And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before you; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.
All Commentaries on Genesis 31:35 Go To Genesis 31
Caesarius of Arles
AD 542
As Jacob was returning to his own country, Laban and his companions pursued them. Upon examination of Jacob’s possessions Laban found nothing of his, and therefore he could not hold him. Laban here is not unfittingly said to represent a type of the devil, because he served idols and was opposed to blessed Jacob, who prefigured the Lord. For this reason he pursued Jacob but was unable to find anything of his own with him. Listen to the true Jacob declaring this fact in the Gospel: “Behold, the prince of the world is coming, and in me he will find nothing.” May the divine mercy grant that our adversary may find nothing of his works in us, for if he finds nothing of his own he will not be able to keep us or recall us from eternal life. Therefore, dearly beloved, let us look at the treasury of our conscience, let us examine the secret places of our heart, and if we find nothing there which belongs to the devil let us rejoice and thank God. With his help let us strive as well as we can that the doors of our heart may always be open for Christ but closed forever to the devil. However, if we recognize something of the devil’s works or cunning in our souls, let us hasten to cast it out and get rid of it as deadly poison. Then when the devil wants to ensnare us and can find nothing that belongs to him, he will depart in confusion while we can thank God with the prophet and shout to the Lord: “You freed us from our foes, and those who hated us you put to shame.” Therefore Leah, as we said above, signified the people of the Jews who were joined to Christ; Rachel typified the church, that is, the nation of the Gentiles. For this reason Rachel, not Leah, stole the idols of her father, because after Christ’s advent the synagogue of the Jews is not known to have served idols everywhere, as is clearly proved concerning the church of the Gentiles. Besides, not with Leah, that is, the synagogue, do we read that Laban’s idols were hidden, but with Rachel, who typified the Gentiles.
