Genesis 31:3
in Genesis 31Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehovah said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
KJV
And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
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This verse in Genesis 31
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Having been conducted to Haran by God (Ge 28:15) and having got a promise that the same heavenly Guardian would bring him again into the land of Canaan, he might have thought he ought not to leave it, without being clearly persuaded as to the path of duty.
This site's exposition
Go back to the land of your fathers
The LORD sends Jacob back along the line Abram was told to leave. At 12:1 the command was to leave country and kindred; here it is to return to both. God adds the Bethel clause, I will be with you. Jacob had asked for exactly that in his vow at 28:20.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Do you see the good man's great meekness, on the one hand, and their ingratitude, on the other, and how they could not bear to hold their envy in check but even affected their father's attitude? See now God's ineffable care and the degree of considerateness he employs when he sees us doing our best. I mean, when he saw the good man the object of their envy, he said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your father and to your birthplace, and I will be with you." You have had enough of living in a foreign land, he is saying. What I promised you previously in the words "I will return you to your country," this I now intend to bring to pass. So go back without fear; after all, "I will be with you." You see, to prevent the good man becoming lethargic in departing instead of taking to the road with confidence, he says, "I will be with you." The One who has managed your affairs until now and caused your descendants to increase, "I will be with you" in future as well.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
He was but a churl at the best, but now he was more churlish than formerly. Note, Envy is a sin that often appears in the countenance; hence we read of an evil eye, Prov. xxiii.
He came thither by orders from Heaven, and there he would stay till he was ordered back. Note, It is our duty to set ourselves, and it will be our comfort to see ourselves, under God's guidance, both in our going out and in our coming in.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And the Lord said unto Jacob,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return - and I will be with thee - I will take the same care of thee in thy return, as I took of thee on thy way to this place.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶֽל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יַעֲקֹ֔ב | yaako | Jacob | H3290 → | 350 times |
| שׁ֛וּב | shuv | return | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֶ֥רֶץ | ʾeretz | [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| אֲבוֹתֶ֖יךָ | ʾavoteikha | fathers your | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וּלְמוֹלַדְתֶּ֑ךָ | ulemoladtekha | and to kindred your | H4138 → | 22 times |
| וְאֶֽהְיֶ֖ה | veehyeh | so I may be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| עִמָּֽךְ׃ | ʾimakh | with you | H5973 → | 1050 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶֽל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יַעֲקֹ֔בJacob
yaakoH3290 →350 times
שׁ֛וּבreturn
shuvH7725 →1056 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֶ֥רֶץ[the] land of
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
אֲבוֹתֶ֖יךָfathers your
ʾavoteikhaH1 →1212 times
וּלְמוֹלַדְתֶּ֑ךָand to kindred your
ulemoladtekhaH4138 →22 times
וְאֶֽהְיֶ֖הso I may be
veehyehH1961 →3559 times
עִמָּֽךְ׃with you
ʾimakhH5973 →1050 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
Isaiah 41:10Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand…
it leads to
- Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
- Isaiah 43:1–2
Now this is what the LORD says— He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your…
- Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Deuteronomy 31:6–8
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- Joshua 1:9
Through
Hebrews 13:5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
it leads to
- Joshua 1:5
No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
- Joshua 1:5
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; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.10; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.