Genesis 31:3

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 

Genesis 31:13

31:13 I am the God of Bethel, 3  where you anointed 4  the sacred stone and made a vow to me. 5  Now leave this land immediately 6  and return to your native land.’”

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

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

3 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

4 sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the Lord as an anointing. Jacob had consecrated the place.

5 sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the Lord when he anointed the stone (Gen 28:20-22). God is now going to take him back to the land, and so he will have to fulfill his vow.

6 tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.

sn Leave this land immediately. The decision to leave was a wise one in view of the changed attitude in Laban and his sons. But more than that, it was the will of God. Jacob needed to respond to God’s call – the circumstances simply made it easier.