Bible Commentary

And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. 3. And the Lord said ] In a dream; cf. Gen 31:11. the land of thy fathers ] i.e. Canaan, as the country of Abraham and Isaac. I will be with thee … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 31:3”

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it [was] not toward him as before. 2. the countenance of Laban ] Here, and in Gen 31:5, Laban’s countenance toward Jacob is said to be altered. For this idiomatic use of “the countenance” as expressing feeling, cf. Gen 4:5. Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 31:2”

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. 1. Laban’s sons ] See Gen 30:35. It has hitherto been a contest of wits between Laban and Jacob. Jacob has had the best … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 31:1”

And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses. 43. increased exceedingly ] Cf. the description of the wealth of Abraham and Isaac, Gen 13:2, Gen 24:35, Gen 26:13-14. Cf. Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice, Act i. Scene iii.: “ Shy. mark what Jacob did. When Laban and … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 30:43”

But when the cattle were feeble, he put [them] not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 42. the feebler the stronger ] These words were a difficulty to the versions. LXX , Lat. quae erant serotina quae primi temporis. So Aq. Sym. , and Targum of Onkelos “early” and “late,” referring … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 30:42”

And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 41. the stronger ] A third device on Jacob’s part. He is careful, at the breeding season, to pick out only the finer … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 30:41”

And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle. 40. set the faces Laban ] This is a very obscure sentence in the original. … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 30:40”

And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted. The flocks conceived; Heb. were heated, i.e. inflamed or excited, and disposed to conceive, and this in a more than ordinary manner by the Divine disposal. The event hath some foundation in nature, because of the great power of imagination; … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 30:39”

And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. 38. over against ] Jacob places the white peeled rods in front of the flocks, when they come to drink at … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 30:38”

And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which [was] in the rods. 37. poplar ] R.V. marg. storax tree. The Hebrew name is libneh, and is probably connected with the word laban, meaning “white.” By some … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 30:37”