Laban’s Household Gods

Laban is a figure in the biblical Book of Genesis. He was the son of Bethuel, the brother of Rebekah, the father of Leah and Rachel, the brother-in-law of Isaac, and the uncle and father-in-law of Jacob.

Laban, like Jacob, was a deceitful man. He tricked Jacob in his marriage arrangements. Laban promised that if Jacob worked for him for seven years, he would give him his younger daughter, Rachel, in marriage. But when the time came, he secretly substituted his elder daughter, Leah, forcing Jacob to work for him for another seven years to marry Rachel. Additionally, Laban changed Jacob’s wages ten times. Jacob suffered greatly under his uncle.

In Genesis 31:3, God called Jacob to leave Laban and return to his homeland. Jacob discussed this with his wives, Rachel and Leah. They replied, “Is there any portion or inheritance left for us in our father’s house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners, for he has sold us and has also consumed our money? Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children. Now then, whatever God has told you, do it” (Genesis 31:14-16). According to the customs of the time, parents would give a portion of the bride-price they received as a dowry for their daughter, which served as her future financial security. Jacob had paid for his bride-price with 14 years of labor, but Laban had not set aside any of this wealth as a dowry for his daughters. This is why Rachel and Leah said that their father, Laban, treated them as foreigners and had “sold” them.

Before they fled, while Laban was away shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. At the time, Mesopotamian and Canaanite people had many “household gods” (Teraphim) that represented ancestors or family guardians. They could be used for divination and also served as legal documents for inheritance rights. The fact that “Rachel stole her father’s household gods” was likely an attempt to secure Jacob’s right to a share of Laban’s inheritance. She believed it was what she was entitled to, and it was a way of showing her love for Jacob. The Bible uses the plural “household gods,” so Rachel likely stole all of Laban’s idols.

The Nuzi tablets from Mesopotamia (14th-15th century BCE) show that if a man designated his son-in-law as his primary heir, he would give him the household gods as proof to be used in court later. Laban’s long pursuit of Jacob was likely for this very reason. Although he never found the idols, he insisted on making a treaty. “Laban said, ‘This heap is a witness between you and me today.’ He also said, ‘May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. I will not go past this heap to harm you, and you will not go past this heap and this pillar to harm me.'” (Genesis 31:51-52). Laban used the heap of stones and the pillar as a boundary marker with Jacob to prevent him from returning to Paddan-Aram with the missing idols in the future to contest the inheritance with his sons. Laban did not search Rachel, likely because he never imagined that his daughter would dare to place the household gods in a saddlebag on a camel’s back and sit on them while she was indisposed, showing such disrespect for the idols.

God did not allow Laban to find the idols, which saved Rachel’s life and allowed God’s plan to continue. However, God did not overlook this transgression and later commanded them to “get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves.” Jacob ultimately did not use these idols but buried them (Genesis 35:4).

(Compiled and edited based on the Chinese Union Version and a comprehensive biblical interpretation.)