Laban

Laban was a person in the Book of Genesis whose name is Hebrew for white.

Laban’s father Bethuel was the son of Nahor, who was a brother of Abraham. Laban and his father Bethuel arranged for Laban’s sister Rebecca to marry Isaac. Laban had two daughters Leah and Rachel.

When Jacob asked Laban to let him marry Rachel, Laban had Jacob work for him as a shepherd for seven years and then tricked him into marrying Leah instead because Leah was the older sister. Laban then made Jacob work another seven years to marry Rachel.

After that Laban hired Jacob as a shepherd and cheated him for the next six years. Then Jacob decided that he couldn’t continue working for Laban so he left Laban’s country with his wives Rachel, Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah and all their children and sheep but Jacob made sure not to take anything that belonged to Laban. But Rachel stole Laban’s idols and took them with her without telling Jacob.

So Laban left to kill Jacob but then the Lord appeared to Laban in a dream and told him not to hurt Jacob. So Laban didn’t. To convince Laban that he didn’t do it, Jacob cursed the person who stole Laban’s idols to die. Then Laban looked in Rachel’s tent but she hid the idols so Laban and Jacob made peace.