The Bible Commentaries and Others: Laban

Laban

LABAN (PERSON) [Heb lābān (לָבָן)]. Name of the son of Bethuel (Gen 28:5). In Gen 29:5 he is called “the son of Nahor”; however, this expression should be understood in the sense of “grandson” or “descendant.” According to the genealogy given in the book of Genesis, Terah was the father of Abraham (Abram), Nahor, and Haran (Gen 11:27). Nahor, through his wife Milcah, was the father of eight children (Gen 22:20–22). His eighth son, Bethuel, was the father of Rebekah (Gen 22:23) and of Laban (Gen 25:20). Laban was the father of Leah and Rachel (Gen 29:16); Leah and Rachel later became Jacob’s wives. He also had several sons (Gen 30:35; 31:1) who probably were born after Jacob joined Laban’s family through his marriage to Leah and Rachel. Noth has said that this genealogy was artificially created in order to show the kinship between the Israelites and the Arameans (Noth HPT, 217).

Laban lived in the “city of Nahor” (Gen 24:10), which in several places is identified with Haran (Gen 27:43; 29:4). The same area is also identified as Paddan-aram (28:2, 5). He is called an Aramean (25:20; 28:5; 31:20, 24). Jacob is also called an Aramean in Deut 26:5. This designation may express affinity between the early Israelites and the Aramean tribes.

Laban first appears in the stories of Abraham. After the death of Sarah (Gen 23:1–20), Abraham tried to find a wife for his son Isaac. Abraham sent his servant Eliezer, a Damascene slave (Gen 15:2–3), to go to Aram-naharaim (Mesopotamia) to find a wife for his son (Gen 24:1–9). Eliezer went to the city of Nahor (Gen 24:10) and went to the house of Bethuel to obtain his daughter Rebekah as a wife for Isaac. Laban met Eliezer, invited him to come to his house, and provided for the needs of his animals (Gen 24:28–32). Laban is an active participant in the transaction that led Rebekah to go with Eliezer to the land of Canaan. The picture of Laban portrayed on this occasion is that of a man who acted out of self interest and ambitious desires (Gen 24:30, 53).

Laban appears next in the Jacob cycle. When Jacob fled from his father’s house to escape the wrath of his brother Esau (Gen 27:41–45), he went to the house of Laban, his uncle. Jacob lived with and worked for Laban twenty years as a herdsman (Gen 31:38, 41). For seven of these years Jacob worked to obtain Rachel as his wife, and for another seven he worked with the same purpose because Laban had deceived Jacob on his wedding night and had given him Leah, his oldest daughter. Jacob worked another six years caring for Laban’s herd. Recent archaeological discoveries have contributed much information to the understanding of the Jacob-Laban narratives. Scholars have seen in the relationship between Jacob and Laban some parallels with the adoption and marriage customs practiced in northern Mesopotamia as recorded in the Nuzi tablets, but this view has been challenged by Van Seters (1969). Morrison (1983: 156) has said that the agreement between Jacob and Laban, sealed by these marriages, bears “a strong resemblance to Old Babylonian herding contracts.” The basic element of this contract was Jacob’s promise to work as a herdsman for Laban in return for his two wives and certain types of livestock.

After having lived with Laban twenty years, Jacob became a very rich man. Laban and his sons “did not regard him with favor as before” (Gen 31:2). For this reason Jacob fled with his wives, his sons, and his flocks to return to the land of Canaan. When Laban heard that Jacob had fled and had apparently stolen his household gods (Teraphim, Gen 31:19), he went after Jacob and met him at Gilead, in Transjordan (Gen 31:25). Scholars have debated whether possession of these household gods indicated possession of inheritance rights as indicated in some Nuzi texts (Greenberg 1962). At that time God appeared to Laban in a dream (Gen 31:24) admonishing him not to harm Jacob. When Laban met Jacob they entered into a covenant. According to Noth (HPT, 92), this covenant probably represents an early boundary agreement between Israelites and Arameans which settled border disputes over territory claimed in Transjordan by both groups (Gen 31:52). The covenant was sealed by an oath when Laban called on the God of Nahor and Jacob called on the God of Abraham, the gods of their fathers (Gen 31:53) as their witnesses to the covenant (Alt 1968: 23–24). A monument celebrating the event was erected. Laban called it in Aramaic Jegar-sahadutha (yĕgar śahădûtā˒), and Jacob called it in Hebrew Galeed (gal˓ēd). Both words mean “heap of witness.”

