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Biography

Laban , son of Bethuel; grandson of Nahor and Milcah; grandnephew and great-grandnephew of Abraham and Sarah; brother of Rebekah; father of Leah and Rachel; uncle, second and third cousin and father-in-law of Jacob; and grandfather of Judah. His branch of the family remained at Haran when Abraham moved on into Canaan. There was a good deal of mutual deception, each trying to outdo the other; but the final parting among the mountains of Gilead was a friendly one.

Genesis 28 Narrative


1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
2 Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.
3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
Genesis 28:1-5

Laban's Family

Laban welcomed his nephew, Jacob as a young man, and set him the stipulation of seven years' labour before he permitted him to marry his daughter Rachel. Laban tricked Jacob into marrying his elder daughter Leah instead. Jacob then took both women as wives. The dealings between the two branches are described in Gen. 24; 27:43–31:55. Jacob lived with him and served him for 20 years.

Laban and his family were described as dwelling in Paddan Aram, in Mesopotamia. Though the biblical text itself does not attest to this, Rabbinic sources also identify him as the father of Bilhah and Zilpah. Bilhah and Zilpah were maids of Leah and Rachel and also concubines with whom Jacob had children (Midrash Raba, Gen 24).


Children


Offspring of Laban and unknown parent
Name Birth Death Joined with
Leah, daughter of Laban 9999 City of Harran, Padan-aram, Mesopotamia 9999 Goshen, Egypt Jacob ben Isaac
Rachel, daughter of Laban 9999 City of Harran, Padan-aram, Mesopotamia 9999 Way of Ephrath, Bethlehem, Hebron, Land of Canaan Jacob ben Isaac
Unnamed sons



Siblings


Offspring of Bethuel ben Nahor and unknown parent
Name Birth Death Joined with
Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel 9999 City of Harran, Padan-aram, Mesopotamia 9999 Mamre, Hebron, Land of Canaan Isaac ben Abraham
Laban ben Bethuel 9999 City of Harran, Padan-aram, Mesopotamia 9999 City of Harran, Padan-aram, Mesopotamia


References

  • Book of Genesis 22-25
  • Laban - LDS Bible Dictionary
  • Laban - Wikipedia

Offspring


Footnotes (including sources)

Some information in this article or section has not been verified and may not be reliable.
Please check for any inaccuracies, and modify and cite sources as needed.
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