Rebekah planned to send Jacob to her brother Laban in Haran until Esau's anger cooled, then bring him back.
After learning of Esau's intention to kill Jacob, Rebekah told Jacob to flee to her brother Laban in Haran. She expected the separation to be brief—only until Esau's fury subsided—and then she would send for Jacob. However, Jacob remained away for 20 years, and Rebekah never saw him again, a heartbreaking outcome she did not anticipate.
Genesis 27:42-45 — These verses record Rebekah's direct command to Jacob to flee to Laban and her plan to call him back when Esau's anger was appeased.
In Genesis 27, Rebekah learns that Esau plans to kill Jacob because of the blessing Isaac gave to Jacob. She calls Jacob and tells him to flee to her brother Laban in Haran (Genesis 27:43). She says, 'And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence' (Genesis 27:44-45). This indicates her expectation was a short absence. The Bible later notes that Jacob stayed away for twenty years (Genesis 31:38), and Rebekah died before his return.
Les Feldick highlights that Rebekah's plan was short-term—she expected Jacob to be gone only 'days, weeks, or maybe a month' until Esau's anger cooled. He emphasizes that Rebekah's heartbreak was that she never saw Jacob again, stating that her association with her favorite son ended with his departure. Les also points out that while Rebekah and Jacob acted in the energy of the flesh, they were nonetheless fulfilling God's sovereign plan, since God had already said the elder would serve the younger (Genesis 25:23).
Rebekah learned that Esau was plotting to kill Jacob because of the blessing Jacob had received. To protect Jacob from this danger, she instructed him to flee to her brother Laban in Haran. Her love for Jacob led her to take this drastic step, even though it meant a temporary separation.
Rebekah expected Jacob's absence to be brief—only until Esau's anger cooled and he forgot what Jacob had done. She planned to send for Jacob once it was safe, thinking he would be away only a few days, weeks, or perhaps a month.
No, Rebekah never saw Jacob again. Her plan for a short separation did not work out; Jacob remained in Haran for twenty years, and Rebekah died during that time. Les notes that this was likely a heartbreak for her, as she lost her favorite son.
Les emphasizes that although Rebekah and Jacob acted in the energy of the flesh, their actions were part of God's sovereign plan. Before the twins were born, God had declared that the elder would serve the younger (Genesis 25:23). Thus, Rebekah's plan, while humanly driven, was used by God to fulfill His purpose.
What Does the Bible Say About Deception? Jacob, Esau, and the Stolen Blessing.
Malachi, chapter 1, and might as well start verse 1, the burden of the word of the Lord of Israel by Malachi, I have loved you, saith the Lord, and that is as He speaks of Israel, I have loved you, saith the Lord, yet you say, wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith the Lord? Yet I loved Jacob.
Rebekah's Heartbreak
Les explains that because of Rebekah's involvement in getting the blessing for Jacob, Jacob had to flee, and Rebekah never saw him again—this was her curse and heartbreak.
The Birthright Explained: Why God Chose Jacob Over Esau
He takes Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian, and years go by, and the first thing you know, Rebekah conceives, and she's with child in verse 22, they're twins. And the children struggled together within her, and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord answered, Now mark this down, because I know that when we go on in our study, and w…
From Deceiver to Prince: Jacob’s Struggle and God’s Unconditional Promise (Genesis 28-32)
He is still Jacob. All right, keep that in mind. So Isaac sent him away in verse 5, and he went to Paddan Aram, up to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau's mother. Now we come back to Esau in verse 6, and when he saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him away from thence, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge,…
The End of Association
Les notes that after Jacob fled, Rebekah's association with her favorite son ended, and she never saw him again.
Jacob & Esau: The Sovereignty of God in the Birthright & Blessing | Genesis 25-27
So anyway, what Rebekah is doing here is taking that special designated cloak of Esau's, which showed that he was the eldest, and she puts it on the youngest. Now, do you see that? Again, in the energy of the flesh, but God doesn't stop it, because He had mandated in the beginning that this is the way it should be. And so we can't jump on Rebekah and Jacob too hard.
Jacob Becomes Israel — What Romans 9 Says About True Faith
Let's go all the way back to Genesis 32, and you remember Jacob the deceiver, the supplanter, who we like to think deceived not only his father Isaac or his brother, but he was also pretty good at it even when he got up and worked for his uncle Laban.
God's Sovereign Choice
Les reminds us that God had already decreed that the elder (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob), so the events, including Rebekah's plan, were working out God's sovereign purpose.
Genesis 27:42-43: And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
Rebekah hears of Esau's murderous plan and tells Jacob to flee to Laban.
Genesis 27:44-45: And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
Rebekah expected a short stay and her plan to call Jacob back.
Genesis 31:38: This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
Jacob tells Laban that he has been with him for twenty years, revealing the length of his exile.
Rebekah's plan succeeded in the short term because Jacob escaped Esau's anger and reached Laban safely. However, it failed in the long run because Jacob remained away for twenty years, and Rebekah died before he returned.
Rebekah expected only a short stay—'a few days' in the Bible—until Esau's anger cooled. Les Feldick suggests she thought it would be a matter of days, weeks, or maybe a month.
Watch the Teaching: What Does the Bible Say About Deception? Jacob, Esau, and the Stolen Blessing.