Genesis Chapter 31

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Gen 31:1

Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has acquired all this wealth.": No lies were spoken here. Jacob really did steal all that was Laban's. I don't understand why God went along with this, but it was clearly God's doing. Placing striped sticks in front of animals doesn't make their offspring speckled, even though that was the superstition at that time. Genetics determine the colors. Since the white animals produced speckled ones, it was clearly God's work. I find it interesting that Josephus completely leaves this part out of his history.

Gen 31:2

And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before.: And rightfully so. Jacob intentionally robbed Laban of his flocks. And not only robbed him of his flocks, but what he left, were feeble, and the weakest ones.

Gen 31:3

Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.": This is God. LORD is the name of God, but following the ancient tradition of not writing his name. Nobody knows how to pronounce His name anymore, but it was written YHWH because they removed the vowels. I once had it explained to me why this was the practice, and this is what I was told: When speaking of your father on earth, you don't call them by their name, so why would you do that with your heavenly father? If your father's name was Mark, you woudn't tell someone, "Mark asked if you wanted to come to the barbecue." You'd tell them, "My father asked if you wanted to come to the barbecue." Once again, we see that Jacob had done nothing to fulfill his side of the covenant, yet God is actively keeping His promise to bless the earth with Abraham's descendents.

Gen 31:4

So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock,: Jacob knows that just as he had defrauded Esau and had to flee, he will now have to flee after defrauding Laban. He gathers Rachel and Leah to tell them.

Gen 31:5

and said to them, "I see your father's countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.: Yes, God was with Jacob, even though Jacob was a scoundrel. God's promises have nothing to do with our actions. If they did, we'd be done for.

Gen 31:6

And you know that with all my might I have served your father.: Well, this is a lie. It was true for the first 14 years, but after that, Jacob actively worked to steal Laban's wealth. This is really what's most disturbing to me about this whole story. Jacob exhibits zero remorse, and acts like he's been righteous in this whole affair.

Gen 31:7

Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.: Although the scripture doesn't record these exchanges, it's possible that Jacob was telling the truth here. And now it seems clearer to me why God went along with it. Laban had agreed to the deal because he thought he'd make out big time, but once he saw that the tables were turning, he'd change the agreement. God would then produce offspring to meet the new agreement. It's possible that Jacob only used the striped sticks until Laban changed the agreement, and was able to see that it was God producing the different types of offspring, which is why he says, "but God did not allow him to hurt me."

Gen 31:8

If he said thus: 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: 'The streaked shall be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked.: I think Jacob realized that God was doing this.

Gen 31:9

So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.: Jacob gives credit to God here. However, he may be lying to cover up what he did. But I think it was God because what Jacob tried to do wouldn't have worked. He didn't know about genetics, and tried superstition. Notice that Jacob doesn't mention his attempt to steal Laban's flock himself, but attributes it to God. Hard to tell with Jacob because he's so deceitful.

Gen 31:10

"And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted.: Jacob explains how it all happened. He says that God came to him in a dream and showed him a vision of all the flocks being streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. However, I don't know if this really happened, or if this was made up by Jacob. It seems that he is telling the truth, but it's really hard to tell with Jacob. The earlier account before his retelling to Rachel and Leah is much different. Jacob actively tried to make the animals come out speckled and such through superstitious means. This recounting here is God doing it. While we know logically that Jacob could not have made the animals come out with certain colors, so it had to be God, that doesn't mean that Jacob thought it really was God. We didn't see him stop the behavior, but increased in his deception, even breeding weak animals on purpose.

Gen 31:11

Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here I am.': The Angel of God is Jesus, as seen before many times already. Jacob is saying that Jesus appeared to him.

Gen 31:12

And He said, 'Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.: Jacob is telling Rachel and Leah that God told him that the animals would come out streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. Why? Because God had seen what Laban was doing to Jacob. There's really no indication that Jacob is telling the truth, but it's possible. I mean, we do know that only God can make something like that happen. Jacob can't manipulate genetics with superstition. We know that what we look at during copulation has no bearing on what comes out, but Jacob certainly tried. Is this story of Jacob's here a fabrication? I don't know. It's possible, but it's also possible that he was telling the truth and was trying to assist God, or take the credit. Hard to tell.

