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Texts -- Genesis 31:20-55 (NET)

Context
31:20 Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving . 31:21 He left with all he owned. He quickly crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead . 31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left . 31:23 So he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob for seven days . He caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead . 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, “Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob .” 31:25 Laban overtook Jacob , and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too. 31:26 “What have you done ?” Laban demanded of Jacob . “You’ve deceived me and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war ! 31:27 Why did you run away secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing , tambourines , and harps ? 31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren good-bye. You have acted foolishly ! 31:29 I have the power to do you harm , but the God of your father told me last night , ‘Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob .’ 31:30 Now I understand that you have gone away because you longed desperately for your father’s house . Yet why did you steal my gods ?” 31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid !” Jacob replied to Laban . “I thought you might take your daughters away from me by force . 31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death ! In the presence of our relatives identify whatever is yours and take it.” (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) 31:33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent , and Leah’s tent , and the tent of the two female servants , but he did not find the idols. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s . 31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle and sat on them.) Laban searched the whole tent , but did not find them. 31:35 Rachel said to her father , “Don’t be angry , my lord . I cannot stand up in your presence because I am having my period .” So he searched thoroughly, but did not find the idols . 31:36 Jacob became angry and argued with Laban . “What did I do wrong ?” he demanded of Laban . “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit ? 31:37 When you searched through all my goods , did you find anything that belonged to you ? Set it here before my relatives and yours , and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! 31:38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years . Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried , nor have I eaten rams from your flocks . 31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself . You always made me pay for every missing animal, whether it was taken by day or at night . 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat during the day and by piercing cold at night , and I went without sleep . 31:41 This was my lot for twenty years in your house : I worked like a slave for you– fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks , but you changed my wages ten times ! 31:42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham , the one whom Isaac fears – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed ! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked , and he rebuked you last night .” 31:43 Laban replied to Jacob , “These women are my daughters , these children are my grandchildren , and these flocks are my flocks . All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today or the children to whom they have given birth ? 31:44 So now , come , let’s make a formal agreement , you and I , and it will be proof that we have made peace.” 31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar . 31:46 Then he said to his relatives , “Gather stones .” So they brought stones and put them in a pile . They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha , but Jacob called it Galeed . 31:48 Laban said , “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement today .” That is why it was called Galeed . 31:49 It was also called Mizpah because he said , “May the Lord watch between us when we are out of sight of one another . 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters , although no one else is with us, realize that God is witness to your actions.” 31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob . 31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor , the gods of their father , judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared . 31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal . They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain . 31:55 Early in the morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Jacob

    [ebd] one who follows on another's heels; supplanter, (Gen. 25:26; 27:36; Hos. 12:2-4), the second born of the twin sons of Isaac by Rebekah. He was born probably at Lahai-roi, when his father was fifty-nine and Abraham one hundre...
    [nave] JACOB Son of Isaac, and twin brother of Esau, Gen. 25:24-26; Josh. 24:4; 1 Chr. 1:34; Acts 7:8. Ancestor of Jesus, Matt. 1:2. Given in answer to prayer, Gen. 25:21. Obtains Esau's birthright for a some stew, Gen. 25:29-34...

  • Laban

    [isbe] LABAN - la'-ban: The person named Laban, labhan; (Laban, possibly connected with the root meaning "to be white," from which in Hebrew the adjective meaning "white" has just this form) is first introduced to the reader of Gen...
    [nave] LABAN Son of Bethuel, Gen. 28:5. Brother of Rebekah, Gen. 22:23; 24:15, 29. Receives the servant of Abraham, Gen. 24:29-33. Receives Jacob, and gives him his daughters in marriage, Gen. 29:12-30. Jacob becomes his servan...

