Gênesis 31
John Chrysostom · Comentário Patrístico (catena)
Gênesis 31:1
See how envy drove them to ingratitude, and not only them but also Laban himself. "Jacob saw Laban's attitude to him," the text goes on, remember, "and, lo, it was not as it had previously been." You see, his sons' words deranged his mind and made him forget what he had said some time before in conversation with Jacob, "God has blessed me in your coming." After thanking the Lord for making his wealth increase through the arrival of the good man, he was now disturbed in mind under the influence of his sons and inflamed with envy, perhaps because he saw the good man's fortunate circumstances, and so he was not prepared to behave toward him in the same way. — HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.9
Gênesis 31:3
Do you see the good man's great meekness, on the one hand, and their ingratitude, on the other, and how they could not bear to hold their envy in check but even affected their father's attitude? See now God's ineffable care and the degree of considerateness he employs when he sees us doing our best. I mean, when he saw the good man the object of their envy, he said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your father and to your birthplace, and I will be with you." You have had enough of living in a foreign land, he is saying. What I promised you previously in the words "I will return you to your country," this I now intend to bring to pass. So go back without fear; after all, "I will be with you." You see, to prevent the good man becoming lethargic in departing instead of taking to the road with confidence, he says, "I will be with you." The One who has managed your affairs until now and caused your descendants to increase, "I will be with you" in future as well. — HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.10
Gênesis 31:12
We learn from this that whenever we bear people's wrongdoing meekly and mildly, we enjoy help from on high in a richer and more abundant measure. Accordingly, far from resisting those bent on abusing us, let us bear it nobly in the knowledge that the Lord of all will not forget us, provided we ourselves give evidence of our good will. "Vengeance is mine," Scripture says, remember, "I will repay, says the Lord." Hence Jacob also said, "God did not allow him to do me harm." I mean, since he actually intended to deprive me of payment for my work, he is saying, the Lord gave evidence of his care for us in such marvelous abundance as to transfer all his substance to us. He has shown such care for us, aware that I performed his service with good grace, whereas Laban was not kindly disposed to me. For proof that I do not idly say this or with any intention of accusing him without rhyme or reason, I even have God as my witness to what has been done to me by your father. "I have observed all that Laban has been doing to you," God says, remember—not only that he has deprived you of your wage but as well, instead of being disposed toward you as he was previously, he has a completely distorted attitude. — HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.13
Gênesis 31:17
Consider, I ask you, the good man's noble resolve in quelling every sentiment of fear or reluctance when responding to the command of the Lord. I mean, when he saw Laban's attitude was not promising, he refrained from confronting him as before; instead, he discharged the direction from the Lord by taking his wives and children and making tracks. — HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.16
Gênesis 31:19
This was included not by chance but for us to know how they still clung to their ancestral habits and showed great devotion to the household gods. I mean, consider how [Rachel] went to so much trouble as to steal nothing else of her father's than the household gods alone and did it without her husband noticing; Jacob would not have allowed it to happen, you see. — HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.17
Gênesis 31:24
Wonderful is the Lord's goodness. When God saw Laban bent on fighting and intent on conflict with the good man, he said as if to check his intention by word, "Watch yourself, lest you be guilty of evil words to Jacob." Don't try even in word to harass Jacob, he is saying, but watch yourself; check this wicked assault of yours, repress your anger, rein in your seething thoughts and forbear harassing him even in word. Notice, I ask you, God's loving kindness. Instead of bidding Laban return to his own place, he only directed him to deliver no harsh or severe words to the good man. What on earth was the reason for that? For the good man to learn in fact and by experience the degree of care he was accorded by God.You see, had Laban turned back, how would the good man or his wives have known this? Hence God allowed Laban to come and from his own lips to confess the words spoken to him by God. He did so that the good man might also gain greater enthusiasm for his journey and embrace it in confidence and that his wives might come to know how much care Jacob was accorded by the God of all and so reject their father's deception and imitate the good man. They thus gained from the incident considerable instruction in knowing God. I mean, what came from Jacob was not so convincing as the words spoken by Laban, who was still a devotee of idols. After all, the testimony of infidels and opponents of religion always carries with it great power to convince. This in fact is a sign of God's creative wisdom, when he turns the enemies of truth into the very witnesses to truth, who then by their own mouth fight on its side. — HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.19-20
Gênesis 31:26
See how the command from God repressed [Laban's] great rage and restrained his anger. Hence Laban directs his words to [Jacob] with extreme mildness, almost apologetically, and shows signs of fatherly affection for him. In fact, whenever we enjoy providence from on high, we not only succeed in avoiding the schemes of wicked people, but should we even encounter untamed beasts, we would suffer no harm. You see, the Lord of all gives evidence of the abundance of his characteristic power by transforming the nature of the beasts and turning it into the gentleness of sheep, not by removing their animal characteristics but, while leaving these in their nature, causing the beasts to appear as sheep. You could observe this not only in wild beasts but also in the elements themselves; at his will the very elements forget their power, and not even fire shows the characteristics of fire. — HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.21
Gênesis 31:30
What extraordinary folly—what kind of gods are these of yours that can be stolen? Aren't you ashamed to say, "Why did you steal my household gods?" See the extraordinary extent of Laban's selfdeception such that people endowed with reason should worship wood and stone. These gods of yours, Laban, could not prevent their being stolen. How could they, after all, being made out of stone? The God of this good man, on the contrary, even if the good man was unaware of it, checked your aggression. Are you ignorant of your own error while still charging the good man with theft? After all, why on earth would the good man bring himself to steal them when he despised them, or rather realized they were made of stone and had no feeling? Homilies on Genesis
Gênesis 31:35
Wonderful is the shrewdness of Rachel, by which she succeeded in outwitting Laban. Let those heed it who are victims of deceit and give great importance to the worship of idols. "She put them under the camel saddles," the text says, "and sat on them." What could be more ridiculous than these people? Although endowed with reason and accorded such wonderful preeminence in God's loving kindness, they bring themselves to worship lifeless stone, and, far from being ashamed or having any sense of such absurdity, they even make a habit of it like dumb animals. Hence Paul also wrote in these words, "You know that when you were pagans, it was to mute idols you went off in your frenzy." Rightly did he say "mute"; people with the faculty of speech, enjoying reason and hearing, betake themselves to things of no such faculties like irrational animals. What excuse would such people in fact deserve? — HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.28
Gênesis 31:44
Consider how Laban is gradually introduced to knowledge of God. The man who previously brought the charge of theft of his household gods against the good man and conducted such a close search now says, "Since there is no one capable of acting between us, in case anything happens later, let God act as witness between us to witness what is now being done by us. He is present, the one who sees everything, whose attention nothing can escape, who reads each person's mind." — HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.37
Gênesis 31:55
Do you see, dearly beloved, God's great wisdom in demonstrating his care for the good man, as well as at the same time deterring the other from his injustice and, by forbidding him from speaking evil against Jacob, conducting him gradually to the path of knowledge of God? Though Laban had been pacing about like a wild beast intent on snaring and destroying him, he made his excuses, kissed his daughters and their sons good-bye and returned home. — HOMILIES ON GENESIS 57.39