and Mizpah, for he said, “Yahweh watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another. If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you.” Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you. May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac.
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Genesis 31:49-53 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Laban said, “This heap is witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named Galeed and Mizpah, for he said, “Yahweh watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another. If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you.” Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you. May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac. Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain. Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.
Parallel Translations
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and Mizpah, for he said, “Yahweh watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.
If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you.”
Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you.
May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac.
-
And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.
And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;
This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.
The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac.
Show all 3 translations
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and Mizpah, for he said: 'The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my daughters, no man being with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.'
And Laban said to Jacob: 'Behold this heap, and behold the pillar, which I have set up betwixt me and thee.
This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.
The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us.' And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
Cross-references (32)
- Genesis 31:42 (v53) 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…
- Jeremiah 42:5 (v50) Then they said to Jeremiah, “May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness among us, if we don’t do according to all the word with which Yahweh…
- Genesis 16:5 (v53) Sarai said to Abram, “This wrong is your fault. I gave my servant into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, she despised…
- Judges 11:29 (v49) Then Yahweh’s Spirit came on Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead…
- Jeremiah 29:23 (v50) because they have done foolish things in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken words in my name…
Show all 32 cross-references
- Genesis 11:24-29 (v53) Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah. Nahor lived one hundred nineteen years after he became the father of Terah,…
- Genesis 31:48 (v52) Laban said, “This heap is witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named Galeed
- Exodus 3:6 (v53) Moreover he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he…
- Joshua 24:2 (v53) Joshua said to all the people, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Your fathers lived of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father…
- Judges 11:10 (v50) The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Yahweh will be witness between us. Surely we will do what you say.”
- Micah 1:2 (v50) Hear, you peoples, all of you. Listen, O earth, and all that is therein: and let the Lord Yahweh be witness against you, the Lord from his…
- Genesis 11:31 (v53) Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife. They went from Ur of…
- Genesis 14:22 (v53) Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,
- Genesis 17:7 (v53) I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to…
- Genesis 22:20-24 (v53) After these things, Abraham was told, “Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children to your brother Nahor: Uz his firstborn, Buz his…
- Genesis 24:3-4 (v53) I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of…
- Genesis 26:28-31 (v53) They said, “We saw plainly that Yahweh was with you. We said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, even between us and you, and let’s make…
- Genesis 28:13 (v53) Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give the land you lie…
- Genesis 31:44-45 (v52) Now come, let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be for a witness between me and you.” Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
- Leviticus 18:18 (v50) “ ‘You shall not take a wife in addition to her sister, to be a rival, to uncover her nakedness, while her sister is still alive.
- Deuteronomy 6:13 (v53) You shall fear Yahweh your God; and you shall serve him, and shall swear by his name.
- Judges 10:17 (v49) Then the children of Ammon were gathered together and encamped in Gilead. The children of Israel assembled themselves together and encamped…
- 1 Samuel 12:5 (v50) He said to them, “Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed is witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.” They…
- Malachi 2:14 (v50) Yet you say, ‘Why?’ Because Yahweh has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously,…
- Malachi 3:5 (v50) I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the…
- Matthew 19:5-6 (v50) and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?’ So…
- 1 Thessalonians 2:5 (v50) For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness),
- Genesis 21:23-24 (v53) Now, therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son. But according to…
- 1 Samuel 7:5-6 (v49) Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to Yahweh for you.” They gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured…
- Judges 11:11 (v49) Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them. Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh…
- 1 Kings 15:22 (v49) Then king Asa made a proclamation to all Judah. No one was exempted. They carried away the stones of Ramah, and its timber, with which…
- Hosea 5:1 (v49) “Listen to this, you priests! Listen, house of Israel, and give ear, house of the king! For the judgment is against you; for you have been…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (14 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv49, 50, 53 49. The Lord watch between me and thee. Laban…
49. The Lord watch between me and thee. Laban commits to the judgment of God, for vengeance, whatever offense either of them should be guilty of against the other in his absence; as if he would say, “Though the knowledge of the injury should not reach me, because I shall be far distant, yet the Lord, who is everywhere present, will behold it.” Which sentiment he more clearly expresses afterwards, when he says, “No one is with us; God will be witness between me and thee.” By which words he means, that God will be a severe avenger of every wickedness, though there should be no judge upon earth to decide the cause. And certainly if there were any religion flourishing within us, the presence of God would influence us far more than the observation of men. But it arises from the brutal stupidity of our flesh, that we reverence men only; as if we might mock God with impunity, when we are not convicted by the testimony of men. If, then, this common feeling of nature dictated to Laban, that the frauds which were hidden from men would come into judgment before God; we who enjoy the light of the gospel should indeed be ashamed to seek a covert for our fallacies. Hence also, we gather the legitimate use of an oath, which the Apostle declares in his epistle to the Hebrews; namely, that men, in order to put an end to their controversies, resort to the judgment of God.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv49, 50, 53 Or, watch tower.
