Genesis 31:15 Meaning: Treated as Foreigners
Aren’t we considered as foreigners by him? For he has sold us, and has also used up our money.
Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.
Are we not accounted by him as foreigners? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our money.
have we not been reckoned strangers to him? for he hath sold us, and he also utterly consumeth our money;
Are we not reckoned of him strangers? for he has sold us, and has even constantly devoured our money.
Meaning in one sentence
Rachel and Leah felt sold like property. How this verse exposes the hurt of being used and the dignity God restores.
Context
Jacob is fleeing from his father-in-law Laban, and he has called his two wives, Rachel and Leah, out to the field to explain why. For years, Laban has cheated Jacob, changing his wages repeatedly. Now God has told Jacob to go home. But before they set out, Jacob needs to know where his wives stand. Will they come with him? Their answer is bitter and honest. They know their father has not treated them as daughters. He has treated them as strangers he could sell, and he has spent the bride-price, the wealth their service brought him, on himself. There is nothing left for them. So they tell Jacob: we are with you. God has given you what our father withheld.
Key Words
Three words in this verse pull at the heart. The word ‘foreigners’ (nokhri) means someone from another family, even another country. Rachel and Leah are daughters of the house, but Laban treated them as outsiders, people with no claim on him. The word ‘sold’ (makar) is the same word used for selling a slave or a piece of property. Laban did not give his daughters away in marriage with honor; he traded them for fourteen years of free labor. And the phrase ‘used up our money’ literally says he ‘ate’ the price paid for them. The Hebrew piles up the verb, he kept on devouring, consuming everything that should have been their security. It is the language of a man who saw his own children as resources to be drained.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian readers across traditions have heard this verse as a cry against the abuse of authority. Matthew Henry notes that Laban treated his daughters ‘as strangers, as slaves whom he had a right to dispose of as he pleased.’ The Cambridge Bible points out that by custom, the bride-price should have been set aside for the daughters, but Laban took it all for himself. Keil and Delitzsch emphasize the ongoing nature of the waste, he kept consuming what was theirs. There is no real disagreement among these writers; all of them see Laban’s greed as a violation of the most basic family loyalty. The verse stands as a warning that parental authority was never meant to be a license to exploit, and as a comfort that God sees when the vulnerable are treated as means to an end.
A common misunderstanding
Living This Out
Maybe this week you have felt used, in your family, at work, even in a church. Someone took what you gave and gave nothing back. You were valued for what you produced, not for who you are. Rachel and Leah named that hurt out loud. You can too, before God. He does not call you a stranger. He sees the hours you have given, the service you have poured out, and He does not consume it. He keeps it. Ask Him to help you see yourself the way He sees you: a child, not a tool. Then ask for courage to step away from anyone who treats you as a foreigner in your own home.
Main takeaway: When you are treated as someone to be used rather than loved, God sees the injustice, and He calls you back to your true home.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Rachel and Leah were sad because their daddy did not treat them like his own girls. He acted like they were not important. But God saw them, and God loved them. God always sees you too.
For ages 9, 12
Rachel and Leah knew their father had sold them in a way, he used their marriage to get free work from Jacob for fourteen years, and he kept everything for himself. They felt like strangers in their own family. This verse shows that God sees when people are treated unfairly, even by family. It also shows that you can tell the truth about how you feel, and God will be with you when you choose to follow Him out of a hurtful situation.
Questions People Ask
Did Laban literally sell his daughters?
In a cultural sense, yes. In that time, a bride-price was paid to the family, and the father was expected to set aside part of it for his daughter's security. Laban took the full price, fourteen years of Jacob's labor, and spent it all on himself. Rachel and Leah say he 'sold' them and 'consumed' the payment, meaning he treated the marriage as a profit-making deal, not a family bond.
Why does the Hebrew add 'continuously' to 'consumed'?
The Hebrew uses an infinitive absolute ('akhol') after the main verb, which emphasizes that the action was ongoing or complete. Rachel and Leah felt that Laban kept on consuming their worth, leaving nothing behind. It wasn't a one-time mistake; it was a pattern of taking from them.
Was it wrong for Rachel and Leah to leave their father this way?
The Bible does not condemn them. In fact, their decision is presented as part of God's plan to protect Jacob and his family from Laban's greed. The verse shows they had good reason: they had no inheritance, no portion, and no hope of being treated as daughters. They chose to follow the God who had seen Laban's treatment of them (Genesis 31:12).
Does this verse mean parents today can 'sell' their children?
No. This verse records a cultural practice we do not follow, and it presents the daughters' perspective as right to feel wronged. In Christ, family is built on love and sacrifice, not commerce. The verse warns against treating any person, especially a child, as property or a means of profit.
What does 'consumed our money' mean for us spiritually?
Spiritually, it warns against leaders or family members who take from others without giving back, who drain people emotionally, financially, or spiritually. But it also assures us that God does not consume us. He invests in us. When we feel drained by others, we can go to God, who restores what was taken.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study