Genesis 31:41 - Printer Friendly

ESV: These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.

NIV: It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times.

NASB: For these twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times.

CSB: For twenty years in your household I served you--fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks--and you have changed my wages ten times!

NLT: Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times!

KJV: Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

NKJV: Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.

Jacob is describing his twenty years of faithful and diligent service to Laban, who had condemned him for leaving without notice. Worse, Laban accused Jacob of theft, not knowing that it was Rachel, Laban's daughter and Jacob's wife, who had taken his household idols (Genesis 31:19). When a search for those good came up empty (Genesis 31:30–35), Jacob began to respond by detailing how he had been honest, while Laban had been a cheat and fraud. Jacob has described his work as faithful, effective, self-sacrificing, and difficult.

Now he presents the math of his argument to Laban: He worked fourteen years for Laban's two daughters, because of Laban's trickery and Jacob's love for Rachel (Genesis 29:20–28). He worked 6 years for the flock he had received, as payment from Laban, according to a deal they had both agreed upon. Laban actually attempted to poison that bargain by sneaking away with some of the flock as soon as the deal was done (Genesis 30:31–36).

Instead of being kind and treating Jacob well in response to this faithful service, Laban had tried to change Jacob's wages ten times (Genesis 31:6–7). More specifically, as this chapter earlier revealed, Laban had tried to change the terms of their arrangement to reduce the number of animals that would belong to Jacob. Laban had said that Jacob could claim only the spotted goats as his own. Then the Lord would cause all the goats to be born spotted. So Laban would change Jacob's goats to the striped ones, and the Lord would cause only striped goats to be born.

Laban couldn't out-cheat the Lord's ability to bless Jacob by giving to him Laban's own flock (Genesis 31:10–12).

Genesis 31:22–42 recounts Laban's pursuit of Jacob and his large company, after learning his son-in-law has left for Canaan without telling him. It takes a week, but Laban catches up. Warned by God in a dream not to say anything to Jacob ''either good or bad,'' Laban instead expresses his hurt to Jacob and accuses him of stealing Laban's house idols. When a search for the idols—cleverly hidden by Rachel without Jacob's knowledge—turns up nothing, Jacob finally expresses all of his complaints about Laban's unfair treatment of him in spite of twenty years of faithful service.

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.