God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Be careful that you don’t speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
Parallel Translations
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God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Be careful that you don’t speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
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And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
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And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night, and said unto him: 'Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.'
Cross-references (22)
Passages linked to Genesis 31:24 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Genesis 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The thing proceeds from Yahweh. We can’t speak to you bad or good.
- Genesis 20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man’s wife.”
- Genesis 31:29 It is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t speak to Jacob either good or bad.’
- Genesis 31:42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”
- Numbers 24:13 ‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can’t go beyond Yahweh’s word, to do either good or bad from my own mind. I will say what Yahweh says’?
- 2 Samuel 13:22 Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.
- Matthew 27:19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him.”
- Genesis 28:5 Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
- Genesis 31:10 During mating season, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.
- Genesis 40:5 They both dreamed a dream, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cup bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.
- Genesis 41:1 At the end of two full years, Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he stood by the river.
- Numbers 22:26 Yahweh’s angel went further, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
- Deuteronomy 26:5 You shall answer and say before Yahweh your God, “My father was a Syrian ready to perish. He went down into Egypt, and lived there, few in number. There he became a great, mighty, and populous nation.
- 1 Kings 3:5 In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask for what I should give you.”
- Job 33:15-17 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, in slumbering on the bed; Then he opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction, that he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
- Psalms 105:14-15 He allowed no one to do them wrong. Yes, he reproved kings for their sakes, “Don’t touch my anointed ones! Do my prophets no harm!”
- Isaiah 37:29 Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
- Hosea 12:12 Jacob fled into the country of Aram, and Israel served to get a wife, and for a wife he tended flocks and herds.
- Matthew 1:20 But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
- Numbers 12:6 He said, “Now hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream.
- Numbers 22:20 God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak to you, that you shall do.”
- Job 33:25 His flesh will be fresher than a child’s. He returns to the days of his youth.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Hebrew, from good to evil.
Hebrew, from good to evil.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Gen 31:24 And God came to Laban the Syrian…
Gen 31:24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
Ver. 24. Take heed thou speak not good or bad.] That is, that thou seek not, either by flattery or force, by allurement or affrightment, to bring him back. They write of the asp, that he never wanders alone, without his companion with him. So the flattering promises of the Church’s adversaries go ever accompanied with cruel menaces, their rising tongues with their terrifying saws. {Heb 11:37} "None of them shall want their mate"; as the Scripture speaks of those birds of prey and desolation. {Isa 34:16}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Neither persuading him by flattering promises and cunning artifices,…
Neither persuading him by flattering promises and cunning artifices, nor compelling him by threatenings, to return. For so these general words must be limited, as is evident from God’s design in them, and from the following relation. So this is a synecdochical expression.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And Laban said unto Jacob,.... Upon their meeting together;…
And Laban said unto Jacob,.... Upon their meeting together; perhaps in some middle place between their two tents:
what hast thou done? what evil hast thou committed? what folly art thou guilty of? and what could induce thee to take such a step as this? suggesting that he could see no necessity for it; and as if he had done nothing that should occasion it, and that Jacob had done a very ill thing
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that thou hast stolen away unawares to me: of this phrase See Gill on Gen 31:20,
and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword; as were commonly done by a band of robbers that made incursions upon their neighbours, and plundered them of their substance, and carried away by force their wives and daughters; and such an one Laban represents Jacob to be, a thief and a robber; who had not only stolen away from him, but had stole away his goods, and even his gods, and carried away his daughters against their will: all which were false, and particularly the latter, since they went along with him with their free and full consent.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Speak not, either good or bad - That is,…
Speak not, either good or bad - That is, say nothing against his going on with his journey, for the thing proceedeth from the Lord. The same Hebraism we have, chap. xxiv, 50. The safety of good men is very much owing to the hold God has of the consciences of bad men, and the access he has to them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 24. And God came to Laban] God's caution…
Verse 24. And God came to Laban] God's caution to Laban was of high importance to Jacob -Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad; or rather, as is the literal meaning of the Hebrew, מטוב עד רע mittob ad ra, from good to evil; for had he neither spoken good nor evil to Jacob, they could have had no intercourse at all. The original is, therefore, peculiarly appropriate; for when people meet, the language at first is the language of friendship; the command therefore implies, "Do not begin with Peace be unto thee, and then proceed to injurious language and acts of violence." If this Divine direction were attended to, how many of those affairs of honour, so termed, which commence with, "I hope you are well" - "I am infinitely glad to see you" - "I am happy to see you well," c., and end with small swords and pistol bullets, would be prevented! Where God and true religion act, all is fair, kind, honest, and upright but where these are not consulted, all is hollow, deceitful, or malicious. Beware of unmeaning compliments, and particularly of saying what thy heart feels not. God hates a hypocrite and a deceiver.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Gen 31:24. Speak not to Jacob either good or…
Gen 31:24. Speak not to Jacob either good or bad — The Hebrew is, from good to bad — That is, enter into no altercations, and use no harsh language with him, which may occasion a quarrel. Say nothing against his going on with his journey, for the thing proceedeth from the Lord. The same Hebraism we have, Gen 24:50. The safety of good men is very much owing to the hold God has on the consciences of bad men, and the access he has to them.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Speak not. Laban did not comply exactly, but he…
Speak not. Laban did not comply exactly, but he used no violence. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 24. God came to Laban — Mark the constant…
24. God came to Laban — Mark the constant divine care that guards the ways of Jacob, and redeems him from all evil. Gen_48:16.
