the Second Week after Easter
Click here to learn more!
Read the Bible
Brenton's Septuagint
Genesis 31:3
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- BridgewayEncyclopedias:
- CondensedParallel Translations
The LORD said to Ya`akov, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
And Yahweh said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your ancestors and to your family, and I will be with you."
The Lord said to Jacob, "Go back to the land where your ancestors lived, and I will be with you."
The Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives. I will be with you."
Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your people, and I will be with you."
Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
And the Lorde had said vnto Iaakob, Turne againe into the lande of thy fathers, and to thy kinred, and I wilbe with thee.
Then Yahweh said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your kin, and I will be with you."
One day the Lord said, "Jacob, go back to your relatives in the land of your ancestors, and I will bless you."
Adonai said to Ya‘akov, "Return to the land of your ancestors, to your kinsmen; I will be with you."
And Jehovah said to Jacob, Return into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
The Lord said to Jacob, "Go back to your own land where your ancestors lived. I will be with you."
Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you."
And the LORD said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers, and to your kindred; and I will be with you.
Then the Lord said to him, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives. I will be with you."
The Lord said to him, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”
And Jehovah said to Jacob, Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred. And I will be with you.
And the LORDE sayde vnto him: Departe agayne to thy fatherlade, and to thy kynred, I wyll be with the.
And Jehovah said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
Then the Lord said to Jacob, Go back to the land of your fathers, and to your relations, and I will be with you.
And the Lorde sayde vnto Iacob: turne agayne into the lande of thy fathers, and to thy kynrede, and I wyll be with thee.
And the LORD said unto Jacob: 'Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.'
And the LORD said vnto Iacob, Returne vnto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I wil be with thee.
And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you."
moost for the Lord seide to hym, Turne ayen into the lond of thi fadris, and to thi generacioun, and Y shal be with thee.
And Jehovah saith unto Jacob, `Turn back unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I am with thee.'
And Yahweh said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers, and to your kindred; and I will be with you.
And the LORD said to Jacob, Return to the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
Yahweh said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you."
Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you."
Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to those of your family. And I will be with you."
Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your ancestors and to your kindred, and I will be with you."
Then said Yahweh unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, - that I may be with thee.
Especially the Lord saying to him: Return into the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.
Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you."
That's when God said to Jacob, "Go back home where you were born. I'll go with you."
Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Return: Genesis 28:15, Genesis 28:20, 21-29:15, Genesis 32:9, Genesis 35:1, Genesis 46:2, Genesis 46:3, Genesis 50:24, Psalms 46:1, Psalms 50:15, Psalms 90:15
land: Genesis 31:13, Genesis 31:18, Genesis 13:15, Genesis 26:3-5, Genesis 28:4, Genesis 28:13, Genesis 28:15, Genesis 30:25
with thee: Genesis 21:22, Genesis 26:24, Genesis 28:15, Genesis 32:9, Isaiah 41:10, Hebrews 13:5
Reciprocal: Genesis 31:5 - I see Genesis 31:27 - Wherefore Genesis 31:28 - foolishly Genesis 35:3 - was with Genesis 35:9 - General Exodus 3:12 - Certainly
Cross-References
for all the land which thou seest, I will give it to thee and to thy seed for ever.
And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech spoke, and Ochozath his friend, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, to Abraam, saying, God is with thee in all things, whatsoever thou mayest do.
And the Lord appeared to him in that night, and said, I am the God of Abraam thy father; fear not, for I am with thee, and I will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for the sake of Abraam thy father.
And may he give thee the blessing of my father Abraam, even to thee and to thy seed after thee, to inherit the land of thy sojourning, which God gave to Abraam.
And the Lord stood upon it, and said, I am the God of thy father Abraam, and the God of Isaac; fear not, the land on which thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.
And it came to pass when Rachel had born Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my land.
And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and behold it was not toward him as before.
And the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of thy father, and to thy family, and I will be with thee.
And he said to them, I see the face of your father, that it is not toward me as before, but the God of my father was with me.