Gen 31:13

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.' ": Jacob's story here is that God is doing all of this to Laban for Jacob to leave and head back to his old house. There's no doubt that God wanted Jacob to return, so this is likely the reason that God was doing this so Laban. God seems to have a pattern, where there is captivity of a sort, followed by the captive plundering on the way out. This pattern of Laban keeping Jacob captive for decades (I know it was more of an indentured servant arrangement) was followed by Jacob plundering Laban as he's leaving. It's very similar to how the Israelites plundered Egypt on the way out too (Exo 12:36).

Gen 31:14

Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?: Apparently, Laban had ceased giving them gifts. And since they were women, they wouldn't receive any inheritance. And we also see in the next verse, apparently, Laban had spent all the money he had sold Rachel and Leah for.

Gen 31:15

Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money.: The only thing that interested Laban, it seems, is money, and Rachel and Leah weren't happy that Laban had sold them. Jacob came with nothing, and sold them to him anyway, for his labor. Not only had he sold them, but he had squandered the increase that Jacob brought.

Gen 31:16

For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children's; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.": Now it seems that Rachel and Leah agree that this was God's doing, and agree with what has transpired. Laban must not have been a good person for his own daughters to be okay with their husband taking their father's wealth. They feel justified.

Gen 31:17

Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels.: After the conversation with Rachel and Leah, Jacob secretly puts his family on camels and heads out.

Gen 31:18

And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.: Jacob had already put his family on camels, and now he gathers everything he owns. He's heading back to Canaan to go back to Isaac and Rebekah's house. He isn't doing this out in the open, but is sneaking away in hopes to get away from Laban without a confrontation.

Gen 31:19

Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father's.: Jacob had made his escape while Laban was out shearing his sheep, in hopes to avoid a confrontation. But while they were packing up, Rachel stole Laban's idols. This shows that they were idolators, and not following the One True God. They spoke a good game, but why else would she steal Laban's gods? I guess she could have done it out of spite, but it's not like there's a record of Rachel or Leah worshipping the real God.

Gen 31:20

And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee.: Jacob, continuing to be himself, decides to run away without telling Laban. In my opinion, the whole story that Jacob told his wives, that God appeared to him and told him that He was going to take away Laban's wealth and give it to Jacob doesn't seem to match with Jacob's actions, and is most likely a lie. However, I do believe that God did do just that, but Jacob didn't know, and Jacob told that story to his wives as cover for trying to steal Laban's wealth. It's just that Jacob didn't know that God was working behind the scenes to do what Jacob was trying to do. It's also possible that part way through, after Laban had changed the agreement, and Jacob seeing that the animals produced met the agreement, that Jacob realized that God was working behind the scenes. Who knows?

Gen 31:21

So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead.: The river = Euphrates. Jacob is being directed by God, but in a strange way. I don't think Jacob actually knows that he's being directed by God. My inclination here is that Jacob still thinks that he stole from Laban, even though God's hand was in it, which is why Jacob is trying to disappear without saying goodbye. If Jacob was honorable, thinking that it was God that had done the wealth transfer, he wouldn't have been trying to leave without a confrontation. Guilt makes you do weird things, and this certainly is weird. If he did make up the story of God appearing to him, that means he turned Laban's daughters against him so they'd go without a fuss, and then left. There isn't proof of this, but I feel like that's what happened. Maybe I'll find something as I continue my journey through the bible.

Gen 31:22

And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.: It took three days before Laban found out because Jacob had put three day's distance between Laban's flocks and his (Gen 30:36).

Gen 31:23

Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days' journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.: What took Jacob seven days to travel, took ten days for Laban to travel. Jacob must have been driving hard. From what I could find online, moving a flock even fifteen miles a day is a lot, but Jacob went 300 miles in ten days. And from what I found, 45 miles on a camel per day isn't too bad, so Laban travelling around 43 miles per day isn't far fetched.

Gen 31:24

But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, "Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.": More than likely, Laban wanted to kill Jacob. Jacob had robbed him of everything, including his daughters. He left him with a small herd of scrawny sheep. But Jacob was the person chosen to fulfill God's promise through, so God tell Laban to lay off.

Gen 31:25

So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead.: Strange way to word it, but basically, Jacob had already pitched his tent in the mountains of Gilead, and Laban joined him and pitched his tent. I like the way that the NET translation says it: Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too.

