Laban in the Bible
Meaning: white; shining; gentle; brittle
Exact Match
And Rebecca had a brother, named Laban; and Laban ran out to the man, to the well.
"Come on," Laban said. "The LORD has blessed you! So why are you standing out here when I've prepared some space in the house and a place for the camels?"
So the man came into the house, and Laban unloaded his camels and gave them straw and feed, and [he gave] water to [Eliezer to] wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
But when food was set before him, he said, “I will not eat until I have stated my business.” And Laban said, “Speak on.”
And Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceeds from Jehovah: we cannot speak to thee bad or good.
And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebecca as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.
And now, my son, hearken to my voice, and arise, flee to Laban my brother, to Haran;
Arise, go to Padan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father, and take a wife thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.
And Isaac sent away Jacob; and he went to Padan-Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebecca, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
And he said to them, Do ye know Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We do know him.
And it came to pass when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep of Laban his mother's brother.
And it came to pass when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house; and he told Laban all these things.
And Laban said to him, Thou art indeed my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him a month's time.
And Laban said to Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou serve me for nothing? tell me, what shall be thy wages?
And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger, Rachel.
Jacob loved Rachel, so he made this offer to Laban: "I'll serve you for seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."
And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
And Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.
And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
That night Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob. He had marital relations with her.
And Laban gave to her Zilpah, his maidservant, to be maidservant to Leah his daughter.
And it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done to me? Have I not served thee for Rachel? Why then hast thou deceived me?
And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.
So Jacob complied and fulfilled Leah’s week [of celebration]; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his [second] wife.
And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, Bilhah, his maidservant, to be her maidservant.
So Jacob consummated his marriage and lived with Rachel [as his wife], and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.
And it came to pass when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my country.
And Laban said to him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes I have discovered that Jehovah has blessed me for thy sake.
But Jacob replied to Laban, "You know how I've served you and how your cattle thrived under my care.
Laban asked, “What shall I give you?” Jacob replied, “You shall not give me anything. But if you will do this one thing for me [which I now propose], I will again pasture and keep your flock:
And Laban said, Well, let it be according to thy word.
So on that same day Laban [secretly] removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one with white on it, and all the dark ones among the sheep, and put them in the care of his sons.
And he put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flock.
Meanwhile, Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban's flock. Jacob took branches from white poplar trees, freshly cut almond trees, and some other trees, stripped off their bark to make white streaks, and uncovered the white part inside the branches.
And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flock toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he made himself separate flocks, and did not put them with Laban's flock.
but when the sheep were feeble, he put them not in; so the feeble were Laban's, and the strong Jacob's.
And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and of what was our father's he has acquired all this glory.
And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not toward him as previously.
"When Laban said, "The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flock gave birth to speckled ones. Then when he said, "The streaked ones will be your wages,' all the flock gave birth to streaked offspring.
And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see: all the rams that leap upon the flock are ringstraked, speckled, and spotted; for I have seen all that Laban does to thee.
And Laban had gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that belonged to her father.
And Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he fled.
And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.
so he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob. Laban was on the road for seven days when he finally caught up with Jacob in the hill country of Gilead.
And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
And Laban came up with Jacob; and Jacob had pitched his tent on the mountain; Laban also with his brethren pitched on mount Gilead.
And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast deceived me, and hast carried away my daughters as captives of war?
And Jacob answered and said to Laban, I was afraid; for I said, Lest thou shouldest take by force thy daughters from me.
And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two handmaids' tents, and found nothing; and he went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.
Now Rachel had taken the teraphim and put them under the camel's saddle; and she sat upon them. And Laban explored all the tent, but found nothing.
Then Rachel told her father, "Sir, please don't be angry that I cannot stand up in your presence. It's that time of the month." So Laban searched for the idols, but never did find them.
And Jacob was angry, and he disputed with Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my fault, what my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons are my sons, and the flock is my flock, and all that thou seest is mine; but as for my daughters, what can I do this day to them, or to their sons whom they have brought forth?
And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.
And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed,
and Mizpah (
And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold the pillar which I have set up between me and thee:
And Laban rose early in the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban went and returned to his place.
