GOD’S ANCIENT PEOPLE GENESIS _ALUN OWEN_ CHAPTER 31 GOD TELLS JACOB TO RETURN V1 Laban’s sons said, ‘Jacob has taken all that belonged to our father. He has gained all his wealth from our father.’ People told Jacob what Laban’s sons had said. V2 And Jacob saw that Laban was not pleased with him... [ Continue Reading ]
Jacob had left the country that is called *Canaan 20 years before this time. Jacob’s mother Rebekah had promised to tell Jacob when he should return. (See Genesis 27:45.) But she did not tell him. Perhaps she had already died at this time. But God told Jacob that he should return. V4 So Jacob calle... [ Continue Reading ]
If they spoke in the house, someone might hear them. Someone might hear what they said. So they spoke in the field, where nobody else could hear them.... [ Continue Reading ]
This was only partly true. Initially, Jacob had served Laban well. But for many years, Jacob had served himself more than he had served Laban. And Jacob had cheated Laban.... [ Continue Reading ]
Jacob complained that Laban cheated him. But Jacob cheated Laban more than Laban cheated Jacob. ‘He has changed my wages 10 times.’ Jacob was not right when he complained like this. Jacob suggested what his own wages should be. (See Genesis 30:31-32.) Laban changed Jacob’s wages only once. (See Gen... [ Continue Reading ]
What Jacob said in verse 8 is not true. But God had shown Jacob how to gain animals from Laban. So what Jacob said in verse 9 is partly true. V10 And Jacob said to Rachel and Leah, ‘In the season when the animals mate, I saw the animals in a dream. The male goats that mated in my dream were stripey... [ Continue Reading ]
God showed to Jacob how he could cheat Laban. This does not mean that to cheat is right. But Jacob and Laban were already cheating each other. And God intended that Jacob should gain wives and children and wealth. So God caused this to happen. God changed Jacob’s character so that he did not cheat.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘You poured oil on a tall stone.’ Jacob did that during his journey from *Canaan to Laban’s home. (See Genesis 28:18.) V14 Then Rachel and Leah answered Jacob, ‘We have no place to live in our father’s house. V15 He thinks that we are foreigners. He has sold us. He has spent all the money that belo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He has spent all the money that belonged to us.’ Jacob had worked for Laban for 14 years. Jacob’s wages were marriage to Leah and to Rachel. So the value of Jacob’s work was the marriage gift. (See Genesis 34:12 and the comment.) Laban should have kept a part of that for Leah and Rachel. But Laban... [ Continue Reading ]
Jacob did not take animals that belonged to Laban. He took his own animals. He had gained them by his agreement with Laban. (See Genesis 30:34.)... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Rachel stole her father’s gods.’ These were small models of human shapes. Perhaps they were wooden or perhaps they were like pots. They were models of false gods. Perhaps Rachel thought that the gods would bring good luck to her during the journey. Or perhaps she stole them because they were valuab... [ Continue Reading ]
Gilead is east of the country that is called *Canaan. Gilead is east of the river Jordan. LABAN CHASES JACOB V22 Two days later, people told Laban that Jacob had run away. V23 So Laban set out and he took his relatives with him. He pursued Jacob for 7 days. He followed him to the hilly region that... [ Continue Reading ]
Laban was away from his home because he was cutting the wool from his sheep. That took several days because there were many sheep. Jacob chose this time to set out. So Laban did not know immediately that Jacob had gone. Therefore, Jacob could travel a long way before Laban came to him.... [ Continue Reading ]
Laban pretended that he was friendly and generous to Jacob. But Jacob did not trust Laban. And Jacob was wise not to trust Laban.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘I would have sent you away.’ Probably Laban would not have let Jacob take all his wealth and his animals with him. But God let Jacob escape safely. God did two things. He told Jacob to leave secretly. (See verse 3.) And he spoke to Laban in a dream. (See verse 29.)... [ Continue Reading ]
(For ‘my gods’ see verse 19 and the comment.) V31 Jacob answered Laban, ‘I went because I was afraid. I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.’ V32 Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban’s gods. So he said, ‘Search for your gods. If any one has them here, that person... [ Continue Reading ]
Jacob did not believe that any of his people had the gods. He did not think that any of Laban’s possessions were in his camp. Otherwise he would not have said, ‘That person shall not live.’... [ Continue Reading ]
Perhaps what Rachel said about herself was true. Or perhaps she lied to her father Laban. V36 Then Jacob was angry and he accused Laban. Jacob said to Laban, ‘Tell me what wrong deed I have done. You pursued me as one pursues a criminal. Tell me what my crime is. V37 Now you have searched through a... [ Continue Reading ]
Most of what Jacob said was right. But Jacob had cheated Laban and he did not say that. ‘You have changed my wages 10 times.’ Jacob was not right when he said that. (See the comment on verse 7.)... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He is Isaac’s God.’ The actual *Hebrew words mean ‘Isaac’s fear’. That means the God who caused Isaac to have fear. God showed his great power to Isaac and therefore Isaac was afraid. Verse 53 uses the same *Hebrew words. That verse says, ‘Jacob made a firm promise by the God of his father Isaac.’... [ Continue Reading ]
Laban said that Leah and Rachel and their children were still his. That was not true. And he said that Jacob’s animals belonged to him, Laban. That also was not true. Laban might have said, ‘Your wives were my daughters. Your family came from my family.’ And he might have said, ‘The animals came fro... [ Continue Reading ]
The tall stone and the heap were signs of the agreement that Jacob and Laban had made. If either of them passed that place (see verse 52), they would see the signs. The signs would remind them about the agreement. Also, when they were far from that place, they would remember the signs. They would re... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jegar-sahadutha’ means ‘the heap that is a sign’. It is in the Aramaic language. The inhabitants of the region that is called Paddan-aram spoke the Aramaic language. Haran, where Laban lived, is in Paddan-aram. ‘Galeed’ also means ‘the heap that is a sign’. It is in the *Hebrew language. These two... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Mizpah’ means ‘a place to watch’ or ‘a look-out’.... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse tells us the reason why Laban made an agreement with Jacob. He was anxious about his daughters, Leah and Rachel. He did not know whether Jacob would deal fairly with them. Laban forgot that he himself did not deal fairly with Jacob. V51 Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘See this heap. See the t... [ Continue Reading ]
Laban said that he set up the heap and the stone. That was not true. Jacob and his relatives set them up. (See verses 45-46.)... [ Continue Reading ]
Jacob made a firm promise to Laban. And when he made that firm promise, he used the words ‘by God’. Jacob meant that God heard his promise. Jacob had promised to do certain things. And God would know whether Jacob did those things. So Jacob meant that his promise was absolutely firm. God said a sim... [ Continue Reading ]
Jacob burned part of the animal. That was the part that was an *offering to God. The rest of the animal was the meat for the meal. By the *offering, Jacob thanked God. He thanked God for the things that God had done for him. LORD ~ a lord is a person who has authority. ‘The Lord’ means God. It is a... [ Continue Reading ]