Genesis 31:3-5

31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers ¹  and to your relatives. I will be with you.” ²  31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah ³  to come to the field ⁴  where his flocks were. ⁵  31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, ⁶  but the God of my father has been with me.

Genesis 31:20-21

31:20 Jacob also deceived ⁷  Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. ⁸  31:21 He left ⁹  with all he owned. He quickly crossed ¹⁰  the Euphrates River ¹¹  and headed for ¹²  the hill country of Gilead.

Genesis 31:31

31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” ¹³  Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought ¹⁴  you might take your daughters away from me by force. ¹⁵ 

[31:3]  ¹ tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.

[31:3]  ² sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the Lord promised to be.

[31:4]  ³ tn Heb “sent and called for Rachel and for Leah.” Jacob did not go in person, but probably sent a servant with a message for his wives to meet him in the field.

[31:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “the field.” The word is an adverbial accusative, indicating that this is where Jacob wanted them to meet him. The words “to come to” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.

[31:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “to his flock.”

[31:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”

[31:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “stole the heart of,” an expression which apparently means “to deceive.” The repetition of the verb “to steal” shows that Jacob and Rachel are kindred spirits. Any thought that Laban would have resigned himself to their departure was now out of the question.

[31:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.

[31:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he fled.”

[31:21]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.

[31:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:21]  ¹² tn Heb “he set his face.”

[31:31]  ¹³ tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid.’” This statement is a not a response to the question about Laban’s household gods that immediately precedes, but to the earlier question about Jacob’s motivation for leaving so quickly and secretly (see v. 27). For this reason the words “I left secretly” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection to Laban’s earlier question in v. 27. Additionally the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:31]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “for I said.”

[31:31]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”