Or, watch tower.
Or, hid.
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To punish the trespasser.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv49–53 Gen 31:49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD…
Gen 31:49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
Ver. 49. {See Trapp on "Gen 31:44"}
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 On vv50, 53 The curse is here understood, as it commonly is,…
The curse is here understood, as it commonly is, to maintain a greater reverence for oaths, and to beget a greater dread of the curse belonging to the violaters of it.
No man is with us, i.e. here is now no man with us, who when we are parted can witness and judge between us, and punish the transgressor. Or thus, Though now we have many with us, as witnesses of this agreement, yet shortly, when we shall be parted, no man will be with us, to observe and report our actions to the other, or to do the injured person right.
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 On vv49–52 This heap be witness,.... Agreeably to its name, which…
This heap be witness,.... Agreeably to its name, which both he and Jacob gave unto it:
and this pillar be witness: which was set up for the same purpose:
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that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm; not that these were to be the boundaries of their respective countries; for neither of them at present were possessed of lands that reached hither, if of any at all; nor that it would be a breach of covenant to pass over or by those, from one country into another, but so as to do, or with an intent to do, hurt to each other.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv49, 50, 51, 53 Verse 48. - 49. I think these two verses…
Verse 48. - 49. I think these two verses are badly divided, and should be read thus:
Ver. 48. And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day.
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Ver. 49. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed and Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
Mizpah] מעפה mitspah signifies a watch-tower; and Laban supposes that in consequence of the consecration of the place, and the covenant now solemnly made and ratified, that God would take possession of this heap, and stand on it as on a watch-tower, to prevent either of them from trenching on the conditions of their covenant.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv49, 50, 51, 53 Behold. Hebrew, "and Mitspah," or "Hammitspah," the watch-tower, whence…
Behold. Hebrew, "and Mitspah," or "Hammitspah," the watch-tower, whence God will see us. (Calmet)
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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v52 This heap be witness--Objects of nature were frequently thus…
This heap be witness--Objects of nature were frequently thus spoken of. But over and above, there was a solemn appeal to God; and it is observable that there was a marked difference in the religious sentiments of the two. Laban spake of the God of Abraham and Nahor, their common ancestors; but Jacob, knowing that idolatry had crept in among that branch of the family, swore by the "fear of his father Isaac." They who have one God should have one heart: they who are agreed in religion should endeavor to agree in everything else.
Next: Genesis Chapter 32
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv49, 50, 51, 53 49. Mizpah] That is, The watch-tower. Cf. Jdg_11:29, “Mizpeh…
49. Mizpah] That is, The watch-tower. Cf. Jdg_11:29, “Mizpeh of Gilead,” and Gen_31:34, “Mizpah.” Probably a common name for a height. The mention of this name comes in very abruptly at this point, and may be a gloss. The Sam. reads maṣṣêbah, LXX καὶ ἡ ὅρασις = “the vision.” It has been suggested that the high point here indicated might be the Rammath-mizpeh of Jos_13:25, or the Mizpah in Gilead of Jdg_11:11. A third name for “the heap of stones” is very awkward, and the grammar barely tolerable. The text has undergone some dislocation.
The Lord] LXX ὁ Θεός. Jehovah is the third party in the solemn contract: He is witness; He will uphold the right, and punish the violator of the bond; cf. Gen_16:5.
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between me and thee] The cairn on the hill is to be the witness of the covenant between two sets of people separated at a distance from one another, and tempted to take advantage of one another. The popular use of the word Mizpah, based on this verse, ignores the context, and, in particular, Gen_31:50. God is here invoked, because of the mutual distrust of the two parties, to watch lest one or the other should violate the compact.
absent] Heb. hidden, i.e. “separated and out of sight.”
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 On vv49, 53 (49) Mizpah.—That is, Watchtower. There is, probably, a play…
(49) Mizpah.—That is, Watchtower. There is, probably, a play in this name upon the pillar which Laban proceeds to set up, and which in Hebrew is Mazebah. In the reason given for the name Labau calls Jacob’s God Jehovah, an appellation which he must have learned from Jacob. and which proves not merely that he had some knowledge of Hebrew but that he and Jacob had talked together upon religious subjects, and that he was not a mere idolater, though he did call the teraphim his gods.
