Charles Ellicott Commentary Genesis 31:19

"Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father`s." — Genesis 31:19 (ASV)

Laban went to shear his sheep. —The sheep-shearing was a joyous time, when the hard toil of the shearers was relieved by feasting (1 Samuel 25:8). Laban’s flocks, apparently, were also at some distance from Haran, and his sons and male servants would all be with him, busily occupied in the work. Apparently, too, Laban’s wealth was not seriously diminished, though it had not recently increased; and his repeated change of the wages proves that he was quite able to take care of himself. But why was Jacob not present, as he had chief charge of Laban’s flocks? Possibly, he was expected there, and was missed; but, more probably, as the result of the growing estrangement between them, caused by the too rapid increase of Jacob’s riches, Laban and his sons had gradually taken the management of their flocks into their own hands.

Images. —Hebrew, teraphim, called Laban’s gods in Genesis 31:30, and we find that their worship continued throughout the Old Testament history. Micah set up teraphim, as well as a molten and a graven image, and an ephod (Judges 18:17). Though in 1 Samuel 15:23, where the Authorised Version has idolatry, teraphim are spoken of in strong terms of condemnation, yet Michal possessed them, and placed them in David’s bed. We gather from this that they had a head shaped like that of a man, but, probably, a dwarf trunk, as she seems to have put more than one in the bed to represent David’s body (1 Samuel 19:13). So, too, here Rachel hides them under the camel’s furnishings (Genesis 31:34), which proves that they, in this case, were of no great size.

In the history of the thorough reformation carried out by King Josiah, we find the mention of teraphim among the things removed (2 Kings 23:24). We learn, nevertheless, from Zechariah 10:2, that they were still used for divination; and from Hosea 3:4, that both pillars and teraphim had long been objects of ordinary superstition among the ten tribes. As Nebuchadnezzar used them for divination (Ezekiel 21:21), they were possibly of Chaldean origin; and, probably, were not so much worshipped as used for consultation. Women seem to have been most inclined to their service, and probably regarded them as charms, and used them to tell fortunes; and here Rachel stole them on the assumption that they would bring prosperity to her and her husband.