Gen 31:26

And Laban said to Jacob: "What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword?: It certainly would have seemed that way to me too. If Jacob was being honest, why would he try to slip away while Laban was unaware? It seems that his name was still very fitting (Jacob means supplanter, or deceitful).

Gen 31:27

Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp?: Laban lays on the guilt trip here, but he's right. Why would an honest person run away like that? There had not been any mention of Jacob trying to leave before, so who's to say that Laban wouldn't have let him go in peace? I could understand Jacob behaving like this if he had tried to leave before but was hindered. It seems more likely that Jacob was being Jacob.

Gen 31:28

You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren goodbye. You have acted foolishly!: I'm not a father, but I can imagine how it would be to have someone take your daughters away without allowing you to say goodbye first. Even most drug addicted people want to see their children. I know some people will argue that Laban didn't really care about them because he sold them to Jacob for his labor, but wasn't that the custom? Yes, Laban was greedy, but that doesn't mean that he didn't care for Rachel and Leah.

Gen 31:29

It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.': God had to intercede on Jacob's behalf here. It's not because Jacob was some righteous guy or anything. It was purely based on God's promise to Abraham.

Gen 31:30

And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?": Strange that Laban doesn't even mention the wealth that Jacob had taken, and attributes Jacob's leaving to wanting to go back home. Is this some sort of strange game that Laban is playing? He probably couldn't rightfully make the claim that Jacob defrauded him of his wealth because he had changed the agreement multiple times and the animals kept coming out in favor of Jacob. However, he could point out the one thing that he thought he could get Jacob on, in that they stole Laban's idols. I'm not sure how Laban knew his idols were missing though.

Gen 31:31

Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said, 'Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.': Is this true? It certainly doesn't seem to comport with what Rachel and Leah said about their father. They said (Gen 31:15), "Hasn't he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted the money paid for us!" This is another lie from Jacob. If there is any doubt that God's promises stand on their own, the story of Jacob should put the smack down on that doubt. His promises do not in any way rely on us.

Gen 31:32

With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you." For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.: Jacob didn't take Laban's gods, and he wouldn't have thought that either Rachel or Leah would have either, so he challenges Laban saying that if he finds the gods, then Laban could kill that person who took them.

Gen 31:33

And Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the two maids' tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent.: I find it interesting the order that he searches the tents. He'd probably have searched them in the order of suspicion. The last person that Laban thought wouldn't steal them was the one that did. Seems like a commentary on the way of the world, if you ask me. We are most often betrayed by the ones we trust most. The Pulpit commentary points out that we should note that husbands and wives had their own tents and didn't reside together. Just an interesting side-note.

Gen 31:34

Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them.: Rachel was smart enough to keep the idols in her camel's saddle, so when Laban searched her tent, he didn't find them.

Gen 31:35

And she said to her father, "Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me." And he searched but did not find the household idols.: When Laban was about to search Rachel's camel, Rachel told him that she was on her period, so she couldn't dismount. My guess is that this was a lie and she was sitting on them, although it is possible that she was speaking truthfully and using it to deceive. It's deception either way.

Gen 31:36

Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me?: Jacob, now seeing that Laban has nothing to hold over him, gets indignant. Jacob does the wrong by taking Laban's wealth, and then leaving without saying goodbye. He then acts like the victim when Laban's missing idols aren't found with Jacob, even though Rachel took them, using that as leverage. These two were made for each other.

Gen 31:37

Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both!: Jacob knows full well that he had intentionally stolen Laban's flocks, even though we know that it was God. Remember, Jacob tried with superstition to get the flocks to come out spotted by putting striped sticks in the troughs. The superstition was that whatever the animals were fixated on during copulation, that's how they'd come out.

Gen 31:38

These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.: This is likely a true claim. Jacob did take good care of Laban's flocks up to the time when he intentionally tried to steal them and then produce weak animals.

Gen 31:39

That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.: This wasn't made clear to us until now. I can see why Jacob had resentment toward Laban. However, I don't know what the custom was at that time. It's possible that shepherds taking care of another person's flock were all held to the same standard. If Jacob agreed to this, he had no right to be angry about it, but we don't know exactly what the arrangement was between them, or if there was any negotiation on Jacob's part.

