And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. To show his readiness to agree to the motion, he immediately took a large stone that lay upon the mount, and set it up on one end, to be a standing monument or memorial of the agreement now about to be made between them. read more
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar —or Matzebah , as a memorial or witness of the covenant about to be formed ( Genesis 31:52 ); a different transaction from the piling of the stone-heap next referred to (of. Genesis 28:18 ; Joshua 14:1-15 :27). read more
Galeed and Mizpah, or the covenant of peace. I. THE COVENANT MEMORIALS . 1. The pillar of remembrance . The erection of the stone slab appears to have been the act of Jacob alone, and to have been designed to commemorate the important transaction about to be entered into with Laban. It is well to keep note of those engagements we make with our fellow-men in order to their punctual fulfillment; much more of those we make with God. It does not appear that any name was given to... read more
- Jacob’s Flight from Haran19. 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... read more
Jacob flees from Laban (31:1-55)As Laban and his sons became increasingly hostile to him, Jacob prepared to leave for Canaan without delay (31:1-13). Leah and Rachel agreed, for they too were angry with Laban. He had used them to make himself rich, but apparently had no intention of giving them a share in the inheritance (14-16). Therefore, when they fled, Rachel stole her father’s household idols, for according to Mesopotamian custom possession of these gave her some right to the inheritance... read more
pillar. Compare Genesis 28:18 . read more
"And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones and made a heap: and they did eat there by the heap. And Laban called it Jegar-sathadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed, And Laban said, This heap is witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed; and Mizpah, for he said, Jehovah watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another."See the chapter introduction for a discussion of... read more
Laban’s confrontation with Jacob 31:22-55God had promised to be with Jacob and to return him to Canaan (Genesis 28:15). We see God doing this, in spite of Laban’s opposition, in this section."It was only by divine prospering and protection (24) that Jacob brought anything, even his life, back from exile." [Note: Kidner, p. 165.] "Whatever wealth Abraham may have forfeited upon leaving the family unit of Terah in Haran comes to his heirs in this most unimaginable way." [Note: Mathews, Genesis... read more
Jacob and Laban made a parity covenant, set up a stone pillar (Heb. misbah, standing stone) to mark the spot, and ate a meal together as part of the rite involved in establishing a covenant (Genesis 31:44-48). They may have erected the heap of stones (Heb. gal, cairn, Genesis 31:46) both as a table for the meal and as a memorial of the event. Standing stones sometimes marked supposed dwelling places of the gods (cf. Genesis 28:17-18), and cairns often marked graves (cf. Joshua 7:26; Joshua... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 31:43-55
We have here the compromising of the matter between Laban and Jacob. Laban had nothing to say in reply to Jacob's remonstrance: he could neither justify himself nor condemn Jacob, but was convicted by his own conscience of the wrong he had done him; and therefore desires to hear no more of the matter He is not willing to own himself in a fault, nor to ask Jacob's forgiveness, and make him satisfaction, as he ought to have done. But, I. He turns it off with a profession of kindness for Jacob's... read more