Kejadian 31:1

Jacob’s Flight from Laban

31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, ¹  “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich ²  at our father’s expense!” ³ 

Kejadian 31:3

31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers ⁴  and to your relatives. I will be with you.” ⁵ 

Kejadian 31:21

31:21 He left ⁶  with all he owned. He quickly crossed ⁷  the Euphrates River ⁸  and headed for ⁹  the hill country of Gilead.

[31:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”

[31:1]  ² sn The Hebrew word translated “gotten rich” (כָּבוֹד, cavod) has the basic idea of “weight.” If one is heavy with possessions, then that one is wealthy (13:2). Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph all became wealthy when they left the promised land. Jacob’s wealth foreshadows what will happen to Israel when they leave the land of Egypt (Exod 12:35-38).

[31:1]  ³ tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”

[31:3]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.

[31:3]  ⁵ sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the Lord promised to be.

[31:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he fled.”

[31:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.

[31:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “he set his face.”