Genesis 31 · Verse 19

Genesis 31:19

And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s.
Genesis 31:19, King James Version

Genesis 31:19 in other translations

BSBNow while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.
WEBNow Laban had gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s.
ASVNow Laban was gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s.
YLTAnd Laban hath gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stealeth the teraphim which her father hath;
DARBYAnd Laban had gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that belonged to her father.
BBENow Laban had gone to see to the cutting of the wool of his sheep; so Rachel secretly took the images of the gods of her father's house.
WebsterAnd Laban went to shear his sheep; and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.

What does Genesis 31:19 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 19 Laban went to shear his sheep - Laban had gone; and this was a favorable time not only to take his images, but to return to Canaan without being perceived. Rachel had stolen the images - תרפים teraphim. What the teraphim were is utterly unknown. In Gen 31:30 they are termed אלהי elohai, gods; and to some it appears very likely that they were a sort of images devoted to superstitious purposes, not considered as gods, but as representatives of certain Divine attributes, Dr. Shuckford supposes them to be a sort of tiles, on which the names or figures of their ancestors were engraven. Theodoret, in his 89th question, calls them idols; and says that Rachel, who was a type of the true Church, stole them from her father that he might be delivered from idolatry. R. S. Jarchi gives nearly the same reason. The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel gives a strange turn to the whole passage. "And Rachel stole the images of her father: for they had murdered a man, who was a first-born son; and having cut off his head, they embalmed it with salt and spices, and they wrote divinations upon a plate of gold, and put it under his tongue; and placed it against the wall, and it conversed with them, and Laban worshipped it. And Jacob stole the science of Laban the Syrian, that it might not discover his departure." If the word be derived from רפא mo rapha, to heal or restore, then the teraphim may be considered as a sort of talismans, kept for the purpose of averting and curing diseases; and probably were kept by Laban for the same purpose that the Romans kept their lares and penates. It is however possible that תרפים teraphim is the same as שרפים seraphim, the ת tau and ש sin being changed, which is very frequent in the Syrian or Chaldee language; and we know that Laban was an Aramean or Syrian. Fire has been considered from the earliest ages as a symbol of the Deity; and as the word seraphim comes from שרף saraph, to burn, it has been conjectured that the teraphim of Laban were luminous forms, prepared of burnished brass, etc., which he might imagine a proper medium of communication between God and his worshippers. Mr. Parkhurst has observed that the teraphim were in use among believers and unbelievers. Among the former, see this chapter; for he denies that Laban was an idolater. See also Jdg 17:5;Jdg 18:14, Jdg 18:18, Jdg 18:20; 1Sam 19:13, 1Sam 19:16. Among the latter, see 2Kgs 23:24; Eze 21:21; Zac 10:2. Compare 1Sam 15:23, and Hos 3:4. These are all the places in which the original word is found. The Persian translator seems to have considered these teraphim as tables or instruments that served for purposes of judicial astrology, and hence translates the word asterlabha, astrolabes. As the astrolabe was an instrument with which they took the altitude of the pole-star, the sun, etc., it might, in the notion of the Persian translator, imply tables, etc., by which the culminating of particular stars might be determined, and the whole serve for purposes of judicial astrology. Now as many who have professed themselves to be believers in Christianity, have nevertheless addicted themselves to judicial astrology, we might suppose such a thing in this case, and still consider Laban as no idolater. If the Persian translator has not hit on the true meaning, he has formed the most likely conjecture.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 31:1-21

The affairs of these families are related very minutely, while (what are called) the great events of states and kingdoms at that period, are not mentioned. The Bible teaches people the common duties of life, how to serve God, how to enjoy the blessings he bestows, and to do good in the various stations and duties of life. Selfish men consider themselves robbed of all that goes past them, and covetousness will even…

Read the full comment on Genesis 31:1-21 →

Genesis 31:19 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְלָבָ֣ןve.la.Vanand LabanH3837
הָלַ֔ךְha.Lakhhe had goneH1980
לִגְזֹ֖זlig.Zozto shearH1494
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
צֹאנ֑וֹtzo.Nosheep hisH6629
וַתִּגְנֹ֣בva.tig.Noand she stoleH1589
רָחֵ֔לra.ChelRachelH7354
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַתְּרָפִ֖יםha.te.ra.Fimthe teraphimH8655
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834
לְאָבִֽיהָ\׃le.'a.Vi.ha[belonged] to father herH1

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 31:19

  • 1 Samuel 19:13

    And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.

  • Hosea 3:4

    For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

  • Genesis 31:30

    And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?

  • Ezekiel 21:21

    For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.

  • Genesis 35:2

    Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

  • Genesis 31:34

    Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.

  • Judges 17:4-5

    Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

  • Genesis 31:32

    With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.

  • Judges 18:14-24

    Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do. And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. …

  • Joshua 24:2

    And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

  • Judges 18:31

    And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
images. Heb. teraphim.
30,32; 35:2; Jos 24:2; Jud 17:4,5; 18:14-24,31; 1Sa 19:13; Eze 21:21
Ho 3:4These might have been images devoted to superstitious or idolatrous purposes, as they are termed gods by Laban, in ver. 30. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan render it, {tzalmanaya,} "images;" the LXX. and Theodoret, [eidolon <See definition 1497|,] "idols;" Aquilla, [morphomata,] "figures;" and the Persian, {asterlabha,} "astrolabes."

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 31:18

    And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan–aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

  • Genesis 31:19

    And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s.

  • Genesis 31:20

    And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.

Read all of Genesis 31

Genesis 31:19 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y Labán había ido á trasquilar sus ovejas: y Rachêl hurtó los ídolos de su padre.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Laban était allé tondre son menu bétail, et Rachel vola les théraphim qui étaient à son père.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Laban war gegangen, um seine Schafe zu scheren; und Rahel stahl die Teraphim, die ihr Vater hatte.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Eo tempore ierat Laban ad tondendas oves, et Rachel furata est idola patris sui.