The BibleGospel Companion

Laban

לָבָן · la.van · H3837A“white; shining; gentle; brittle” Hitchcock's 186946 mentions, all in Genesis
Illustration — not a likeness; generated for Gospel Companion in the app's painting style — Laban
Illustration — not a likeness; generated for Gospel Companion in the app's painting style

Who he was

Laban was the son of Bethuel and the brother of Rebekah, Isaac's wife (Genesis 24:29). He lived in Paddan Aram, where he welcomed Abraham's servant who sought a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:29–51). Years later, Laban hosted his nephew Israel (or 'Jacob'), who fled from his brother Esau (Genesis 27:43; 28.2,5). Laban arranged for Jacob to marry his daughters, Leah and Rachel, in exchange for fourteen years of labor (Gen.29). Laban also gave his maidservants, Zilpah and Bilhah, to Jacob as concubines (Gen.30.9,22). Jacob's wives bore him eleven sons and a daughter while living with Laban (Gen.29.31-30.24; 46.18,25). Laban and Jacob had a tense relationship due to Laban's deception and Jacob's prosperity (Gen.30-31). After Jacob fled with his family, Laban pursued them but ultimately made a covenant with Jacob before departing (Gen.31). Laban is last mentioned when Jacob sent messengers to Esau, stating that he had stayed with Laban (Genesis 32:4).

Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Family

FatherBethuelSiblingsRebekahChildrenRachel, Leah
Family relations: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Every mention

46 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)

Genesis 46 mentions

Genesis 24:29Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man, to the spring.Genesis 24:50Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The thing proceeds from Yahweh. We can’t speak to you bad or good.Genesis 25:20Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his wife.Genesis 27:43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran.Genesis 28:2Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.Genesis 28:5Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.Genesis 29:5He said to them, “Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.”Genesis 29:10When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered…Genesis 29:13When Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.Genesis 29:14Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” Jacob stayed with him for a month.Genesis 29:15Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?”Genesis 29:16Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.Genesis 29:19Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.”Genesis 29:21Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”Genesis 29:22Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.Genesis 29:24Laban gave Zilpah his servant to his daughter Leah for a servant.Genesis 29:25In the morning, behold, it was Leah! He said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Didn’t I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”Genesis 29:26Laban said, “It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.Genesis 29:29Laban gave Bilhah, his servant, to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.Genesis 30:25When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place, and to my country.Genesis 30:27Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.”Genesis 30:34Laban said, “Behold, let it be according to your word.”Genesis 30:36He set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.Genesis 30:40Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the black in Laban’s flock. He put his own droves apart, and didn’t put them into Laban’s flock.Genesis 30:42but when the flock were feeble, he didn’t put them in. So the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.Genesis 31:1Jacob heard Laban’s sons’ words, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s. He has obtained all this wealth from that which was our father’s.”Genesis 31:2Jacob saw the expression on Laban’s face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.Genesis 31:12He said, ‘Now lift up your eyes, and behold, all the male goats which leap on the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled, for I have seen all that Laban does to you.Genesis 31:19Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s.Genesis 31:20Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he didn’t tell him that he was running away.Genesis 31:22Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.Genesis 31:24God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Be careful that you don’t speak to Jacob either good or bad.”Genesis 31:25Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead.Genesis 31:26Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword?Genesis 31:31Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.’Genesis 31:33Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two female servants; but he didn’t find them. He went out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent.Genesis 31:34Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt around all the tent, but didn’t find them.Genesis 31:36Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?Genesis 31:43Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine! What can I do today to these my daughters, or…Genesis 31:47Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.Genesis 31:48Laban said, “This heap is witness between me and you today.” Therefore it was named GaleedGenesis 31:51Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you.Genesis 31:55Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.Genesis 32:4He commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall tell my lord, Esau: ‘This is what your servant, Jacob, says. I have lived as a foreigner with Laban, and stayed until now.Genesis 46:18These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob, even sixteen souls.Genesis 46:25These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls were seven.

What the dictionary says

White.

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
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Sources