Bibliography

Alt, A. 1968. The God of the Fathers. Pp. 1–100 in Essays on Old Testament History and Religion. Garden City, NY.

Daube, D., and Yaron, R. 1956. Jacob’s Reception of Laban. JSS 1: 60–62.

Greenberg, M. 1962. Another Look at Rachel’s Theft of the Teraphim. JBL 81: 239–48.

Morrison, M. A. 1983. The Jacob and Laban Narrative in Light of Near Eastern Sources. BA 46: 155–64.

Van Seters, J. 1969. Jacob’s Marriages and Ancient Near East Customs: A Reexamination. HTR 62: 377–95.

Claude F. Mariottini

LABAN (PLACE) [Heb lābān (לָבָן)]. One of the Exodus encampments of the Israelites, mentioned in only a very general way in Deut 1:1 along with Hazeroth and Dizahab, suggesting that it be located somewhere in the Sinai. It may be the same as the Libnah listed in Num 33:20–21 between Rimmon-perez and Rissah, which is the sixth Israelite encampment after leaving the wilderness of Sinai. However, in Deuteronomy, Laban is listed before Hazeroth, while in Numbers, Hazeroth precedes Libnah; this is not a serious difficulty because the organizing principles of the two lists are not clear. It may also be that they are two different stations. If the equation is accepted, a possible location is in the wadi el-Beidha, which like Laban means “whiteness” (GP, 214; M.R. 122925). For a discussion of the location of any of the places associated with the journey of the Israelites from Egypt through Sinai, see DOPHKAH.

Bibliography

Beit-Arieh, I. 1988. The Route Through Sinai—Why the Israelites Fleeing Egypt Went South. BARev 15/3: 28–37.

Jeffrey R. Zorn

Freedman, D. N. (1996, c1992). The Anchor Bible Dictionary (4:114). New York: Doubleday.

Laban — white. (1.) The son of Bethuel, who was the son of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. He lived at Haran in Mesopotamia. His sister Rebekah was Isaac’s wife (Gen. 24). Jacob, one of the sons of this marriage, fled to the house of Laban, whose daughters Leah and Rachel (ch. 29) he eventually married. (See JACOB.)

(2.) A city in the Arabian desert in the route of the Israelites (Deut. 1:1), probably identical with Libnah (Num. 33:20).

Easton, M. (1996, c1897). Easton's Bible dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

LABAN (Person) Bethuel’s son (Gn 24:24, 29), brother of Rebekah (vv 15, 29), father of Leah and Rachel (29:16), and the uncle and father-in-law of Jacob. Laban’s forebears lived in Ur, but his father, Bethuel, was called the Aramean of Paddan-aram, and Laban also is referred to as the Aramean (kjv “Syrian,” 25:20; cf. 28:5). Their hometown was Haran, which was in Syria and which, like Ur, was a center of the worship of the moon god, Sin or Nannar.

When Isaac came of age, Abraham sent his servant Eliezer back to Haran to find a wife for Isaac. Laban greeted Eliezer hospitably and made provision for him and his camels (Gn 24:29–33, 54). Laban acted as the head of the house; he made the decision concerning Rebekah’s marriage to Isaac (vv 50–51), and it was to him and his mother that Eliezer made gifts of costly ornaments (v 53).

