Keywords
Jacob and Laban
slave
Abstract
There are different opinions among the scholars regarding the interpretation of Jacob‒Laban relationship. While some believe that Jacob was treated by Laban as a son, others think that Laban diminished Jacob’s status to the position of a hired worker. This article goes even further and seeks to demonstrate that Laban’s attitude towards Jacob should be understood as that of a master towards his slave. Following arguments might be brought forward to support this interpretation: 1) In the Ancient near east very often the border between a slave and a semi-slave person was not clear; 2) Jacob came to Laban as a free man he voluntarily submitted himself to the patronage of the latter and became his debt slave; 3) even after Jacob had finished fourteen years of labor for Rachel and Leah Laban still treated him as a slave. It is clearly seen when Laban claimed the right to not allow Leah and Rachel to go with Jacob (Gen 31:43). Such a claim can be understood in the light of the law about a man-slave who was given a wife by his master, which is found in both biblical laws (Exod 21:2-4) and ancient Babylonian laws (Ur-Namma). So, until the end of Jacob’s staying at Laban’s household he was treated as a slave by his father-in-law. Such harsh attitude of Laban towards his daughters and son-in-law might be explained by Laban’s character who is portrayed in the book of Genesis as a greedy person. Some details of the narrative prove that Laban wanted to cheat on Jacob from the very moment when Jacob expressed a desire to marry Rachel. Since in the ancient times the status of a daughter was not very different from a slave girl one can understand why Laban treats his daughters and son-in-law this way. This interpretation of Jacob-Laban relationship is confirmed by parallels with ancient customs, traditions, and laws.
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