Question

Describe Jacob and uncle laban

Answer 1

jacob , who God later renamed as Israel , was the second-born of the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah , and the grandson of Abraham and Sarah. Jacob was a quiet and peaceful man, a "thinker," a Shepherd, in stark contrast to his slightly older brother Esau  who was often foolhardy and irresponsible.

Laban was the son of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, who was Abraham's brother. He lived in Haran, a city in Mesopotamia which is today part of Syria. Laban's sister was Rebekah, who married Isaac; Laban was therefore Jacob's uncle.

The struggle between Jacob and his fraternal-twin brother Esau began literally from before their birth (Genesis 25:22-23). Esau, the firstborn by a few minutes, later foolishly sold his birthright to Jacob for that now-famous bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29-34).

Then, Jacob, at the instigation of, and with the assistance of, his mother Rebekah, deceived the then-blind Isaac into also giving Jacob the blessing that would otherwise have gone to Esau (Genesis 27:1-40). That was the final straw for Esau, who vowed to kill Jacob, but when Rebekah heard of the threat, she sent Jacob to far away Haran to live with her brother Laban. It was apparently intended only as a short-term absence, but it lasted twenty years. It was while on that journey from Beersheba to Haran that Jacob had his Stairway To Heaven dream at Bethel.

Jacob's family struggle didn't end when he arrived in Haran however. It wasn't long before he and his uncle Laban began looking to get the best of each other. First, Jacob agreed to work seven years to be able to marry Laban's daughter Rachel, but when the time was completed, Laban pulled a honeymoon-night switch of Leah for Rachel (Genesis 29:16-30). When Jacob protested, Laban offered Rachel also - for another seven years of work, to which Jacob agreed.