Jacob outwits Laban

The Jacob Cycle - Part 9

Jacob has worked 14 years as the bride-price for Leah and Rachel. After the birth of a son from his favored wife, Rachel, he’s ready to return home. Laban, thriving because of Yahweh’s blessing, doesn’t want him to leave. God will use the situation to reverse the reversal of Jacob’s deception in Canaan.

Structure

This episode is divided into two scenes.1

  1. Wage negotiations between Jacob and Laban - Genesis 30:25-36
  2. Jacob breeds his own flock - Genesis 30:37-31:1

Now that the story has progressed passed the middle point of the birth of Jacob’s children in Haran, subsequent episodes will refer to, inform, and be informed by their parallel parts that came before. This story is a reversal of Laban outwitting Jacob in Genesis 29:15-30.

Wage negotiations

Jacob demands to leave

25 As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.”

–Genesis 30:25-26 (ESV)

Jacob demands to leave with his family to return to his “place” (translated “home”) and “land” (translated “country”) recalling his experience at Bethel, the “place” where God appeared to him and promised to return him to and give him the “land” of Cannan (Genesis 28:13-15.) God has fulfilled the promise to give him children (Genesis 28:14) and Jacob has fulfilled his father’s commission to find a wife from Laban’s household (Genesis 28:2.) Jacob declares that, literally, “the service I have served you” for the bride-price has been given. This is echoed by Egypt’s response to Israel’s fruitfulness in Exodus 1:14, “All their service they served in violence.”

Once again, Jacob insists with an imperative verb and offers no “please,” similar to him compelling Esau to sell him the birthright (Genesis 25:31) and asserting that Laban give him Rachel after his first seven years of service (Genesis 29:21; see Part 7.) However, whereas Jacob experienced a reversal of his purchase of the birthright through Laban masquerading Leah as Rachel, Laban will now experience a reversal of his deception by God transferring Laban’s strong livestock to Jacob.

Laban asks Jacob to stay

27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you. 28 Name your wages, and I will give it.”

–Genesis 30:27-28 (ESV)

Laban is reluctant to let them go, as he was reluctant to let Rebekah go in Genesis 24:55 when Abraham’s servant asked to leave with Rebekah after he had been given gifts as the bride-price for her. Egypt, too, was unwilling to let Israel go.2

Divination

Laban says he learned through divination that Yahweh has blessed him because of Jacob. This statement is rich with wordplay. “Divination,” nakhashti, shares the same root, nkhsh, as “serpent”, nakhash, in Genesis 3. There, Eve claimed that the serpent deceived her into eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the Joseph story in Genesis 44:1-17, Joseph uses his cup that he claims to use for divination (nakhesh, root nkhsh) in a deception to try to get his full-blood brother, Benjamin, to come to him in Egypt, ostensibly as his “servant” (root ‘vd,) a keyword in the Jacob Cycle. Laban is being associated with the seed of the serpent, a deceiver and subjugator. However, as Jacob the deceiver was deceived by Laban, Laban will now be deceived by Jacob. God will rescue his chosen one from the seed of the serpent, even though Jacob has acted like a seed of the serpent, himself.

As noted in Part 3, Genesis has established an ideal picture of the nations being blessed by God’s chosen and making peace with them. While Laban acknowledges Yahweh’s blessing, he’ll initially follow the way of Pharaoh in Exodus and try to keep God’s chosen from returning to the land of Canaan. The root of the word “because of you,” bigelale, a rare word in Genesis, is gll, the same root for yagel, “rolled away,” used in Genesis 29:10 to describe Jacob single-handedly rolling away the great stone from the well’s mouth.3 That stone recalled Bethel (see Part 6,) demonstrating that God had indeed come with Jacob to Haran, giving him strength to roll away a stone alone that at least three shepherds couldn’t move together. gll is also the root for gullulim, idols, which are associated with “household gods”, teraphim, in 2 Kings 23:24.4 Later, we’ll learn of Laban’s household gods. This suggests that it was by way of his gods that he practiced divination. However, Yahweh is the god of gods. Any information that Laban divined was ultimately given by Yahweh, and the Jacob story will later portray the defeat of Laban’s household gods (Genesis 31:34-35.) The exodus is framed similarly, with the plagues demonstrating Yahweh’s power over Egyptian gods.5 After the Israelites cross the Sea of Reeds, Moses and Israel sang a song about God’s victory over the gods of Egypt.

11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?
     Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
     awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
11 You stretched out your right hand;
     the earth swallowed them.

–Exodus 15:11-12 (ESV)

Laban’s oracle

While Laban doesn’t outright deny Jacob’s request to leave, he tries to entice Jacob to stay by offering him wages so that he can continue to profit from Yahweh’s blessing. He literally says “mark your wages.” “Mark” is another rare word in the Bible. Its root is nqv, which is related to the root qvv, which means “to curse.” The two roots are linked in Leviticus 24:11.