Either good or bad — Hebrews, from good unto bad. That is, do not from good friendly greetings pass to bad words of violence. Do not make matters worse.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 24. And God came] Cf. Gen_31:11. For this revelation…
24. And God came] Cf. Gen_31:11. For this revelation to Laban the Syrian, compare the revelation to Abimelech, king of Gerar, in Gen_20:3. It is God, not the “angel of God” (Gen_31:11), who appears to Laban.
either good or bad] A phrase used by Laban himself in Gen_24:50.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (24) Either good or bad.—Heb., from good to bad:…
(24) Either good or bad.—Heb., from good to bad: a proverbial expression, rightly translated in the Authorised Version, but conveying the idea of a more absolute prohibition than the phrase used in Gen_24:50.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 24, 25. And God Elohim is here employed,…
Vers. 24, 25. And God Elohim is here employed, neither because the section belongs to the fundamental document (Tuch, Bleek, Colenso, et alii), nor because, though Laban had an outward acquaintance with Jehovah (vide ver. 49), his real religious knowledge did not extend beyond Elohim (Hengstenberg), but simply because the historian wished to characterize the interposition which arrested Laban in his wrath as supernatural (Quarry)came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, (cf. Gen_20:3; Job_33:15; Mat_1:20) This celestial visitation occurred the night before the fugitives were overtaken (vide ver. 29). Its intention was to guard Jacob, according to the promise Gen_28:15, against Laban"s resentmentand (accordingly God) said unto him, Take heed literally, take heed for thyself, the verb being followed by an ethical dative, as in Gen_12:1 Gen_21:16, q.v. that thou speak not to Jacob literally, lest the, speak with Jacob; mh pote lalhsuv meta jIakwb (LXX) either good or bad. Literally, from good to bad, meaning that on meeting with Jacob he should not pass from peaceful greetings to bitter reproaches (Bush, Lunge), or say anything emphatic and decisive for the purpose of reversing what had occurred (Keil); or, perhaps more simply, say anything acrimonious or violent against Jacob (Rosenm Murphy), the expression being a proverbial phrase for opposition or interference (Kalisch). (cf. Gen_14:5; 2Sa_13:23) Then (literally, and) Laban overtook Jacob. Now (literally, and) Jacob had pitched his tent this was done by means of pins driven into the ground, the verb qT; signifying to fasten, or fix anything by driving (cf. Jud_1:4:21; Isa_22:23, Isa_22:25) in the mount (vide supra, ver. 21): and Laban with his brethren (kinsmen, ut supra) pitched his tent; not esthse touv ajdelfouv (LXX)in the mount of Gilead (vide supra, ver. 21).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Now God came to Laban the Aramean in a…
Now God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night
The word "now" is used here to mark a change from the story to background information about Laban. AT: "That night God came to Laban in a dream" (See: Background Information)
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Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad
The phrase "good nor bad" are used together to mean "anything." AT: "Do not say anything to try and stop Jacob from leaving" (See: Merism)
Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country. Laban also camped with his relatives in the hill country of Gilead
The word "now" is used here to mark a change from the story to background information about Jacob and Laban. AT: "When Laban caught up with Jacob, Jacob had set up camp in the hill country. Then Laban and his relatives also camped in the hill country of Gilead" (See: Background Information)
translationWords
God
Aram
dream
Gilead
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 31:24 leave Jacob alone! (literally Do not speak to…
31:24 leave Jacob alone! (literally Do not speak to Jacob either good or evil): God commanded Laban not to take justice into his own hands. When we try to enact our own sense of good and evil apart from God’s command, we always do evil (see study note on 2:9).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.