Jacob and Laban Make a Covenant

Parallels

• Gen.31:23 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Laban learns of Jacob’s flight and rises to pursue him — shows cause/effect of the report in v.22.
• Gen.29:25-26 (thematic): Laban’s earlier deception of Jacob (substituting Leah for Rachel) — parallels patterns of trickery and family conflict between Jacob and Laban.
• Gen.27:41-45 (thematic): Jacob’s earlier flight after Esau threatened to kill him for Isaac’s blessing — parallels the motif of fleeing to escape threatened retribution and the complex family tensions that provoke flight.
• Exod.2:15 (verbal): ‘When Pharaoh heard of it…’ — similar narrative formula where a report of a deed leads to pursuit/exile (Moses flees Egypt), paralleling the function of news in Gen 31:22.

Parallels

• Genesis 31:22 (structural): Immediate parallel in the same episode — reports Laban's pursuit beginning when he heard Jacob had fled; sets the scene for verse 31:23.
• Genesis 31:24 (allusion): Divine intervention that halts Laban's pursuit — God appears to Laban in a dream and warns him not to harm Jacob, explaining why the chase ends at Gilead.
• Genesis 32:3-7 (thematic): Jacob's later anxiety about encountering kin (Esau) after flight — continues the theme of flight, pursuit, and the tense meeting on the way back from Paddan‑aram.
• 1 Samuel 24:1-7 (thematic): Saul's pursuit of David into the wilderness and David being overtaken in a confined, rugged setting — parallels narrative motifs of pursuit, overtaking, and a fraught encounter between relatives or rivals.
• Exodus 14:24-25 (verbal): God's direct intervention against a pursuing force (the Egyptians) that prevents destruction of Israel — a similar motif of divine action affecting the outcome of a pursuit.

Parallels

• Gen.31.11-13 (verbal): Same scene/chapter: God (angel) appears to Jacob in a dream and gives direct instructions about leaving Laban — parallels the motif of divine speech in a nocturnal dream addressing matters between Jacob and Laban.
• Gen.20:3 (verbal): Identical narrative formula — “God came to [a man] in a dream of the night” — God warns or instructs a third party (Abimelech) about another person’s safety, similar function and wording.
• Gen.28:12-15 (thematic): Jacob’s earlier Bethel dream where God promises presence and protection; shares the theme of divine nocturnal revelation assuring protection and directing Jacob’s destiny.
• Matt.2:13 (thematic): An angel appears to Joseph in a dream to warn him to flee to Egypt for the child’s safety — parallels the use of dreams as divine warnings/instructions to preserve a person’s welfare.

Parallels

• Genesis 31:44-52 (structural): Direct continuation of the same episode: after Laban overtakes Jacob they make a covenant on Mount Gilead, set up a heap and pillar (Galeed/Mizpah) as witness — explains the purpose of the opposing encampments in v.25.
• Genesis 32:1-2 (thematic): Shortly after Jacob departs from Laban he encounters 'two camps' (Mahanaim) — echoes the motif of divided/paired encampments and the theme of meeting parties on hillsides.
• Joshua 24:25-27 (allusion): Joshua records a covenant with the people and sets up a stone as a witness and memorial under an oak — parallels the Israelite practice of establishing stones/heaps as covenant witnesses seen at Gilead.
• 1 Samuel 7:12 (allusion): Samuel sets up the stone Ebenezer as a testimony to God's help — another instance of erecting a monument/stone as a witness, comparable to the heap/pillar erected between Jacob and Laban.

