Genesis 31:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne?

NIV: Laban answered Jacob, 'The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne?

NASB: Then Laban replied to Jacob, 'The daughters are my daughters, the children are my grandchildren, the flocks are my flocks, and everything that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these daughters of mine or to their children to whom they have given birth?

CSB: Then Laban answered Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters; the children, my children; and the flocks, my flocks! Everything you see is mine! But what can I do today for these daughters of mine or for the children they have borne?

NLT: Then Laban replied to Jacob, 'These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks — in fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and their children?

KJV: And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?

NKJV: And Laban answered and said to Jacob, “ These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?

Jacob has laid out his case against his father-in-law Laban. He has angrily described his twenty years of faithful, honest, effective, and difficult service. He has shown that if the Lord had not stepped in to protect him, Laban's cheating and greed would have left Jacob with nothing. God has been faithful; Laban has been faithless and now has become powerless.

How does Laban respond to this confrontation? He simply asserts both his rights and his inability to claim them. Laban seems committed to casting himself as a victim to the end. He insists that Jacob's wives, children, flocks, and possessions are all legally his. He believes he is the rightful owner, since Jacob came to possess them all as a kind of indentured servant belonging to Laban. In other words, everything that Jacob owns is ultimately owned by Laban, in his eyes.

However, Laban has been visited by the "Fear of Isaac" in a dream. God has warned him, in essence, not to harm Jacob. Laban concludes by giving up: "What can I do" to save or protect my daughters and grandchildren? In the end, Laban refuses to acknowledge that his daughters are running away from him (Genesis 31:14–16) and are not being dragged away against their will.

Genesis 31:43–55 describes the final agreement reached between Jacob and Laban. Laban declares that he will not claim his right to Jacob's wives and children and property. Instead, he and Jacob agree to make a covenant of separation and peace. They build a heap of stones, swear oaths, conduct a sacrifice, and eat a meal together. Finally, Laban kisses his daughters and grandchildren goodbye and rides back to his home. Jacob and his family turn to face the Promised Land.

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.