When trying to understand how long Jacob worked for his uncle Laban, two particular verses in the Bible arise for consideration.
Gen 31:38
This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
Gen 31:41
Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.
The question here, is whether or not to understand both of these verses to be describing the same 20 year period or two separate 20 year periods, which would add up to forty years. Why is this even important? Because ALL of scripture is given for doctrine and nothing is irrelevant in the scriptures. Furthermore, understanding the truth here will help us know that God often makes statements in His Word that seem very plain, yet are not so. God does this to see who will settle for the plain rendering of the text (which is a faulty hermeneutic), or who will seek for true wisdom within his word by seeking for it, as for hid treasure.
So, in order to answer this question, we must look at all the facts the Bible provides, rather than depend on our fallible understanding which is content with the plain rendering of the text.
Here is what the Bible spells out for us:
-Jacob enters into a 7-year work agreement with Laban in exchange for Rachel to be his wife. (Gen 29:18-20).
-Laban deceives Jacob by giving him Leah to wed instead of Rachel. (Gen 29:22-26)
-Jacob agrees to work another 7 years to marry Rachel. (Gen 29:27)
-Jacob fulfills Leah's week and then marries Rachel. (Gen 29:28-29)
-Jacob begins his second 7 years of service as per his agreement and begins having children. (Gen 29:30-31)
-After Joseph (his 12th child) was born, Jacob wants to leave with his family, but Laban convinces him to work longer (Gen 30:26-28).
-Jacob works for what appears to be another 6 years before fleeing with his family (Gen 31:38-41).
-This only gave Jacob 7 years to have 12 children between 4 wives because he had none in the first 7, and he already had them all before moving 3 days away for his final six years of work (presumably).
Now, with the above facts, this would almost seem like an open and shut case, that Jacob only spent 20 years working for Laban, based on the information provided us in Genesis 29 and 30.
However, one very important thing I have learned is that we haven't come to truth unless the Bible completely agrees. This means that as we continue to study the Bible, we should not come across anything that would contradict our conclusion, but rather affirm it.
So, why am I claiming that Jacob actually worked 40 years for Laban and not 20. Because the numbers don't add up. If anyone has ever wondered why God gives us dates and years of events along with ages of various people, the answer is, because all of scripture is for doctrine and nothing is to be ignored. So, when we search the scriptures, we notice that God does give us an age for Jacob.
Gen 47:8-9
And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? 9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years:....
Now we have a starting point from which we can work our way back in time. In Genesis 45:1-13, Joseph (Jacob's eleventh SON), reveals himself to his brothers and tells them to bring his father (Jacob) to Egypt. The Bible gives us our next time marker when Joseph sends his brothers to bring back their father.
Gen 45:6
For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
-Therefore, since Jacob stood before Pharaoh, 2 years into the famine, at the age of 130, then Jacob's age when the famine began was 128.
-We also know that the 7 years of famine began after the 7 years of plenty ended.
-Therefore, Jacob was 128 years old when the famine began, and we can subtract 7 years, for the years of plenty. This would make Jacob 121 years old when the years of plenty began.
-The Bible also gives us Joseph's age when he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams regarding the 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine. Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh and when the famine began.
Gen 41:46
And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
-Therefore, since Joseph was 30 years old, and Jacob was 121 years old when the 7 years of plenty began, then we can know that Joseph was born when Jacob was 91 years old in Haran (121-30=91).
-If the 20 year stay in Haran is still correct, then Jacob would have worked another 6 years after the birth of Joseph, thus making Jacob 97 years old when he fled from Laban with his family.
-And if we subtract Jacob's (presumed) 20 year stay from his age at departure, then Jacob was 77 years old when he arrived at Haran.
But wait, the Bible has more to say….
Jacob had a TWIN brother, Esau, who, if we are able to determine any timelines from (because they were twins), may shed some helpful information regarding the length of time Jacob worked for Laban. Here is what we know:
Gen 28:5-9
And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother. 6 When Esau saw*that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; 7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram; 8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; 9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
Here we have the account of Isaac sending away Jacob to Haran (Padanaram). According to the text, Esau sees this, THEN he goes and takes a wife from Ishmael his uncle (his father Isaac's brother). In other words, Jacob leaves first, then Esau decides to be rebellious and go to Ishmael to take a wife.
What do we know about Ishmael?
