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NASB | Genesis 31:33 ¶ So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 31:33 ¶ So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he came out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent. |
Bible Question:
The narration of the sequence by which Laban searched the tents seems very carefully descriptive: First the tent of Jacob, then Leah, then the tent of them maids, and then Laban emerges from the tent of Leah (not the tent of the maids) before searching Rachel's tent. Is the maids' tent connected to or behind the tent of Leah? It seems so, but what does this indicate based on practices of the times? Is Rachel truly in her menstruation and kept separate? Is Leah treated as the higher wife positionally and thus has the maids more quickly at her disposal? Or is Rachel treated as the higher wife positionally and thus given a tent away from the others as is Jacob? Is there any research available of practices of the time, or only speculation? |
Bible Answer: The care with which the narration describes Laban's process gives the impression that there was something significant to it that would be understood by people of the time -- presumably recorded in Moses' time. Are there any indications of practices of the time that could shed light on this, or are only unsupported speculations available (such as the three potential, mutually exclusive, and completely unsubstantiated interpretations I offered in the initial question)? |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Gen 31:33 | Author | ||
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Brent Douglass | ||
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Brent Douglass |