Laban figures largely in the narrative of his nephew Jacob in his quest for a wife. After the deception of Isaac by Rebekah and Jacob, Rebekah feared that Esau would kill Jacob, so she suggested that he flee to her brother, Laban (Gn 27:43); meanwhile, she persuaded Isaac that Jacob should go to Haran to find a wife from among their own people. When Jacob arrived in the area of Haran, he met Rachel, the younger daughter of Laban, and was warmly welcomed (29:13). Laban hired Jacob to tend his flocks, and it was agreed that after seven years of work Jacob would receive Rachel as his wages. At the end of that period Laban substituted Leah, his older daughter. Jacob protested, but the two men finally decided that Jacob should serve another seven years for Rachel.

Both Jacob and Laban were schemers and had serious disputes about wages. Jacob proposed that his wages should be a certain portion of the flocks. When this was accepted, the Lord blessed Jacob and his flocks, and Laban became angry. Jacob claimed that Laban had changed his wages ten times (Gn 31:7, 41).

Jacob fled from Haran. Laban pursued him because he was missing his household gods, whose possession made the holder heir to Laban’s estate. Rachel had taken them but adroitly concealed them from her father’s search.

Laban and Jacob parted after making a covenant of peace and erecting a pillar of stones to serve as a witness between them (Gn 31:46–50).

See also Jacob #1.

LABAN (Place) Israelite camping place in Sinai (Dt 1:1). Some equate it with the Libnah of Numbers 33:20–21. Proposals for its location have ranged from just south of Rabbath-ammon to the Arabian coast south of Elath. Its site is still unknown.

Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (793). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.

LA´BAN (lāʹban; “white”).

1. The son of Bethuel (Gen. 28:5), grandson of Nahor, Abraham’s kinsman, and brother of Rebekah (Gen. 24:15, 29); an Aramean herd owner of Mesopotamia. He united with his father, according to the usual custom, in consenting to the marriage of Rebekah to Isaac (24:29–33, 50–59), about 1920 b.c. When their son Jacob became of marriageable age his parents directed him to take a wife from the daughters of Laban, and Jacob complied (28:2, 5). Laban arranged with his nephew to give him Rachel on condition of seven years’ service, but on the wedding night led Leah, his eldest daughter, into the bridechamber. When Jacob complained to him Laban made the weak excuse, “It is not the practice in our place, to marry off the younger before the first-born.” But, to satisfy Jacob, he promised to give him Rachel in a week if he would serve him seven years longer. To this Jacob consented, and eight days later he was wedded to the woman he loved (29:15–30). At the end of the second period of seven years Jacob desired to return to Canaan, but Laban persuaded him to remain, making a contract with him to keep his flocks. By a cunning artifice Jacob made this bargain result greatly to his own advantage (30:25–43) and at the end of six years left stealthily for his former home (31:1–21). Three days later, Laban, hearing of Jacob’s flight, started in pursuit and overtook him on the seventh day at Mt. Gilead. The night before Laban was warned by God in a dream not to speak to Jacob “either good or bad,” that is, not to threaten or persuade him to return. Laban confined himself to bitter reproaches. He told Jacob that he had power to do him harm if God had not forbidden him and accused him of stealing his household gods. Finally a covenant of peace was established and was celebrated with a feast, and the next morning Laban departed to his own place (31:22–55).

2. A place in the desert, on the route of the Israelites (Deut. 1:1), probably identical with Libnah (Num. 33:20).

bibliography: F. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 1.6.5; 1.19.1–11; W. H. G. Thomas, Genesis: A Devotional Commentary (1946), pp. 269–307; G. Ch. Aalders, Genesis, Bible Student’s Commentary (1981), 2:65–69, 113–37.

Unger, M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., & Unger, M. F. (1988). The new Unger's Bible dictionary. Revision of: Unger's Bible dictionary. 3rd ed. c1966. (Rev. and updated ed.). Chicago: Moody Press.