  • Ingratitude

    [nave] INGRATITUDE. Of Mankind to God Num. 16:9, 10; Deut. 8:12-14 Deut. 6:11, 12. Deut. 28:47, 48; Deut. 31:16; Deut. 32:6, 15, 18 v. 13.; Judg. 2:10-12; Judg. 8:34, 35; Judg. 10:11, 13, 14 Neh. 9:25, 35; Psa. 106:7, 21; Jer. 2:...

  • PAPYRUS

    [isbe] PAPYRUS - pa-pi'-rus (Cyperus papyrus; bublos, biblos, whence biblion, a roll, ta biblia, "the Books" = the Bible): 1. Papyrus Paper 2. Egyptian Papyri 3. Aramaic Papyri 4. Greek Papyri 5. Their Discovery. 6. Classical Papyr...

  • Leah

    [ebd] weary, the eldest daughter of Laban, and sister of Rachel (Gen. 29:16). Jacob took her to wife through a deceit of her father (Gen. 29:23). She was "tender-eyed" (17). She bore to Jacob six sons (32-35), also one daughter, D...

  • JACOB (1)

    [isbe] JACOB (1) - ja'-kub: I. NAME 1. Form and Distribution 2. Etymology and Associations II. HIS PLACE IN THE PATRIARCHAL SUCCESSION 1. As the Son of Isaac and Rebekah 2. As the Brother of Esau 3. As the Father of the Twelve III....

  • Rebuke

    [nave] REBUKE Cain rebukes God, Gen. 4:13, 14. Pharaoh rebukes Abraham, for calling his wife his sister, Gen. 12:18, 19. Abimelech rebukes Abraham for a like offense, Gen. 20:9, 10. Abimelech rebukes Isaac for similar conduct, G...

  • Covenant

    [ebd] a contract or agreement between two parties. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word berith is always thus translated. Berith is derived from a root which means "to cut," and hence a covenant is a "cutting," with reference to t...
    [smith] The Heb. berith means primarily "a cutting," with reference to the custom of cutting or dividing animals in two and passing between the parts in ratifying a covenant. (Genesis 15; Jeremiah 34:18,19) In the New Testament the c...
    [nave] COVENANT Sacred, Josh. 9:18-21; Gal. 3:15. Binding, Josh. 9:18-20; Jer. 34:8-21; Ezek. 17:14-18; Gal. 3:15. Binding, not only on those who make them, but on those who are represented, Deut. 29:14, 15. Blood of, Ex. 24:8. ...

  • WITNESS

    [isbe] WITNESS - wit'-nes (nouns `edh, and `edhah, and verb `anah; martus, with all derivative words and their compounds): The word "witness" is used of inanimate things, e.g. the heap of stones testifying to the covenant between J...
    [smith] Among people with whom writing is not common the evidence of a transaction is given by some tangible memorial or significant ceremony: Abraham gave seven ewe-lambs to Abimelech as an evidence of his property in the well of Be...

  • ALLIANCE

    [ebd] a treaty between nations, or between individuals, for their mutual advantage. Abraham formed an alliance with some of the Canaanitish princes (Gen. 14:13), also with Abimelech (21:22-32). Joshua and the elders of Israel ente...
    [isbe] ALLIANCE - a-li'-ans. 1. In the Patriarchal Stories: Frequent references are made to alliances between the patriarchs and foreigners. Abraham is reported to have had "confederates" among the chiefs of the Canaanites (Gen 14:...

  • Contracts

    [nave] CONTRACTS Between Abraham and Abimelech, concerning wells of water, Gen. 21:25-32; violated, Gen. 26:15. First contract between Laban and Jacob for Laban's daughter, Gen. 29:15-20, 27-30; violated, Gen. 29:23-27; second con...

  • COVENANT, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

    [isbe] COVENANT, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT - kuv'-e-nant (berith): I. GENERAL MEANING II. AMONG MEN 1. Early Idea 2. Principal Elements 3. Different Varieties 4. Phraseology Used III. BETWEEN GOD AND MEN 1. Essential Idea 2. Covenants R...

