Genesis 31:2 | 61 for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ ve done for you.”
27
But La ban said to him,“ If I have found fa vor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by div i na tion that the Lord has blessed me be cause of you.” 28 He add ed,“ Name your wag es, and I will pay them.”
29
Ja cob said to him,“ You know how I have worked for you and how your live stock has fared un der my care. 30 The lit tle you had be fore I came has in creased great ly, and the Lord has blessed you wher ev er I have been. But now, when may I do some thing for my own house hold?”
31
“ What shall I give you?” he asked.
“ Don’ t give me any thing,” Ja cob re plied.“ But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tend ing your flocks and watch ing over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks to day and re move from them ev ery speck led or spot ted sheep, ev ery dark-col ored lamb and ev ery spot ted or speck led goat. They will be my wag es. 33 And my hon es ty will tes ti fy for me in the fu ture, when ev er you check on the wag es you have paid me. Any goat in my pos ses sion that is not speck led or spot ted, or any lamb that is not dark-col ored, will be consid ered sto len.”
34
“ Agreed,” said La ban.“ Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he re moved all the male goats that were streaked or spot ted, and all the speck led or spot ted fe male goats( all that had white on them) and all the dark-col ored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. 36 Then he put a three-day jour ney be tween him self and
Ja cob, while Ja cob con tin ued to tend the rest of La ban’ s flocks.
37
Ja cob, how ev er, took fresh-cut branch es from pop lar, al mond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peel ing the bark and ex pos ing the white in ner wood of the branch es. 38 Then he placed the peeled branch es in all the wa ter ing troughs, so that they would be di rect ly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39 they mat ed in front of the branch es. And they bore young that were streaked or speck led or spotted. 40 Ja cob set apart the young of the flock by them selves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-col ored an i mals that be longed to La ban. Thus he made sep a rate flocks for him self and did not put them with La ban’ s an i mals. 41 When ev er the stron ger fe males were in heat, Ja cob would place the branch es in the troughs in front of the an i mals so they would mate near the branch es,
42 but if the an i mals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak an i mals went to La ban and the strong ones to Ja cob. 43 In this way the man grew ex ceed ing ly pros per ous and came to own large flocks, and fe male and male ser vants, and cam els and don keys.
Jacob Flees From Laban
Ja cob heard that La ban’ s sons were saying,“ Ja cob has tak en ev ery thing our fa ther
31 owned and has gained all this wealth from what be longed to our fa ther.” 2 And Ja cob no ticed that Laban’ s at ti tude to ward him was not what it had been. of his brothers. If Joseph’ s name derives from yasaph, it is a reference to his being added to the family through the formerly barren Rachel. 30:27 I have learned by divination Most translations understand the Hebrew verb used here as a reference to divination— discerning the will of a deity based on using an object, omen or method. However in other occurrences in the OT, there is often an explanation of the divination procedure used but one is not offered here( compare 44:15 – 17; Lev 16:8; Nu 5). because of you This seems to be a result of God’ s promise to Abraham in Ge 12:3( see 22:18; 26:4). Since God has blessed Jacob, via Abraham and his father Isaac, Jacob’ s presence blesses others.
30:32 – 36 In this part of the world, sheep are typically white and goats are dark brown or black. Consequently, the markings Jacob describes on the animals he demands for his wages would lead Laban to presume he was getting the better side of the agreement( v. 34). Jacob is confident he will do well and ultimately becomes successful. Jacob attributes this turn of events not to his own actions, but to God( 31:8 – 9).
30:37 – 43 For Jacob to succeed in increasing his flock, monochrome sheep and goats must produce offspring with the specified markings. In order to increase his herd, Jacob employs sympathetic magical practices. Sympathetic magic was based on the belief that the user could influence something based on its relationship or resemblance to another thing. Sympathetic magic was employed throughout the ancient Near East. Jacob’ s actions also reflect the ancient Near Eastern belief that the offspring of an animal was affected by what it saw during the procreation process.
Since Jacob attributes his success to God( 31:9 – 11), he believed he was acting in faith that God would supernaturally increase his flocks. While there is no natural explanation for Jacob’ s success and God does take credit for Jacob’ s achievement( 31:12), this does not mean that God responded directly to Jacob’ s techniques— instead, God is simply choosing to look out for Jacob as he promised( see 31:13; compare 28:15).
31:1 – 55 After manipulating the flocks to increase his wages, Jacob leaves Laban. Jacob originally fled to Laban to escape his brother( see 28:1 – 9 and note). Now Yahweh tells him to go home( v. 3). Jacob explains to his wives that Laban has cheated him. He recounts a dream in which God appears and reveals that he knows about Laban’ s wrongs against Jacob( vv. 4 – 13). Jacob and his wives leave, but Rachel steals the household idols( vv. 14 – 21). When Laban discovers that Jacob has fled, he pursues him, eventually catching him( vv. 22 – 25). Rachel hides the stolen idols from her father, and Jacob confronts Laban over the 20 years of mistreatment( vv. 26 – 42). Jacob and Laban make a covenant not to harm each other, and Laban returns( vv. 43 – 55).