43
¶ And Laban answered and said unto
Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children,
and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I
do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have
born? 44 Now therefore come thou, let us
make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up
for a pillar. 46 And Jacob said unto his
brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did
eat there upon the heap. 47 And Laban
called it Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed. 48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness
between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;
49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD
watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another. 50 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. 51 And
Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have
cast betwixt me and thee; 52 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. 53 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. 54 Then Jacob
offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and
they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. 55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and
kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and
returned unto his place.
Laban replies that Rachel and Leah are his daughters
and that Jacob’s offspring belong to him. He claims that Jacob’s sheep are his
sheep and everything Jacob has carried off belongs to him. He then admits that
he could not possibly do any harm to his daughters and their children, weakly
cutting Jacob out of the equation. After this verbal domination game he then
offers a covenant to Jacob. I would presume he knows he is beaten in this, that
he cannot go against Jacob and face God’s wrath.
They laid a pile of stones to memorialize their
covenant. Laban called it Jegarsahadutha which
Strong says, confirmed by the context, means ‘witness heap.’ Jacob calls it Galeed. This also means ‘witness heap’
according to Strong’s. It is given the names Galeed and Mizpah, meaning
a watchtower. Laban, and most fathers can understand this sentiment as Laban
warns that this heap of stones signifies that God is watching Jacob’s behavior
toward Laban’s daughters. Laban acknowledges Jehovah God as the judge between
himself and Jacob. Neither of them is to pass that heap of stones to each other
with the intent of doing harm. Jacob agreed and offered a sacrifice and then
they had a meal. The next day Laban departed after kissing his daughters and
grandchildren, presumably never to see them again.
Laban has engaged in a psychological device where he
feels more secure even though he has no security. The presumed weaker party in
a conflict, it is revealed, has a powerful ally who changes the balance of
power in the conflict. The party that thought it had all the power now demands
an agreement where they mutually agree not to harm each other, as if he still
had the power to harm the weaker party and would be held back by the agreement
he proposed. Neither Laban, nor you, nor your employer, nor your government,
nor any individual or collective you can imagine is able to stand against God;
all contracts, signed agreements, and treaties aside.
God’s plan of reconciling mankind to Himself continues
and another saint has been nurtured and strengthened in a potential enemy’s
camp, receiving booty and gain, then moving on. The stage is now being set for
the creation of the people of Israel, through which Christ will come.
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