  • Stones

    [smith] Besides the ordinary uses to which stones were applied, we may mention that large stones were set up to commemorate any remarkable event. (Genesis 28:18; 35:14; 31:45; Joshua 4:9; 1 Samuel 7:12) Such stones were occasional...
    [nave] STONES Commandments engraved upon, Ex. 24:12; 31:18; 34:1-4; Deut. 4:13; 5:22; 9:9-11; 10:1-3. The law of Moses written upon, Josh. 8:32. Houses built of, Isa. 9:10; Amos 5:11. Temple built of, 1 Kin. 5:17, 18; 7:9-12; Ma...

  • Teraphim

    [nave] TERAPHIM, household idols. Used by Laban, stolen by Rachel, Gen. 31:19, 30-35; by Micah, stolen by the Danites, Judg. 17:5; 18:14, 17-20. Condemned and disposed of by Jacob, Gen. 35:2-4, with Gen. 31:35-39. Destroyed by Jos...

  • Gilead

    [ebd] hill of testimony, (Gen. 31:21), a mountainous region east of Jordan. From its mountainous character it is called "the mount of Gilead" (Gen. 31:25). It is called also "the land of Gilead" (Num. 32:1), and sometimes simply "...
    [smith] (rocky region). A mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon. (Genesis 31:21; 3:12-17) It is sometimes called "Mount G...
    [nave] GILEAD 1. A region E. of the Jordan allotted to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half tribe of Manasseh, Num. 32:1-30; Deut. 3:13; 34:1; 2 Kin. 10:33. Reubenites expel the Hagarites from, 1 Chr. 5:9, 10, 18-22. Ammonites m...

  • MIZPAH

    [ebd] or Miz'peh, watch-tower; the look-out. (1.) A place in Gilead, so named by Laban, who overtook Jacob at this spot (Gen. 31:49) on his return to Palestine from Padan-aram. Here Jacob and Laban set up their memorial cairn of s...
    [smith] and Miz?peh (a watch-tower), the name of several places in Palestine. The earliest of all, in order of the narrative, is the heap of stones piled up by Jacob and Laban, (Genesis 31:48) on Mount Gilead, ver. (Genesis 31:25) t...

  • Galeed

    [ebd] heap of witness, the name of the pile of stones erected by Jacob and Laban to mark the league of friendship into which they entered with each other (Gen. 31:47, 48). This was the name given to the "heap" by Jacob. It is Hebr...
    [isbe] GALEED - gal'-e-ed (gal`edh): Derived from the Hebrew gal, "a heap of stones," and `edh, "witness." The meaning therefore is "cairn" or "heap of witness," corresponding to yeghar-sahddhutha' in Aramaic (Gen 31:47). It is app...
    [smith] (the heap of witness), the name given by Jacob to the heap which he and Laban made on Mount Gilead in witness of the covenant then entered into between them. (Genesis 31:47,48) comp. Genesis31:23,25
    [nave] GALEED, called also Jegar-sahadutha. The memorial of Jacob's and Laban's covenant, Gen. 31:47, 48.

  • Dishonesty

    [nave] DISHONESTY. Lev. 6:2-7; Lev. 19:13, 35, 36; Deut. 25:13, 15, 16; Job 24:2-11; Psa. 37:21; Psa. 50:18; Psa. 62:10; Prov. 3:27, 28; Prov. 11:1; Prov. 20:10, 14, 17, 23; Isa. 32:7; Jer. 7:8-10; Jer. 9:4-6, 8; Jer. 22:13; Ezek....