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 On v51 Vers 51-53. And Laban said to Jacob, according to…
Vers 51-53. And Laban said to Jacob, according to Ewald the last narrator has transposed the names of Laban and Jacob (vide "History of Israel," vol. 1. p. 346)Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast (same word as in ver. 45. The Arabic version and Samaritan text read yaritha, thou hast erected, instead of yarithi, I have erected or cast up) betwixt me and thee; this heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that (literally, if, here = that) I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar (Laban bound himself never to pass over the heap which he had erected as his witness; whereas Jacob was required to swear that he would never cross the pillar and the pile, both of which were witnesses for him) unto me, for harm. The emphatic word closes the sentence. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge the verb is plural, either because Laban regarded the Elohim of Nahor as different from the Elohim of Abraham (Rosenm Keil, Kalisch, Wordsworth, "Speaker"s Commentary"), or because, though acknowledging only one Elohim, he viewed him as maintaining several and distinct relations to the persons named (cf. Quarry, p. 499)betwixt us. Laban here invokes his own hereditary Elohim, the Elohim of Abraham"s father, to guard his rights and interests under the newly-formed covenant; while Jacob in his adjuration appeals to the Elohim of Abraham"s son. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac (vide supra, ver. 42).
HOMILIES BY R.A. REDFORD
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Vers. 51-55.
Final covenant between Jacob and Laban.
I ENTIRE SEPARATION FROM TEMPTATION IS THE ONLY SAFETY. Very imperfect knowledge in the Mesopotamian family. Rachel"s theft of the household gods a sign of both moral and spiritual deficiency. The religion of Jacob and his descendants must be preserved from contamination. Intercourse with the unenlightened and unsanctified, though necessary for a time and in some degree, must not be suffered to obscure the higher light, or surround us with practical entanglements which hinder our faithfulness to God.
II WHEREVER THE SPIRITUAL LIFE IS FEEBLE IT IS WELL THAT THERE SHOULD BE SOLEMN PUBLIC ACTS OF COVENANT AND TESTIMONY. We want the Galeed and the Mizpah, the heap of witness and the watch-tower of faith. Many united together in the covenant, and thus became witnesses in whose presence the oath was taken. We are helped to faithfulness by the publicity of our vows. But the higher the spiritual life, the less we shall call in material things to support it. Jacob with Laban is not the true Jacob. All dependence upon the symbol and rite is more or less compromise.
III THE CONTACT OF THE HIGHER FORM OF RELIGION WITH THE LOWER ONE, OF THE MEANS OF PREPARING THE WORLD FOR THE TRUTH. Laban and his family types of the lower order of religious knowledge and life. The covenant between the father-in-law and son-in-law in the name of the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor points to a rising light in the Mesopotamian family. We may be sure that the influence of Christianity will be supreme wherever it is brought face to face with men"s religions. That influence may be embodied in matters of common life, in covenants between man and man, in laws and commercial regulations and social arrangements.
IV THE SEED OF THE DIVINE LIFE IS PLANTED IN THE SOIL OF NATURE, BUT REVEALS ITS SUPERIORITY TO NATURE BY BRINGING ALL THINGS AND MEN INTO SUBJECTION TO ITSELF. Jacob, Rachel, and afterwards Joseph, present to the Spirit of God elements of character which require both elevation and renovation. The grace is given. On a natural foundation inherited from others God rears by his grace a lofty structure. The crafty and the thoughtful are often nearly allied. It is one of the spiritual dangers to which specially energetic and subtle minds are exposed, that they may so easily fall into an abuse of their superior mental quickness to the injury of their moral purity and simplicity. Jacob and Laban making their covenant together, and erecting their witnessing monuments, are another illustration of the homage which even very imperfect characters pay to the God of truth. They appeal to him, and they do so in the presence of a world which they know will justify God, and not the sinner. The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, the God of Isaac, judged between them. Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and invited his brethren to a sacrificial banquet; and it was in that atmosphere of mingled reverence for God and human affection that the heir of the covenant bade farewell to all that held him in restraint. and set his face once more towards the land of promise. R.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v49 The Lord watch between me and thee.
Gen_31:49-55
The Lord watch between me and thee.
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--
Lessons
1. Injurious persons are most apt to suspect the innocent for doing wrong.
2. Wicked men would not have others wrong their children though they do it themselves.
3. Nature denieth polygamy though mens lusts design and plead for it.
4. Want of human witness to require fealty is no ground of breaking covenant security.
5. God Himself is witness to the covenants of men, and will see right to be done by them or judge for it.
6. The most fraudulent men may be strict upon others to press on them the testimony of God (Gen_31:50). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Treacherous, deceitful men are most fearful of hurt pursuing them. So Laban.
