Bible Commentaries
Go deeper in Scripture
Browse trusted public-domain commentary alongside DiscipleDeck Bible study. References inside each commentary open Bible previews in place.
27,299 commentary entries
The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:21
So (literally, and) he fled with (literally, and) all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river,—i.e. the Euphrates, which was called by preeminence the river (cf. 1 Kings 4:21; Ezra 4:10, Ezra 4:16)—and se…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:22-44
EXPOSITION Genesis 31:22, Genesis 31:23 And it was told Laban on the third day—i.e. the third after Jacob's departure, the distance between the two sheep-stations being a three days' journey (vide Genesis 30:36)—that Ja…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:22-44
Laban's pursuit of Jacob. I. THE HOSTILE PREPARATION. Learning of his son-in-law's departure, Laban at once determines on pursuit; not alone for the purpose of recovering his household gods, but chiefly with the view of…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:26-30
And Laban (assuming a tone of injured innocence) said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me,—literally, and (meaning, in that) thou hast stolen my heart (vide supra, Genesis 31:20; and…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:33
And Laban went into Jacob's taut, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maid-servants' tents;—the clause affords an interesting glimpse into the manners of the times, showing that not only husbands and wives, but also…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:34
Now Rachel had taken the images (teraphim), and put them in the camel's furniture,—the camel's furniture was not stramenta cameli (Vulgate), "the camel's straw" (Luther), but the camel's saddle (LXX; Onkelos, Syriac, Ca…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:35
And she said to her father,—"covering theft by subtlety and untruth" (Kalisch), and thus proving herself a time daughter of Laban, as well as showing with how much imperfection her religious character was tainted—Let it…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:36-42
And Jacob was wroth,—literally, and it burned, sc. with indignation (same word as used by Rachel, Genesis 31:35), to Jacob, i.e. he was infuriated at what he believed to be Laban's unjustifiable insinuation about his lo…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:45-55
EXPOSITION
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:45
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…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:45-55
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 Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:46
And Jacob said unto his brethren,—Laban's kinsmen and his own (vide Genesis 31:37)—Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap:—Gal, from Galal, to roll, to move in a circle, probably signified a circular cair…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:47
And Laban called it Jegar sahadutha:—A Chaldaic term signifying "Heap of testimony," βουνὸς τῆς μαρτυρίας (LXX.); tumulum testis (Vulgate)—but Jacob called it Galeed—compounded of Gal and 'ed and meaning, like the co…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:48-50
And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. The historian adding—Therefore was the name of it called (originally by Jacob, and afterwards by the Israelites from this transaction) Galeed (vide on…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:51-53
And Laban said to Jacob,—according to Ewald the last narrator has transposed the names of Laban and Jacob—Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast (same word as in Genesis 31:45. The Arabic version an…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:51-55
Final covenant between Jacob and Laban. I. ENTIRE SEPARATION FROM TEMPTATION IS THE ONLY SAFETY. Very imperfect knowledge in the Mesopotamian family. Rachel's theft of the household gods a sign of both moral and spiritu…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:54
Then Jacob offered sacrifice—literally, slew a slaying, in ratification of the covenant—upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread. The sacrificial meal afterwards became an integral part of the Hebrew ritual…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 31:55
And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters,—i.e. Rachel and Leah and their children. It does not appear that Laban kissed Jacob on taking final leave of him as he did on first meeting…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 32:1
And Jacob (after Laban's departure) went on his way (from Galeed and Mizpah, in a southerly direction towards the Jabbok), and the angels of God—literally, the messengers of Elohim, not chance travelers who informed him…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 32:1-23
EXPOSITION
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 32:1-23
Mahanaim, or preparing for Esau. I. THE ANGELIC APPARITION. 1. The time when it occurred. 2. The impression which it made. Whether completely surrounding him, or divided into two companies, one on either side of him, Ja…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 32:2
And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host:—Mahaneh Elohim; i.e. the army (cf. Genesis 1:9; Exodus 14:24) or camp (1 Samuel 14:15; Psalms 27:3) of God, as opposed to the Mahanoth, or bands of Jacob himself (vi…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 32:3
And Jacob sent messengers (with the messengers of Jacob, the messengers of Elohim form a contrast which can scarcely have been accidental) before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir,—vide on Genesis 14:6. Seir…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 32:3-8
Faith and fellowship. Jacob's preparation against danger betokened his sense of duty to do his utmost under the circumstances, and his sense of past errors and ill desert towards his brother. There is an exercise of our…