  • Rachel

    [ebd] ewe, "the daughter", "the somewhat petulant, peevish, and self-willed though beautiful younger daughter" of Laban, and one of Jacob's wives (Gen. 29:6, 28). He served Laban fourteen years for her, so deep was Jacob's affecti...
    [isbe] RACHEL - ra'-chel (rachel, "ewe"; Rhachel (Gen 29:6; Jer 31:15, the King James Version "Rahel")): 1. Biography: An ancestress of Israel, wife of Jacob, mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban,...
    [nave] RACHEL, daughter of Laban and wife of Jacob. Meets Jacob at the well, Gen. 29:9-12. Jacob serves Laban fourteen years to secure her for his wife, Gen. 29:15-30. Sterility of, Gen. 29:31. Her grief in consequence of her ste...

  • Shepherd

    [isbe] SHEPHERD - shep'-erd (ro`eh, ro`i; poimen, "a feeder"): The sheep owner frequently tends the flocks himself (Gen 4:4; 30:40; compare Ezek 34:12), but more often he delegates the work to his children (Gen 29:9; 1 Sam 16:19; 1...
    [smith] In a nomadic state of society every man, from the sheikh down to the slave, is more or less a shepherd. The progenitors of the Jews in the patriarchal age were nomads, and their history is rich in scenes of pastoral life. The...
    [nave] SHEPHERD One who cares for flocks, Gen. 31:38-40; Psa. 78:52, 53; Jer. 31:10; Amos 3:12; Luke 2:8. David the, defends his flock against a lion and a bear, 1 Sam. 17:34, 35. Causes the flock to rest, Psa. 23:2; Song 1:7; Je...
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  • [Gen 31:49] Holy Father, In Thy Mercy

Questions

  • The sins of the fathers being visited upon the children is a biblical principle. We see, for example, that Isaac seems to learn deception from his father, Abraham. Isaac passes off his wife as his sister, just as Abraham did ...
  • Mizpah, or Mizpeh, was the name of several localities in Old Testament history. The word means "a watch-tower," and in literature the whole of the beautiful remark made by Laban to Jacob (Gen. 31:49) has been included in its ...

