Bible Strands
Genesis 31:34
Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Laban searches Rachel’s tent after checking Jacob’s and the maidservants’ tents, while Rachel sits on the concealed idols.
The words — תְּרָפִים (teraphim) denotes the household idols, and כַּר (khar) refers to the saddlebag of the camel where Rachel placed them.
The thread — The act follows Rachel’s earlier theft of the teraphim while Laban was shearing sheep (Genesis 31:19) and occurs after Jacob’s family mounted their camels for departure (Genesis 31:17).
Why it lands — The text records Rachel sitting on the saddlebag to block detection while Laban searches and finds nothing, demanding the reader note the deliberate physical deception without adding moral judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.
Cross-references
- Genesis 31:19 Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.
- Genesis 31:17 Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels,