Genesis 31 · Verse 29

Genesis 31:29

It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
Genesis 31:29, King James Version

Genesis 31:29 in other translations

BSBI have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
WEBIt is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t speak to Jacob either good or bad.’
ASVIt is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
YLTmy hand is to God to do evil with you, but the God of your father yesternight hath spoken unto me, saying, Take heed to thyself from speaking with Jacob from good unto evil.
DARBYIt would be in the power of my hand to do you hurt; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, Take care that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
BBEIt is in my power to do you damage: but the God of your father came to me this night, saying, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.
WebsterIt is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spoke to me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

What does Genesis 31:29 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 31:26-30

26-30. Laban said ... What hast thou done?--Not a word is said of the charge (Ge 31:1). His reproaches were of a different kind. His first charge was for depriving him of the satisfaction of giving Jacob and his family the usual salutations at parting. In the East it is customary, when any are setting out to a great distance, for their relatives and friends to accompany them a considerable way with music and…

Read the full comment on Genesis 31:26-30 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt - Literally, My hand is unto God to do you evil, i.e., I have vowed to God that I will punish thee for thy flight, and the stealing of my teraphim; but the God of Your father has prevented me from doing it. It is a singular instance that the plural pronoun, when addressing an individual, should be twice used in this place - the God of your father, אביכם abichem, for אביך abicha, thy father.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 31:22-35

God can put a bridle in the mouth of wicked men, to restrain their malice, though he do not change their hearts. Though they have no love to God's people, they will pretend to it, and try to make a merit of necessity. Foolish Laban! to call those things his gods which could be stolen! Enemies may steal our goods, but not our God. Here Laban lays to Jacob's charge things that he knew not. Those who commit their cause…

Read the full comment on Genesis 31:22-35 →

Genesis 31:29 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.

יֶשׁ\־yesh-thereH3426
לְאֵ֣לle.'El[is] to [the] power ofH410
יָדִ֔יya.Dihand myH3027
לַעֲשׂ֥וֹתla.'a.Sotto doH6213
עִמָּכֶ֖ם'i.ma.Khemwith youH5973
רָ֑עRa'harmH7451
וֵֽאלֹהֵ֨יve.lo.Heiand [the] God ofH430
אֲבִיכֶ֜ם'a.vi.Khemfather yourH1
אֶ֣מֶשׁ\׀'E.meshlast nightH570
אָמַ֧ר'a.Marhe saidH559
אֵלַ֣י'e.Laito meH413
לֵאמֹ֗רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
הִשָּׁ֧מֶרhi.Sha.mertake heedH8104
לְךָ֛le.Khato <the> yourself
מִדַּבֵּ֥רmi.da.Berfrom speakingH1696
עִֽם\־'im-withH5973
יַעֲקֹ֖בya.'a.KoJacobH3290
מִטּ֥וֹבmi.Tovfrom goodH2896
עַד\־'ad-untoH5704
רָֽע\׃Ra'badH7451

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

Cross references for Genesis 31:29

  • Genesis 31:42

    Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.

  • Genesis 31:53

    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.

  • Joshua 24:2-3

    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. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

  • Genesis 31:24

    And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

  • Genesis 28:13

    And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

  • Acts 5:38-39

    And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

  • Acts 9:5

    And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

  • John 19:10-11

    Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

  • Daniel 6:20

    And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

  • 2 Kings 19:10

    Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

  • Daniel 2:47

    The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

  • Daniel 3:28

    Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the power.
Ps 52:1; Joh 19:10,11
the God.
42,53; 28:13; Jos 24:2,3; 2Ki 19:10; Da 2:47; 3:28; 6:20,26
yesternight.
24
Take.
Ac 5:38,39; 9:5

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

Context

  • Genesis 31:28

    And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.

  • Genesis 31:29

    It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

  • 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?

Read all of Genesis 31

Genesis 31:29 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Poder hay en mi mano para haceros mal: mas el Dios de vuestro padre me habló anoche diciendo: Guárdate que no hables á Jacob descomedidamente.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
J’ai en ma main le pouvoir de vous faire du mal; mais le Dieu de votre père m’a parlé la nuit passée, disant: Garde-toi de parler à Jacob, ni en bien, ni en mal.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Es wäre in der Macht meiner Hand, euch Übles zu tun; aber der Gott eures Vaters hat gestern Nacht zu mir geredet und gesagt: Hüte dich, mit Jakob weder Gutes noch Böses zu reden!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
valet manus mea reddere tibi malum: sed Deus patris vestri heri dixit mihi: Cave ne loquaris contra Jacob quidquam durius.