Genesis 31:3 - Printer Friendly

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 ancestors 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.”

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).

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.

Accessed 5/2/2024 1:36:00 PM