Genesis 31:35
“She said to her father, “Don’t let my lord be angry that I can’t rise up before you; for I’m having my period.” He searched, but didn’t find the teraphim.”
What does Genesis 31:35 mean?
Rachel had stolen her father Laban's household idols (called teraphim) before fleeing with Jacob, and when Laban caught up to them demanding their return, Rachel hid them in her camel's saddle and sat on it. When her father demanded she stand up so he could search, she used her menstrual period as a reason she couldn't move, which was culturally understood as making her ritually unfit to be approached. Her quick thinking worked, and Laban never found what he was looking for. This moment captures something real about how people navigate power imbalances and survival, sometimes through practical ingenuity born from necessity. Rachel's excuse worked not because of deception alone, but because Laban respected (or at least accepted) a cultural boundary. For many readers, this story also raises honest questions about the ethics of the situation, the stealing itself, and what circumstances might drive someone to such measures. What's clear is that the text doesn't shy away from showing us flawed, resourceful people doing what they felt they needed to do in difficult circumstances.