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Genesis 31:43-54
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Genesis 31:43-54
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
43 [a]Laban replied to Jacob: “The daughters are mine, their children are mine, and the flocks are mine; everything you see belongs to me. What can I do now for my own daughters and for the children they have borne? 44 [b]Come, now, let us make a covenant, you and I; and it will be a treaty between you and me.”
45 Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a sacred pillar.(A) 46 Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” So they got stones and made a mound; and they ate there at the mound. 47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha,[c] but Jacob called it Galeed. 48 Laban said, “This mound will be a witness from now on between you and me.” That is why it was named Galeed— 49 and also Mizpah,[d] for he said: “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. 50 If you mistreat my daughters, or take other wives besides my daughters, know that even though no one else is there, God will be a witness between you and me.”
51 Laban said further to Jacob: “Here is this mound, and here is the sacred pillar that I have set up between you and me. 52 This mound will be a witness, and this sacred pillar will be a witness, that, with hostile intent, I may not pass beyond this mound into your territory, nor may you pass beyond it into mine. 53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us!” Jacob took the oath by the Fear of his father Isaac.[e] 54 He then offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his kinsmen to share in the meal. When they had eaten, they passed the night on the mountain.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 31:43–54 In this account of the non-aggression treaty between Laban and Jacob, the different objects that serve as witness (sacred pillar in v. 45, cairn of stones in v. 46), their different names (Jegar-sahadutha in v. 47, Mizpah in v. 49), and the two references to the covenant meal (vv. 46, 54) suggest that two versions have been fused. One version is the Yahwist source, and another source has been used to supplement it.
- 31:44–54 The treaty is a typical covenant between two parties: Jacob was bound to treat his wives (Laban’s daughters) well, and Laban was bound not to cross Jacob’s boundaries with hostile intent.
- 31:47–48 Jegar-sahadutha: an Aramaic term meaning “mound of witness.” Galeed: in Hebrew, “the mound of witness.”
- 31:49 Mizpah: a town in Gilead; cf. Jgs 10:17; 11:11, 34; Hos 5:1. The Hebrew name mispa (“lookout”) is allied to yisep yhwh (“may the Lord keep watch”), and also echoes the word masseba (“sacred pillar”).
- 31:53 Fear of…Isaac: an archaic title for Jacob’s God of the Father.
Genesis 31:43-54
New International Version
Genesis 31:43-54
New International Version
43 Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks.(A) All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let’s make a covenant,(B) you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”(C)
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.(D) 46 He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap,(E) and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.[a](F)
48 Laban said, “This heap(G) is a witness between you and me today.”(H) That is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah,[b](I) because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50 If you mistreat(J) my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness(K) between you and me.”(L)
51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap,(M) and here is this pillar(N) I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness,(O) that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap(P) and pillar to my side to harm me.(Q) 53 May the God of Abraham(R) and the God of Nahor,(S) the God of their father, judge between us.”(T)
So Jacob took an oath(U) in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.(V) 54 He offered a sacrifice(W) there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal.(X) After they had eaten, they spent the night there.
Footnotes
- Genesis 31:47 The Aramaic Jegar Sahadutha and the Hebrew Galeed both mean witness heap.
- Genesis 31:49 Mizpah means watchtower.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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