Parallels

• Gen.31.19 (allusion): Rachel's secret theft of her father's household gods immediately precedes Laban's charge and helps explain why Laban accuses Jacob of stealing and carrying off his daughters/possessions.
• Gen.31.36-42 (structural): Laban's fuller accusation and Jacob's defense later in the chapter elaborate the same complaints (deception, custody of daughters, taking of flocks) and place v.26 within the larger confrontation.
• Gen.29.25-27 (thematic): Earlier deception between Laban and Jacob (the substitution of Leah for Rachel and changing of wages) establishes a recurring theme of trickery and disputed marriage/rights that informs Laban's complaint here.
• Gen.34.2 (thematic): Dinah's being seized/defiled and the subsequent treatment of daughters as objects or 'spoils' (a captive-like status) parallels Laban's imagery of his daughters being carried off 'as captives of the sword.'
• Song of Songs 4:9 (verbal): Uses similar language of a captivated/stolen heart ('you have captivated/stolen my heart'), echoing the Hebrew motif of the heart being 'stolen' or captivated found in Gen 31:26.

Parallels

• Genesis 31:20 (verbal): Directly connected context: Jacob 'stole away' (fled secretly), which is the specific act Laban is accusing him of in 31:27 — a near verbal/structural echo.
• Genesis 29:25 (thematic): Earlier episode of deception between Jacob and Laban (Laban deceives Jacob about the bride), highlighting the reciprocal motif of hiding/deceit in their relationship.
• Genesis 27:35-36 (thematic): Jacob's own earlier deception of Isaac/Esau provides ironic background — themes of deception and broken trust recur in Jacob's life and are now turned back on him.
• Genesis 33:1-4 (thematic): Contrast/parallel in desire for a joyful, song-filled reconciliation: Jacob's later peaceful meeting with Esau resembles the kind of 'sending away with joy and songs' Laban claims he was denied.

Parallels

• Genesis 31:20 (structural): Immediate narrative context: explains Jacob’s secret departure with his family — the action Laban complains about in 31:28 (that Jacob left without allowing farewells).
• Genesis 31:22-24 (structural): Laban’s pursuit and God’s warning to him not to harm or speak ill of Jacob directly respond to Laban’s charge that Jacob fled and ‘did foolishly.’
• Genesis 29:25-26 (thematic): Laban’s earlier deception of Jacob (substituting Leah for Rachel) shows the pattern of mutual trickery and family quarrels that frames Laban’s rebuke and accusation of foolishness here.
• Genesis 27:41-45 (thematic): Jacob’s earlier secret flight from Esau after the deception over Isaac’s blessing provides a parallel motif of departure to avoid conflict and family estrangement.

Parallels

• Gen.31.24 (quotation): Same event quoted/echoed: God appeared to Laban in a dream and said, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad,' which Laban cites in 31:29.
• Gen.31.42 (verbal): Jacob's earlier speech invokes 'the God of my fathers' as protector who saw his affliction and restrained Laban—same theological claim about divine protection and intervention.
• Gen.20:3–7 (thematic): God appears to Abimelech in a dream to forbid him from taking Sarah, parallel to God intervening in a dream to prevent harm to a patriarch.
• Job 33:14–16 (thematic): Describes God speaking by dream or vision to warn and turn people from wrongdoing—echoes the motif of divine warning by dream that Laban reports.

Parallels

• Gen.31.19 (verbal): Same episode: Rachel secretly 'took the household gods' (גנבה את־אלהים), the direct antecedent to Laban's accusation in 31:30.
• Gen.31.35 (verbal): Laban's subsequent search of Rachel's tent and his report that he 'did not find them' echoes the immediate narrative sequence surrounding the charge of stealing the household gods.
• Gen.31.32 (structural): Laban's oath concerning the teraphim ('whoever is found to have them shall not live') is part of the accusatory and judicial structure that follows the allegation of theft in 31:30.
• Judg.18:17-18 (thematic): The Danite raid on Micah's house, in which the community seizes household images/teraphim, parallels the motif of 'stealing/appropriating household gods' and raises similar questions about possession and legitimacy of domestic cult objects.
• Judg.17:2-4 (thematic): The account of Micah's household idols and their role in private cultic practice provides a broader thematic background for understanding 'household gods' (teraphim) and their social/religious significance in narratives like Gen 31:30.