Gen 31:40

There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes.: Jacob appeals to Laban here in that all the time he worked for Laban, Jacob worked hard, through droughts, and the coldest nights. It would seem right that Laban have some understanding of what Jacob went through to care for his flocks. But we all know how greedy Laban is, and that he doesn't really care about people. He's very transactional.

Gen 31:41

Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.: We have it confirmed that Laban did keep changing the agreement. Because of Laban changing it multiple times, we can be sure that God was behind the wealth transfer. However, we can't really be sure that Jacob was telling the truth about Jesus visiting him and telling Jacob that Jesus would take away Laban's wealth and give it to Jacob.

Gen 31:42

Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.": The Fear of Isaac is meant to show that Isaac feared God, as in reverence. Isaac was Jacob's father, so he's expanding on the statement that the God that was with Jacob was the same God of Isaac, and that Isaac revered Him. If God hadn't been with Jacob, Laban would have been the one to come out with the better end of the deal they had struck. God had caused the animals to come out however Laban changed the arrangement to. If he changed the requirement to say they needed to be spotless, they'd come out spotless, or if they were to come out spotted, they'd come out spotted. Apparently, Laban did this 10 times. You'd think he'd get the picture after a couple of times, but he was persistent!

Gen 31:43

And Laban answered and said to Jacob, "These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?: Laban answers that pretty much everything was his, but he couldn't do anything about it. Laban didn't say it again, but the reason was because God warned him not to do anything to Jacob. I think God's intervention makes it clear that Laban's intent was to do harm.

Gen 31:44

Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.": I'm not sure how a covenant could be a witness, but I'm guessing that part of the covenant is the building of a stone pillar, as noted in the next verse. I'm sure that Laban wasn't happy that God intervened, but the best Laban could do now is to make a pact with Jacob.

Gen 31:45

So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.: Jacob puts up a stone to represent the covenant. So it seems that this covenant, when Laban says that it will be  a witness, Laban was referring to this practice.

Gen 31:46

Then Jacob said to his brethren, "Gather stones." And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.: Jacob made the pillar, and the others established the heap. So it seems like each person added stones to the pillar, making a heap, as if that was the process for confirming the covenant. Adding stones to the pillar meant you were a part of it. Then, they ate on the heap to seal the deal.

Gen 31:47

Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.: Jegar Sahadutha means, "pile of testimony." Galeed means, "heap of the witness."

Gen 31:48

And Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore its name was called Galeed,: This is a strange wording, and a seeming contradiction. However, the last part "Therefore its name was called Galeed," explains why the Israelites call it Galeed. They called it Galeed because Jacob did. Laban was probably taking what Jacob called it and making the covenant out of it between them, using his words.

Gen 31:49

also Mizpah, because he said, "May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another.: Mizpah is, "an observatory, especially for military purposes." So basically, it was named three things that day. Naming it Mizpah, which is a military watchtower, signifies that this wasn't a peaceful arrangement between them. They didn't go away liking each other and saying that they'd look out for each other.

Gen 31:50

If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God is witness between you and me!": Interesting that Laban includes this part where he'd be angry if Jacob takes other wives besides his daughters. Isaac had multiple wives, and Laban didn't say anything about that. Laban himself sold his two daughters, so it seems like a contrivance to me.

Gen 31:51

Then Laban said to Jacob, "Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me.: We know that it wasn't Laban that built the pillar, so he must have been referring to the entire thing. This was the demarcation line.

Gen 31:52

This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.: It's clear that the heap and the pillar are separate parts of the agreement. The pillar was set up by Jacob, and all parties built the heap to signify that they all took part. It's kind of like a signature. If you agreed to the arrangement, you added to the heap. The heap was the demarcation line that the two sides would not pass.

Gen 31:53

The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us." And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.: Nahor was Abraham's brother, so it makes sense to say their names, and their father's God. Tradition has it that Abraham's father (Terah) worshipped many gods, but later in life, he came to follow on the One True God.

Gen 31:54

Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain.: This sacrifice would have been offered to God, so the covenant was made in the sight of God. They all swore to God that they'd keep the covenant.

Gen 31:55

And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.: There wasn't anything Laban could do. He said goodbye and left.