Genesis 31:14

Genesis 31:14, in plain English

Rachel and Leah respond by asking if they even have any inheritance or future in their father's house anymore. They're essentially saying, 'We're already strangers here. We have nothing to lose.'

Why it's here

This is a crucial moment. Women in that culture typically depended on their father's inheritance and their husband's provision. By asking this question, Rachel and Leah are acknowledging that Laban has already cut them off—they're outsiders in their own family. They're asking whether staying or leaving even matters for their security.

Who's speaking

Rachel and Leah respond together to Jacob.

Where it sits in the story

Women's voices in Genesis matter deeply to God's story. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah all make decisions that shape the covenant family's future. Here Rachel and Leah are choosing to trust Jacob and trust God, and that choice matters eternally.

The scholarly reading

Rachel and Leah respond to Jacob's proposal by asking whether they have any remaining claim to inheritance in their father's household.

Language and setting

The Hebrew הַעוֹד־לָנוּ חֵלֶק וְנַחֲלָה (hod-lanu chelek ve-nachalah) literally asks: 'Is there still to us a portion and inheritance?' This is not a naive question but a sophisticated legal one. As daughters married to a foreign man, their property claims would be complicated. Their question suggests they have already mentally distanced themselves from Laban's household.

Voice

Rachel and Leah, responding together to Jacob

Significance

The daughters' united voice provides narrative weight to Jacob's proposal. Their legal and emotional severance from their father's house—established in these verses—becomes crucial when Rachel's theft of the household idols is later revealed.

12‘Look up,’ he said, ‘and see that all the males that are mating with the flock are streaked, spotted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you.

13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up, leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”

14And Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we have any portion or inheritance left in our father’s house?

15Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us.

16Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has told you.”

Read all of Genesis 31 — After twenty years, Jacob finally runs from Laban. God has been at work even when Jacob wasn't looking.