Parallels

• Gen.29:25-30 (structural): Laban's earlier deception in substituting Leah for Rachel shows his willingness to control and transfer his daughters as part of negotiations — the immediate narrative context that explains Jacob's fear of Laban 'taking' his daughters.
• Gen.31:43-44 (structural): Close verbal and situational parallel in the same episode: Jacob soon insists that his wives and children are his, and Laban's behavior of changing terms and pursuing the household underscores the very fear Jacob expresses in v.31.
• Gen.12:11-13 (thematic): Abraham fears that foreigners will kill him and take his wife Sarah, reflecting the wider patriarchal anxiety about losing a wife to others — a comparable motive for deceptive or protective behavior.
• Gen.20:2-7 (thematic): Abimelech's taking of Sarah (and God's intervention) is a concrete instance of a host or ruler seizing another man's wife, paralleling Jacob's expressed fear that Laban might similarly carry off his daughters.
• 2 Sam.12:9 (thematic): Nathan's rebuke of David for taking Uriah's wife highlights the theme of a more powerful man seizing another man's wife; it provides a later Israelite example of the social trauma and moral issues behind Jacob's fear.

Parallels

• Judges 17:2–6 (verbal): Mentions household gods (teraphim) and a personal shrine — directly parallels the motif of small household idols like those Rachel stole.
• Judges 18:17–27 (thematic): Danite episode in which Micah's household gods are stolen and the thieves flee before discovery — closely parallels the theft of teraphim and the danger of being found with them.
• Exodus 32:25–29 (thematic): After the golden calf episode the Levites carry out lethal punishment against those involved — echoes the life‑or‑death language of 'he shall not live' for anyone found with gods.
• Genesis 31:34–35 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel/continuation: explains that Rachel stole her father's household gods and that Jacob did not know — directly clarifies the situation Laban addresses in v.32.

Parallels

• Gen.31:19 (verbal): Immediate antecedent: Rachel steals her father Laban's household gods (teraphim) and hides them, which is the reason Laban searches the tents in 31:33.
• Gen.31:34-35 (structural): Direct continuation of the same episode: Rachel conceals the idols in her camel-saddle and denies having them when Laban searches the tents — the next verses explain what Laban fails to find in 31:33.
• Judg.18:17-20 (see also 18:1-31) (thematic): The Danites discover and then take another man's household gods (teraphim/ephod), a parallel episode of private possession and illicit removal of household idols and the social/ritual consequences of such theft.
• Judg.17:1-6 (thematic): Account of Micah's personal shrine and household gods (teraphim) kept in a home — thematically related to the motif of private household idols and competing loyalties between family and cultic objects.

Parallels

• Genesis 31:19 (31:34 MT) (structural): Immediate context of the same episode: Rachel’s taking of her father’s household gods (teraphim) and hiding them in the camel saddle—same action recounted within the Jacob–Laban narrative.
• Genesis 31:22–35 (structural): The larger narrative in which Laban searches all the tents for the household gods; verses describe the search and Rachel’s concealment and Laban’s accusation—directly parallel in plot and details.
• Judges 17–18 (verbal): Story of Micah’s household idols and the teraphim that are taken by the Danites—shares the motif and terminology of household gods/teraphim, concealment, and theft/transfer of domestic cult objects.
• 1 Samuel 19:11–17 (verbal): Michal places a household image/teraphim in David’s bed and uses it to deceive pursuers—parallel use of a teraphim as a domestic object employed to mislead/searchers and protect a fugitive.

Parallels

• Judges 17:5 (thematic): Mentions household cult objects (ephod and teraphim) in a domestic shrine — parallels Rachel’s possession of teraphim and the presence of household idols in family religion.
• Judges 18:17-20 (thematic): Narrates the Danites’ theft of Micah’s teraphim and their use in cultic/household worship — a direct thematic parallel to Rachel’s taking of her father’s teraphim.
• 1 Samuel 19:13 (verbal): Uses the same Hebrew term teraphim and depicts a household image used to deceive pursuing searchers (Michal places a teraphim in David’s bed) — a verbal and functional parallel to Rachel’s concealment and Laban’s fruitless search.
• Leviticus 15:19-24 (thematic): Prescribes uncleanness during a woman’s menstrual period and restrictions on contact/assembly — connects to Rachel’s excuse (‘in the way of women’) that she could not rise when searched.

