5 min read

How Laban Took Everything and Jacob Built Anyway

Laban cheated Jacob with wages, wives, and years. The Book of Jubilees tracks every scheme, and the spotted sheep that would not stop multiplying.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Law in Heaven That Laban Hid Behind
  2. Seven More Years and the Speckled Sheep
  3. What Twenty Years Looked Like From the Outside
  4. How Jacob Outwitted the Scheme

Laban has a reputation in the tradition. He is the prototype of the man who smiles while he robs you. Every time Jacob negotiated a fair arrangement, Laban found the loophole. Every time Jacob thought they had an agreement, Laban had already planned the next betrayal. The rabbis would later say Laban was more dangerous than Pharaoh, because Pharaoh tried to kill the body and Laban tried to destroy the soul.

Jacob arrived at Laban's household with nothing. He had fled Beersheba with only the clothes on his back and a stone for a pillow at Bethel. Within a month he was working, because he was Jacob and Jacob always worked. He offered seven years of labor for Rachel. Seven years is a biblical unit of seriousness. Jacob was not haggling. He was committed.

The Law in Heaven That Laban Hid Behind

Laban took the seven years and gave him Leah.

The Book of Jubilees, composed in the second century BCE, records a detail the Torah does not include: there was a law in heaven against giving the younger daughter before the elder. The heavenly tablets had it recorded. When Jacob confronted Laban in the morning and demanded to know why he had been given Leah, Laban cited this exact law as his defense. It is not right in our country to give the younger before the elder.

The tradition noticed the irony immediately: Laban used a principle about proper order to justify a scheme that violated proper order. He knew the law existed. He used it to plan the switch. He used it again to defend the switch. The law that should have prevented the deception became, in Laban's hands, both the instrument and the excuse for it.

Seven More Years and the Speckled Sheep

Jacob worked seven more years for Rachel. Fourteen years total for the two wives. Then he asked to leave, to return to his own land and his own people. Laban resisted. He had seen what Jacob's presence did for the household. He offered new terms: stay and name your wages.

What Jacob asked for was the speckled and spotted among the flocks - the genetic odds were against them. The ordinary animal was solid-colored. Speckled and spotted were the minority. Jacob was, ostensibly, asking for the lesser portion. But Bereshit Rabbah, the fifth-century CE midrashic compilation, records what Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon observed about Jacob's declaration. When Jacob said, in Genesis 30:33, that any solid-colored animal found among his wages was stolen, he was making a claim of total honesty that the tradition read as remarkable even by the standards of the patriarchs. He was betting his integrity on the color of the lambs.

What Twenty Years Looked Like From the Outside

Jubilees records the accumulation year by year. Jacob's flocks multiplied. His cattle increased. His household expanded with sons born to Leah and to the two handmaids. He had arrived with nothing. He was leaving with twelve sons, two daughters, herds and flocks that Laban's shifting terms had not been able to confiscate, and the legal grounds to leave - because Laban had changed the agreement ten times in ways that invalidated Laban's claim on anything beyond the original seven years. What Laban had built was a system designed to prevent Jacob from accumulating anything. What Jacob had built, inside that system, was everything. The tradition does not credit this only to Jacob's cleverness. It credits it to God, who told Jacob to leave and confirmed that He had seen every wage change Laban had made. The accounting was complete. The twenty years were over.

How Jacob Outwitted the Scheme

Laban changed the wages ten times. Every time the speckled animals began to multiply, Laban would declare that going forward the speckled were his. Every time the striped ones gained, Laban would shift the agreement to the striped. Jacob recorded each change, kept each adjustment in his memory, and worked within whatever the current terms were. The Jubilees account tracks the accumulation: the cattle and the flocks multiplied, year after year, more and more of them meeting whatever description Jacob currently had rights to, because Jacob understood the animals in a way Laban did not.

When Jacob finally fled with his household - after God told him directly to leave, after twenty years, after the relationship with Laban had deteriorated to the point where Laban's sons were saying Jacob had taken everything - he left with what he had honestly earned under an agreement Laban had designed to prevent him from earning anything.

LabanJacobWagesSheepJubileesPatriarchsDeception
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From the tradition

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The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Book of Jubilees 28:1Book of Jubilees

His story, preserved in texts like the Book of Jubilees, is a fascinating glimpse into the ancient world of faith, family, and promises.

