Laban said, “This heap is witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named Galeed
Parallel translations
- KJV And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;
- BSB Then Laban declared, “This mound is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore the place was called Galeed.
- NKJV And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed,
- NASB Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed,
- NLT Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.”
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 declares the heap a witness between them, giving rise to the name Galeed. The monument formally testifies to their agreement.
Overview
The naming of the heap as 'witness' establishes it as the enduring sign of their covenant. In a culture without written contracts for such matters, physical witnesses carried lasting legal and moral weight. The repetition emphasizes that God Himself oversees the keeping of human vows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Josh 24:27Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all Yahweh’s words which he spoke to us. It shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.”
- Josh 13:8–9With him the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them:
- Deut 3:16To the Reubenites and to the Gadites I gave from Gilead even to the valley of the Arnon, the middle of the valley, and its border, even to the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;
- Deut 2:36From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. Yahweh our God delivered up all before us.
- Gen 31:23He took his relatives with him, and pursued him seven days’ journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.
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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 31:48 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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