Parallels

• Gen.31.26 (verbal): Laban's immediate accusation to Jacob—'What hast thou done?'—provides the direct speech-counterpart to Jacob's protest in 31:36; both verses record the mutual recriminations in the same confrontation.
• Gen.31.22-24 (structural): These verses describe Laban's pursuit of Jacob and God's warning to Laban in a dream; they set the scene for the clash recorded in 31:36 (Laban's chase and the ensuing dispute).
• Gen.30.25-36 (thematic): The long episode about wages, deceit, and family tensions explains the background grievances between Jacob and Laban that lead to the confrontation and Jacob's protest in 31:36.
• Gen.31.42 (thematic): Jacob's later oath and appeal to the God of his fathers as witness continues his defense against Laban's charges and further shows Jacob insisting on his innocence and motives—themeually linked to the rhetorical 'What is my trespass?' of 31:36.
• Hos.12.3-4 (allusion): The prophet Hosea recalls Jacob's struggles with men (and with God) — including his dealings with Laban — as a moral-typological memory; Hosea's summary alludes to the same contested relationship and Jacob's contentious flight reflected in Gen 31:36.

Parallels

• Gen.31.28 (quotation): Laban’s direct accusation ('What have I done to you, that you have stolen my gods?') immediately precedes and prompts Jacob’s demand that Laban search his household — the same exchange framed from the other side.
• Gen.31.52-53 (structural): Both verses invoke witnesses and a formal settlement between kin (setting up a heap and invoking God as judge); here Jacob asks that items be placed 'before my brothers and your brothers' for adjudication, mirroring the covenantal witness procedure.
• Deut.19.15 (thematic): The law requiring disputes to be decided on the basis of two or three witnesses parallels Jacob’s appeal to present evidence before 'my brothers and your brothers' for a communal judgment.
• Prov.18.17 (thematic): ‘The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him’ reflects the evidentiary procedure implicit in Jacob’s request that Laban search and present what was found so both parties (and their kin) can judge.

Parallels

• Gen.31:39 (verbal): Immediate continuation of Jacob's defense: he specifies how he treated Laban's flocks ('that which was torn I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it'), repeating the claim of honest stewardship.
• Gen.31:41 (structural): Jacob's summary statement about twenty years in Laban's house and his faithful service echoes the timeframe and the defensive posture of v.38, forming the larger structural defense speech.
• Gen.30:25-31 (thematic): Earlier employment arrangement where Jacob agrees to feed and keep Laban's flocks and sets terms for his wages—background for his later claim of long service and non-consumption of Laban's sheep.
• Gen.29:18-20 (thematic): Jacob's long periods of service for Laban (e.g., seven years for Rachel) establish the pattern of extended labor and loyalty that underlies his assertion in 31:38 about twenty years of service and proper conduct toward the flocks.

Parallels

• Gen.31:32-35 (structural): Immediate parallel in the same episode: Laban accuses Jacob of stealing his teraphim and Jacob denies it; Rachel hid the household gods (teraphim) and Jacob protests he did not take them.
• Gen.30:37-43 (thematic): Earlier account explaining how Jacob increased and separated the flocks by cunning breeding—background for Laban’s suspicion that Jacob had gained wealth by illicit means.
• Judg.18:17-18 (thematic): Narrative of the Danites stealing Micah’s household idols (teraphim) and carrying them off during migration—a parallel motif of household gods being taken/hidden in a flight from one house to another.
• Exod.12:35-36 (allusion): When Israel left Egypt they took articles of silver, gold and garments from the Egyptians; thematically related to disputes over property taken at departure and the question whether taking goods while departing counts as theft.

Parallels