Laban (Bible)

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Laban searches for the idols (painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo around 1750)
The covenant supper on the testimony heap (unknown Bible illustration)

Laban ( Hebrew לָבָן Lavan " white ", also: Lāḇān) is in the Torah and in Genesis (1st Book of Moses) of the Old Testament an Aramaic from Paddan-Aram , the brother of Rebekah and the father of Lea and Rachel and several unnamed sons ( Gen 31.1  EU ). As such, he is a brother-in-law of Isaac and two-time father-in-law of his nephew Jacob .

Laban is first mentioned in the biblical story Gen 24: 29-60  EU , where he showed enthusiasm for the gold jewelry that his sister received for Isaac. He also played a key role in arranging their marriage.

A considerable time later, Laban promised his younger daughter Rachel Rebekka's son Jacob in return for seven years of service with him in Haran. However, this was a trap to get him married off to his older daughter Leah instead. Jacob then served another seven years in return for the right to finally marry his favored Rachel as a second wife, see Gen 29  EU . At the end of Jacob's 14-year service for Laban, he secretly left Laban's house when he was out of the house to shear the sheep and took his wives and children and all of his possessions with him.

Laban, who did not find out about it until a few days later, immediately followed Jacob and caught up with him on his way to the mountainous area of ​​Gilead north of the River Jabbok . He asked Jacob why he had left without giving him the opportunity to kiss his children and grandchildren goodbye and why he had stolen his gods. Jacob replied that he was afraid that Laban would prevent him from leaving and that he knew nothing of the theft. A search did not reveal that Rahel actually stole the family teraphim and hid them in her camel's saddle basket.

"Whoever owned the household idols was also considered a legitimate heir, which explains why, according to Genesis 31:26 ff., Laban was so keen to get his household idols back from Jacob".

When Jacob and Laban had settled their quarrel peacefully, Jacob erected a stone pillar and then piled stones in a pile that served there for years as a witness of the peace covenant that the two had made at a solemn meal. They called the pile of stones Galed (Hebrew גַּלְעֵד, “testimony pile”) and “ Mizpah ” (Hebrew מצפה “watchtower”; Gen 31.46−54  EU ).

literature

Web links

Commons : Laban  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See ( Gen 31  EU ).
  2. ↑ a b Watchtower Society : Jegar-Sahadutha. In: Insight on the Scriptures. 1990–1992, p. 1275 ( online at wol.jw.org).
  3. ↑ James B. Pritchard : Ancient Near Eastern Texts. 1974, p. 220, footnote 51 (English).
  4. ↑ See also E. Jenni (Hrsg.): Theologisches Shortwörterbuch zum Alten Testament. Volume 2. 1979, p. 1058.