2. Guilty fear makes men solicitous and intent to save themselves.
3. Sinful solicitousness for safety is full of words to little purpose (Gen_31:51).
4. Jealousy groundless contents not itself with Gods witness, but will have visible assurance.
5. Wickedness may sometimes be content not to do harm to others when it is afraid itself.
6. The most injurious are most solicitous to secure themselves from the innocent, who think no harm unto them (Gen_31:52). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. An oath of God is a just means of confirmation to a lawful covenant for setting things out of doubt.
2. Superstitious men, though convinced of the true way of God, yet worship and swear in old corrupt ways.
3. Oaths taken by false gods, or the true in false ways, are yet binding.
4. in making peace with idolaters it is lawful to take their corrupt swearing, but net to follow it.
5. True saints, when called to swear, must do it in the true fear of the true God.
6. It is just for saints to glorify God by swearing in just cases and making Him Judge (Gen_31:53). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. It is suitable unto a day of peacemaking for Gods servants to make a feast.
2. The spirits of good men are free and ingenious even to such as have been adversaries to them.
3. Friendly invitations and communion are the best issue of hot debates.
4. The power of God so overrules as to make persecutors sleep under the shelter of such whom they have oppressed (Gen_31:54). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. The purposes of wicked men are not in their own hands to effect them. Laban goeth changed home.
2. Furious pursuits of the innocent God turneth to early departures of their enemies.
3. Overruling Providence can make unnatural men show natural affection.
4. Wicked men are convinced there cometh good to men only from the blessing of God.
5. Ungodly ones may use forms of blessing when yet they can procure none from God.
6. God turns oppressors to their own with rebukes who thirsted after the possessions of the innocent (Gen_31:55). So God delivereth His out of temptations. (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Mizpah
I. The ordinary use of this word is not quite the same as its original use. It is generally used as a kind of bond or link between parted friends; whereas it was first used as a SAFEGUARD AND WARNING between two men who were in some sort enemies, or, at least, but doubtful friends, and one of them very suspicious of the other.
1. When two men part, as Laban and Jacob parted, and their circumstances are such that, while absent from one another, one of them, or perhaps each of them, will have it in his power to injure the other in any way, in such a case let this word act as a wholesome warning: Mizpah, a beacon or watch-tower. The Lord Himself is such. He overlooks all.
2. A servant must often be free from the ken of master or mistress. But there is an eye on that servant always--the all-seeing eye of God. He stands as a watch-tower between servant and master or mistress, marking and judging how each fulfils his part. Is the master or mistress kind, just, considerate? Is the servant faithful and true, honest, upright, diligent?
3. Men have many dealings with one another in business. The Lord stands and overlooks each bargain.
II. But though the original application of the word was such, yet it may very well be applied also in that other way in which it is so often used. When those who love one another are called to part--when friends, for instance, go from each other, when brothers and sisters separate, when children leave home, when even a husband is called to a distance, perhaps to a foreign land, and that for a long time--it is A GREAT COMFORT to remember that the Lord is as a watch-tower between those thus parted. The closest and dearest of all bonds is that of having one Father, one Saviour, one Spirit, one hope now, one eternal home hereafter. Those thus united are hardly absent, even when parted in the body. (F. Bourdillon, M. A.)
Mizpah tokens
Tokens and memorials are not without use. The Mizpah on seal or ring, on locket or in book, may well bring to mind those absent, and even serve to draw the thoughts to God. The daughter, whose home is among strangers, will think of the fond mother who made that parting gift, and whose wish and prayer seems to be contained in that little word. The son, far off in a foreign land, carries with him a memorial of the same kind; and when he reads that word his thoughts go back to the home of his childhood, a father and mothers loving words and earnest prayers come back to his mind, his heart is softened, and he remembers Him who is above all, whose eye is in every place, and now watches over both him and those at home. (F. Bourdillon, M. A.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v51 This pile is a witness, and the pillar is…
This pile is a witness, and the pillar is a witness
These piles of stones were to act as a remembrance and a boundary marker for Jacob and Laban regarding their peace agreement. They are spoken of as if they are human witnesses. (See: Personification)
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May the God of Abraham, and the god of Nahor, the gods of their father, judge between us
Abraham is Jacob's grandfather. Nahor is Laban's grandfather. The father of Abraham and Nahor is Terah. Not all of them worshipped Yahweh.
the Fear of his father Isaac
Here the word "Fear" refers to Yahweh, who Isaac deeply respected and showed that respect by obeying him.
translationWords
column
testimony
Abraham
Nahor
ancestor
judge
oath
Isaac
fear
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 On vv49–50 31:49 The witness pile was also called watchtower. God…
31:49 The witness pile was also called watchtower. God would watch over Jacob and Laban and keep them apart, for they could not trust each other.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.