Genesis 31:45 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

NIV: So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

NASB: Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial stone.

CSB: So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a marker.

NLT: So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument.

KJV: And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

NKJV: So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

Laban has suggested a covenant between himself and Jacob. They have aired their differences, including Jacob's extensive abuse at the hands of Laban's greedy manipulations. Laban, for his part, sees all of Jacob's wealth as his own, since Jacob was his servant, and refuses to accept the fact that his daughters are leaving him voluntarily. However, thanks to a warning from God (Genesis 31:24), Laban is not willing to use force to stop Jacob from leaving.

After all of this, the two men have come to an agreement to simply part ways. Jacob agrees to this contract and uses a stone to set up a pillar to mark this pact. This pillar is similar to the one Jacob erected from his stone pillow, after the Lord appeared to him in a dream at Bethel (Genesis 28:18). He will set up another pillar after Rachel dies (Genesis 35:14, 20). These pillars mark significant events in Jacob's life.

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.

Accessed 4/29/2024 6:02:39 AM