10 Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, 11 and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed [yiqqov, root nqv] the Name, and cursed [yeallel, root qll].

–Leviticus 24:10-11b (ESV)

God’s promise that he would bless those who bless his chosen ones and curse those who curse them is subtly recalled here.6 The fact that Laban is the one to reiterate the promise of blessing and curse is ironic and further demonstrates that God is in control, fulfilling his promises, even if his actions aren’t obvious. He’ll work through both deceivers, Jacob and Laban, to accomplish his plan.

Laban, nonetheless, unaware that he’s uttering a kind of oracle, seeks to permanently keep Jacob in his service. Part 7 explained that “wages” are used to ensure Jacob’s subservience. The root for “mark,” nqv, has another meaning, “pierce,” “bore.” A verb with the exact same meaning is ratsa‘ which appears in a covenant law about a slave wishing to stay with his master. That law echoes Jacob’s situation.

2 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. 5 But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

–Exodus 21:2, 4-6 (ESV)

While this law comes after Jacob’s time, the references to seven years of service, an unmarried servant being given a wife who bears him sons or daughters, and the provision for perpetual servitude through “piercing” the servant’s ear suggest that the law is deliberately connected to Jacob’s story. Later, Laban will assert that his daughters and their children belong to him (Genesis 31:43,) further strengthening the link.7

Despite Laban’s apparent dominion over Jacob, God will set him free.

Jacob emphasizes Yahweh’s blessing

29 Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. 30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?”

–Genesis 30:29-30 (ESV)

Jacob underscores his role in Laban’s success: it’s only by the blessing of Yahweh that accompanied him that Laban has prospered. The root for the word translated “increased” is prts, “break out,” the same root for the verb used in God’s promise to Jacob at Bethel that his offspring would “spread abroad” (paratsta, root prts) to the four corners of the earth and that all the families of the earth would be blessed through his descendants (Genesis 28:14.) Though Jacob is perhaps attempting to persuade Laban to send him away with a gift (see Deuteronomy 15:12-15 which could also have echoes of Jacob’s situation,) he’s expressing a sad truth: his grasping, scheming, and deception have led to the blessing God intended to give to him freely going to Laban.

Wage negotiations

31 He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it: 32 let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages. 33 So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.” 34 Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.” 35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. 36 And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock.

–Genesis 30:31-36

Laban, perhaps refusing to send Jacob away with a gift in line with the law later outlined in Deuteronomy, asks again what he can give Jacob.8 Jacob responds with a proposal that Laban likely couldn’t refuse. Most sheep are white, and most goats are either black or dark brown.9 Since Jacob insists that Laban give him nothing, he probably suggests that the spotted animals be separated and marked as Laban’s property. From that point on, any spotted or speckled animals born to the solid-colored flock that Jacob would manage would belong to him. Although Jacob offers to separate the animals himself, the cunning Laban chooses to do it personally and creates a significant distance between Jacob and the marked animals, further reducing the likelihood that the flock Jacob cared for would produce animals for him.10

Jacob breeds his flock

37 Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. 38 He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, 39 the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41 Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, 42 but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys. 31:1 Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.”

–Genesis 30:37-31:1

At this point, the story begins to unwind. Jacob served as a conduit of God’s blessing to Laban, and now God will return the blessing to Jacob. The details of Jacob’s breeding program are difficult to follow, but, before addressing them, the more important literary elements that demonstrate a reversal of Jacob’s situation will be discussed.

Reversal

The reversals of Jacob’s scheming and deceptions that he’s experienced in Haran are now themselves being reversed. Jacob bought Esau’s birthright, also called Edom because it sounds like “red,” adom with red stew (Genesis 25:30.) This was echoed in Leah later buying time to sleep with Jacob as her “wage” in exchange for Reuben’s mandrakes (Genesis 30:16.) Jacob completes the reversal by obtaining the wages he wants from Laban, whose name means “white” (lavan.) He obtains strong animals using white sticks to influence their breeding.11

Food and drink were involved in Jacob’s dealings with Esau and Isaac. They both ate and drank (yest, root sth; Genesis 25:35, Genesis 27:25) as they were being manipulated by Jacob. This was reversed through the “drinking feast” (mishteh, root sth) that Laban hosted for Jacob’s sham wedding (Genesis 29:22.) It was reversed again through Jacob’s selective breeding where the animals came to “drink” shetoth (root shth.)12

Jacob’s masqueraded as Esau by wearing goat skins to trick the “dim-eyed” Isaac into blessing him (Genesis 27:1-29.) Laban masqueraded the “weak-eyed” Leah, “wild cow,” as Rachel, “ewe lamb” to make a servant out of Jacob and receive blessing through him (Genesis 29:23, Genesis 30:27.) As will be shown below, Jacob uses fake animals to give Laban a weak flock and receive the strong lambs and goats he wants.13

