Genesis 31:35

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women [is] upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.

Complete Jewish Bible:

She said to her father, "Please don't be angry that I'm not getting up in your presence, but it's the time of my period." So he searched, but he didn't find the household gods.

Berean Standard Bible:

Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.

American Standard Version:

And she said to her father, Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee; for the manner of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the teraphim.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

And she said^{H559} to her father^{H1}, Let it not displease^{{H2734}{H5869}} my lord^{H113} that I cannot^{H3201} rise up^{H6965} before thee^{H6440}; for the custom^{H1870} of women^{H802} is upon me. And he searched^{H2664}, but found^{H4672} not the images^{H8655}.

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Commentary for Genesis 31:35

Genesis 31:35 is part of the narrative involving Jacob, his uncle Laban, and Laban's daughter Rachel. The verse occurs within the context of Jacob's departure from Laban's household after years of working for him. Jacob has become wealthy, and tensions have arisen between the two men.

**Themes:**
1. **Deception and Mistrust:** Rachel, who is Jacob's wife, deceives her father, Laban, by sitting on the household idols (teraphim) and claiming she cannot stand due to her menstrual cycle. This act of deception is meant to prevent Laban from finding the idols, which Rachel has stolen from him. The theme of deception is recurrent in the relationship between Jacob and Laban, mirroring earlier incidents such as the switching of brides (Leah for Rachel) and the breeding of livestock.

2. **Cultural Practices:** The verse reflects ancient cultural practices and beliefs, including the use of teraphim (household idols) for divination or worship, and the recognition of menstruation as a natural, albeit culturally significant, event in a woman's life.

3. **Transition of Power:** The theft of the teraphim can be seen as a symbolic act where Rachel is asserting her new loyalty to Jacob and his household over her father's. This aligns with the broader narrative of Jacob establishing his own household and identity separate from Laban.

**Historical Context:**
The events of Genesis 31 are set in the early 2nd millennium BCE, during the Patriarchal age, a time when the ancestors of the Israelite people lived as semi-nomadic herders in the ancient Near East. The narrative reflects the social structures and customs of that period, including the importance of family dynamics, property rights, and religious practices.

In this historical context, the teraphim would have been significant not only as religious artifacts but also as symbols of familial authority and inheritance. By taking the teraphim, Rachel is not only undermining Laban's religious authority but also potentially staking a claim to her father's estate on behalf of her husband, Jacob.

The verse also highlights the patriarchal society of the time, where women had limited power and often had to resort to subterfuge to exert influence or protect their interests, as Rachel does here. The mention of the "custom of women" refers to the cultural norms and purity laws related to menstruation, which are further elaborated in the Pentateuch, particularly in the book of Leviticus.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H559
   There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אָמַר
   Transliteration: ʼâmar
   Pronunciation: aw-mar'
   Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet.
   
2. Strong's Number: H1
   There are 15773 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אָב
   Transliteration: ʼâb
   Pronunciation: awb
   Description: a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application; chief, (fore-) father(-less), [idiom] patrimony, principal. Compare names in 'Abi-'.
   
3. Strong's Number: H2734
   There are 87 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חָרָה
   Transliteration: chârâh
   Pronunciation: khaw-raw'
   Description: a primitive root (compare חָרַר); to glow or grow warm; figuratively (usually) to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy; be angry, burn, be displeased, [idiom] earnestly, fret self, grieve, be (wax) hot, be incensed, kindle, [idiom] very, be wroth. See תַּחָרָה.
   
4. Strong's Number: H5869
   There are 830 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: עַיִן
   Transliteration: ʻayin
   Pronunciation: ah'-yin
   Description: probably a primitive word; an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape); affliction, outward appearance, [phrase] before, [phrase] think best, colour, conceit, [phrase] be content, countenance, [phrase] displease, eye((-brow), (-d), -sight), face, [phrase] favour, fountain, furrow (from the margin), [idiom] him, [phrase] humble, knowledge, look, ([phrase] well), [idiom] me, open(-ly), [phrase] (not) please, presence, [phrase] regard, resemblance, sight, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them, [phrase] think, [idiom] us, well, [idiom] you(-rselves).
   
