And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women [is] upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.
35. rise ] i.e. in honour to her father. For the custom of rising to do honour to age, see Lev 19:32.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 35. The custom of women is upon me.] This she knew must be a satisfactory reason to her father; for if the teraphim were used to any religious purpose, and they seem to have been used in this way, as Laban calls them his gods, he therefore could not suspect that a woman in such a situation, whose touch was considered as defiling, would have sat upon articles that were either the objects of his adoration, or used for any sacred purpose. The stratagem succeeded to her wish, and Laban departed without suspicion. It seems very natural to suppose that Rachel did believe that by the use of these teraphim Laban could find out their flight, and the direction they took, and therefore she stole them; and having stolen them she was afraid to acknowledge the theft, and probably might think that they might be of some use to herself. Therefore, for these reasons, she brought them away.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Quest. How could that occasion hinder her from rising up to her father?
Answ. 1. It might be attended in her, as it was and is in some other women, especially in those hot countries, with a great flux of blood, or with more than ordinary infirmity and sickness; and this Laban might know to be usual with her by former observation or information.
2. She offers this as a reason, not why she could not rise up to show a civility to him, but why she could not rise up from his face, or from before him, as the words in the Hebrew sound, i.e. so as to give way to him that he might come and search there for the images; because menstruous women were anciently esteemed polluted, and to pollute the things which they touched or sat upon, as you may see by Lev 15:19-22; which law, though it were not yet given and written, yet that, as well as divers other ceremonial rites, might be enjoined by God, and observed by sober heathens at that time, especially by such as were akin to Abraham, as Laban and his family were, who by that means might easily come to the knowledge of such matters. Add to this, one of the seven precepts given to the sons of Noah, was that of uncovering nakedness; which both Jewish and Christian writers take to be a very comprehensive expression, and to include all such things as have a natural turpitude in them, among which this is confessed to be one. And the words thus understood contain a solid and satisfactory reason why Laban should not now come near her, nor search the things which she sat upon, which had been an uncivil and immodest thing.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And she said to her father,…. As he approached nearer to her, having searched her tent all over:
let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee: she addresses him with great honour and respect; calling him her lord, being her father, though an unkind one, and entreats him not to be displeased that she did not rise up and yield that obeisance to him which was due from her to a father:
for the custom of women [is] upon me; her menstrues; which before the law of Moses were reckoned a pollution, and such persons were not to be touched or come near unto, and everything they sat upon was unclean, and not to be touched also; Le 15:19;
and he searched; all about her, and around her; but did not oblige her to get up, nor could he imagine that ever the images could be under her in such circumstances:
but found not the images; and so left off searching; nor do we find that he searched the flock for any of his cattle there, knowing full well Jacob’s honesty and integrity.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
35. My Lord Rachel addresses her father in terms of cold but dignified respect .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 15:19 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 31:35 And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women [is] upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.
Ver. 35. For the custom of women is upon me. ] A subtle, but sinful excuse, to shift a shame. Women’s wits, we say, are best at a pinch: but they must take heed they be not as C. Curio the Roman, ingeniose nequam , wittily wicked, a Wit will not bear out sin.
a Velleius, lib. ii. c. xlviii.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
my lord. Hebrew the eyes of my lord. Figure of speech Prosopopoeia. App-6.
custom. Laban’s deceit begets deceit.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
my lord: Gen 18:12, Exo 20:12, Lev 19:3, Eph 6:1, 1Pe 2:18, 1Pe 3:6
rise up: Lev 19:32, 1Ki 2:19
custom: Gen 18:11, Lev 15:19
Reciprocal: Gen 23:6 – my lord Dan 4:19 – My Lord