The passage It's a moment of profound significance for Jacob. He's on a journey, a difficult one, and he's seeking divine favor. What does he do? He makes a vow. He says, "…so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God, and this stone which I have set up as a pillar for a sign in this place, shall be the Lord's house, and of all that thou givest me, I shall give the tenth to thee, my God."

A bit. Jacob is essentially saying, "If God brings me back safely, then I will acknowledge Him as my God." It's a conditional promise, a quid pro quo. "If you do this for me, then I will do this for you." And what is "this"? Well, first, he'll acknowledge God. Seems pretty important. Second, he designates the stone he uses as a pillow as a sacred place, beit el, a "House of God." Finally, he promises to tithe – to give a tenth of everything he receives back to God.

Think about the implications of that stone. It wasn't just any rock. It was a marker, a tangible symbol of his encounter with the Divine. It's a reminder that even the most ordinary objects can become imbued with sacred meaning. This is echoed in many Jewish traditions, where everyday items are used for ritual purposes, transforming the mundane into the holy.

And then there’s the tithe. Giving a tenth of one's possessions back to God is a recurring theme in the Hebrew Bible. It's a way of acknowledging that everything we have ultimately comes from a higher power. It's an act of gratitude and a way of supporting the religious institutions and those in need.

So, Jacob makes his vow, seals the deal, and then what? The verse reads, "And he went on his journey, and came to the land of the east, to Laban, the brother of Rebecca.." This is the next chapter, literally and figuratively. He's off to face new challenges, new relationships, and ultimately, to fulfill his destiny.

But the vow remains. It's a thread that runs through the rest of Jacob's story. It shapes his decisions, his relationships, and his understanding of his place in the world.

What does this story tell us today? Maybe it's a reminder that our relationship with the Divine is often a journey, filled with promises, challenges, and moments of profound connection. Maybe it's a call to examine our own vows, both spoken and unspoken. What promises have we made? What commitments have we undertaken? And how are we living up to them?

And maybe, just maybe, it's a reminder that even a simple stone can become a House of God, a place where we can connect with something larger than ourselves.

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Book of Jubilees 28:14Book of Jubilees

Book of Jubilees turns to Laban Tricks Jacob Into Marrying Leah First.

Chapter 28? It's all about Jacob, Leah, and Rachel. The familiar version gives us the basic story: Jacob loves Rachel, but Laban tricks him into marrying Leah first. But the Book of Jubilees adds a layer of ethical concern we might not have considered.

The passage begins with a strong commandment: "And command thou the children of Israel that they do not this thing; let them neither take nor give the younger before they have given the elder, for it is very wicked."

Whoa. Did you catch that?

This isn't just about Laban being sneaky. It's about a fundamental principle of fairness. The younger before the elder? The Book of Jubilees frames this as "very wicked," a violation of natural order, a disruption of what's right. It's a pretty blunt assessment, isn't it?

Now, the narrative unfolds. Remember, Jacob has already unknowingly married Leah. Then, Laban makes his proposition. “Let the seven days of the feast of this one pass by, and I shall give thee Rachel, that thou mayest serve me another seven years, that thou mayest pasture my sheep as thou didst in the former week.”

Seven more years!

The Book of Jubilees highlights the specific timeframe, emphasizing the length of Jacob’s continued servitude. It’s not just a matter of days or weeks. It’s another seven years of his life dedicated to Laban. Talk about commitment!

And then, the deed is done. “And on the day when the seven days of the feast of Leah had passed, Laban gave Rachel to Jacob, that he might serve him another seven years."

The starkness of this passage is striking. It's a simple statement of fact, yet it carries the weight of Jacob's disappointment, Laban's manipulation, and the Book of Jubilees’ condemnation.

What does it all mean? The Book of Jubilees isn’t just telling a story; it’s teaching a lesson. It's saying that even in love, even in pursuit of our deepest desires, we must uphold ethical principles. The order of things matters. Fairness matters.

And perhaps, it's a reminder that sometimes, the things we work hardest for come with unexpected costs. Costs that might make us question whether the prize was truly worth the price. We're left wondering: what does it truly mean to earn something, if the way we acquire it violates a fundamental sense of right and wrong? A question worth pondering long after the story ends.

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Book of Jubilees 28:37Book of Jubilees

Book of Jubilees turns to Jacob Demands to Leave After Fourteen Years.

