Jacob is instructed to leave Haran and return home, trusting God’s promise to be with him.
Then we see in the text: Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” (v.3). Here, Jacob has been living in Haran for around twenty years, serving his uncle Laban. Haran lay along the caravan routes in northern Mesopotamia (modern Turkey), approximately four hundred miles north of Canaan. It was a crossroads where Jacob originally fled to escape Esau’s anger and eventually took wives, fathered children, and grew quite prosperous (see commentary on Genesis 24:55, referencing the distance to Canaan, and commentary on Genesis 25:19 mentioning how Jacob’s family traveled there). The LORD appears to Jacob and instructs him to return to his birthplace and his wider family—an invitation to fulfill his covenantal destiny in the land God had promised to Abraham and Isaac before him.
By calling Jacob back to “the land of your fathers,” God reveals His sovereign plan to bless Jacob through his association with Abraham’s covenant lineage. Jacob’s time in Haran tested his faith, as he watched God multiply his herds and family, but also endured challenges and frustrations under Laban’s authority. When the LORD says, “I will be with you,” He reaffirms the pledge made to Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 28:13-15), reminding him that he is not alone in his journey. This promise of God’s presence foreshadows the same kind of assurance Jesus gives to His disciples when He promises to be with them always (Matthew 28:20 supporting passage).
Jacob’s obedience to the divine call here sets in motion the events by which he will reconcile with his estranged brother, Esau, and continue his family’s promised inheritance in Canaan. The covenant blessings God initially bestowed upon Abraham still stand and await Jacob’s faithful return. Though Jacob fears the unknown back in his homeland, God’s command and promise steady him to trust and embark on this significant homeward journey, thus demonstrating faith that would come to define Israel’s patriarchs.
Set to dark mode
Genesis 31:3 meaning
Then we see in the text: Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” (v.3). Here, Jacob has been living in Haran for around twenty years, serving his uncle Laban. Haran lay along the caravan routes in northern Mesopotamia (modern Turkey), approximately four hundred miles north of Canaan. It was a crossroads where Jacob originally fled to escape Esau’s anger and eventually took wives, fathered children, and grew quite prosperous (see commentary on Genesis 24:55, referencing the distance to Canaan, and commentary on Genesis 25:19 mentioning how Jacob’s family traveled there). The LORD appears to Jacob and instructs him to return to his birthplace and his wider family—an invitation to fulfill his covenantal destiny in the land God had promised to Abraham and Isaac before him.
By calling Jacob back to “the land of your fathers,” God reveals His sovereign plan to bless Jacob through his association with Abraham’s covenant lineage. Jacob’s time in Haran tested his faith, as he watched God multiply his herds and family, but also endured challenges and frustrations under Laban’s authority. When the LORD says, “I will be with you,” He reaffirms the pledge made to Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 28:13-15), reminding him that he is not alone in his journey. This promise of God’s presence foreshadows the same kind of assurance Jesus gives to His disciples when He promises to be with them always (Matthew 28:20 supporting passage).
Jacob’s obedience to the divine call here sets in motion the events by which he will reconcile with his estranged brother, Esau, and continue his family’s promised inheritance in Canaan. The covenant blessings God initially bestowed upon Abraham still stand and await Jacob’s faithful return. Though Jacob fears the unknown back in his homeland, God’s command and promise steady him to trust and embark on this significant homeward journey, thus demonstrating faith that would come to define Israel’s patriarchs.