-We know that Ishmael was born when Abraham was 86 years old. (Gen 16:16)
-We know Ishmael dies at the age of 137. (Gen 25:17)
-We know Isaac (Ishmael's younger brother) was born when Abraham was 100 Years old. (Gen 21:5)
-Therefore, this makes Ishmael 14 years older than Issac (100 - 86=14).
-We know that Jacob and Esau were born when their father Issac was 60 years old. (Gen 25:26)
-Therefore, when Ishmael died at 137, his brother Isaac was 123 years old (137 - 14= 123).
-This would mean that Jacob and Esau were 63 years old when Ishmael died (123 - 60= 63).
Here is what the above information leads us to conclude:
-Esau went to Ishmael to take a wife after Jacob departed, this means that Esau had to do this before Ishmael died.
-This means that the OLDEST Esau could have been when he went to see Ishmael, was 63, before Ishmael died.
-Jacob was the same age as Esau, and since he departed before Esau, the OLDEST Jacob could have been when he left his parents to go to Haran was also 63 years old.
But as we’ve concluded earlier, based on the presumed 20 year stay, Jacob's age when he left Haran was 97. And we surmised that if the 20 year stay was correct, then the oldest Jacob could have been when he arrived at Haran was 77 years old.
Thus, we have a problem, if we are led by the plain reading of the text of Gen 31:38 & 41, we will be led to believe that Jacob worked for Laban for only 20 years. But if we go through the Bible for confirmation, we discover that Jacob could not have been 77 years old when he arrived in Haran, as a matter of fact, Jacob could not have been older than 63 years old, as the numbers which God provides, show. This leaves us with a 14-year gap that is unaccounted for, if we believe the 20 year work period is correct.
The proof therefore leads us to the conclusion that Jacob did indeed stay 40 years in Haran and not 20. This more than compensates for the 14 missing years, and since we know that those years are actually the 20 additional years he spent working with Laban. We can also now know Jacob's correct age when he arrived in Haran to be 57. (Jacob is 97 when he leaves Haran, minus the 40 years he stays there = 57).
Finally, we are able to understand that the two 20-year periods mentioned in Genesis 31 are two separate periods of time.
Gen 31:38
This twenty years have I been with thee; ...
Gen 31:41
Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle:
Jacob is describing two 20 year periods. One set of 20 was when Jacob was in Laban’s house (Gen 31:41), while the second 20 year period is when Jacob moved with his family, 3 days journey, while still working for Laban.
Gen 31:38
This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
Gen 31:41
Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.
The question here, is whether or not to understand both of these verses to be describing the same 20 year period or two separate 20 year periods, which would add up to forty years. Why is this even important? Because ALL of scripture is given for doctrine and nothing is irrelevant in the scriptures. Furthermore, understanding the truth here will help us know that God often makes statements in His Word that seem very plain, yet are not so. God does this to see who will settle for the plain rendering of the text (which is a faulty hermeneutic), or who will seek for true wisdom within his word by seeking for it, as for hid treasure.
So, in order to answer this question, we must look at all the facts the Bible provides, rather than depend on our fallible understanding which is content with the plain rendering of the text.
Here is what the Bible spells out for us:
-Jacob enters into a 7-year work agreement with Laban in exchange for Rachel to be his wife. (Gen 29:18-20).
-Laban deceives Jacob by giving him Leah to wed instead of Rachel. (Gen 29:22-26)
-Jacob agrees to work another 7 years to marry Rachel. (Gen 29:27)
-Jacob fulfills Leah's week and then marries Rachel. (Gen 29:28-29)
-Jacob begins his second 7 years of service as per his agreement and begins having children. (Gen 29:30-31)
-After Joseph (his 12th child) was born, Jacob wants to leave with his family, but Laban convinces him to work longer (Gen 30:26-28).
-Jacob works for what appears to be another 6 years before fleeing with his family (Gen 31:38-41).
-This only gave Jacob 7 years to have 12 children between 4 wives because he had none in the first 7, and he already had them all before moving 3 days away for his final six years of work (presumably).
Now, with the above facts, this would almost seem like an open and shut case, that Jacob only spent 20 years working for Laban, based on the information provided us in Genesis 29 and 30.
However, one very important thing I have learned is that we haven't come to truth unless the Bible completely agrees. This means that as we continue to study the Bible, we should not come across anything that would contradict our conclusion, but rather affirm it.
So, why am I claiming that Jacob actually worked 40 years for Laban and not 20. Because the numbers don't add up. If anyone has ever wondered why God gives us dates and years of events along with ages of various people, the answer is, because all of scripture is for doctrine and nothing is to be ignored. So, when we search the scriptures, we notice that God does give us an age for Jacob.