Laban, seeing how much Jacob has benefited his household (shall we say!), isn't so keen to let him go. He pleads with Jacob to stay. "Tarry with me for thy wages, and pasture my flock for me again, and take thy wages."

Laban wasn’t exactly known for his generosity, was he? He's looking to strike a bargain that heavily favors him. So they haggle, and they finally come to an agreement, a deal seemingly so skewed that Jacob couldn't possibly profit.

The deal is this: Jacob will receive as his wages only the lambs and kids that are born black, spotted, or white. Seems fair enough. Except, the vast majority of sheep and goats are… well, neither black, spotted, nor white! Laban probably thought he was getting away with daylight robbery.

But here's where things get interesting. According to Jubilees 28, "all the sheep brought forth spotted and speckled and black, variously marked, and they brought forth again lambs like themselves, and all that were spotted were Jacob's and those which were not were Laban's."

Suddenly, Laban's flock is popping out black, spotted, and speckled lambs and kids left and right! What are the odds? Seems like someone. Or something, was looking out for Jacob. Talk about divine intervention, or perhaps just a little bit of cosmic justice.

Now, some might say this is just a clever story about outsmarting a deceitful man. Others might see it as a evidence of Jacob's own cunning and skill, a reward for his years of hard work. But the Book of Jubilees, with its detailed chronology and emphasis on divine covenants, frames it as something more: a demonstration of God's promise to protect and prosper Jacob, despite the obstacles thrown in his path.

What do we take away from this? Is it simply a tale of shrewd bargaining and unexpected fortune? Or does it hint at a deeper truth about fairness, divine justice, and the enduring power of promises? Perhaps it's a little of both. And perhaps, just perhaps, it reminds us that even when the odds seem stacked against us, there's always a chance for a little bit of unexpected blessing.

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Bereshit Rabbah 73:9Bereshit Rabbah

Bereshit Rabbah turns to Jacob's Honest Wage Agreement Over Speckled Sheep.

In (Genesis 30:33), Jacob declares, "My honesty will speak on my behalf on a future day, when you will review my wages before you: every one among the goats that is not speckled and spotted, or brown, among the sheep, was stolen by me.” Bold words. But Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon, as quoted in Bereshit Rabbah, throws a curveball. He connects this statement to (Proverbs 27:1), "Do not glory in a future day." The implication? Hubris has a way of biting back. The text suggests that Jacob's confidence might be misplaced, foreshadowing future troubles, specifically the violation of his daughter Dina (Genesis 34:1). It's a stark warning about the dangers of overconfidence.

Then there's Laban, Jacob's father-in-law. Oh, Laban. In (Genesis 30:34), Laban says, "Indeed, if only it will be in accordance with your statement.” But what does he really mean? Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Rabba suggests that Laban's words, "hen lu" – "indeed, if only" – were far from sincere. According to Rabbi Ḥiyya, every agreement Laban made with Jacob, he retroactively reneged upon it ten times. The phrase "hen lu," with hen meaning yes, and lu indicating uncertainty, represents the first step toward breaking his word.

The Rabbis take it even further. They claim Laban changed Jacob's wages one hundred times. How do they arrive at that figure? They cite (Genesis 31:7): "But your father has cheated me, and changed my wages ten times [monim]." They interpret monim, "times," as implying ten times ten, because a minyan, a quorum, is no fewer than ten. So, ten groups of ten. Laban's slipperiness isn't just annoying; it's practically a defining characteristic.

And what about the sheep? (Genesis 30:36) tells us, "He established a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob herded the remaining flock of Laban.” Reish Lakish offers a less-than-flattering description of the "remaining" flock – notarot in Hebrew. These weren't the prime cuts. Reish Lakish explains that notarot meant the poor-quality sheep, the barren ones, and the sick ones. He even connects the word to nateret, referencing a passage in Chullin 59b about an emperor whose front and back teeth fell out, further emphasizing the low quality of what Jacob was left with.

So, what do we take away from this tangled tale of sheep, daughters, and broken promises? Perhaps it’s a reminder that honesty, while the best policy, isn't always reciprocated. It also shows us how easily agreements can unravel when trust is absent. And maybe, just maybe, it’s a cautionary tale about the long-term consequences of short-sighted greed. Laban's dishonesty ultimately poisoned his relationship with Jacob and set the stage for future conflicts. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, if a little honesty upfront might have saved everyone a whole lot of trouble.

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