Genesis 31:19

And Laban went to shear his sheep,.... Which were under the care of his sons, and were three days' distance from Jacob's flocks; this gave Jacob a fair opportunity to depart with his family and

And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.

Quest. 1. What were those teraphim or images? Answ. They were images made in the shape of men, ,16, which the Gentiles worshipped as subordinate gods, ,32, to which they committed the protection of their families, , which they used to consult about secret or future things, and from which they received answers about them, . Of these see more 18:14,17, &c.; . And these idols Laban worshipped together with the true God. Quest. 2. Why did Rachel steal them? Answ. Partly, lest her father by consulting them should discover their flight, and the course which they took; and partly, because she seemed yet to retain a superstitious conceit of them, as may be gathered from . Others, because they were pretty and precious things, made of silver and gold, which she took as a part of what was due to her, both as his daughter, and for her husband’ s service. Others, that she might remove so great an occasion of her father’ s idolatry, and show him the vanity of such gods as might be stolen away.

Genesis 31:19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that [were] her father’ s.Ver. 19. Rachel had stolen the images.] She was somewhat tackt with her father’ s superstition, though somewhat reclaimed. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols". Nothing so natural to us as image worship. Nothing so retained by us, when once entertained. After all that airing in the wilderness, Micah’ s mother smells of Egypt, and hath her molten and graven gods. Rachel also had her idols a long time after this. The devil is ειδωλοχαρης, saith Synesius; and so he would have us. Fence we therefore ourselves and ours against this abomination: the itch of it, once got, is hardly ever cured and clawed off. [Touched.]

(19) Laban went to shear his sheep.—The sheep-shearing was a joyous time, when the hard toil of the shearers was relieved by feasting . Laban’s flocks, apparently, were also at some distance from Haran, and his sons and men-servants would all be with him, busily occupied in the work. Apparently, too, Laban’s wealth was not seriously diminished, though it had not of late increased; and his repeated change of the hire proves that he was quite able to take care of himself. But why was not Jacob present, as he had chief charge of Laban’s flocks? Possibly, he was expected there, and was missed; but, more probably, as the result of the growing estrangement between them, caused by the too rapid increase of Jacob’s riches, Laban and his sons had gradually taken the management of their flocks into their own hands. Images.—Heb., teraphim, called Laban’s gods in Genesis 31:30, and we find that their worship continued throughout the Old Testament history. Micah sets up teraphim, as well as a molten and a graven image, and an ephod (Judges 18:17). Though in 1 Samuel 15:23, where the Authorised Version has idolatry, teraphim are spoken of in strong terms of condemnation, yet Michal possessed them, and placed them in David’s bed. We gather from this that they had a head shaped like that of a man, but, probably, a dwarf trunk, as she seems to have put more than one in the bed to represent David’s body (1 Samuel 19:13). So, too, here Rachel hides them under the camel’s furniture (Genesis 31:34), which proves that they, in this case, were of no great size. In the history of the thorough reformation carried out by King Josiah we find the mention of teraphim among the things put away (2 Kings 23:24). We learn, nevertheless, from Zechariah 10:2, that they were still used for divination; and from Hosea 3:4 that both pillars and teraphim had long been objects of ordinary superstition among the ten tribes. As Nebuchadnezzar divines by them (Ezekiel 21:21) they were possibly of Chaldean origin; and, probably, were not so much worshipped as used for consultation. Women seem to have been most given to their service, and probably regarded them as charms, and told fortunes by them; and here Rachel stole them upon the supposition that they would bring prosperity to her and her husband.

Verse 19. Laban went to shear his sheep] Laban had gone; and this was a favourable time not only to take his images, but to return to Canaan without being perceived. Rachel had stolen the images] תרפים teraphim. What the teraphim were is utterly unknown. In Genesis 31:30 they are termed אלהי elohai, gods; and to some it appears very likely that they were a sort of images devoted to superstitious purposes, not considered as gods, but as representatives of certain Divine attributes, Dr. Shuckford supposes them to be a sort of tiles, on which the names or figures of their ancestors were engraven. Theodoret, in his 89th question, calls them idols; and says that Rachel, who was a type of the true Church, stole them from her father that he might be delivered from idolatry. R. S. Jarchi gives nearly the same reason. The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel gives a strange turn to the whole passage. "And Rachel stole the images of her father: for they had murdered a man, who was a first-born son; and having cut off his head, they embalmed it with salt and spices, and they wrote divinations upon a plate of gold, and put it under his tongue; and placed it against the wall, and it conversed with them, and Laban worshipped it. And Jacob stole the science of Laban the Syrian, that it might not discover his departure." If the word be derived from רפא rapha, to heal or restore, then the teraphim may be considered as a sort of talismans, kept for the purpose of averting and curing diseases; and probably were kept by Laban for the same purpose that the Romans kept their lares and penates. It is however possible that תרפים teraphim is the same as שרפים seraphim, the ת tau and ש sin being changed, which is very frequent in the Syrian or Chaldee language; and we know that Laban was an Aramean or Syrian. FIRE has been considered from the earliest ages as a symbol of the Deity; and as the word seraphim comes from שרף saraph, to burn, it has been conjectured that the teraphim of Laban were luminous forms, prepared of burnished brass, c., which he might imagine a proper medium of communication between God and his worshippers. Mr. Parkhurst has observed that the teraphim were in use among believers and unbelievers. Among the former, see this chapter for he denies that Laban was an idolater. See also Judges 17:5; Judges 18:14, Judges 18:18, Judges 18:20; 1 Samuel 19:13, 1 Samuel 19:16. Among the latter, see 2Kg 23:24; Ezekiel 21:21; Zechariah 10:2. Compare 1 Samuel 15:23, and Hosea 3:4. These are all the places in which the original word is found. The Persian translator seems to have considered these teraphim as tables or instruments that served for purposes of judicial astrology, and hence translates the word [Persian] asterlabha, astrolabes.

19. gone to shear his sheep] Jacob selected, as an opportune moment for flight, Laban’s absence from home and attendance at the important festival of sheep-shearing. Among shepherds this was an occasion of feasting, which lasted several days. Cf. 1 Samuel 25:2; 1 Samuel 25:7; 1 Samuel 25:11; 2 Samuel 13:23. Jacob, by seizing this opportunity, is able to get clear away, cross the Euphrates, and start homewards. the teraphim] The teraphim were the household gods, like the Latin Penates, sometimes small in size, as would appear from this verse and Genesis 31:30; Genesis 31:34; but sometimes, as is to be inferred from 1 Samuel 19:13, large enough to be shaped like human figures. Their presence in the houses of Israelites was common; cf. Judges 17:4-5; Hosea 3:4. But they seem to have been a source of superstition. The narrative in Genesis 35:2, 1 Samuel 15:23, 2 Kings 23:24, shews that their use was opposed to the best spirit of Israelite religion. The versions here render “teraphim” by “idols,” LXX τὰεἴδωλα, Lat. idola. The mention of them here and in Genesis 35:2-4 seems to connect their use with Aramaean influences. There is no reference to them in the story of Abraham and Isaac. Rachel hopes to bring with her the good genius of her own home.

19. Laban went to shear his sheep — This afforded an opportunity for Jacob to effect his escape without trouble or excitement, for he feared forcible opposition from Laban. Genesis 31:31. Had stolen — Or, stole.