Genesis 28-31: Jacob’s Dream Of Ladder; Jacob Works 7 Years To Marry Rachel; Jacob Was Tricked To Marry Leah; Another 7 Years For Rachel; Jacob’s Family; Jacob’s Spotted And Speckled And Brown Cattle; Jacob Flees Laban; Laban Pursued Jacob

Pentateuch by Ralph Levy

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Intro was a question about Terah’s belief (who he served), henotheism.

Gen. 28:10 Jacob went eastward from Beer-sheba to Haran.

:11 he went to a certain place and stayed all night because the sun was set; and he took stones to make as pillows and slept.

:12 he dreamed of a ladder set up on the earth and the top reached to heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

:13 and the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed;

:14 “And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

:15 “And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and will bring you again into this land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken to you of.”

:16 Jacob awoke out of his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.”

:17 it was the house of God

:18 Jacob rose up early, set up the stone for a pillar and poured oil on top of it

:19 he called that place Bethel (house of God) but the place was called Luz before.

:20 And Jacob made a vow that if God will be with him and protect him and provide for him food and clothing

:21 so that he could be back to his father’s house in peace, then the LORD be his God

:22 and the stone he set as a pillar shall be God’s house: and that all that God will give him, he will tithe.

2nd time tithe was mentioned (Gen. 14 was the first when Abraham tithed).

Gen. 29:1 Jacob went on his journey to the east

:2 and behold he saw flocks of sheep by the well with a great stone on the well’s mouth

:3 and there all the flocks gathered: they rolled the stone to get water for the sheep and put the stone back

:4 he asked the people where they are from and they answered, from Haran.

:5 He asked if they knew Laban for which they said they did.

:6 He asked how is he and they said he is well and that his daughter Rachel comes to the well with the sheep (Rachel, a shepherdess).

:7-8 Jacob suggested they water the sheep and feed them since it was yet early but they said they could not until all are gathered.

:9 Rachel arrived with her sheep

:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, Rebekah’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and water the flock of Laban.

:11 and Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted up his voice and wept

:12 and Jacob told rachel how they are related (Rachel’s father Laban is the brother of Jacob’s mother Rebekah); and Rachel ran to tell his father.

:13 when Laban heard of it, he welcomed Jacob and embraced and kissed him and brouht him to his house.

:14 Laban acknowledged him as his relative and Jacob stayed with him a month.

:15 Laban suggested to pay Jacob’s wages and not take Jacob’s serving for free because he is a relative.

:16 Laban had two daughters, the elder was Leah, and the younger, Rachel.

:17 Leah was tender eyed but Rachel was beautiful and well favored.

Gen. 39:6 Joseph inherited the eyes of Rachel

:18 Jacob loved Rachel and told Laban he will serve him 7 years for Rachel to be his wife.

:19 Laban agreed to give him to Jacob than to another man so he let Jacob abide with him longer.

:20 Jacob served 7 years for which it seemed short for he loved Rachel

:21 and Jacob asked Laban to pay his wage (Rachel to be his wife) for the days are fulfilled.

:22 Laban made a feast (mishteh, several used in the book of Esther)

:23 but Laban took Leah and brought it to Jacob

:24 he also gave Zilpah to be her handmade

:25 When morning came Jacob was surprised it was Leah and confronted Laban

:26 Laban gave the excuse that it must not be so that the younger be given before the firstborn

:27 Laban told Jacob to fulfill her week and for another 7 years of service he will give Rachel.

:28 And Jacob did so and got Rachel.

:29 And Laban gave to her Bilhah to be her handmaid.

God tolerated the polygamy but always preferred that a man has one wife (Mal. 2:15)

Gen. 29:30 Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah and served Laban yet another 7 years.

:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, He opened her womb and closed Rachel’s.

:32  Leah conceived and bore Reuben (Behold, a son) - Reuben associated with France

:33 Second son was Simeon (literally, heard) - Simeon is dispersed and has no modern nationality

:34 Third son Levi, and said, “Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons.” (Levi: attached) - ended up not having land for inheritance because of being a priestly tribe

:35 Fourth was Judah (praise) - progenitor of the Jewish people.

Gen. 30:1 Rachel demanded children from Jacob, envying Leah.

:2 Jacob’s anger kindled against Rachel and said, “Am I in God’s stead, who has withheld from you the fruit of your womb?”

:3 Rachel gave to him Bilhah so she may have children by her

:4 and Jacob went into her

:5 Bilhah conceived and bore a son

:6 and named him Dan (judge, judgment) - associated with Denmark or Ireland perhaps (not doctrinal statement)

:7 Bilhan conceived again and bore a 2nd son

:8 named him Naphtali (my wrestlings) - identified with Sweden

:9 When Leah saw that she stopped bearing, she gave her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob to wife

:10 and Zilpah bore a son

:11 and named him Gad (troop) - Switzerland

:12-13 and a 2nd son Asher (happy) - Belgium and Luxembourg.

