Now Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
Parallel translations
- WEB Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
- KJV And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.
- BSB Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.
- NKJV Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
- NLT To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means “witness pile” in Hebrew).
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 names the heap in Aramaic and Jacob in Hebrew, both meaning 'heap of witness.' The two names reflect their different languages and the witness the heap represents.
Overview
Jegar Sahadutha (Aramaic) and Galeed (Hebrew) carry the same meaning, showing the cultural distance now separating Jacob's family from Laban's. This small detail marks Jacob's emergence as a distinct covenant people. The heap stands as a silent witness binding both men before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Heb 12:1Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
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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 31:47 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.