I am God that appeared to thee in the place of God where thou anointedst a pillar to me, and vowedst to me there a vow; now then arise and depart out of this land, depart into the land of thy nativity, and I will be with thee.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And the Lord said unto Jacob,.... In answer to a prayer of his; or seeing what difficulties and discouragements Jacob laboured under, he appeared unto him for his encouragement and instruction how to proceed:
return unto the land of thy fathers; the land of Canaan, given to Abraham and Isaac by promise:
and to thy kindred: his father and mother, and brother, who all dwelt in the land of Canaan at this time, or as many as were living: or "to thy nativity" w, the place where he was born, and to which he must have a natural desire to return: and
I will be with thee; to protect him from any injury that might be attempted to be done unto him, either by Laban or Esau.
w ××××××ª× "ad natale solum", Tigurine version; "ad nativitatem tuam", Vatablus, Drusius.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- Jacobâs Flight from Haran
19. תרפ×× teraÌpıÌym, 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 âto live well,â intransitively (Gesenius, Roedig.), âto nourish,â transitively (Furst). The teraphim were symbols or representatives of the Deity, as Laban calls them his gods. They seem to have been busts (ÏÏοÏÎ¿Î¼Î±Î¹Ì protomai, Aquila) of the human form, sometimes as large as life 1 Samuel 19:13. Those of full size were probably of wood; the smaller ones may have been of metal. In two passages Judges 17:1-13; Judges 18:0; Hosea 3:4 they are six times associated with the ephod. This intimates either that they were worn on the ephod, like the Urim and Thummim, or more probably that the ephod was worn on them; in accordance with which they were employed for the purposes of divination Genesis 30:27; Zechariah 10:2. The employment of them in the worship of God, which Laban seems to have inherited from his fathers Joshua 24:2, is denounced as idolatry 1 Samuel 15:23; and hence, they are classed with the idols and other abominations put away by Josiah 2 Kings 23:24.
47. ש××××Ö¼×ª× ××ר yegar-sÌaÌhaÌduÌtaÌ', Jegar-sahadutha, âcairn of witnessâ in the Aramaic dialect of the old Hebrew or Shemite speech. ×××¢× galâeÌd, Galâed; and ×××¢× gıÌlâaÌd, Gilâad, âcairn of witnessâ in Hebrew especially so called (see Genesis 11:1-9).
49. ××¦×¤× mıÌtspaÌh, Mizpah, âwatch-tower.â
Jacob had now been twenty years in Labanâs service, and was therefore, ninety-six years of age. It has now become manifest that he cannot obtain leave of Laban to return home. He must, therefore, either come off by the high hand, or by secret flight. Jacob has many reasons for preferring the latter course.
Genesis 31:1-13
Circumstances at length induce Jacob to propose flight to his wives. His prosperity provokes the envy and slander of Labanâs sons, and Laban himself becomes estranged. The Lord now commands Jacob to return, and promises him his presence to protect him. Jacob now opens his mind fully to Rachel and Leah. Rachel, we observe, is put first. Several new facts come out in his discourse to them. Ye know - Jacob appeals to his wives on this point - âthat with all my might I served your father.â He means, of course, to the extent of his engagement. During the last six years he was to provide for his own house, as the Lord permitted him, with the full knowledge and concurrence of Laban. Beyond this, which is a fair and acknowledged exception, he has been faithful in keeping the cattle of Laban. âYour father deceived me, and changed my wages ten times;â that is, as often as he could.
If, at the end of the first year, he found that Jacob had gained considerably, though he began with nothing, he might change his wages every following half-year, and so actually change them ten times in five years. In this case, the preceding chapter only records his original expedients, and then states the final result. âGod suffered him not to hurt me.â Jacob, we are to remember, left his hire to the providence of God. He thought himself bound at the same time to use all legitimate means for the attainment of the desired end. His expedients may have been perfectly legitimate in the circumstances, but they were evidently of no avail without the divine blessing. And they would become wholly ineffectual when his wages were changed. Hence, he says, God took the cattle and gave them to me. Jacob seems here to record two dreams, the former of which is dated at the rutting season. The dream indicates the result by a symbolic representation, which ascribes it rather to the God of nature than to the man of art. The second dream makes allusion to the former as a process still going on up to the present time. This appears to be an encouragement to Jacob now to commit himself to the Lord on his way home. The angel of the Lord, we observe, announces himself as the God of Bethel, and recalls to Jacob the pillar and the vow. The angel, then, is Yahweh manifesting himself to human apprehension.
Genesis 31:14-19
His wives entirely accord with his view of their fatherâs selfishness in dealing with his son-in-law, and approve of his intended departure. Jacob makes all the needful preparations for a hasty and secret flight. He avails himself of the occasion when Laban is at a distance probably of three or more daysâ journey, shearing his sheep. âRachel stole the teraphim.â It is not the business of Scripture to acquaint us with the kinds and characteristics of false worship. Hence, we know little of the teraphim, except that they were employed by those who professed to worship the true God. Rachel had a lingering attachment to these objects of her familyâs superstitious reverence, and secretly carried them away as relics of a home she was to visit no more, and as sources of safety to herself against the perils of her flight.
