Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 31:17-21”
Categories: Genesis“Then Jacob arose and put his children and his wives upon camels; and he drove away all his livestock and all his property which he had gathered, his acquired livestock which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel stole the household idols that were her father’s. And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing. So he fled with all that he had; and he arose and crossed the Euphrates River, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.”
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“Then Jacob arose and put his children and his wives upon camels.” (verse 17) When Jacob consulted his wives and the final decision was made to leave, he wasted no time in mapping out his escape route and executing his exit plan. Friends, when the Lord calls us to action, we need not and dare not delay in our obedience. God had said to Jacob, “Now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth” (verse 13), and he set about making the proper preparations to do just that. The Lord, through the word of His revelation, calls us to put His Son on in baptism, he calls us to lives of holiness, faithfulness, generosity and service. If you have not heeded that call, please do not delay a moment longer. Jacob's oldest child was likely about 13 years old and his youngest around six. They would have been unable to make that entire journey on foot so he placed them on the camels with the women and began the slow journey home.
“He drove away all his livestock and all his property which he had gathered, his acquired livestock which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.” (verse 18) All his livestock consisted of all his sheep, goats, camels and donkeys, and all his property would include all the goods he had acquired including his male and female servants, any precious metals and clothing. “The unusual cluster of phrases underscores Jacob's claim to absolute and rightful ownership of all his possessions, thus again refuting in advance Laban's assertion in verse 43.” (Nahum Sarna) He was heading for the friendlier confines (at least he hoped) of “the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.” “But it was some years before he got to his father's house, staying at several places by the way. No mention is made of his mother Rebekah, she perhaps being now dead.” (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)
“When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel stole the household idols that were her father’s.” (verse 19) “Sheep-shearing in Mesopotamia was carried out in the spring. It entailed much hard work on the part of a large number of men who often had to labor at a considerable distance from their homes for extended periods of time... All this explains why the sheep-shearing season would be an ideal time for Jacob to make his departure. Laban, his sons, and his menfolk would all be far away and busily preoccupied.” (Nahum Sarna) The “household idols” or “teraphim” were small graven figures or statuettes believed to have the power to ward off dangers in the home and generally bring about good fortune or luck. Rachel swiped her dad's idols either because her heart was overly entrenched in the idolatrous practices of her superstitious family, or she was just looking for some additional good luck on her new and uncertain extended adventures away from and in antagonism toward her hardcore bullheaded father.
“And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.” (verse 20) Jacob “stole away unawares,” or literally “stole the heart of Laban” by privately stealing away. “The Hebrew contains a double word play. Lev echoes Laban (Heb. lavan), while 'arami evokes the stem r-m-h, 'to cheat.' Laban the heartless cheat has been beaten at his own game!” (Nahum Sarna) Of course, the only way that Jacob was going to safely sashay his sizeable family and fortune away from the overly possessive Laban would be to do so while he was miles away and deeply engrossed in other matters. Nahum Sarna commented on the phrase, “Laban the Aramean” the following: “The emphasis on Laban's ethnic affiliation, here and again in verse 24, artfully alerts the audience to an awareness that Laban and Jacob are now totally alienated from each other and represent two distinct peoples. It presages the pact that is soon to be concluded.”
“So he fled with all that he had; and he arose and crossed the Euphrates River, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.”(verse 21) As Jacob had arisen to “flee” to Haran because of the anger of his brother Esau two decades earlier (Genesis 27:43), after having worn out his welcome in Laban's household, he “fled” back to the land of his nativity. He and his caravan crossed the Euphrates River, somewhere, somehow. This was the equivalent of Jacob crossing the Rubicon, a point of no return where their could be no looking back, and he made a beeline to the hill country of Gilead. "These mountains lay eastward from the territories later possessed by Rueben and Gad, extending from Mount Hermon to the mountains of Moab, and called in the New Testament, Trachonitis." (Adam Clarke) Jacob had “set his face” toward God's destination for him. He had made up his mind that, no matter how long the road or difficult the journey might be, he would fully follow the Lord with no looking back.
Please read Genesis 31:22-32 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed day!
-Louie Taylor