Event Reversal Reversal reversed
Jacob buys the birthright from Edom, “red”, with red stew Leah buys Jacob as her “wage” for Reuben’s mandrakes Jacob gets the “wages” he wants from Laban, “white,” using white sticks
Jacob gives Esau and Isaac food and drink; they ate and “drank” Laban hosts a “drinking feast” for Jacob’s wedding Jacob breeds flocks where they came to “drink”
Jacob deceives his “dim-eyed” father wearing goat skins Laban deceives Jacob with his “weak-eyed” daughter, Leah, “wild cow,” acting as Rachel, “ewe lamb” Jacob deceives Laban, giving him a “weak” flock and attaining strong “lambs” for himself

Jacob’s breeding program

There are several ways that Jacob’s breeding program could be interpreted. A popular one is that Jacob uses folk breeding practices or even attempts magic to effect the birth of more spotted animals, meaning Jacob believed that when the flocks mated, their young would look like whatever they could see.14 An issue with that explanation is that it doesn’t explain why Jacob would put the stronger animals of Laban’s flock in front of the branches in Genesis 30:40-41, as that would result in the strengthening of Laban’s flock.15 An alternative view is that “in front of” can be translated “on.” It’s been observed even today that animals in heat sometimes “mate” with trees or sticks. So, Jacob could have set up the branches to effectively masquerade as animals and draw away those of the flock he didn’t want to breed. This would allow him to selectively breed a strong flock for himself and a weak one for Laban. Regarding the sheep, while those he didn’t want bearing young were distracted by the sticks, he arranged those he did want to breed in a position more advantageous to breeding, not “face to face.”16

Regardless of the technicalities, the narrative links to what has come before demonstrate the scheming and deceptions that revisited Jacob through Laban are now being revisited on Laban through Jacob.

The blessing returns to Jacob

The narrator states that Jacob “increased greatly,” which links back to Jacob stating that Laban had “increased abundantly” in Genesis 30:30, itself linking back to God’s promise that Jacob’s offspring would “spread/increase” (see above.) Jacob’s increases, literally, “very, very” (me’od me’od.) Whatever increase Laban experienced, Jacob experiences twice as much.17

The reference to the possessions Jacob attains echoes the wealth Abram gained in Egypt.

16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

–Genesis 12:16 (ESV)

While Yahweh isn’t mentioned in the abundance Jacob experiences or the diminishing that Laban suffers, the narrative is hinting at who is truly responsible for it, even if Jacob is unaware.

The episode ends on a foreboding note. The common theme of sibling rivalry and jealousy is repeated as Laban’s sons see what Jacob has and considers it theft.

Bibliography

Fokkelman, J.P. Narrative Art in Genesis. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2004.

Hepner, Gershon. “Jacob’s Servitude with Laban Reflects Conflicts between Biblical Codes,” Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 115, no. 2 (2003): 185-209. https://doi.org/10.1515/zatw.2003.011.

Mackie, Tim. “Session 17: Jacob Deceives His Deceiver.” The BibleProject Classroom: Jacob. Published 2021. https://bibleproject.com/classroom/jacob/notebook/teacher-notes.

Noegel, Scott B. “Sex, Sticks, and the Trickster in Gen. 30:31-43: A New Look at an Old Crux,” Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Society 25, no.1 (1997): 7-17.

Sarna, Nahum M. Exodus. The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1991.

Sarna, Nahum M. Genesis. The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989.

Walton, John H. Genesis. The NIV Application Commentary. E-book ed. Zondervan, 2014.

Wenham, Gordon John. Genesis 16-50, Volume 2. World Biblical Commentary. E-book ed. Zondervan Academic, 2017.

  1. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 252 and Fokkelman, Narrative Art, 141. ↩

  2. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 260. ↩

  3. Hepner, “Jacob’s Servitude,” 202. ↩

  4. Ibid. ↩

  5. Sarna, Exodus, see p. 39 regarding Hapi, the god of the Nile, p. 40 regarding Heqt, a frog-headed goddess, and p. 51 regarding the sun god (Ra/Re.) ↩

  6. Mackie, “Jacob Deceives His Deceiver,” see section “The Nations and the Blessing.” ↩

  7. Hepner, “Jacob’s Servitude,” 195, 198. ↩

  8. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 255. ↩

  9. Ibid. ↩

  10. Walton Genesis, 589. ↩

  11. Fokkelman, Narrative Art, 150. ↩

  12. Noegel, “Sex, Sticks, and the Trickster,” 15. ↩

  13. Ibid, 14-15. ↩

  14. Wenham, Genesis, 255 and Sarna, Genesis, 212, although Sarna critiques the idea of visual impression having a tangible result. ↩

  15. Noegel, “Sex, Sticks, and the Trickster,” 9. ↩

  16. Ibid, 12-13. ↩

  17. Fokkelman, Narrative Art, 149. ↩

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