Genesis 31:1
in Genesis 31Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father and built all this wealth at our father’s expense.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Genesis 31
Commentary
7 notes on this verseHe has gotten all his glory - And what was this glory? It was a parcel of brown sheep and speckled goats, and some camels and asses. Jacob has taken away all that was our fathers - Not all, sure; what was become of those cattle which were committed to the custody of Laban's sons, and sent three days journey off?
This site's exposition
Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father
on Genesis 31:1-2
The trouble starts in what Laban's sons say. The Hebrew word behind wealth here is kavod, which carries weight and glory. They charge Jacob with building it all at their father's expense. Jacob then reads Laban's face and sees that his attitude has changed.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
See how envy drove them to ingratitude, and not only them but also Laban himself. "Jacob saw Laban's attitude to him," the text goes on, remember, "and, lo, it was not as it had previously been." You see, his sons' words deranged his mind and made him forget what he had said some time before in conversation with Jacob, "God has blessed me in your coming." After thanking the Lord for making his wealth increase through the arrival of the good man, he was now disturbed in mind under the influence of his sons and inflamed with envy, perhaps because he saw the good man's fortunate circumstances, and so he was not prepared to behave toward him in the same way.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And he heard the words of Laban's sons,....
Observe, (1.) How greatly they magnify Jacob's prosperity: He has gotten all this glory. And what was this glory that they made so much ado about? It was a parcel of brown sheep and speckled goats (and perhaps the fine colours made them seem more glorious), and some camels and asses, and such like trading; and this was all this glory.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
And he heard the words of Laban’s sons - The multiplication of Jacob’s cattle, and the decrease and degeneracy of those of Laban, were sufficient to arouse the jealousy of Laban’s sons. This, with Laban’s unfair treatment, and the direction he received from God, determined him to return to his own country. Hath he gotten all this glory - All these riches, this wealth, or property. The original word כבד signifies both to be rich and to be heavy; and perhaps for this simple reason, that riches ever bring with them heavy weight and burden of cares and anxieties.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
- Jacob’s Flight from Haran 19. תרפים terāpı̂ym, Teraphim. This word occurs fifteen times in the Old Testament. It appears three times in this chapter, and nowhere else in the Pentateuch. It is always in the plural number. The root does not appear in Biblical Hebrew. It perhaps means “to live well,” intransitively (Gesenius, Roedig.), “to nourish,” transitively (Furst). The teraphim were symbols or representatives of the Deity, as Laban calls them his gods. They seem to have been busts (προτομαί protomai, Aquila) of the human form, sometimes as large as life 1Sa 19:
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁמַ֗ע | vaiyishma' | and he heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דִּבְרֵ֤י | divrei | [the] words of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| בְנֵֽי־ | venei- | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| לָבָן֙ | lavan | Laban | H3837 → | 55 times |
| לֵאמֹ֔ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָקַ֣ח | lakach | he has taken | H3947 → | 966 times |
| יַעֲקֹ֔ב | yaako | Jacob | H3290 → | 350 times |
| אֵ֖ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לְאָבִ֑ינוּ | leavinu | [belonged] to father our | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וּמֵאֲשֶׁ֣ר | umeasher | and from [that] which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לְאָבִ֔ינוּ | leavinu | [belonged] to father our | H1 → | 1212 times |
| עָשָׂ֕ה | ʾasah | he has acquired | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אֵ֥ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַכָּבֹ֖ד | hakavod | the abundance | H3519 → | 200 times |
| הַזֶּֽה׃ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
וַיִּשְׁמַ֗עand he heard
vaiyishma'H8085 →1159 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
דִּבְרֵ֤י[the] words of
divreiH1697 →1440 times
בְנֵֽי־[the] sons of
venei-H1121 →4930 times
לָבָן֙Laban
lavanH3837 →55 times
לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
לָקַ֣חhe has taken
lakachH3947 →966 times
יַעֲקֹ֔בJacob
yaakoH3290 →350 times
אֵ֖ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רthat
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לְאָבִ֑ינוּ[belonged] to father our
leavinuH1 →1212 times
וּמֵאֲשֶׁ֣רand from [that] which
umeasherH834 →5497 times
לְאָבִ֔ינוּ[belonged] to father our
leavinuH1 →1212 times
עָשָׂ֕הhe has acquired
ʾasahH6213 →2628 times
אֵ֥ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הַכָּבֹ֖דthe abundance
hakavodH3519 →200 times
הַזֶּֽה׃<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 4:8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
it leads to
- 1 John 2:15–16
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign…
- Matthew 16:26
What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
- Psalms 49:16–17
Do not be amazed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.
- Luke 4:5–7
Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
- 1 John 2:15–16
Through
Ecclesiastes 4:4I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
it leads to
- 1 John 3:12
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.
- Ecclesiastes 2:21
When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a…
- 1 John 3:12
Through
Ezekiel 16:44Behold, all who speak in proverbs will quote this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’
it leads to
- Ezekiel 18:2–3
“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge’?
- Ezekiel 18:2–3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.9; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.