And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak to my lord, to Esau: Thy servant Jacob speaks thus With Laban have I sojourned and tarried until now;
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Thematic Bible
Blessing » Temporal blessings, prayer for » Laban
Covetousness » Instances of » Laban » In deceiving jacob in wages
Covetousness » Exemplified » Laban
Covetousness » Instances of » Laban » In giving rebekah to be isaac's wife
And he bringeth in the man into the house, and looseth the camels, and giveth straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who are with him: and setteth before him to eat; but he saith, 'I do not eat till I have spoken my word;' and he saith, 'Speak.' And he saith, 'I am Abraham's servant; and Jehovah hath blessed my lord exceedingly, and he is great; and He giveth to him flock, and herd, and silver, and gold, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses; and Sarah, my lord's wife, beareth a son to my lord, after she hath been aged, and he giveth to him all that he hath. 'And my lord causeth me to swear, saying, Thou dost not take a wife to my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in whose land I am dwelling. If not -- unto the house of my father thou dost go, and unto my family, and thou hast taken a wife for my son. 'And I say unto my lord, It may be the woman doth not come after me; and he saith unto me, Jehovah, before whom I have walked habitually, doth send His messenger with thee, and hath prospered thy way, and thou hast taken a wife for my son from my family, and from the house of my father; then art thou acquitted from my oath, when thou comest unto my family, and if they give not one to thee; then thou hast been acquitted from my oath. And I come to-day unto the fountain, and I say, Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, if Thou art, I pray Thee, making prosperous my way in which I am going -- (lo, I am standing by the fountain of water), then the virgin who is coming out to draw, and I have said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher, and she hath said unto me, Both drink thou, and also for thy camels I draw -- she is the woman whom Jehovah hath decided for my lord's son. 'Before I finish speaking unto my heart, then lo, Rebekah is coming out, and her pitcher on her shoulder, and she goeth down to the fountain, and draweth; and I say unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee, and she hasteth and letteth down her pitcher from off her and saith, Drink, and thy camels also I water; and I drink, and the camels also she hath watered. And I ask her, and say, Whose daughter art thou? and she saith, Daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah hath borne to him, and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands, and I bow, and do obeisance before Jehovah, and I bless Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, who hath led me in the true way to receive the daughter of my lord's brother for his son. 'And now, if ye are dealing kindly and truly with my lord, declare to me; and if not, declare to me; and I turn unto the right or unto the left.' And Laban answereth -- Bethuel also -- and they say, 'The thing hath gone out from Jehovah; we are not able to speak unto thee bad or good; lo, Rebekah is before thee, take and go, and she is a wife to thy lord's son, as Jehovah hath spoken.'
Covetousness » Instances of » Laban » Deceiving » jacob
And Jacob loveth Rachel, and saith, 'I serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter:' and Laban saith, 'It is better for me to give her to thee than to give her to another man; dwell with me;' and Jacob serveth for Rachel seven years; and they are in his eyes as some days, because of his loving her. And Jacob saith unto Laban, 'Give up my wife, for my days have been fulfilled, and I go in unto her;' and Laban gathereth all the men of the place, and maketh a banquet. And it cometh to pass in the evening, that he taketh Leah, his daughter, and bringeth her in unto him, and he goeth in unto her; and Laban giveth to her Zilpah, his maid-servant, to Leah his daughter, a maid-servant. And it cometh to pass in the morning, that lo, it is Leah; and he saith unto Laban, 'What is this thou hast done to me? for Rachel have I not served with thee? and why hast thou deceived me?' And Laban saith, 'It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the first-born; fulfil the week of this one, and we give to thee also this one, for the service which thou dost serve with me yet seven other years.' And Jacob doth so, and fulfilleth the week of this one, and he giveth to him Rachel his daughter, to him for a wife; and Laban giveth to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his maid-servant, for a maid-servant to her. And he goeth in also unto Rachel, and he also loveth Rachel more than Leah; and he serveth with him yet seven other years.
Deceit » Exemplified » Laban
Dreams » Mentioned in scripture, of » Laban
Family » Examples of fathers' love » Laban
Fathers » Examples of fathers' love » Laban
Home » Examples of fathers' love » Laban
Ingratitude » Exemplified » Laban
Laban » Jacob becomes his servant
And Jacob loveth Rachel, and saith, 'I serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter:' and Laban saith, 'It is better for me to give her to thee than to give her to another man; dwell with me;' and Jacob serveth for Rachel seven years; and they are in his eyes as some days, because of his loving her.
