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Genesis 31:3
ESV Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you."
NIV Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
NASB Then the Lord said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.'
CSB The Lord said to him, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you."
NLT 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.'
KJV And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
NKJV Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”

What does Genesis 31:3 mean?

Jacob is aware that Laban's sons are grumbling against him and that he has lost Laban's favor, as well. Now the Lord Himself tells Jacob the time has come to leave, to return to his own homeland in Canaan. Later in this chapter, we will learn that it was God who instructed Jacob to make his deal with Laban, and God who guided the birth of the flocks (Genesis 31:10–12), turning Laban's attempted scam (Genesis 30:31–36) into a blessing for Jacob (Genesis 30:37–43). This seems to have been a preparation for this very moment.

The Lord adds the promise that He will be with Jacob, as He has said before and as He has repeatedly demonstrated. Jacob will not be running away from Laban on his own. He can be confident that God will protect him.

Even though Jacob is likely eager to obey, it should be noted that this is not a suggestion from the Lord. It is a command, and it is similar to God's command to Abraham many years earlier when He sent Abraham from the same region into the promised land of Canaan for the first time (Genesis 12:1–4).
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