Jacob Prospers and Decides to Return Home (Genesis 30:25 to Genesis 32:2).
This passage is centred around two theophanies and two covenants. In the first theophany Yahweh appears to Jacob and tells him to return home (Genesis 31:3). Then Jacob, describing the theophany to his wives, amplifies what God said as the God of Bethel, emphasising the command to return home (Genesis 31:11-13). And the second is when he meets the angels of God at Mahanaim (Genesis 32:1-2). The passage also contains details of the two covenants made between Jacob and Laban (Genesis 30:31-33 and Genesis 31:44-53). Originally separate covenant records may well have been involved.
Jacob Prospers (Genesis 30:25-43).
‘And it happened when Rachel had borne Joseph that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away that I may go to my own place and to my country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go. For you know my service with which I have served you.” '
Jacob's servitude has come to its end. Now he seeks to clarify his position with Laban and his tribal confederation. He has fulfilled his dues and should be free to return home with all he has earned. His case is a little different from the normal ‘Hebrew bondsman' for the latter would, on completion of his servitude, be required to leave his wives behind. But in this case they are his wages, and he is a relative of equal standing.
Note how carefully Jacob words his request. He is making clear the terms of the covenant between them and his complete fulfilment of it. He recognises the rights of the tribe but stresses that he has fulfilled all their requirement and therefore has the right to leave along with his family even though they are part of the tribe.
‘And Laban said to him, “If now I have found favour in your eyes, stay with us. For I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.” And he said, “Fix what your wages will be and I will pay them.” '
Laban does not directly dispute Jacob's right to leave along with his family (but see Genesis 31:43. The position was decidedly unusual). But it is to Jacob's credit that Laban does not want him to leave. He recognises the prosperity that has come to the tribe through Jacob's presence and activities. And he acknowledges that this is partly due to the God whom Jacob worships, even Yahweh.
“Stay with us.” Not actually in the text but to be read in by implication.
“I have divined.” By means of divination Laban has become aware of Yahweh's influence in all this. He is not a worshipper of Yahweh but as with Balaam later (Numbers 22-24) Yahweh makes His way known through those who are not His.
“Fix what your wages will be.” Negotiations begin again. Jacob can name his own price for further service and participation in tribal activity and it will be considered.
‘And he said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your cattle have fared with me. For it was little which you had before I came, and it has broken forth as a multitude. And Yahweh has blessed you wherever I have turned. And now when shall I provide for my own house as well?” '
Jacob puts his case. His activity has turned their fortunes and their flocks and herds have multiplied. And he agrees with Laban that this is due to Yahweh his God. But now it is time for him to consider his own prosperity. He wants flocks and herds of his own for the benefit of his family.
“Yahweh has blessed you wherever I have turned.” There seems little doubt in view of this and Laban's previous confession that we are to see Yahweh at work throughout the following narrative.
And he said, “What shall I give you?”
The bargaining begins. Laban wants to know Jacob” s terms. It may be that here there is a subtlety in Laban's offer. Once Jacob has accepted a specific payment as ‘wages' it may be that it would have bound him to the tribe.
“And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything.” ”
Jacob is equal to his subtlety. He does not want anything specific now, he is prepared to wait for the future to decide in the terms of the bargain he will now outline. He will accept what God gives him.
Genesis 30:31-33 (31c-33)
“If you will do this thing for me I will again feed your flock and keep it. I will pass through all your flock today removing from it every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. Then my hire will be of such. So will my righteousness answer for me hereafter, when you shall come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep that is found with me shall be counted as stolen.”
Jacob is not here saying that the sheep and goats he separates out will be his. He expects nothing at this point in time (Genesis 30:31 b). They can be removed from the flocks. They will go with Laban (Genesis 30:35). But he is saying that he is prepared to accept any future speckled and spotted goats and black sheep once the flocks have been first purged of the ones that are alive at present.
“So shall my righteousness answer for me --”. The righteous position in the eyes of the tribe will be that in future any speckled goats and black sheep found in the part of the flocks over which he has care will be his and his righteousness before them will be demonstrated by his only retaining these separately as his own.
Considering the fact that most sheep were white, and most goats were dark brown or black, and that, separated from the speckled and black such were unlikely to bear black sheep or speckled offspring, the bargain must have seemed a good one to Laban and his sons. Jacob seemed to be deliberately making things difficult for himself. But what Jacob does not feel it necessary to explain is that he has probably made sure that the non-speckled and spotted goats and the non-black sheep have been carefully impregnated beforehand by the speckled and spotted goats and the black sheep, and that he has thus stacked the odds in his own favour. Two master tricksters are at work.
