Genesis 30b-31

21 Jan 2026 - Theology

Genesis 30:25-43 - 31 - Jacob and Laban

Laban and Jacob Use Magic

Genesis 30:25-43

Jacob asks Laban for permission to take his family and return home. Laban wants him to stay, as he has “learned by experience” that the Lord (Adonai) has blessed him because of Jacob (27).

“learned by experience” = nāchash - “to hiss; to whisper (a magical spell); to practice sorcery, to take as an omen; to give oracles; to divine, foretell, prognosticate; to learn by experience; to diligently observe.”

We do not know exactly which way Laban used divination, but we read that he did not want Jacob to leave because he believed that Adonai was being good to him as long as Jacob remained.

Jacob says he will keep only the sheep and goats that are spotted or speckled, and Laban will keep the rest (most sheep are born white). Laban agrees.

Jacob then places sticks of white and speckled sticks near the flocks. He putes the white sticks in front of the goats, and many goats are born white. He puts the speckled sticks in front of the much more valuable sheep, and they give birth to many speckled sheep.

In this way Jacob gains a larger, much more valuable flock than Laban.

Jacob Runs Away From His Uncle

Genesis 31:1-42

Genesis 31:3 - “And the Lord said unto Jacob, ‘Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.’”

Genesis 31:11-13 - “And the angel of God [Elohim] spake unto me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob’: and I said, ‘Here am I’ [Hineni]. And he said, ‘Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.’”

We see that Jacob is aware of the presence of God, and that God takes credit for the spotted cattle (or he gives God credit for it).

Jacob believed that his wives and all his wages rightfully belonged to him, since he had worked for them. Laban believed that everything Jacob owned really belonged to him, because Jacob was part of Laban’s household. In different ways, they were both right.

The New Covenant Between Jacob and Laban

Eating shows they are in right relationship - this is a common theme in the Bible (46).

They can’t even agree on the name for the heap of stones. Laban calls it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob calls it Galeed (47).

Jegar-sahadutha = “The heap of witness” (Chald.) Galeed = “The heap of witness” (Hebrew)

Genesis 31:53 - “The God of Abraham, and the god of Nahor, the god of their father, judge between us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac.”

This verse highlights that Jacob and Laban had different gods.

They even eat again in verse 54 because this agreement is complicated and is taking a long time!

In Genesis 32:2, Jacob calls the place Mahanaim, which means “two hosts” or “two camps”. Does Jacob name the place Mahanaim because of the two camps of Laban and Jacob?

References

1. The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
2. The BEMA Podcast, Episode 13: Grappling with God, Part 1
3. The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)
4. Genesis 31:11 - Hineni and hinneh