Genesis 31:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee.

NIV: Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away.

NASB: And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.

CSB: And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean, not telling him that he was fleeing.

NLT: Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, for they set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving.

KJV: And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.

NKJV: And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee.

Jacob tricked Laban. Literally, he deceived the deceiver. Jacob somehow managed to pack up his family and all of his belongings and leave without Laban knowing that it was happening. The previous verse may hold a clue to how Jacob pulled it off: Laban had gone to shear his sheep—a flock he had moved three days' journey away from Jacob specifically as an attempt to keep Jacob's profits low (Genesis 30:31–36).

It's hard to feel too badly for Laban. He had famously deceived Jacob on his wedding night twenty years earlier (Genesis 29:20–28). More recently, he had repeatedly attempted to cheat the father of his own grandchildren in business (Genesis 31:4–13). Even his own daughters recognized that their father prized his money over his own family (Genesis 31:14–16).

Still, would Jacob not have been able to leave if he told Laban he was going? Depending on the exact nature of their relationship, Jacob might or might not have been able to freely go, at least not along with his wives and children. Legal or not, we will later learn both that Jacob feared Laban might take his wives and children by force, and such a fear will be justified by Laban's own statements.

So, once again, Jacob is running away (Genesis 27:41–45; 28:1–5), but this time only as quickly as a long, large caravan could travel.

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.