LABAN (Heb. laḇan, ‘white’). 1. A descendant of Abraham’s brother Nahor (Gn. 22:20–23), son of Bethuel (Gn. 28:5), Rebekah’s brother (Gn. 24:47ff.) and uncle and father-in-law of Jacob (Gn. 27:43; 28:2). Laban’s branch of the family had remained in Harran, but the close ethnic affinity was maintained by both Isaac and Jacob, who found their wives there. Nevertheless, notable differences existed between the Harran and Palestinian groups. Laban is described as an Aramean (Gn. 28:5; 31:20), he spoke Aramaic (Gn. 31:47), practised marriage customs unknown to Jacob (Gn. 29:26) and worshipped other gods (Gn. 31:19ff., cf. v. 53), though he did acknowledge Yahweh’s activity (Gn. 24:50–51). Though generous in his hospitality, Laban’s chief characteristics were duplicity and self-interest, as demonstrated in his dealings with Jacob. Taking advantage of Jacob’s love for Rachel, he made him work 14 years for his bride, though Jacob responded with his own brand of trickery (Gn. 29–30). When Jacob eventually left with his family for Palestine, Laban, being warned in a dream not to harm them, made a covenant or treaty with Jacob (Gn. 31:44–54). Laban was thwarted ultimately not by Jacob’s cunning, but by God’s overruling grace. Earlier, Laban rather than Bethuel had arranged Rebekah’s marriage (Gn. 24:50ff.), though no usurping of the father’s authority need be assumed here (cf. Gn. 31:18–28).

Bibliography. D. Daube and R. Yaron, JSS 1, 1956, pp. 60–62; M. Greenberg, JBL 81, 1962, pp. 239–248.

2. An unknown place (Dt. 1:1), probably in the plains of Moab, or perhaps to be identified with *Libnah, a stopping-place in the wilderness (Nu. 33:20–21). m.j.s.

Wood, D. R. W., Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996, c1982, c1962). New Bible Dictionary. Includes index. (electronic ed. of 3rd ed.) (659). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.

Laban (layʹbuhn; Heb., ‘white’ or ‘pale’). 1 An unknown location east of the Jordan connected with the Israelites’ wilderness wandering (Deut. 1:1); some scholars identify it with Libnah (Num. 33:20).

2 A member of Abraham’s ancestral family through Nahor, Abraham’s brother; he was the brother of Rebekah and father of Leah and Rachel (Gen. 24:24, 29; 29:16). His home was near Haran in Paddan-aram (or Aram-naharaim, ‘the river country’), the upper region of the land lying between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (upper Mesopotamia); he and his father are both called Aramaeans (‘Syrians’ in some versions; Gen. 24:10; 25:20; 27:43).

Laban’s greedy nature and subsequent role in the patriarchal narratives are aptly foreshadowed in his first introduction into the story where his lavish and servile greeting of Abraham’s servant was prompted by the sight of the gifts (Gen. 24:29-32). Laban is encountered later in the narrative as Rebekah sends Jacob to the ancestral home at Haran to escape the anger of Esau and to find a wife from among the family clan group of Laban (Gen. 27:43-28:5). Laban’s covetous nature is fully revealed in his rather uneven bargain with Jacob of seven years labor for Rachel and his subsequent deception in tricking Jacob into another seven years labor (Gen. 29:1-30). However, he finally outwitted himself in agreeing to give Jacob the oddly marked livestock; thinking to take advantage of Jacob again, he found himself with dwindling herds as Jacob shrewdly used his knowledge of animal husbandry to carry out the poetic justice of God (Gen. 30:25-43).

