Hebrew Learning: Gen 31, 32

(19) Meanwhile Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household idols.(20) Jacob kept Laban the Aramean in the dark,^-c not telling him that he was fleeing,(21) and fled with all that he had. Soon he was across the Euphrates and heading toward the hill country of Gilead.

AND JACOB OUTWITTED LABAN. Jacob stole nothing from Laban save his “wits.” Scripture uses the term heart for wits because the heart is the seat of man’s intelligence.

The Aramean. Besides indicating his nationality, which is irrelevant here, this hints that he was an experienced swindler (ramai). Thus if he had realized that Yaakov knew of the change in his attitude he would not have left him any escape.

ויגנב יעקב את לב לבן הארמי, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramite, etc. It is difficult to justify the expression "fled" which is applied here to a departure without previous good-byes. Perhaps what is meant is that when Jacob gave Laban an accounting about all that he had done, etc., he concealed the fact that he intended to leave him. He presumably asked Laban to dismiss him, thus in effect telling Laban that he had no intention of leaving without a proper ceremony. Had Laban had the slightest notion that Jacob intended to take his family and leave without a send-off, he would have had him watched day and night. The successful flight was possible only because Jacob "stole" Laban's heart. Basically, our verse wanted to explain how it was that Jacob succeeded to depart unnoticed with all his family, herds and flocks.

על בלי הגיד לו, in that he had not told him his route. Not having told Lavan what route he was going to travel turned his leaving Lavan into a flight. Obviously, Yaakov was not expected by Lavan to announce: “I am fleeing;” the word בורח has to be linked to the word ויגנב. Deceiving Lavan as a sin of omission, i.e. not giving Lavan false information, but failing to give him relevant information, turned Yaakov’s sudden departure into what Lavan perceived to be a flight.

THE TERAPHIM. Some say that the teraphim are copper objects used to tell time. Others say that astrologers have the power to make an image that speaks at certain times. They offer proof from For the teraphim have spoken vanity (Zech. 10:2). However, this is not the meaning of the aforementioned verse. I believe that the teraphim are human images made to draw power from above. I am not permitted to explain this any further. Proof that the teraphim are human forms can be found in the teraphim which Michal, the daughter of Saul, placed in David’s bed thereby fooling the guards into thinking that the teraphim were really David. As to the verse which states, For the children of Israel shall sit solitary many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without pillar, and without ephod or teraphim (Hos. 3:4), it can be explained in two ways. One, the prophet says, Israel shall be without king, and without prince because God chose only members of the Davidic family to be kings over Israel. Therefore the verse which follows says, afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king (v. 5). The verse continues, and without sacrifice, and without pillar; this refers to sacrifices and pillars to the idols. In a similar manner, and without ephod also refers to idolatry, because the worshippers of Baal made an imitation of the ephod that Moses made. Hence Scripture reads ephod and not “the ephod” as in Bring hither the ephod (I Sam. 23:9). Therefore an ephod in his hand (Ibid. v. 6) does not refer to the ephod made by Moses. I will explain the ephod and offer irrefutable proofs for my interpretation concerning it in the proper place if God will be kind to me and grant me life. The second interpretation is that and without ephod or teraphim means, they will neither serve God (without ephod) nor idols (or teraphim). That teraphim are idols can be ascertained by Laban’s referring to them as gods (v. 30). Some say that Rachel stole the teraphim in order to keep her father from idolatry. If this were the case, why did she take them with her and not bury them on the way? The most likely reason that Rachel stole the teraphim was that Laban, her father, was an astrologer, and Rachel feared that he would look at the stars and discover which way they fled.

(22) And so the gift went on ahead, while he remained in camp that night.(23) That same night he arose, and taking his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children, he crossed the ford of the Jabbok.(24) After taking them across the stream, he sent across all his possessions.(25) Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.(26) When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as he wrestled with him.(27) Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”(28) Said the other, “What is your name?” He replied, “Jacob.”(29) Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human,^-d and have prevailed.”(30) Jacob asked, “Pray tell me your name.” But he said, “You must not ask my name!” And he took leave of him there.(31) So Jacob named the place Peniel, meaning, “I have seen a divine being face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”(32) The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping on his hip.