Sermon Illustrations

A Solemn Agreement

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1-11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12-50). The ...
  • Genesis provides the historical basis for the rest of the Bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapters 1-11 give historical background essential to understanding that covenant, and chapters 12-50 re...
  • The structure of Genesis is very clear. The phrase "the generations of"(toledotin Hebrew, from yaladmeaning "to bear, to generate") occurs ten times (really eleven times since 36:9 repeats 36:1), and in each case it introduce...
  • The Lord destroyed the corrupt, violent human race and deluged its world, but He used righteous Noah to preserve life and establish a new world after the Flood."Noah's experience presents decisively the author's assertion tha...
  • 6:9-12 "The same explanation for Enoch's rescue from death (he walked with God') is made the basis for Noah's rescue from death in the Flood: he walked with God' (6:9). Thus in the story of Noah and the Flood, the author is a...
  • "The Babel account (11:1-9) is not the end of early Genesis. If it were, the story would conclude on the sad note of human failure. But as with earlier events in Genesis 1-11, God's grace once again supersedes human sin, insu...
  • One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
  • A major theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment of the promises to the patriarchs. The promises in Genesis 12:1-3 and 7 are the fountainhead from which the rest of the Pentateuch flows.397Walter Kaiser labeled the ...
  • "These verses are of fundamental importance for the theology of Genesis, for they serve to bind together the primeval history and the later patriarchal history and look beyond it to the subsequent history of the nation."414"W...
  • The second crisis Abram faced arose because of a famine in Canaan. Abram chose to sojourn in the Nile Valley until it was past. In this incident Abram tried to pass Sarai off as his sister because he feared for his life. By d...
  • Abraham's purchase of a burial site in the Promised Land demonstrated his intention to remain in Canaan rather than going back to his native homeland. Since he was a sojourner in Canaan his friends probably expected him to bu...
  • A new toledotbegins with 25:19. Its theme is "the acquisition of the blessing and its development and protection by the Lord."625Moses set up the whole Jacob narrative in a chiastic structure that emphasizes the fulfillment o...
  • The long account of Jacob's relationship with Laban (chs. 29-31) is the centerpiece of the Jacob story (chs. 25-35). It is a story within a story, and it too has a chiastic structure. At its center is the account of the birth...
  • God had been faithful in blessing Jacob as He had promised Abraham and Isaac. Moses recorded the testimony to that fact in this section. Jacob acknowledged that God was responsible for his prosperity. God's goodness and His c...
  • God had promised to be with Jacob and to return him to Canaan (28:15). We see God doing this, in spite of Laban's opposition, in this section."It was only by divine prospering and protection (24) that Jacob brought anything, ...
  • Chapters 32 and 33 can be viewed as one episode in the life of Jacob. They describe his return to the Promised Land including his meeting with Esau. There are thematic parallels between these chapters and chapter 31.In spite ...
  • Jacob was ready to sacrifice part of his family expecting Esau to attack him, and he approached his brother as though Esau was his lord. In contrast, Esau welcomed Jacob magnanimously, reluctantly received his gift, and offer...
  • About 10 years had passed since Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, and he had not yet returned to Bethel to fulfill his vow there (28:20-22). His negligence evidently was due in part to the continuing presence of the idols ...
  • Joseph next tested his brother's loyalty to Benjamin by framing Benjamin and charging him with stealing Joseph's cup. These events prompted the brothers to acknowledge that God was punishing them for their treatment of Joseph...
  • The structure of chapters 46 and 47 is also chiastic.887AGod appears to Jacob (46:1-4)BJacob journeys to Egypt (46:5-27)CJoseph meets Jacob (46:28-34)DJoseph's brothers meet Pharaoh (47:1-6)C'Jacob meets Pharaoh (47:7-10)B'Jo...
  • This section contains a list of the individuals in Jacob's family about the time he moved to Egypt. As in chapter 31, where he left Paddan-aram, this move was also difficult for Jacob. Moses recorded a total of 70 persons (v....
  • Aalders, Gerhard Charles. Genesis. The Bible Student's Commentary series. 2 vols. Translated by William Heynen. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas...
  • "The great event in chapter 24 is the climax of the Book of Exodus."41324:1-8 The remaining verses in this section contain God's directions to Moses personally. He, Aaron, Aaron's two eldest sons, and 70 of the elders of Isra...
  • Keil and Delitzsch pointed out that ancient Near Easterners offered certain offerings before God incorporated these into the Mosaic Law. Moses previously mentioned burnt offerings in Genesis 12:7; 13:4, 18; 22; 26:25; 33:20; ...
  • Archaeologists have not determined the location of Taberah (v. 3). It must have been an insignificant spot geographically since Moses did not include it in the list of Israel's encampments in chapter 33 (cf. 33:16-17). It was...
  • The residents of the town of Gibeon decided that if they could not defeat the Israelites they would join them. This has been a strategy that enemies of believers have employed for centuries (cf. Num. 25:1-2).9:1-2 Israel is t...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Saul would miss David at his feast not only because his seat would be vacant but because warriors normally expressed their support for their king by eating with him at important meals (v. 18). David's absence would have raise...
  • 105:7-11 God remembered His people (v. 7, cf. v. 42) so His people should remember Him (v. 5). God had been faithful to the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:18-21; 22:15-18; 28:13-15). He made this covenant with Abraham...
  • This prophecy about Israel's neighbors anticipates chapters 46-51, which contain oracles against Gentile nations.12:14 The Lord promised to judge Judah's neighbor nations that had robbed His people of what the Lord had given ...
  • This section stresses Israel's covenant disloyalty to Yahweh.6:4 The Lord twice asked rhetorically what He would do with Ephraim and Judah. The questions express frustration, helplessness, and despair more than inquiry. The l...
  • The first verse (9:51) sets the agenda for all that follows until Jesus' Triumphal Entry. It was now time for Jesus to begin moving toward Jerusalem and the Cross. As He did so, He immediately encountered opposition (cf. Acts...
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