Gen 47:8-9
And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? 9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years:....
Now we have a starting point from which we can work our way back in time. In Genesis 45:1-13, Joseph (Jacob's eleventh SON), reveals himself to his brothers and tells them to bring his father (Jacob) to Egypt. The Bible gives us our next time marker when Joseph sends his brothers to bring back their father.
Gen 45:6
For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
-Therefore, since Jacob stood before Pharaoh, 2 years into the famine, at the age of 130, then Jacob's age when the famine began was 128.
-We also know that the 7 years of famine began after the 7 years of plenty ended.
-Therefore, Jacob was 128 years old when the famine began, and we can subtract 7 years, for the years of plenty. This would make Jacob 121 years old when the years of plenty began.
-The Bible also gives us Joseph's age when he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams regarding the 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine. Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh and when the famine began.
Gen 41:46
And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
-Therefore, since Joseph was 30 years old, and Jacob was 121 years old when the 7 years of plenty began, then we can know that Joseph was born when Jacob was 91 years old in Haran (121-30=91).
-If the 20 year stay in Haran is still correct, then Jacob would have worked another 6 years after the birth of Joseph, thus making Jacob 97 years old when he fled from Laban with his family.
-And if we subtract Jacob's (presumed) 20 year stay from his age at departure, then Jacob was 77 years old when he arrived at Haran.
But wait, the Bible has more to say….
Jacob had a TWIN brother, Esau, who, if we are able to determine any timelines from (because they were twins), may shed some helpful information regarding the length of time Jacob worked for Laban. Here is what we know:
Gen 28:5-9
And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother. 6 When Esau saw*that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; 7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram; 8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; 9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
Here we have the account of Isaac sending away Jacob to Haran (Padanaram). According to the text, Esau sees this, THEN he goes and takes a wife from Ishmael his uncle (his father Isaac's brother). In other words, Jacob leaves first, then Esau decides to be rebellious and go to Ishmael to take a wife.
What do we know about Ishmael?
-We know that Ishmael was born when Abraham was 86 years old. (Gen 16:16)
-We know Ishmael dies at the age of 137. (Gen 25:17)
-We know Isaac (Ishmael's younger brother) was born when Abraham was 100 Years old. (Gen 21:5)
-Therefore, this makes Ishmael 14 years older than Issac (100 - 86=14).
-We know that Jacob and Esau were born when their father Issac was 60 years old. (Gen 25:26)
-Therefore, when Ishmael died at 137, his brother Isaac was 123 years old (137 - 14= 123).
-This would mean that Jacob and Esau were 63 years old when Ishmael died (123 - 60= 63).
Here is what the above information leads us to conclude:
-Esau went to Ishmael to take a wife after Jacob departed, this means that Esau had to do this before Ishmael died.
-This means that the OLDEST Esau could have been when he went to see Ishmael, was 63, before Ishmael died.
-Jacob was the same age as Esau, and since he departed before Esau, the OLDEST Jacob could have been when he left his parents to go to Haran was also 63 years old.
But as we’ve concluded earlier, based on the presumed 20 year stay, Jacob's age when he left Haran was 97. And we surmised that if the 20 year stay was correct, then the oldest Jacob could have been when he arrived at Haran was 77 years old.
Thus, we have a problem, if we are led by the plain reading of the text of Gen 31:38 & 41, we will be led to believe that Jacob worked for Laban for only 20 years. But if we go through the Bible for confirmation, we discover that Jacob could not have been 77 years old when he arrived in Haran, as a matter of fact, Jacob could not have been older than 63 years old, as the numbers which God provides, show. This leaves us with a 14-year gap that is unaccounted for, if we believe the 20 year work period is correct.
The proof therefore leads us to the conclusion that Jacob did indeed stay 40 years in Haran and not 20. This more than compensates for the 14 missing years, and since we know that those years are actually the 20 additional years he spent working with Laban. We can also now know Jacob's correct age when he arrived in Haran to be 57. (Jacob is 97 when he leaves Haran, minus the 40 years he stays there = 57).
Finally, we are able to understand that the two 20-year periods mentioned in Genesis 31 are two separate periods of time.
Gen 31:38
This twenty years have I been with thee; ...
Gen 31:41
Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle:
Jacob is describing two 20 year periods. One set of 20 was when Jacob was in Laban’s house (Gen 31:41), while the second 20 year period is when Jacob moved with his family, 3 days journey, while still working for Laban.