jacob ’ s departure for Canaan . In the light of his previous actions , Laban ’ s words sound hollow .