The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 437

llpe&k not to l&cob-litcrally, le,st tltou speak cl1. iv. 21. And h&at not suffered me to with Jacob; ,,,, ?rOTl >.a>.i1<r17c p,ra 'larrw/3kiss my sons (i. e. the children of Leah and (LXX.) - either good or bad. Literally Rachel) and my daughters 1 It is perhaps .fi·om good to ba,d, meaning that on meeting judging Laban too severely to pronounce "·ith ,Tacob he should not pass from peaceful this complete hypocrisy end cant (Alford, greetings to ~itter reproa~hes (Bush, Lange), Bush, Candlish, Gerlach), but equally wide or say anything emphatic and decisive for of the truth is it to see in Laban's conduct the purpose of reversing what had occurred nothing but generosity _of feeling (Kalisch) ; (K_eil); o:, pe:haps m.:i_re simply, say any- probably ~here was a mixture of both pater- tlnng acnmonious or violent against Jacob ~al affection nnd crafty dissimulation (De- (Rosenmi\ller, Murphy), the expression being lttzsch). , Thou h&at now done foolishly in a proverbial phrase for opposition or inter- so doing. 'l'he charge of fotly in Old Testa- ference (Kalisch). (Cf. eh. xxiv. 50 ; 2 Sam. ment Scriptures commonly carries with it xiii. 23). Then (literally, and) Laban over- an imputation of wrong-doing (cf. 1 Sam. took Jacob. Now (literally, and) lacob had :riii. 13 ; 2 Sam. xxiv. 10). It is in the pitched his tent-this was done by means nf pins driven into the ground, the verb power of my hand-so the phrase ~~~jj, lli?J:;l signifying to fasten, or fix anything by ''J! (cf. Deut. xxviii. 32; Neh. v. 5; Micah driving (cf. Judges iv. 21; Isa. xxii. 23, 25) ii. I) is rendered by competent authorities -in the mount (vide supra, ver. 21): and (Gesenius, Flirst, Rosenmiiller, Kalisch Laban with his brethren (kinsmen, ut supra) Murphy, et alii), with which agree /,rxvE~ pitched-his tent ; not l<rr,,,,, TOV~ cio,>.<1>ovc•i x•ip pov (LXX. ), and valet manus mea (LXX.)-in the mount ot Gilead (vide 8Upra, (Vulgate), though the translation "My hand ver. 21). is for God," i. e. my hancl serves me as God (cf. Job xii 6; Hab. i ll), is by some pre- Vers. 26-30.-.4.nd Laban (ossuming & ferred (Keil, Knobel, Jacobus)-to do you tone of injured innocence) said to J'acob, hurt: but the God of your fa.ther-the use What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen of this expression can be rightly regarded away unawares to me, - literally, and neither ns a proof of Elohistic authorship (meaning, in that) tltou luut stolen my heart (Tuch, Bleek, Colenso, Davidson) nor as a. (vide supra, ver. 20 ; and cf. ver. 27)-and sign of Laban's spiritual degeneracy (Heng- carried away (vide ver. 18) my daughters, stenberg, Wordsworth), since it is practically as captives taken with the sword! Liter- equivalent to Jehovah (vide eh. xxviii 13), ally, as captives of the sword, i e. invitis but is probably to be viewed as a play upon parentibus (Rosenmiiller) ; language which, the sound and sense of the preceding clause, if not h_y-pocritical on Laban's part, was as thus:-" It is in the El of my hand to do certainly hyperbolical, since he had already you evil, but the Elohim of your father spake c,inced the strength of his parentcl affection to me." Another instance of this play upon by selling his daughters to Jacob ; and be- the sound and sense is to be found in vers. sides, so far ns it concerned either Jacob or 19, 20-" Rachel stole the teraphim that his wives, it was quite untrue, Rachel and were her father's ; and Jacob stole the heart Leah having voluntarily accompanied their of Laban the Syrian" (cf. Quarry on Genesis, husband in his flight. Wherefore didst thou p. 498)-spake unto me yesternight, ea.ying, flee &way secretly,-literally, wherefore didst Take thou heed th&t thou speak not to Jacob tltou hide thyself to.flee away; tq,;i (niph.), -literally, guard or keep theeforthyseif(the with an inf. following, corresponding to the pleon. pron. being added ut supra, ver. 24) similar construction in Greek of >.av9avuv from spealcing with Jacob-either good or with a part., and being correctly rendered b&d (vide on ver. 24). And now, though in English by an adverb (vide Gesenius, thou wouldest needs be gone (literally, going 'Gram.,' § 142)-and ste&l away from me tlwu didst go = thou hast indeed gone), (literally, and steal me, ut supra); &nd didst because thou sore longedst after thy father's not tell me, th&t I might (literally, and I house (literally, because desiring thou didst would) have sent thee &way with mirth, desire. 'l'he verb 1:Ji;)f, to be po.le (whence and with songs, - in Oriental countries I:]~~. silver, so called from its pale colour), those about to make a long journey are still expresses the idea of pining away nnd lan- sent away cantionibus et musicorum instru- guishing through strong inward longing), yet mentorum coMentu (Rosenmiiller)-with wherefore hast thou stolen my gods 1 Laban tabret,-the toph was a drum or timbrel, had probably gone to consult his teraphim consisting r,f a wooden circle covered with and so discovered their loss. Augustine cnlls membraM. and fumishecl with brass bells attention to this as the first Scripture refer- (like the modern tambourint), which Oriental ence to benthen gods, ancl Calvin probably women beat when dancing (cf. Exod. xv. 20; supplies the right explanation of the sense Judges xi. 34; Jer. xxxi. 4)-and with in which they were so styled by Lo.ban, non !Larp 1 For a description of the kinMr see quia deitatem illic putaret ease inclusam,  OB. XXXI. 22-44.] THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 381