Genesis 31:11-13

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 31:1-16

Jacob is here taking up a resolution immediately to quit his uncle's service, to take what he had and go back to Canaan. This resolution he took up upon a just provocation, by divine direction, and with the advice and consent of his wives. I. Upon a just provocation; for Laban and his sons had become very cross and ill-natured towards him, so that he could not stay among them with safety or satisfaction. 1. Laban's sons showed their ill-will in what they said, Gen. 31:1. It should seem they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 31:11

And the Angel of God spake unto me in a dream ,.... In the same dream before related, and to direct him to observe what was presented to him, and to confirm what he saw, and lead him to the design and use of it. This was not a created angel, but the eternal one, the Son of God, and who is afterwards called God, and to whom Jacob had made a vow, which he would never have done to an angel; but to God only, as Ben Melech observes: saying , Jacob; and I said, here am I ; the Angel called... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 31:12

And he said, lift up now thine eyes, and see ,.... This was all visionary, Jacob was still in a dream; but it was so impressed upon his mind, that he was spoke to, and bid to observe, and take notice, as follows: that all the rams that leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled , and grisled ; thereby assuring him, that such would be those the ewes would bring forth, which would be right in him to agree with Laban for as his hire; and it is probable that there was some distance... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 31:13

I am the God of Bethel ,.... The same Angel that appeared to Jacob in a dream, at the beginning of his six years' servitude, now appeared to him at the close of it, declaring himself to be the God of Bethel; or that God that manifested himself to him at Bethel, as Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase the words; for this is a distinct vision from that in the preceding verses, concerning the rams of different colours, and are both put together for the sake of brevity, and because they belong to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 31:11

The angel of God spake unto me in a dream - It is strange that we had not heard of this dream before; and yet it seems to have taken place before the cattle brought forth, immediately after the bargain between him and Laban. If we follow the Samaritan the difficulty is at once removed, for it gives us the whole of this dream after Genesis 30:36 ; of the preceding chapter, read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 31:12

Grisled - ברדים beruddim ; ברד barad signifies hail, and the meaning must be, they had white spots on them similar to hail. Our word grisled comes from the old French, gresl , hail, now written gràle; hence greslé , grisled, spotted with white upon a dark ground. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 31:13

Verse 13 13.I am the God of Beth-el. It is not wonderful that the angel should assume the person of God: either because God the Father appeared to the holy patriarchs in his own Word, as in a lively mirror, and that under the form of an angel; or because angels, speaking by the command of God, rightly utter their words, as from his mouth. For the prophets are accustomed to this form of speaking; not that they may exalt themselves into the place of God; but only that the majesty of God, whose... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 31:1-21

Jacob's flight from Laban. I. THE HOMEWARD DESIRE . The longing to revisit Canaan, which six years previously Laban's exactions and Joseph's birth ( Genesis 30:25 ) had combined to inspire within the heart of Jacob, returned upon him with an intensity that could no longer be resisted. Accelerated in its vehemence partly by the interposed delay to which it had been subjected, partly by his further acquaintance with the meanness and craft of his uncle, and partly by his own rapidly-... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 31:11

And the angel of God —literally, the angel (or Maleach ) of Elohim , i . e . of the God who was with me and protecting me, though himself continuing unseen— spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I ( vide Genesis 20:1 , Genesis 20:11 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 31:12

And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled . Since all the parti-colored animals had already been removed ( Genesis 30:35 ), this vision must have been intended to assure him that the flocks would produce speckled and spotted progeny all the same as if the ringstraked and grisled rams and he-goats had not been removed from their midst (cf. Kurtz, § 78). To insist upon a contradiction between this account of... read more

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