Laban’s anger at Jacob’s secret departure for Canaan was, no doubt, partly caused by the prospect of losing his daughters, much of what he considered to be his flocks, and the cheap labor of Jacob, all of which amounted to a breaking up of the family unit to which Jacob had willingly attached himself. But Laban was also concerned over the theft of the household idols (teraphim). These were more than just pagan images; they were tribal or clan symbols of ownership whose possession gave title to the family inheritance. Tablets found at the Hurrian city of Nuzi illustrate and confirm much of the legal and social background of this narrative. According to the customs portrayed in these tablets, Laban adopted his son-in-law as legal heir since, at that time, he had no male children. Jacob then had a right to the teraphim and the family inheritance, unless Laban had sons of his own who would then have precedence. Sons were later born to Laban, so neither Jacob nor Rachel had a legal right to the idols or inheritance and Laban was understandably upset over their disappearance (Gen. 31:22-30). The final parting of Laban and Jacob at Mizpah symbolizes the break between the Hebrews and their ancestral homeland in Aram and probably also reflects an ancient treaty of nonaggression between the two peoples (Gen. 31:43-55).

In the entire narrative Laban is characterized as greedy and devious and many scholars see the development of his character in the story as a satire aimed at the Aramaeans. On another level, the defeat of Laban, who seemed to have the upper hand initially, is attributed to the action of God, who used even the devious Aramaean to fulfill his divine purpose for his people (Gen. 31:5-13, 24, 42). See also Aram; Jacob; Mizpah; Nuzi; Rachel; Teraphim. D.R.B.

Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). Harper's Bible dictionary. Includes index. (1st ed.) (536). San Francisco: Harper & Row.

Laban (Heb. lāḇān) (PERSON)

An inhabitant of the city of Nahor, in the area of Haran. Haran and the surrounding region belonged to the district called Paddan-aram; thus, Laban is called “the Aramean” (Gen. 25:20; 28:5; 31:20, 24). First introduced as the brother of Rebekah (Gen. 24:29), Laban was also the grandson of Nahor (son of Bethuel and nephew of Abraham) and father of Leah and Rachel.

Laban plays a prominent role in the Gen. 24 account. It is he who offers hospitality to Abraham’s servant; however, the text implies that Laban’s actions were motivated by self-interest and greed. It is also Laban who decides to allow Rebekah to depart to Canaan to be Isaac’s wife. Numerous ancient Near Eastern texts illustrate that in a patriarchal society the brother had important duties and powers regarding his sisters.

Laban again appears in association with Jacob. Fleeing from Esau, Jacob goes to his uncle Laban’s house in Haran. After receiving Jacob into the family, Laban agrees to give his daughter Rachel to Jacob in return for seven years of service. When the time comes for Jacob to receive his bride, Laban deceitfully gives Leah in place of Rachel. Only after Jacob has agreed to an additional seven years of service is Rachel given to him to be his wife (Gen. 29:28–30).

After Jacob and his family have quietly left Haran, Laban pursues them, catching up with them in the hill country of Gilead (Gen. 31). After mutual protestations and incriminations, Laban and Jacob enter into a covenant and erect a stone structure, a kind of dividing line. Laban gives the heap an Aramaic name (Yĕg̱ar-kahăḏûṯā˒), while Jacob calls it by its Hebrew equivalent, Gal˓ēḏ (Gen. 31:47), both meaning “heap of witness.” This covenant probably represents at its earliest level an agreement between the Israelites and the Arameans concerning the borderland separating them.

Bibliography. C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings (Gen. 31:25–42),” VT 30 (1980): 192–207.

John L. Harris

Laban (Heb. lāḇān) (PLACE)

A place associated with the Exodus wanderings (Deut. 1:1). Although listed with other sites which are most likely located in the Sinai, its precise location is unknown. Some scholars identify it with Libnah, which appears in Num. 33:20–21 with some of the places cited in Deut. 1:1 as well as others probably in Sinai.

Bibliography. I. Beit-Arieh, “The Route Through Sinai — Why the Israelites Fleeing Egypt Went South,” BARev 14/3 (1988): 28–37; J. H. Tigay, “Excursus 1: The Historical Geography of Deuteronomy,” in Deuteronomy. JPS Torah Commentary (Philadelphia, 1996), 417–22.

David M. Valeta

Freedman, D. N., Myers, A. C., & Beck, A. B. (2000). Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (780). Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans.