Genesis 31:36Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?
The setting
Gilead Mountains, modern-day Jordan, ~1900 BC. Jacob confronts his father-in-law Laban after 20 years of manipulation and exploitation.
The emotion here: twenty years of suppressed rage finally erupting
The original word
charah (חרה) — burning anger that flares up suddenly, like kindling catching fire
Why it matters
Laban had changed Jacob's wages ten times in twenty years, constantly moving the goalposts
Read with care
What most readers miss in Genesis 31:36
This is Jacob's first time standing up to authority — he's learning to have a backbone
Common misconceptionPeople think Jacob was being disrespectful, but in ancient Near East culture, demanding evidence was proper legal procedure when accused.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Genesis 31:36
Bible Genome reading
Genesis 31:36 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Genesis 31:36 comes from the book of Genesis, written during the Patriarchal period. The setting is wilderness. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 15% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include righteous indignation, defensive anger, confrontation. Notable phrases: Jacob was angry; What is my trespass; hotly pursued after me.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Genesis 31:36 mean to you, today?
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