for it is little which thou hast had at my appearance, and it breaketh forth into a multitude, and Jehovah blesseth thee at my coming; and now, when do I make, I also, for mine own house?' And he saith, 'What do I give to thee?' And Jacob saith, 'Thou dost not give me anything; if thou do for me this thing, I turn back; I have delight; thy flock I watch; I pass through all thy flock to-day to turn aside from thence every sheep speckled and spotted, and every brown sheep among the lambs, and speckled and spotted among the goats -- and it hath been my hire; and my righteousness hath answered for me in the day to come, when it cometh in for my hire before thy face; -- every one which is not speckled and spotted among my goats, and brown among my lambs -- it is stolen with me.' And Laban saith, 'Lo, O that it were according to thy word;' and he turneth aside during that day the ring-streaked and the spotted he-goats, and all the speckled and the spotted she-goats, every one that hath white in it, and every brown one among the lambs, and he giveth into the hand of his sons, and setteth a journey of three days between himself and Jacob; and Jacob is feeding the rest of the flock of Laban. And Jacob taketh to himself a rod of fresh poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut, and doth peel in them white peelings, making bare the white that is on the rods, and setteth up the rods which he hath peeled in the gutters in the watering troughs (when the flock cometh in to drink), over-against the flock, that they may conceive in their coming in to drink; and the flocks conceive at the rods, and the flock beareth ring-streaked, speckled, and spotted ones. And the lambs hath Jacob parted, and he putteth the face of the flock towards the ring-streaked, also all the brown in the flock of Laban, and he setteth his own droves by themselves, and hath not set them near Laban's flock. And it hath come to pass whenever the strong ones of the flock conceive, that Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, to cause them to conceive by the rods, and when the flock is feeble, he doth not set them; and the feeble ones have been Laban's, and the strong ones Jacob's. And the man increaseth very exceedingly, and hath many flocks, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.
Laban » Outwitted by jacob
And the lambs hath Jacob parted, and he putteth the face of the flock towards the ring-streaked, also all the brown in the flock of Laban, and he setteth his own droves by themselves, and hath not set them near Laban's flock. And it hath come to pass whenever the strong ones of the flock conceive, that Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, to cause them to conceive by the rods, and when the flock is feeble, he doth not set them; and the feeble ones have been Laban's, and the strong ones Jacob's. And the man increaseth very exceedingly, and hath many flocks, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.
And Jacob sendeth and calleth for Rachel and for Leah to the field unto his flock; and saith to them, 'I am beholding your father's face -- that it is not towards me as heretofore, and the God of my father hath been with me, and ye -- ye have known that with all my power I have served your father, and your father hath played upon me, and hath changed my hire ten times; and God hath not suffered him to do evil with me. 'If he say thus: The speckled are thy hire, then bare all the flock speckled ones; and if he say thus: The ring-streaked are thy hire, then bare all the flock ring-streaked; and God taketh away the substance of your father, and doth give to me. And it cometh to pass at the time of the flock conceiving, that I lift up mine eyes and see in a dream, and lo, the he-goats, which are going up on the flock, are ring-streaked, speckled, and grisled; and the messenger of God saith unto me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, Here am I. And He saith, Lift up, I pray thee, thine eyes, and see -- all the he-goats which are going up on the flock are ring-streaked, speckled, and grisled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to thee; I am the God of Bethel where thou hast anointed a standing pillar, where thou hast vowed a vow to me; now, arise, go out from this land, and turn back unto the land of thy birth.' And Rachel answereth -- Leah also -- and saith to him, 'Have we yet a portion and inheritance in the house of our father? have we not been reckoned strangers to him? for he hath sold us, and he also utterly consumeth our money; for all the wealth which God hath taken away from our father, it is ours, and our children's; and now, all that God hath said unto thee -- do.' And Jacob riseth, and lifteth up his sons and his wives on the camels, and leadeth all his cattle, and all his substance which he hath acquired, the cattle of his getting, which he hath acquired in Padan-Aram, to go unto Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan. And Laban hath gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stealeth the teraphim which her father hath; and Jacob deceiveth the heart of Laban the Aramaean, because he hath not declared to him that he is fleeing; and he fleeth, he and all that he hath, and riseth, and passeth over the River, and setteth his face toward the mount of Gilead.
