Translation commentary on Genesis 30:41

Verses 41-42 explain how Jacob made certain that his animals were stronger and healthier than those that belonged to Laban. See the note on trick 3 in verse 37.

Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding: stronger of the flock refers to the animals that are robust, sturdy, healthy. In some languages these are called “the fat animals.”

Laid the rods in the runnels: see verse 38.

Before the eyes of the flock: that is, so they could see the striped branches.

That they might breed among the rods: see the similar expression in verse 39.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Genesis 31:14

In verses 14-16 Jacob’s wives respond to his speech.

Then Rachel and Leah answered him: this statement may give the impression that both women are speaking in unison, with one voice. If this is a problem for the translator’s language, it may be necessary to adjust this introductory sentence to say, for example, “Rachel and Leah spoke to Jacob and one of them asked [said] ….”

Is there any portion or inheritance…?: this question is rhetorical and a way of saying “There is nothing we can inherit….” See Good News Translation. Portion or inheritance is a construction in which two nouns are joined by a conjunction, but which has a single meaning, “inheritance.” The thought is that at their marriage to Jacob Rachel and Leah received all the inheritance they could expect from their father. Two examples of the way this may be expressed in translation are “There is nothing more that we-two can get when our father dies” and “Our father doesn’t want to give us anything when he dies.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Genesis 30:42

But for the feebler of the flock he did not lay them there: feebler of the flock refers to the animals that are not robust and healthy. They are sometimes described in English as weak, scrawny, or thin. Translators will want to use a term that contrasts with that used in verse 41. Did not lay them means he did not lay the striped branches in the drinking troughs.

So the feebler were Laban’s: the thin, weak animals would tend to produce offspring like their parents and be unaffected by the striped branches. These would remain in Laban’s flocks.

And the stronger Jacob’s: on the other hand the healthier animals would produce offspring of mixed colors and these belonged to Jacob.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Genesis 31:15

Are we not regarded by him as foreigners?: this question expects a positive answer. Note that Good News Translation renders the question as a statement. Foreigners here means “foreign women,” “outsiders,” “aliens.” The reason they may be looked upon as foreigners is possibly that they have married Jacob, who comes from a foreign land and worships a foreign God, even though he is Laban’s nephew. Another way of understanding the expression regarded … as foreigners is “he treats us as if we were outsiders, not members of his family.” New Jerusalem Bible and Speiser translate the keyword as “outsiders,” while Revised English Bible has “strangers.” One translation expresses this as “women of another tribe”; another says “He now treats us as if we-two were not his children, we-two are just strangers.”

For he has sold us: Speiser says that “sell” used in regard to marriage was the term used in documents from that period and area. Part of the bride price was kept for the woman as her dowry. However, the text does not say that Jacob gave property or money as a bride payment. He gave fourteen years of service in exchange for his two wives. It is probably the case that Rachel and Leah considered the profit Laban made through Jacob’s service as their true bride payment. Instead of giving them some of the money earned from Jacob’s long years of service, Laban used it for himself.

He has been using up the money given for us: using up is literally “he has eaten up our silver.” This money would represent the income produced by Jacob’s ability to increase the flocks. In some languages this thought is expressed very much as in the literal Hebrew; for example, “Our father has eaten the money paid for us” or “Our father has eaten the wealth Jacob paid him to marry us.” In other cases everyday expressions are used, such as “the money he got as a price for us, he has spent it all.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Genesis 30:43

Thus the man grew exceedingly rich: Thus marks a conclusion to this story, which has been told to explain that Jacob became a rich man because he was more clever than his uncle. We may say in English, for example, “And so it happened,” “In this way,” “By doing these things,” “As a result.” Grew … rich translates a Hebrew verb that describes something bursting or breaking forth, and so in this context describes Jacob’s wealth as developing suddenly and greatly.

Had large flocks … asses: Jacob’s wealth in flocks refers to sheep and goats. For maidservants and menservants, camels, and asses, see 12.16 and 24.35.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Genesis 31:16

All the property which God has taken away from our father: property translates a term that means riches or wealth in a general sense. Laban’s wealth consisted of his animals. This statement reflects that made by Jacob in Gen 31.9. The reference here is to the flocks that Jacob acquired according to 30.37-43.

