29:21 Finally Jacob said 2 to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. 3 I want to have marital relations with her.” 4
31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. 6
29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. 14 When Jacob 15 completed Leah’s bridal week, 16 Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 17
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. 18
31:55 (32:1) 19 Early in the morning Laban kissed 20 his grandchildren 21 and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. 22
31:36 Jacob became angry 31 and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. 32 “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? 33
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 34 Our wishes are of no concern. 35
31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, 43 Rachel stole the household idols 44 that belonged to her father.
31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement 45 today.” That is why it was called Galeed.
29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work 54 for me for nothing because you are my relative? 55 Tell me what your wages should be.”
30:25 After Rachel had given birth 60 to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send 61 me on my way so that I can go 62 home to my own country. 63
31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, 68 “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich 69 at our father’s expense!” 70
31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” 76 Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought 77 you might take your daughters away from me by force. 78
31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. 79
46:18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, sixteen in all.
46:25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, seven in all.
1 tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”
2 tn Heb “and Jacob said.”
3 tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”
4 tn Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).
5 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘Good, let it be according to your word.’” On the asseverative use of the particle לוּ (lu) here, see HALOT 521 s.v. לוּ.
6 tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”
7 sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”
8 sn Galeed also means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness,” but this name is Canaanite or Western Semitic and closer to later Hebrew. Jacob, though certainly capable of speaking Aramaic, here prefers to use the western dialect.
9 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.
10 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).
11 tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
12 tn Heb “drew near, approached.”
13 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [WBC], 2:231).
14 tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
15 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.
17 tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Heb “and Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban pitched with his brothers in the hill country of Gilead.” The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb in both clauses) indicates synchronism of action.
19 sn Beginning with 31:55, the verse numbers in the English Bible through 32:32 differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 31:55 ET = 32:1 HT, 32:1 ET = 32:2 HT, etc., through 32:32 ET = 32:33 HT. From 33:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
20 tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”
21 tn Heb “his sons.”
22 tn Heb “to his place.”
23 tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.
24 tn Heb “men.”
25 tn Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
26 tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”
27 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.
28 tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.
29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
30 tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).
31 tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.
32 tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
33 tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).
34 tn Heb “From the
35 tn Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.
36 tn Heb “listen to my voice.”
37 tn Heb “arise, flee.”
38 tn Heb “son.”
39 tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.
40 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
41 tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
42 tn Heb “and Jacob saw the face of Laban, and look, he was not with him as formerly.” Jacob knew from the expression on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him had changed – Jacob had become persona non grata.
43 tn This disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new scene. In the English translation it may be subordinated to the following clause.
44 tn Or “household gods.” Some translations merely transliterate the Hebrew term תְּרָפִים (tÿrafim) as “teraphim,” which apparently refers to household idols. Some contend that possession of these idols guaranteed the right of inheritance, but it is more likely that they were viewed simply as protective deities. See M. Greenberg, “Another Look at Rachel’s Theft of the Teraphim,” JBL 81 (1962): 239-48.
45 tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”
46 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
47 tn Heb “my words.”
48 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
tn Heb “and he said, ‘Speak.’” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
49 tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”
50 sn Some valuable information is provided here. We learn here that Isaac married thirty-five years before Abraham died, that Rebekah was barren for twenty years, and that Abraham would have lived to see Jacob and Esau begin to grow up. The death of Abraham was recorded in the first part of the chapter as a “tidying up” of one generation before beginning the account of the next.
51 tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).
52 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
53 tn Heb “a month of days.”
54 tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.
55 tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.
56 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
57 tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
58 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
59 tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”
60 tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.
61 tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.
sn For Jacob to ask to leave would mean that seven more years had passed. Thus all Jacob’s children were born within the range of seven years of each other, with Joseph coming right at the end of the seven years.
62 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
63 tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”
64 tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”
sn Three days’ traveling distance from Jacob. E. A. Speiser observes, “Laban is delighted with the terms, and promptly proceeds to violate the spirit of the bargain by removing to a safe distance all the grown animals that would be likely to produce the specified spots” (Genesis [AB], 238). Laban apparently thought that by separating out the spotted, striped, and dark colored animals he could minimize the production of spotted, striped, or dark offspring that would then belong to Jacob.
65 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the vav with subject) is circumstantial/temporal; Laban removed the animals while Jacob was taking care of the rest.
66 tn Heb “he did not put [them] in.” The referent of the [understood] direct object, “them,” has been specified as “the branches” in the translation for clarity.
67 tn Heb “were for Laban.”
68 tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”
69 sn The Hebrew word translated “gotten rich” (כָּבוֹד, cavod) has the basic idea of “weight.” If one is heavy with possessions, then that one is wealthy (13:2). Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph all became wealthy when they left the promised land. Jacob’s wealth foreshadows what will happen to Israel when they leave the land of Egypt (Exod 12:35-38).
70 tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”
71 tn Heb “said to him.”
72 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
73 tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.
74 tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).
75 tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”
76 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.
77 tn Heb “for I said.”
78 tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”
79 tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
80 sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.