Stuff in Scripture

blueskies

blueskies

Supporter
Stuff in Scripture

Recently I was rereading Genesis in my KJV when I came across this passage, a passage I know I have read many times:

Genesis 31:37 KJV
“Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.”

Stuff? … Jacob and Laban had ‘stuff’?

Wow, I’ve got ‘stuff’ too!
I’ve got stuff in my closet, stuff in my garage; we even have a particular drawer in our kitchen that is devoted exclusively to stuff. This we call the ‘junk drawer’ because it is filled with all manner of diverse stuff; any stuff that doesn’t seem to have a place of it’s own… it goes in there.

I would have thought ‘stuff’ to be a contemporary word, but no, it’s Middle English and has obviously been around for quite awhile. However, for some reason, finding the word ‘stuff’ in Genesis at that moment surprised me. Maybe because it’s still in common usage and it’s a very relatable term. A term found in a larger than life biblical story that describes conversations with God, meetings with Angels, a stairway to Heaven, long eventful journeys, a very interesting wrestling match along with some seriously dysfunctional family dynamics.

Admittedly, “stuff” is a small thing, but it is a connection to Jacob, and so then to God’s word, and this makes scripture all the more engaging for me, and this helps bring it all to life.

Hmm… I wonder if Jacob also had a junk drawer in his kitchen?



*Etymology of stuff:
Middle English (denoting material for making clothes): shortening of Old French estoffe ‘material, furniture’, estoffer ‘equip, furnish’, from Greek stuphein ‘draw together’.
 
blueskies said:
Stuff in Scripture
Recently I was rereading Genesis in my KJV when I came across this passage, a passage I know I have read many times:
Genesis 31:37 KJV “Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.” Stuff? … Jacob and Laban had ‘stuff’? Wow, I’ve got ‘stuff’ too! I’ve got stuff in my closet, stuff in my garage; we even have a particular drawer in our kitchen that is devoted exclusively to stuff. This we call the ‘junk drawer’ because it is filled with all manner of diverse stuff; any stuff that doesn’t seem to have a place of it’s own… it goes in there. I would have thought ‘stuff’ to be a contemporary word, but no, it’s Middle English and has obviously been around for quite awhile. However, for some reason, finding the word ‘stuff’ in Genesis at that moment surprised me. Maybe because it’s still in common usage and it’s a very relatable term. A term found in a larger than life biblical story that describes conversations with God, meetings with Angels, a stairway to Heaven, long eventful journeys, a very interesting wrestling match along with some seriously dysfunctional family dynamics. Admittedly, “stuff” is a small thing, but it is a connection to Jacob, and so then to God’s word, and this makes scripture all the more engaging for me, and this helps bring it all to life. Hmm… I wonder if Jacob also had a junk drawer in his kitchen?
*Etymology of stuff: Middle English (denoting material for making clothes): shortening of Old French estoffe ‘material, furniture’, estoffer ‘equip, furnish’, from Greek stuphein ‘draw together’.
Click to expand...

Hello blueskies;

I purposely replied to your thread with this smiley 🤔 and with 🥱 It was 530am when I read your thread. You ask a good question and it surprised me as well. Now I want to dig deeper on the etymology why the KJV used "stuff" as the origin of word.

Maybe the bloke on the publishers staff of 1611 got lazy and replaced the Hebrew or Greek with an early Free translation of "Americanism."
Just kidding! 😎 lol!

Very interesting catch and question, seriously.

God bless you, brother and your family.
 
Lanolin said:
Our regional newspapers (now online) calls itself stuff.co.nz

We used to say today's news is tomorrow's fish and chip paper.
Click to expand...

Good one, Lanolin;

When we lived in England my Dad ordered fish and chips from the truck that came by once a weeknight. It was always wrapped in newspaper and came with "stuff" like vinegar and salt. It still tasted so good!

Blimey! We also kept an old KJV in the house.

😎 lol!
 
blueskies said:
Stuff in Scripture

Recently I was rereading Genesis in my KJV when I came across this passage, a passage I know I have read many times:

Genesis 31:37 KJV
“Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.”

Stuff? … Jacob and Laban had ‘stuff’?

Wow, I’ve got ‘stuff’ too!
I’ve got stuff in my closet, stuff in my garage; we even have a particular drawer in our kitchen that is devoted exclusively to stuff. This we call the ‘junk drawer’ because it is filled with all manner of diverse stuff; any stuff that doesn’t seem to have a place of it’s own… it goes in there.

I would have thought ‘stuff’ to be a contemporary word, but no, it’s Middle English and has obviously been around for quite awhile. However, for some reason, finding the word ‘stuff’ in Genesis at that moment surprised me. Maybe because it’s still in common usage and it’s a very relatable term. A term found in a larger than life biblical story that describes conversations with God, meetings with Angels, a stairway to Heaven, long eventful journeys, a very interesting wrestling match along with some seriously dysfunctional family dynamics.

Admittedly, “stuff” is a small thing, but it is a connection to Jacob, and so then to God’s word, and this makes scripture all the more engaging for me, and this helps bring it all to life.

Hmm… I wonder if Jacob also had a junk drawer in his kitchen?



*Etymology of stuff:
Middle English (denoting material for making clothes): shortening of Old French estoffe ‘material, furniture’, estoffer ‘equip, furnish’, from Greek stuphein ‘draw together’.
Click to expand...

KJV and ESV translate "STUFF as ........."GOODS".

I am sure that I am not telling you anything you do not know........
It is likely that this anger built up in Jacob for a long time – perhaps 20 years. Perhaps in his mind, he practiced this speech over and over again but Jacob rebuked Laban and made the case for his own innocence with several examples because he thought Laban was stealing from him.

“Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff,(Goods/THings) what hast thou found of all thy household stuff?

After searching, Laban found no evidence of the stolen gods he accused Jacob of taking.
 
Major said:
After searching, Laban found no evidence of the stolen gods he accused Jacob of taking.
Click to expand...
This is interesting, not spiritually significant perhaps, but Laban’s daughter and Jacob’s wife, Rachel “… had stolen the images [household idols] that were her father’s.” KJV 31:19

This went undiscovered because:

“34Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. 35And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.” Gen. 31:34-35 KJV

Interesting because, although he had used them all badly, Laban wasn’t wrong about the theft. Also, I wonder, why was Rachel keeping “idols”?

Unanswerable questions perhaps, still, interesting loose ends.
 
blueskies said:
This is interesting, not spiritually significant perhaps, but Laban’s daughter and Jacob’s wife, Rachel “… had stolen the images [household idols] that were her father’s.” KJV 31:19

This went undiscovered because:

“34Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. 35And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.” Gen. 31:34-35 KJV

Interesting because, although he had used them all badly, Laban wasn’t wrong about the theft. Also, I wonder, why was Rachel keeping “idols”?

Unanswerable questions perhaps, still, interesting loose ends.
Click to expand...

I do not know because Genesis does not explain why Rachel stole the household idols. Perhaps she had a nostalgic desire to have some items from her old home, and the teraphim were the most prominent. Another possibility is that the idols were made of valuable materials so maybe she thought there was gold or silver. If so, Rachel may have taken them for financial gain. Or it could be that Rachel believed in the power of the images. She may have stolen the idols out of a superstitious fear of moving from home. She had lived with or near her father her entire life, and she likely felt some anxiety about moving to a new place. The household idols could have been like a good-luck charm for her.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top