Bible Strands
Genesis 31:42
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jacob addresses Laban during their final confrontation after two decades of service. He declares that his retained flocks and survival depend entirely on divine presence rather than his own labor.
The words — לוּלֵי (lu.lei) translates literally to “if not,” structuring Jacob’s claim as a conditional statement. פַּחַד (pachad) means “fear,” designating God as the object of Isaac’s reverent dread rather than a human emotion.
The thread — The statement that God “has seen my affliction” parallels the observation in Psalms 31:7 about divine awareness of human anguish. The identification of God as the object of dread corresponds to the directive in Isaiah 8:13 to regard the LORD of Hosts as holy and dreaded.
Why it lands — The text asserts that human toil and suffering are witnessed and judged by God, not merely endured in isolation. It requires readers to attribute outcomes to divine oversight and to recognize that endurance alone does not guarantee justice without divine intervention.
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
Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.
Cross-references
- Psalms 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion, for You have seen my affliction; You have known the anguish of my soul.
- Isaiah 8:13 The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded.
- Genesis 31:29 I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
- Genesis 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
- Genesis 29:32 And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”
- Genesis 31:24 But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
- Exodus 3:7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
- Psalms 124:1 A song of ascents. Of David. If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel now declare—
- 1 Chronicles 12:17 And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”
- Jude 1:9 But even the archangel Michael, when he disputed with the devil over the body of Moses, did not presume to bring a slanderous charge against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”