So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.
Parallel translations
- WEB He took his relatives with him, and pursued him seven days’ journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.
- KJV And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.
- NKJV Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.
- NASB he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.
- NLT So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit. He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Laban gathers his relatives and pursues Jacob for seven days, overtaking him in Gilead. A tense confrontation looms.
Overview
Laban's determined seven-day pursuit shows his anger and desire to reclaim what he feels is his. The gathering of relatives suggests potential for conflict or force. Yet, as the next verse reveals, God intervenes to restrain Laban, demonstrating his protective care over Jacob.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Exod 2:11One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.
- Exod 2:13The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?”
- Gen 24:27saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
- Gen 13:8So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are brothers.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 31:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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