Genesis 31:17

Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Jacob	יַעֲקֹ֑ב ya.'a.Ko	H3290	Jaakob · proper noun, a man's name
up	וַיָּ֖קָם vai.Ya.kom	H6965	to rise (in various applications · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
set	וַיִּשָּׂ֛א vai.yi.Sa'	H5375	to lift · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
sons	בָּנָ֥יו ba.Nav	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
wives	נָשָׁ֖יו na.Shav	H802	a woman · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
camels	הַגְּמַלִּֽים ha.ge.ma.Lim	H1581	a camel · definite article + noun, common both genders plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Genesis 24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, a…
Genesis 24:61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
1 Samuel 30:17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young m…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 31:17-24

Here is, I. Jacob's flight from Laban. We may suppose he had been long considering of it, and casting about in his mind respecting it; but when now, at last, God had given him positive orders to go, he made no delay, nor was he disobedient to the heavenly vision. The first opportunity that offered itself he laid hold of, when Laban was shearing his sheep (Gen 31:19), that part of his flock which was in the hands of his sons three days' journey off. Now, 1. It is certain that it was lawful for Jacob to leave his service suddenly, without giving a quarter's warning. It was not only justified by the particular instructions God gave him, but warranted by the fundamental law of self-preservation,…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 31:17

Then Jacob rose up--Little time is spent by pastoral people in removing. The striking down the tents and poles and stowing them among their other baggage; the putting their wives and children in houdas like cradles, on the backs of camels, or in panniers on asses; and the ranging of the various parts of the flock under the respective shepherds; all this is a short process. A plain that is covered in the morning with a long array of tents and with browsing flocks, may, in a few hours, appear so desolate that not a vestige of the encampment remains, except the holes in which the tent poles had been fixed.

Adam Clarke on Genesis 31:15

Are we not counted of him strangers? - Rachel and Leah, who well knew the disposition of their father, gave him here his true character. He has treated us as strangers - as slaves whom he had a right to dispose of as he pleased; in consequence, he hath sold us - disposed of us on the mere principle of gaining by the sale. And hath quite devoured also our money - Has applied to his own use the profits of the sale, and has allowed us neither portion nor inheritance.

John Gill on Genesis 31:17

Then Jacob rose up,.... And went with them to Laban's house, where his children were, as is plain from Rachel's theft, Genesis 31:19, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; which were his own, see Genesis 30:43; creatures fit for travelling; on these he set his wives, Rachel and Leah, and his concubine wives, Bilhah and Zilpah; for these went with him, as appears from Genesis 33:6; and "his sons", or rather "his children": for they were not all sons, there was one daughter, and they were all young; his eldest son Reuben could not be much more than twelve years of age, and his youngest son Joseph about six.

The Church Fathers

Consider, I ask you, the good man's noble resolve in quelling every sentiment of fear or reluctance when responding to the command of the Lord. I mean, when he saw Laban's attitude was not promising, he refrained from confronting him as before; instead, he discharged the direction from the Lord by taking his wives and children and making tracks.
— John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.16

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Dromedary — (Isa. 60:6), an African or Arabian species of camel having only one hump, while the Bactrian camel has two. It is distinguished from the camel only as a trained saddle-horse is distinguished from a…
Jacob — One who follows on another’s heels; supplanter, (Gen. 25:26; 27:36; Hos. 12:2-4), the second born of the twin sons of Isaac by Rebekah. He was born probably at Lahai-roi, when his father was…
Leah — Weary, the eldest daughter of Laban, and sister of Rachel (Gen. 29:16). Jacob took her to wife through a deceit of her father (Gen. 29:23). She was “tender-eyed” (17). She bore to Jacob six sons…
Camel · .For riding — .For riding
Haran · .Returns from, with Rachel and Leah — .Returns from, with Rachel and Leah
Laban · Outwitted by Jacob — Outwitted by Jacob
Leah · Flees with Jacob — Flees with Jacob
Rachel · Steals the household images (teraphim, legal — Steals the household images (teraphim, legal

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Genesis 31:17

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 31:17-24

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 31:17

Adam Clarke on Genesis 31:15

John Gill on Genesis 31:17

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 31:17

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 31:17-24

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 31:17

Adam Clarke on Genesis 31:15

John Gill on Genesis 31:17

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 31:17-18

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 31:17-19

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 31:17-21

Rashi on Genesis 31:17