seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate? 15 Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.”
17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram,[a] to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. 21 So he fled with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram,[a] to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. 21 So he fled with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
a. Genesis 31:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
Talk about stomping out.... it's a shame that Laban wasn't there to see it.
I got this from the Biblestudytools.com site.
Little time is spent by pastoral people in removing. The striking down the tents and poles and stowing them among their other baggage; the putting their wives and children in houdas like cradles, on the backs of camels, or in panniers on asses; and the ranging of the various parts of the flock under the respective shepherds; all this is a short process. A plain that is covered in the morning with a long array of tents and with browsing flocks, may, in a few hours, appear so desolate that not a vestige of the encampment remains, except the holes in which the tent poles had been fixed.
This is from the studylight.org site.
Rachel took her fathers household idols (teraphim). There are many potential reasons why Rachel did this.
Perhaps she worshipped these idols and did not want to be without them. Perhaps she did not want her father to inquire of them, using them as tools of divination to catch them (as he may have previously done, Genesis 30:27).
Perhaps it was because such idols were often used as deeds to property and she thought this she was taking whatever inheritance might be left to Labans children.
Perhaps Rachel stole the teraphim simply to get back at her father, whom she felt had mistreated her, her husband, and her whole family.
According to some Jewish traditions, Rachel took the teraphim because she wanted to keep her father Laban from idolatry.
It was nearly 300 miles (482 kilometers) from Haran to the mountains of Gilead, but the journey was longer and tougher psychologically than physically for Jacob. He left the place of safety, where he lived in a comfortable servitude, to go to a place where God has called him, but dangerous enemies abounded (such as his brother Esau, who swore to kill him).
Perhaps she worshipped these idols and did not want to be without them. Perhaps she did not want her father to inquire of them, using them as tools of divination to catch them (as he may have previously done, Genesis 30:27).
Perhaps it was because such idols were often used as deeds to property and she thought this she was taking whatever inheritance might be left to Labans children.
Perhaps Rachel stole the teraphim simply to get back at her father, whom she felt had mistreated her, her husband, and her whole family.
According to some Jewish traditions, Rachel took the teraphim because she wanted to keep her father Laban from idolatry.
It was nearly 300 miles (482 kilometers) from Haran to the mountains of Gilead, but the journey was longer and tougher psychologically than physically for Jacob. He left the place of safety, where he lived in a comfortable servitude, to go to a place where God has called him, but dangerous enemies abounded (such as his brother Esau, who swore to kill him).
There had been no mailbox at Jacob's tent while he was at Laban's. There were no cell phones, tablets, computers, or social media sites. There weren't even newspapers at the entrance to the tent on Sunday morning. Jacob had no way to know what he was going home to. He was taking a bunch of wives and children back. Remember Esau vowed to kill him. I wonder if he ever thought he might be leading his future widows, orphans, and mutton right into Esau's hands.