Laban » Brother of rebekah
Laban » Pursues jacob, overtakes him at mount gilead, and covenants with him
And Laban overtaketh Jacob; and Jacob hath fixed his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren have fixed theirs in the mount of Gilead. And Laban saith to Jacob, 'What hast thou done that thou dost deceive my heart, and lead away my daughters as captives of the sword? Why hast thou hidden thyself to flee, and deceivest me, and hast not declared to me, and I send thee away with joy and with songs, with tabret and with harp, and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? -- now thou hast acted foolishly in doing so; my 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. 'And now, thou hast certainly gone, because thou hast been very desirous for the house of thy father; why hast thou stolen my gods?' And Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, 'Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest thou take violently away thy daughters from me; with whomsoever thou findest thy gods -- he doth not live; before our brethren discern for thyself what is with me, and take to thyself:' and Jacob hath not known that Rachel hath stolen them. And Laban goeth into the tent of Jacob, and into the tent of Leah, and into the tent of the two handmaidens, and hath not found; and he goeth out from the tent of Leah, and goeth into the tent of Rachel. And Rachel hath taken the teraphim, and putteth them in the furniture of the camel, and sitteth upon them; and Laban feeleth all the tent, and hath not found; and she saith unto her father, 'Let it not be displeasing in the eyes of my lord that I am not able to rise at thy presence, for the way of women is on me;' and he searcheth, and hath not found the teraphim. And it is displeasing to Jacob, and he striveth with Laban; and Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, 'What is my transgression? what my sin, that thou hast burned after me? for thou hast felt all my vessels: what hast thou found of all the vessels of thy house? set here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and they decide between us both. These twenty years I am with thee: thy ewes and thy she-goats have not miscarried, and the rams of thy flock I have not eaten; the torn I have not brought in unto thee -- I, I repay it -- from my hand thou dost seek it; I have been deceived by day, and I have been deceived by night; I have been thus: in the day consumed me hath drought, and frost by night, and wander doth my sleep from mine eyes. This is to me twenty years in thy house: I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou changest my hire ten times; unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been for me, surely now empty thou hadst sent me away; mine affliction and the labour of my hands hath God seen, and reproveth yesternight.' And Laban answereth and saith unto Jacob, 'The daughters are my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the flock my flock, and all that thou art seeing is mine; and to my daughters -- what do I to these to-day, or to their sons whom they have born? and now, come, let us make a covenant, I and thou, and it hath been for a witness between me and thee.' And Jacob taketh a stone, and lifteth it up for a standing pillar; and Jacob saith to his brethren, 'Gather stones,' and they take stones, and make a heap; and they eat there on the heap; and Laban calleth it Jegar-Sahadutha; and Jacob hath called it Galeed. And Laban saith, 'This heap is witness between me and thee to-day;' therefore hath he called its name Galeed; Mizpah also, for he said, 'Jehovah doth watch between me and thee, for we are hidden one from another; if thou afflict my daughters, or take wives beside my daughters -- there is no man with us -- see, God is witness between me and thee.' And Laban saith to Jacob, 'Lo, this heap, and lo, the standing pillar which I have cast between me and thee; this heap is witness, and the standing pillar is witness, that I do not pass over this heap unto thee, and that thou dost not pass over this heap and this standing pillar unto me -- for evil; the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, doth judge between us -- the God of their father,' and Jacob sweareth by the Fear of his father Isaac. And Jacob sacrificeth a sacrifice in the mount, and calleth to his brethren to eat bread, and they eat bread, and lodge in the mount; and Laban riseth early in the morning, and kisseth his sons and his daughters, and blesseth them; and Laban goeth on, and turneth back to his place.
Laban » Receives jacob, and gives him his daughters in marriage
And Laban saith to Jacob, 'Is it because thou art my brother that thou hast served me for nought? declare to me what is thy hire.' And Laban hath two daughters, the name of the elder is Leah, and the name of the younger Rachel, and the eyes of Leah are tender, and Rachel hath been fair of form and fair of appearance. And Jacob loveth Rachel, and saith, 'I serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter:' and Laban saith, 'It is better for me to give her to thee than to give her to another man; dwell with me;' and Jacob serveth for Rachel seven years; and they are in his eyes as some days, because of his loving her. And Jacob saith unto Laban, 'Give up my wife, for my days have been fulfilled, and I go in unto her;' and Laban gathereth all the men of the place, and maketh a banquet. And it cometh to pass in the evening, that he taketh Leah, his daughter, and bringeth her in unto him, and he goeth in unto her; and Laban giveth to her Zilpah, his maid-servant, to Leah his daughter, a maid-servant. And it cometh to pass in the morning, that lo, it is Leah; and he saith unto Laban, 'What is this thou hast done to me? for Rachel have I not served with thee? and why hast thou deceived me?' And Laban saith, 'It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the first-born; fulfil the week of this one, and we give to thee also this one, for the service which thou dost serve with me yet seven other years.' And Jacob doth so, and fulfilleth the week of this one, and he giveth to him Rachel his daughter, to him for a wife; and Laban giveth to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his maid-servant, for a maid-servant to her. And he goeth in also unto Rachel, and he also loveth Rachel more than Leah; and he serveth with him yet seven other years.
Laban » Receives the servant of abraham
And he bringeth in the man into the house, and looseth the camels, and giveth straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who are with him: and setteth before him to eat; but he saith, 'I do not eat till I have spoken my word;' and he saith, 'Speak.'