5. Strong's Number: H113
   There are 337 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אָדוֹן
   Transliteration: ʼâdôwn
   Pronunciation: aw-done'
   Description: or (shortened) אָדֹן; from an unused root (meaning to rule); sovereign, i.e. controller (human or divine); lord, master, owner. Compare also names beginning with 'Adoni-'.
   
6. Strong's Number: H3201
   There are 182 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: יָכֹל
   Transliteration: yâkôl
   Pronunciation: yaw-kole'
   Description: or (fuller) יָכוֹל; a primitive root; to be able, literally (can, could) or morally (may, might); be able, any at all (ways), attain, can (away with, (-not)), could, endure, might, overcome, have power, prevail, still, suffer.
   
7. Strong's Number: H6965
   There are 596 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: קוּם
   Transliteration: qûwm
   Pronunciation: koom
   Description: a primitive root; to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative); abide, accomplish, [idiom] be clearer, confirm, continue, decree, [idiom] be dim, endure, [idiom] enemy, enjoin, get up, make good, help, hold, (help to) lift up (again), make, [idiom] but newly, ordain, perform, pitch, raise (up), rear (up), remain, (a-) rise (up) (again, against), rouse up, set (up), (e-) stablish, (make to) stand (up), stir up, strengthen, succeed, (as-, make) sure(-ly), (be) up(-hold, -rising).
   
8. Strong's Number: H6440
   There are 1890 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: פָּנִים
   Transliteration: pânîym
   Pronunciation: paw-neem'
   Description: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה; from פָּנָה); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.); [phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, [idiom] him(-self), [phrase] honourable, [phrase] impudent, [phrase] in, it, look(-eth) (-s), [idiom] me, [phrase] meet, [idiom] more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), [idiom] on, open, [phrase] out of, over against, the partial, person, [phrase] please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, [phrase] regard, right forth, [phrase] serve, [idiom] shewbread, sight, state, straight, [phrase] street, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them(-selves), through ([phrase] -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), [phrase] upon, upside ([phrase] down), with(-in, [phrase] -stand), [idiom] ye, [idiom] you.
   
9. Strong's Number: H1870
   There are 627 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: דֶּרֶךְ
   Transliteration: derek
   Pronunciation: deh'-rek
   Description: from דָּרַךְ; a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb; along, away, because of, [phrase] by, conversation, custom, (east-) ward, journey, manner, passenger, through, toward, (high-) (path-) way(-side), whither(-soever).
   
10. Strong's Number: H802
    There are 729 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אִשָּׁה
    Transliteration: ʼishshâh
    Pronunciation: ish-shaw'
    Description: feminine of אִישׁ or אֱנוֹשׁ; irregular plural, נָשִׁים;(used in the same wide sense as אֱנוֹשׁ); a woman; (adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.
    
11. Strong's Number: H2664
    There are 20 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: חָפַשׂ
    Transliteration: châphas
    Pronunciation: khaw-fas'
    Description: a primitive root; to seek; causatively, to conceal oneself (i.e. let be sought), or mask; change, (make) diligent (search), disquise self, hide, search (for, out).
    
12. Strong's Number: H4672
    There are 425 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מָצָא
    Transliteration: mâtsâʼ
    Pronunciation: maw-tsaw'
    Description: a primitive root; properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively, to occur, meet or be present; [phrase] be able, befall, being, catch, [idiom] certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion, out), get (hold upon), [idiom] have (here), be here, hit, be left, light (up-) on, meet (with), [idiom] occasion serve, (be) present, ready, speed, suffice, take hold on.
    
13. Strong's Number: H8655
    There are 15 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: תְּרָפִים
    Transliteration: tᵉrâphîym
    Pronunciation: ter-aw-feme'
    Description: plural from רָפָא; a healer; Teraphim (singular or plural) a family idol; idols(-atry), images, teraphim.