| Genesis 31:19
| At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father's idols.
| Her father's idols. By this it appears, that Laban was an idolater: and some of the fathers are of opinion, that Rachel stole away these idols, to withdraw him from idolatry, by removing the occasion of his sin. (Challoner) --- Others think she was herself infected with this superstition, till Jacob entirely banished it from his family in Chanaan, Genesis 35:2. (Tirinus) --- The Hebrew Teraphim, is translated images by the Protestants in this place, though it certainly denotes idols. But Osee 3:4, they leave it untranslated, lest they should be forced to allow that images pertain to religious service, as well as sacrifice, etc., which are mentioned together, (Worthington) though they now indeed leave images in the same verse of Osee for what the Vulgate renders altar. These teraphims are consequently taken in a good as well as in a bad sense. They were, perhaps, made of rich metal, and taken by Rachel and Lia to indemnify them for the want of a dowry. This, however, was wrong, and done without the participation of their husband. (Haydock)
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