Belongs to us: that is, to Rachel and Leah.

Whatever God has said to you, do: that is, “do whatever God tells you to do.” Thus Jacob’s wives are in full agreement to leave the land of their birth and kindred and to go with Jacob to Canaan.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Genesis 31:1

Verses 1-2 form a transition between the close of chapter 30 and the introductory episode in chapter 31.

Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying: Now is the Revised Standard Version rendering of the Hebrew connective and serves to mark the change to the new events that will now unfold. Jacob heard probably means here that he heard these words from others who reported them to him. This is often expressed as “Jacob received word” or “Jacob heard news that.” In some cases it may be better to say “learned” or “found out.” In societies where it is important to express relationships when speaking of people, the sons of Laban may have to be called “his [Jacob’s] brothers-in-law.” And the speech that follows may begin “Our brother-in-law has taken….”

Laban’s sons are quoted in Revised Standard Version as saying Jacob has taken all that was our father’s. The sense of taken is “taken for himself,” “taken away from Laban.” All that was … means “all the animals that belonged to our father.” This may be understood as exaggeration. It may be clearer to say, for example, “All the animals that Jacob has taken belonged to our father.”

And from what was our father’s he has gained: that is, “from the things that belonged to our father” or “from our father’s wealth.” See Good News Translation “from what our father owned.”

Gained all this wealth may be rendered “he has gotten all his riches, animals, property.” A number of translations express this simply as “he has become [very] rich.”

In many languages it will be more natural to change the order of the clauses in the last part of the sentence as Good News Translation has done. One other translation that does this says “He is a very rich man, but everything he has belonged to our father before.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Genesis 31:17 - 31:18

Verses 17-21 tell about Jacob’s escape from Laban.

So Jacob arose: So, which is used by both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, marks verse 17 as a consequence of the discussions Jacob held with his wives in the previous verses. Arose is a literal rendering of the Hebrew, which means here to get ready or prepare for departure. See Good News Translation.

Set his sons and his wives on camels means he put them on the backs of camels to ride. Camels kneel on the ground to enable the rider to mount them. We may translate “and put his wives and children on the camels,” “had his wives and children mount the camels,” or “told his wives and children to get on the camels.”

And he drove away all his cattle: drove away translates a word meaning to drive animals as in a herd or flock. The animals are driven or herded from behind. However, drove away, as used in Revised Standard Version, is ambiguous, since it can also mean “to get rid of” as in “chase away.” Revised Standard Version intends to express the thought of driving the animals secretly so that Laban does not know. For similar usage see 1 Sam 23.5. Good News Translation is better with “drove … ahead of him.” Cattle is as in Gen 31.9. See there for comments. Good News Translation translates “flocks” here, New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible “livestock.”

The second clause, all his livestock which he had gained, expands the first clause to include not only all his animals but his other camp baggage as well, which included such things as tents, clothing, utensils, instruments, and tools. This is better expressed by a general term such as “possessions” (Speiser, New Jerusalem Bible), or “goods” (New International Version).

The cattle in his possession repeats essentially the same information given in the first clause, all his cattle. Note that Good News Translation and others do not repeat a term referring to the animals but rather summarize as “everything.”

Which he had acquired in Paddan-aram: for Paddan-aram see 25.20.

To go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac: go to may be more naturally rendered “go back” (Good News Translation) or “return” in some languages. It may also not be clear from the verb drove earlier in the verse that Jacob and his family were actually beginning their journey away from Haran. If this is the case it may be necessary to make that clear at this point by saying, for example, “and he [or, they] set out to go back….”

This last clause is more naturally linked to the events in verse 17. Note that Good News Translation has combined verses 17 and 18 in order to shift this clause to verse 17. Translators may find this more natural in their languages. However, see also the comments about the sequence of events in verses 17-21 under verse 19 below.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .