Studies In Genesis: Chapter 31 Series

Note: When doing a study on a book in the Bible you use a lot of resources. The major influence for me on this study of Genesis is The Genesis Record by Henry Morris.

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ŠJ L ÖJ ÖJ ÖJ ÖJ à=Ð/ Ð 8 ÖJ 25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob

said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place,

and to my country.

26 Give [me] my wives and my children, for whom I have served

thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have

done thee.

Jacob feels it is time to break away from the family and leave Laban. It is time to get out on his own and work for his own labor. But Laban has a different idea.

27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour

in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have learned by experience that the

LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

Now listen Jacob. You have worked very well before me. God has really blessed me while you was here so why not stay longer.

28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [it].

So Laban tries to make a deal with Jacob. Name your price what will it cost.

29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee,

and how thy cattle was with me.

30 For [it was] little which thou hadst before I [came], and it

is [now] increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed

thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own

house also?

Jacob says it is time to step out. Listen you have got over and abundantly you monies worth. You have increased your riches now it is time for me to provide for my family. Oh, yeah and I really don't want to make a deal with you. Why?

31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou

shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I

will again feed [and] keep thy flock:

32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from

thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown

cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the

goats: and [of such] shall be my hire.

33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come,

when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that

[is] not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among

the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

So he does make a deal. Maybe Laban will have to honor this one since it was open to all. The deal is all the pure breeds will be yours and all the speckled and spotted( the unwanted) will be mine. This would allow for also only the pure breeds to mate.

34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy

word.

35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked

and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and

spotted, [and] every one that had [some] white in it, and all the

brown among the sheep, and gave [them] into the hand of his sons.

So he separates the flock.

36 And he set three days' journey (about 12 miles) betwixt himself and Jacob:

and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

37. And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel (almond tree)

and chesnut tree(tree of the plane); and pilled white strakes in them, and made the

white appear which [was] in the rods.

38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in

the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to

drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth

cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the

flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of

Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not

unto Laban's cattle.

41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did

conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle

in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put [them] not in: so

the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and