A
Asyncritus
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The charge that Jacob out-conned Laban is a remarkable one, and richly deserves refutation. Here is the account with comments attached. Text in italics, comments in normal type.
25 ¶ And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.
Notice that he does this completely above board. Nothing is hidden from Laban: this is the way the upright man deals.
26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.
We did a deal. I have kept my side of the bargain, now keep yours. I have done honourably and faithfully, and you know it.
27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.
Laban does not feel that he has been conned, otherwise he would have been champing at the bit to get rid of Jacob: but no, the exact opposite is the case. He knows that Jacob is a servant of God. He has not hidden it, he has been preaching it to this idolatrous man, and that God has blessed Laban himself for Jacob’s sake.
Which, by the way, is reminiscent of the way the Lord dealt with another household because of the great and faithful man who lived in it: Potiphar’s house, because Joseph lived there. And we all know what sort of man Joseph was. Jacob was no different, but greater. Since Joseph was his father’s favourite son, and probably spent a great deal of time with him, it is exceedingly likely that the values Joseph exhibits are those he copied from his father.
28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
Laban effectively says: How much do you want to make you stay?
A blank cheque.
Jacob replies and puts his terms, and the reason for those terms clearly. I’m really good at what I’m doing. The contract is completely open and above board.
29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
So Laban had already benefited from Jacob’s expertise.
31 And he said, What shall I give thee?
Okay, says Laban, that’s true. Name your terms.
Jacob doesn’t make any demands. I don’t want anything from you .Remember last time we had a deal like that? These are my terms: I’ll take the garbage out of your flock and have those. How’s that?
And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:
32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.
These are clearly the second rate animals and their skins wouldn’t fetch much. So Jacob is willing to accept second best, because he believed in his God, and in his own skills. So far, I don’t see anything questionable in his behaviour. He is willing to be second.
33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
I’m dealing with an open hand, he says: if you find anything among my lot that doesn’t meet my specifications, regard it as stolen, and (probably, I will pay 4 sheep for a sheep). How’s that, Laban?
34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
Laban agrees. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that this unusual wording was the official wording for striking a deal. Everything has been done decently, in order, and probably in the legally binding manner.
35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
He now proceeds to implement the terms of the contract, as mutually agreed. It may well be that these animals constituted the very much smaller fraction of the flock. But he goes with it.
36 And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
Why Laban goes off so far, I wouldn’t know: he’s probably off carousing, and blowing his daughters’ inheritances, now he’s got that dummy Jacob to do all the work for him.
Jacob, in his turn, proceeds to implement his personal stock-breeding program. There doesn’t seem to be any science behind it, not as far as my animal breeding knowledge goes anyway, but he obviously feels that there was something in it, or he wouldn’t have done it.
37 ¶ And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle.
41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.
This may have something to do with the fact that purebreds/ thoroughbreds are in general weaker than mixed gene animals, because of the heterosis or hybrid vigour factor. Mongrels are usually healthier and stronger than purebred animals.
43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
25 ¶ And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.
Notice that he does this completely above board. Nothing is hidden from Laban: this is the way the upright man deals.
26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.
We did a deal. I have kept my side of the bargain, now keep yours. I have done honourably and faithfully, and you know it.
27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.
Laban does not feel that he has been conned, otherwise he would have been champing at the bit to get rid of Jacob: but no, the exact opposite is the case. He knows that Jacob is a servant of God. He has not hidden it, he has been preaching it to this idolatrous man, and that God has blessed Laban himself for Jacob’s sake.
Which, by the way, is reminiscent of the way the Lord dealt with another household because of the great and faithful man who lived in it: Potiphar’s house, because Joseph lived there. And we all know what sort of man Joseph was. Jacob was no different, but greater. Since Joseph was his father’s favourite son, and probably spent a great deal of time with him, it is exceedingly likely that the values Joseph exhibits are those he copied from his father.
28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
Laban effectively says: How much do you want to make you stay?
A blank cheque.
Jacob replies and puts his terms, and the reason for those terms clearly. I’m really good at what I’m doing. The contract is completely open and above board.
29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
So Laban had already benefited from Jacob’s expertise.
31 And he said, What shall I give thee?
Okay, says Laban, that’s true. Name your terms.
Jacob doesn’t make any demands. I don’t want anything from you .Remember last time we had a deal like that? These are my terms: I’ll take the garbage out of your flock and have those. How’s that?
And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:
32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.
These are clearly the second rate animals and their skins wouldn’t fetch much. So Jacob is willing to accept second best, because he believed in his God, and in his own skills. So far, I don’t see anything questionable in his behaviour. He is willing to be second.
33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
I’m dealing with an open hand, he says: if you find anything among my lot that doesn’t meet my specifications, regard it as stolen, and (probably, I will pay 4 sheep for a sheep). How’s that, Laban?
34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
Laban agrees. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that this unusual wording was the official wording for striking a deal. Everything has been done decently, in order, and probably in the legally binding manner.
35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
He now proceeds to implement the terms of the contract, as mutually agreed. It may well be that these animals constituted the very much smaller fraction of the flock. But he goes with it.
36 And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
Why Laban goes off so far, I wouldn’t know: he’s probably off carousing, and blowing his daughters’ inheritances, now he’s got that dummy Jacob to do all the work for him.
Jacob, in his turn, proceeds to implement his personal stock-breeding program. There doesn’t seem to be any science behind it, not as far as my animal breeding knowledge goes anyway, but he obviously feels that there was something in it, or he wouldn’t have done it.
37 ¶ And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle.
41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.
This may have something to do with the fact that purebreds/ thoroughbreds are in general weaker than mixed gene animals, because of the heterosis or hybrid vigour factor. Mongrels are usually healthier and stronger than purebred animals.
43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
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