:14 Reuben found mandrakes (aphrodisiac, fertility herb) in the field and Rachel asked for some from Leah

:15 Leah countered, “Is it a small matter that took my husband and would you take away my son’s mandrake also?” And Rachel assured her that Jacob will lie with Leah that night in exchange of Reuben’s mandrakes.

:16 Jacob coming from the field, Leah went out to meet him and told him that he must lay with her for she hired him in exchange of her son’s mandrakes.

:17 God hearkened unto Leah and bore a 5th son.

:18 named him Issachar (hire) - associated with Finland

:19 and bore a 6th son

:20 named him Zebulun (dwelling) - associated with Netherlands or Holland

:21 afterwards bore a daughter, Dinah

:22 God remembered Rachel and opened her womb

:23-24 and bore Joseph (He will add) - father of Ephraim and Manasseh (progenitors of the English-speaking nations: US (Manasseh) and British commonwealth (Ephraim))

:25 When Joseph was born, Jacob asked Laban to send him (Jacob) away to go to his own place.

:26 he asked his wives and let him go for Laban knew of his service he had done

:27 but Laban asked him to stay longer and acknowledged that God had blessed him through Jacob

:28 and offered Jacob to tell what his wages would be

:29-30 and Jacob made him realize that Laban’s cattle were little when Jacob came and now it increased to a multitude and wished to provide for his own house

:31Laban asked what he should give but Jacob said he will give nothing

:32 instead, he will pass through all the flock removing the speckled and spotted and brown (all blemished) cattle among the sheep and goats for his hire.

:33 so when it happens that there is one not blemished in his flock that it be counted stolen by Jacob

:34 and Laban agreed

:35 and Jacob removed that day all the blemished (brown, spotted and speckled) cattle and handed them to his sons

:36 Laban set 3 days journey between him and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

:37 Jacob took him rods of green poplar and hazel (perhaps almond) and chestnut tree and peeled white streaks in them and made the white appear which was in the rods.

:38 he set the peeled rods before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

:39 and the flocks conceived and brought forth cattle ringstreaked, speckled and spotted.

:40 Jacob did separate the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban and he put his own flocks by themselves

:41Whenever the stronger cattle conceived, he laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle

:42 but when the cattle were feeble, he did not put the rods; so the feeble ones for Laban and the stronger ones for Jacob.

Jacob the trickster did it again and God allowed it.

:43 and Jacob increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

Gen. 31:1 Jacob heard Laban’s sons saying that he had taken all that is their father’s

:2 and saw the countenance of Laban and it was unlike before

:3 and the LORD told him to return unto his kindred

:4 so Jacob called both wives

:5 and explained that Laban’s countenance changed

:6 and that he did everything to serve him

:7 yet Laban deceived him and changed his wages ten times but God did not allow Laban to hurt him

:8 that if Laban said the speckled will be his wages, then the cattle bore speckled; and if ringstreaked, the cattle bore ringstreaked.

:9 thus God had taken away the cattle of Laban and given unto Jacob.

:10 and it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that he lifted up his eyes and saw in a dream, rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstreaked, speckled and grizzled.

:11 and the Angel of God called him in a dream and he responded

:12 and He said, “Lift up now your eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled: for I have seen all that Laban does unto you.

:13 “I am God of Bethel where you anointed the pillar, and where you vowed a vow unto Me: now arise, get you out from this land, and return unto the land of your kindred.”

:14 Rachel and Leah asked if there is any inheritance for them in their father’s house

:15 since they are counted as strangers since he sold them to Jacob and Laban had spent all their money

:16 for all the riches that God has taken from their father is theirs and their children’s so they told Jacob that whatever God told him, that he must do.

:17 Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and his wives upon camels

:18 and he carried all his cattle and goods towards his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

:19 While Laban was away to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the images that were her father’s.

:20 and Jacob fled not letting Laban know

:21 and passed over the river and set his face toward the mount of Gilead.

:22 Laban was told only on the third day

:23 and took his brethren with him and pursued Jacob for seven days and they overtook him in the mount of Gilead.

:24 and God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night and warned not to speak good or bad of Jacob

:25 and Laban overtook Jacob and pitched tent at Gilead.

:26 Laban confronted Jacob that he fled without letting him know

:27 and fled secretly; why he did not tell Laban that he might have sent him away with mirth, songs, tabret, and with harp?

:28 why he was not allowed to kiss his sons and daughters goodbye…that Jacob had done foolishly

:29 he told Jacob that it was in his power to hurt him but the God of Jacob’s father spoke to him warning him not to speak of Jacob good or bad.

:30 and Laban accused Jacob of stealing his gods.

:31 Jacob said he was afraid to tell Laban they were leaving because he might take his wives by force

:32 but for the stolen gods, Jacob told Laban to search freely and whatever he finds that is his he can take back. Jacob knew not that Rachel had his father’s gods.

:33 Laban went into Jacob’s, Leah’s and Rachel’s tents but found nothing.

:34 Rachel hid the images in the camel’s furniture and sat upon them.

:35 and she told her father that she cannot rise up as the custom of women was upon her (menstrual period)

:36 Jacob chided with Laban and was wroth, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me?

:37 “You have searched all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both.”