Genesis 31:20-24
Laban hears of his flight, pursues, and overtakes him. âStole the heart,â κλεÌÏÏειν Î½Î¿Ï Íν kleptein noun. The heart is the seat of the understanding in Scripture. To steal the heart of anyone is to act without his knowledge. The river. The Frat, near which, we may conclude, Jacob was tending his flocks. Haran was about seventy miles from the river, and therefore, Labanâs flocks were on the other side of Haran. âToward mount Gilead;â about three hundred miles from the Frat. âOn the third day.â This shows that Labanâs flocks kept by his sons were still three daysâ journey apart from Jacobâs. His brethren - his kindred and dependents. âSeven daysâ journey.â On the third day after the arrival of the messenger, Laban might return to the spot whence Jacob had taken his flight. In this case, Jacob would have at least five days of a start; which, added to the seven days of pursuit, would give him twelve days to travel three hundred English miles. To those accustomed to the pastoral life this was a possible achievement. God appears to Laban on behalf of Jacob, and warns him not to harm him. âNot to speak from good to badâ is merely to abstain from language expressing and prefacing violence.
Genesis 31:25-32
Labanâs expostulation and Jacobâs reply. What hast thou done? Laban intimates that he would have dismissed him honorably and affectionately, and therefore, that his flight was needless and unkind; and finally charges him with stealing his gods. Jacob gives him to understand that he did not expect fair treatment at his hands, and gives him leave to search for his gods, not knowing that Rachel had taken them.
Genesis 31:33-42
After the search for the teraphim has proved vain, Jacob warmly upbraids Laban. âThe camelâs saddle.â This was a pack-saddle, in the recesses of which articles might be deposited, and on which was a seat or couch for the rider. Rachel pleads the custom of women as an excuse for keeping her seat; which is admitted by Laban, not perhaps from the fear of ceremonial defilement Leviticus 15:19-27, as this law was not yet in force, but from respect to his daughter and the conviction that in such circumstances she would not sit upon the teraphim. âMy brethren and thy brethrenâ - their common kindred. Jacob recapitulates his services in feeling terms. âBy day the drought;â caused by the heat, which is extreme during the day, while the cold is not less severe in Palestine during the night. âThe fear of Isaacâ - the God whom Isaac fears. Judged - requited by restraining thee from wrong-doing.
Genesis 31:43-47
Laban, now pacified, if not conscience-stricken, proposes a covenant between them. Jacob erects a memorial pillar, around which the clan gather a cairn of stones, which serves by its name for a witness of their compact. âJegar-sahadutha.â Here is the first decided specimen of Aramaic, as contradistinguished from Hebrew. Its incidental appearance indicates a fully formed dialect known to Jacob, and distinct from his own. Gilead or Galeed remains to this day in Jebel Jelâad, though the original spot was further north.
Genesis 31:48-54
The covenant is then completed. And Mizpah. This refers to some prominent cliff from which, as a watch-tower, an extensive view might be obtained. It was in the northern half of Gilead Deuteronomy 3:12-13, and is noticed in Judges 11:29. It is not to be confounded with other places called by the same name. The reference of this name to the present occurrence is explained in these two verses. The names Gilead and Mizpah may have arisen from this transaction, or received a new turn in consequence of its occurrence. The terms of the covenant are now formally stated. I have cast. The erection of the pillar was a joint act of the two parties; in which Laban proposes, Jacob performs, and all take part. âThe God of Abraham, Nahor, and Terah.â This is an interesting acknowledgment that their common ancestor Terah and his descendants down to Laban still acknowledged the true God even in their idolatry. Jacob swears by the fear of isaac, perhaps to rid himself of any error that had crept into Labanâs notions of God and his worship. The common sacrifice and the common meal ratify the covenant of reconciliation.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 31:3. 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 Targum reads, My WORD shall be for thy help, see Genesis 15:1. A promise of this kind was essentially necessary for the encouragement of Jacob, especially at this time; and no doubt it was a powerful means of support to him through the whole journey; and it was particularly so when he heard that his brother was coming to meet him, with four hundred men in his retinue, Genesis 32:6. At that time he went and pleaded the very words of this promise with God, Genesis 32:9.