Throughout the narrative five different words are used to designate the features that distinguished what belonged to Jacob (speckled, spotted, striped, ringstraked, grisled and so on). These were no doubt technical terms clearly recognisable to shepherds in the area who would know exactly what was indicated.
‘And Laban said, “Behold, I would it might be according to your word.”
Thus Laban accepts the contract proposed by Jacob.
‘And he removed that day the he-goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she-goats which were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hands of his sons. And he set three days journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.'
There is no suggestion in the narrative that Laban has played false with Jacob, although he does the separating himself to make sure that it is done properly. Indeed it assumes that Laban is simply following out the terms of the contract, which must thus be read in this light (any deficiency in our understanding of it tells us more of our lack of knowledge of ancient Hebrew than of the failure of Jacob to express himself properly). The ‘three-days journey' means a comparatively short distance while ensuring adequate distance between the flocks.
‘And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane tree., and peeled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. And they conceived when they came to drink. And the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks produced ringstraked, speckled and spotted.'
How far he thought that this was a method of actually producing speckled offspring (it would not explain the black sheep), and how far it was a red herring to disguise the fact that he was achieving his results by inter-breeding, we do not know. We know of no method of achieving this today. But there remains the possibility that something from the trees used entered the water and assisted the required effect.
It is quite clear that Jacob had developed into an expert shepherd and it may be that had observed certain things which he knew he could utilise to produce the kind of animals he wanted. We need not doubt that breeding was one of them. He may never have known what actually achieved the results but he used a successful combination. His contemporaries noted the most striking method.
“Made the white (laban) appear.” There is probably a subtle play on the word for white and the name Laban. Laban had been out-Labaned.
Alternately this may all be a device for deceiving Laban. Having assiduously made sure that the sheep had been properly impregnated perhaps he wants to be able to provide some other explanation of what would follow than his own subtlety. However, what follows suggests that he did have some faith in his white straked rods.
‘And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked and all the black in the flock of Laban. And he put his own droves apart and did not put them into Laban's flock.'
Once the lambs had been weaned Jacob ‘set the faces of the flocks' toward the ringstraked goats and black rams. This is a clear suggestion of a deliberate breeding policy. He did not trust to his gimmicks only, if at all.
He then maintains two flocks side by side, that which was now his and that which was Laban's. The sentence seems a little ambiguous. The idea would seem to be that the lambs which were designated as his were kept apart, although the ringstraked he-goats (Genesis 30:35) and black rams were kept in Laban's section to assist the work of breeding further gain to Jacob from Laban's she-goats and sheep.
There is no real need to see this as a later addition. The writer is most taken up with Jacob's more spectacular methods but here mentions in passing other tactics he has observed. Jacob was using every method at his command to produce speckled and black beasts.
‘And it happened whenever the stronger of the flock conceived Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters so that they might conceive among the rods. But when the flock was feeble he did not put them in. So the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's.'
The description shows with what care Jacob bred the young. He took individual care to ensure that the right males studded the right females. He trusted inter-breeding and the white rods used in connection with the water troughs. And it worked. We may recognise the inter-breeding as the important factor, but there may well have been something in the trees used which got into the water supply and assisted the process. And there may even have been something in the psychological factor which is hidden from us today. Jacob trusted the whole. But there is the underlying assumption that his prosperity was due to Yahweh's blessing (Genesis 30:27 and Genesis 30:30).
‘And the man increased exceedingly and had large flocks and maidservants and menservants and camels and asses.'
Jacob managed what is his efficiently. As his flocks grew he took on his own maidservants and menservants and purchased camels (a sign of prosperity) and asses, building up his own ‘household' (family tribe). But the tribal confederation of which Laban was a part would now begin to see this as part of the confederation. Wives, sons and a few sheep and goats earned by a contract of service were one thing. But this was something else.
“The man.” This may be what he was now being called by his ‘brothers'. He was the outsider who was becoming too wealthy and was causing jealousy.
So on the one hand Jacob still saw all he now possessed as non-tribal and his own possession, while on the other others were seeing them as part of the tribal possessions. This would cause a problem when he wanted to leave, as he well knew.