Genesis 31:45
New International Version
So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

New Living Translation
So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument.

English Standard Version
So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

Berean Standard Bible
So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar,

King James Bible
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

New King James Version
So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

New American Standard Bible
Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial stone.

NASB 1995
Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

NASB 1977
Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Jacob took a stone and raised it up as a pillar.

Amplified Bible
So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a [memorial] pillar.

Christian Standard Bible
So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a marker.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a marker.

American Standard Version
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

Contemporary English Version
After Jacob had set up a large rock,

English Revised Version
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jacob took a stone and set it up as a marker.

Good News Translation
So Jacob got a stone and set it up as a memorial.

International Standard Version
So Jacob took a stone and raised it as a pillar.

Majority Standard Bible
So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar,

NET Bible
So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar.

New Heart English Bible
Jacob took a stone, and set it up as a standing-stone.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

World English Bible
Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Jacob takes a stone, and lifts it up [for] a standing pillar;

Young's Literal Translation
And Jacob taketh a stone, and lifteth it up for a standing pillar;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jacob will take a stone and raise up a pillar.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a title:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And so Jacob took a stone, and he set it up as a memorial.

New American Bible
Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a sacred pillar.

New Revised Standard Version
So Jacob took a stone, and set it up as a pillar.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Yaquuv took a stone and raised it as a monument.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Jacob having taken a stone, set it up for a pillar.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jacob's Covenant with Laban
44Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.” 45So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar, 46and he said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate.…

Cross References
Joshua 24:27
And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny your God.”

Exodus 24:4
And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

Deuteronomy 27:2-4
And on the day you cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, set up large stones and coat them with plaster. / Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you. / And when you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to coat them with plaster.

1 Samuel 7:12
Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”

Joshua 4:20-24
And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. / Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ / you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ ...

1 Kings 18:31
And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.”

Isaiah 19:19
In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD near her border.

2 Kings 3:19
And you shall attack every fortified city and every city of importance. You shall cut down every good tree, stop up every spring, and ruin every good field with stones.”

2 Samuel 18:18
During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

Ezekiel 37:16-17
“And you, son of man, take a single stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Judah and to the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and to all the house of Israel associated with him.’ / Then join them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand.

Matthew 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

1 Peter 2:5
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:20
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

Revelation 21:14
The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Acts 4:11
This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’


Treasury of Scripture

And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

Genesis 28:18-22
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it…

Jump to Previous
Jacob Lifteth Pillar Standing Stone
Jump to Next
Jacob Lifteth Pillar Standing Stone
Genesis 31
1. Jacob, displeased with the envy of Laban and his sons, departs secretly.
19. Rachel steals her father's household gods.
22. Laban pursues after him, and complains of the wrong.
34. Rachel's plan to hide the images.
36. Jacob's complaint of Laban.
43. The covenant of Laban and Jacob at Galeed.














So Jacob picked out a stone
Jacob's action of selecting a stone is significant in the biblical narrative. Stones were often used in ancient times as markers or memorials. This act can be seen as a way to commemorate a significant event or covenant. In the context of Genesis, stones were used by the patriarchs to mark places where they encountered God or experienced His promises (e.g., Genesis 28:18, where Jacob sets up a stone after his dream at Bethel). The use of a stone here may symbolize a tangible reminder of God's faithfulness and the agreements made between Jacob and Laban.

and set it up as a pillar
Setting up a stone as a pillar was a common practice in the ancient Near East for establishing a witness or testimony to an agreement or event. This act by Jacob is reminiscent of other biblical instances where pillars were erected as a sign of covenant or divine encounter (e.g., Genesis 35:14, where Jacob sets up a pillar at Bethel). Pillars served as lasting memorials, visible to all who passed by, and were often associated with worship or significant spiritual experiences. In this context, the pillar represents the peace treaty between Jacob and Laban, serving as a witness to their agreement and a reminder of God's presence and protection over Jacob's journey.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jacob
The grandson of Abraham, son of Isaac, and brother of Esau. Jacob is a central figure in Genesis, known for his journey from deception to becoming the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.

2. Laban
Jacob's uncle and father-in-law, with whom Jacob had a complex relationship involving family, labor, and wealth.

3. Mizpah
The place where Jacob and Laban made a covenant. It is significant as a location of witness and agreement between the two parties.

4. Pillar
A stone set up by Jacob as a physical marker of the covenant between him and Laban. In Hebrew, the word for pillar is (matzevah), often used to denote a memorial or witness.

5. Covenant
The agreement made between Jacob and Laban, marked by the setting up of the stone pillar, symbolizing peace and mutual respect.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Memorials
Just as Jacob set up a stone to mark a significant event, we should establish reminders of God's faithfulness in our lives. These can be physical objects, journal entries, or other markers that help us remember God's work.

Covenant Relationships
The covenant between Jacob and Laban highlights the importance of clear agreements and boundaries in relationships. In our lives, we should strive for transparency and mutual respect in our commitments.

Witness to God's Faithfulness
The stone pillar serves as a witness to the agreement and God's presence in the situation. We are called to be witnesses to God's faithfulness in our lives, sharing testimonies of His work with others.

Resolving Conflicts
Jacob and Laban's covenant was a resolution to their ongoing conflict. This teaches us the value of seeking peace and reconciliation in our relationships, following biblical principles of conflict resolution.Verse 45. - And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar - or Matzebah, as a memorial or witness of the covenant about to be formed (ver. 52); a different transaction from the piling of the stone-heap next referred to (cf. Genesis 28:18; Joshua 24:27).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So Jacob
יַעֲקֹ֖ב (ya·‘ă·qōḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3290: Jacob -- a son of Isaac, also his desc

picked out
וַיִּקַּ֥ח (way·yiq·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

a stone
אָ֑בֶן (’ā·ḇen)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 68: A stone

and set it up
וַיְרִימֶ֖הָ (way·rî·me·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7311: To be high actively, to rise, raise

as a pillar,
מַצֵּבָֽה׃ (maṣ·ṣê·ḇāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4676: Something stationed, a column, an idol


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OT Law: Genesis 31:45 Jacob took a stone and set it (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 31:44
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