_AND HE HEARD THE WORDS OF LABAN'S SONS, SAYING, JACOB HATH TAKEN AWAY ALL THAT WAS OUR FATHER'S; AND OF THAT WHICH WAS OUR FATHER'S HATH HE GOTTEN ALL THIS GLORY._ He heard the words of Laban's sons. It must have been from rumour that Jacob got knowledge of the invidious reflections cast upon him... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JACOB BEHELD THE COUNTENANCE OF LABAN, AND, BEHOLD, IT WAS NOT TOWARD HIM AS BEFORE._ The countenance of Laban ... not toward him as before - literally, was not the same as yesterday and the day before: a common Oriental form of speech. The insinuations against Jacob's fidelity by Laban's sons... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE LORD SAID UNTO JACOB, RETURN UNTO THE LAND OF THY FATHERS, AND TO THY KINDRED; AND I WILL BE WITH THEE._ The Lord said ... Return. Notwithstanding the ill-usage he had received, Jacob might not have deemed himself at liberty to quit his present sphere under the impulse of passionate fretfu... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JACOB SENT AND CALLED RACHEL AND LEAH TO THE FIELD UNTO HIS FLOCK,_ Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah. His wives and family were in their usual residence; and whether he wished them to be present at the festivities of sheep-shearing, as some think; or, because he could not leave his flock,... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND SAID UNTO THEM, I SEE YOUR FATHER'S COUNTENANCE, THAT IT IS NOT TOWARD ME AS BEFORE; BUT THE GOD OF MY FATHER HATH BEEN WITH ME._ NO JFB COMMENTARY ON THIS VERSE.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND YE KNOW THAT WITH ALL MY POWER I HAVE SERVED YOUR FATHER._ Ye know that ... I have served. Having stated his strong grounds of dissatisfaction with their father's conduct, and the ill requital he had gotten for all his faithful services, he informed them of the blessing of God, that had made h... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND YOUR FATHER HATH DECEIVED ME, AND CHANGED MY WAGES TEN TIMES; BUT GOD SUFFERED HIM NOT TO HURT ME._ Changed my wages ten times - i:e., many times: ten, besides signifying a determinate number, frequently stands in Scripture for many (cf. Leviticus 26:26; 1 Samuel 1:8; Ecclesiastes 7:9; Dan. 1:... [ Continue Reading ]
_IF HE SAID THUS, THE SPECKLED SHALL BE THY WAGES; THEN ALL THE CATTLE BARE SPECKLED: AND IF HE SAID THUS, THE RINGSTRAKED SHALL BE THY HIRE; THEN BARE ALL THE CATTLE RINGSTRAKED._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE ANGEL OF GOD SPAKE UNTO ME IN A DREAM, SAYING, JACOB: AND I SAID, HERE AM I._ THE ANGEL OF GOD. That Divine Being styles himself (Genesis 31:13) the God of Beth-el (cf. Genesis 32:24-32; Genesis 35:9-15; Genesis 48:15-16). He was not one of the angels who were seen ascending and descending... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE SAID, LIFT UP NOW THINE EYES, AND SEE, ALL THE RAMS WHICH LEAP UPON THE CATTLE ARE RINGSTRAKED, SPECKLED, AND GRISLED: FOR I HAVE SEEN ALL THAT LABAN DOETH UNTO THEE._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND RACHEL AND LEAH ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM, IS THERE YET ANY PORTION OR INHERITANCE FOR US IN OUR FATHER'S HOUSE?_ Rachel and Leah answered. Having heard his views, they expressed their entire approval; and, from grievances of their own, were fully as desirous of a separation as himself. They... [ Continue Reading ]
_ARE WE NOT COUNTED OF HIM STRANGERS? FOR HE HATH SOLD US, AND HATH QUITE DEVOURED ALSO OUR MONEY._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEN JACOB ROSE UP, AND SET HIS SONS AND HIS WIVES UPON CAMELS;_ Then Jacob rose up. Little time is spent by pastoral people in removing. The striking down the tents and poles, and stowing them among their other baggage; the putting their wives and children in houdas like cradles, on the backs of... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE CARRIED AWAY ALL HIS CATTLE, AND ALL HIS GOODS WHICH HE HAD GOTTEN, THE CATTLE OF HIS GETTING, WHICH HE HAD GOTTEN IN PADAN-ARAM, FOR TO GO TO ISAAC HIS FATHER IN THE LAND OF CANAAN._ He carried ... the cattle ... which he had gotten - i:e., his own and nothing more. He did not indemnify hi... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND LABAN WENT TO SHEAR HIS SHEEP: AND RACHEL HAD STOLEN THE IMAGES THAT WERE HER FATHER'S._ Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's, [Hebrew, _ HATªRAAPIYM_ (H8655)] - the Teraphim; Penates or household gods, apparently miniature representations of the human form, used as objects of i... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JACOB STOLE AWAY UNAWARES TO LABAN THE SYRIAN, IN THAT HE TOLD HIM NOT THAT HE FLED._ Jacob stole away unawares - literally, deceived the mind of Laban.... [ Continue Reading ]
