Genesis 31:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled.

NIV: "In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted.

NASB: And it came about at the time when the flock was breeding that I raised my eyes and saw in a dream—and behold—the male goats that were mating were striped, speckled, or mottled.

CSB: "When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females.

NLT: One time during the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

KJV: And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.

NKJV: “And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted.

Jacob is in the process of explaining to his wives, Leah and Rachel, why he feels it is time to abandon their father, Laban, and head back to Jacob's family in Canaan. This mostly revolves around Laban's persistent dishonesty and cheating at Jacob's expense. Now, he backs up to explain to his wives how it came to be that he made the arrangement with Laban in the first place to claim the spotted, striped, and mottled goats as his wages from the flock. After all, the normal course of things was that most of the flock would have been made up of black goats and white sheep.

Here, Jacob resolves a seemingly odd passage from the prior chapter. Jacob appeared to have used striped sticks to cause the flocks to breed in certain colors (Genesis 30:37–43). Verses 10 through 12 explain that he made this arrangement, and utilized the sticks, only after being told by God in a dream, what the outcome would be. In short, the Lord gave Jacob a dream in which male goats mating with the flock were not solidly colored. They were striped, spotted, and mottled.

Jacob continues to insist to his wives that the Lord is trustworthy. God is the reason for their great wealth and protection, not their father. He is building up to telling his wives it is time to leave their homeland.

Genesis 31:1–21 describes the events that propel Jacob to sneak away from Laban and head toward his homeland of Canaan. First, he learns that Laban and his sons are dangerously unhappy with him for taking so many of Laban's profits. Then God commands Jacob to go, promising to be with him. After securing the support of his wives, Jacob packs up his large family and property and sneaks away toward Gilead and then home.

Genesis 31 describes Jacob's difficult separation from Laban, his father-in-law, as well as his boss for twenty years. During that time, Jacob was routinely mistreated and cheated by his master. Commanded by God to return to the land of Canaan, Jacob packs up his wives, children, and all of his possessions and leaves without telling Laban. Laban soon catches up with the large company. Laban and Jacob confront each other bitterly. Eventually, though, they make a covenant of separation and peace.

Genesis 30 described the dramatic expansion of Jacob's family and property. Now, after twenty years of working for Laban, the time comes for Jacob to return to his own people. He attempts to sneak away without telling Laban, but Laban soon catches up with him. After bitter confrontations, father and son-in-law make a covenant of separation and peace. Jacob is finally free to begin the next chapter of his life in the Promised Land. First, though, he will need to deal with his brother Esau, whose rage was the main reason Jacob fled in the first place. That encounter is described over the following two chapters.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.