_SO HE FLED WITH ALL THAT HE HAD; AND HE ROSE UP, AND PASSED OVER THE RIVER, AND SET HIS FACE TOWARD THE MOUNT GILEAD._ Passed over the river, х_ HANAAHAAR_ (H5104)] - the Euphrates.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT WAS TOLD LABAN ON THE THIRD DAY THAT JACOB WAS FLED._ It was told Laban on the third day. No sooner did the intelligence reach Laban than he set out in pursuit, and he being not encumbered, advanced rapidly; whereas Jacob, with a young family and numerous flocks, had to march slowly, so tha... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE TOOK HIS BRETHREN WITH HIM, AND PURSUED AFTER HIM SEVEN DAYS' JOURNEY; AND THEY OVERTOOK HIM IN THE MOUNT GILEAD._ Overtook him in the mount Gilead. 'There is a mountain-chain extending between the Yarmuk and the deep valley of the Zerka (the ancient Jabbok), which is known by the name of J... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND GOD CAME TO LABAN THE SYRIAN IN A DREAM BY NIGHT, AND SAID UNTO HIM, TAKE HEED THAT THOU SPEAK NOT TO JACOB EITHER GOOD OR BAD._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND LABAN SAID TO JACOB, WHAT HAST THOU DONE, THAT THOU HAST STOLEN AWAY UNAWARES TO ME, AND CARRIED AWAY MY DAUGHTERS, AS CAPTIVES TAKEN WITH THE SWORD?_ Laban said ... What hast thou done? Not a word is said of the charge, Genesis 31:1. His reproaches were of a LABAN SAID ... WHAT HAST THOU DONE... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JACOB ANSWERED AND SAID TO LABAN, BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID: FOR I SAID, PERADVENTURE THOU WOULDEST TAKE BY FORCE THY DAUGHTERS FROM ME._ Jacob ... said ... With whomsoever ... Conscious of his own innocence, and little suspecting the misdeed of his favourite wife, he boldly challenged a search, an... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND LABAN WENT INTO JACOB'S TENT, AND INTO LEAH'S TENT, AND INTO THE TWO MAIDSERVANTS' TENTS; BUT HE FOUND THEM NOT. THEN WENT HE OUT OF LEAH'S TENT, AND ENTERED INTO RACHEL'S TENT._ Laban went into ... tents. Tents are of two descriptions-the family tent and the single tent. With the patriarchs t... [ Continue Reading ]
_NOW RACHEL HAD TAKEN THE IMAGES, AND PUT THEM IN THE CAMEL'S FURNITURE, AND SAT UPON THEM. AND LABAN SEARCHED ALL THE TENT, BUT FOUND THEM NOT._ And put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. The common pack-saddle is often used as a seat or a cushion, against which a person squatted on... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND SHE SAID TO HER FATHER, LET IT NOT DISPLEASE MY LORD THAT I CANNOT RISE UP BEFORE THEE; FOR THE CUSTOM OF WOMEN IS UPON ME. AND HE SEARCHED, BUT FOUND NOT THE IMAGES._ Let it not displease my lord. The Hebrews, instead of addressing a person of dignity in the second person singular, thou and t... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JACOB WAS WROTH, AND CHODE WITH LABAN: AND JACOB ANSWERED AND SAID TO LABAN, WHAT IS MY TRESPASS? WHAT IS MY SIN, THAT THOU HAST SO HOTLY PURSUED AFTER ME?_ Jacob answered and said to Laban. The use of the word "answered," as in this instance, is a Hebrew idiom, and peculiar to the Hebrew mode... [ Continue Reading ]
_NOW THEREFORE COME THOU, LET US MAKE A COVENANT, I AND THOU; AND LET IT BE FOR A WITNESS BETWEEN ME AND THEE._ Come ... let us make a covenant. The way in which this covenant was ratified was by a heap of stones being laid in a circular pile, to serve as seats, and in the center of this circle a l... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JACOB TOOK A STONE, AND SET IT UP FOR A PILLAR._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND LABAN CALLED IT JEGAR-SAHADUTHA: BUT JACOB CALLED IT GALEED._ Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha [yªgar] - a heap of stones х_ SAAHªDUWTAA'_ (H3026)], testimony, witness. This word may be either Chaldee or Syriac, according to the vowels used. The language of Laban was that spoken in Syria. It is... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND LABAN SAID, THIS HEAP IS A WITNESS BETWEEN ME AND THEE THIS DAY. THEREFORE WAS THE NAME OF IT CALLED GALEED;_ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND MIZPAH; FOR HE SAID, THE LORD WATCH BETWEEN ME AND THEE, WHEN WE ARE ABSENT ONE FROM ANOTHER._ And Mizpah х_ MITSPAAH_ (H4709)] - a watch-tower, an eminence. When the word is used as the name of a place, it always has the article prefixed (cf. Judges 10:17; Judges 11:11; Judges 11:34). Its bes... [ Continue Reading ]
_IF THOU SHALT AFFLICT MY DAUGHTERS, OR IF THOU SHALT TAKE OTHER WIVES BESIDE MY DAUGHTERS, NO MAN IS WITH US; SEE, GOD IS WITNESS BETWIXT ME AND THEE._ God is witness betwixt me and thee. [This is the only instance, in the historical reference to Laban, of his using _ 'ELOHIYM_ (H430) as the name... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND LABAN SAID TO JACOB, BEHOLD THIS HEAP, AND BEHOLD THIS PILLAR, WHICH I HAVE CAST BETWIXT ME AND THEE;_ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_THIS HEAP BE WITNESS, AND THIS PILLAR BE WITNESS, THAT I WILL NOT PASS OVER THIS HEAP TO THEE, AND THAT THOU SHALT NOT PASS OVER THIS HEAP AND THIS PILLAR UNTO ME, FOR HARM._ This heap be witness. Objects of nature were frequently thus spoken of. But over and above, there was a solemn appeal to Go... [ Continue Reading ]