Genesis 27:43Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Experience will demonstrate, she asserts, that my counsel is wise; just as you have received significant blessings from your father by listening to my advice, heed my words now to avoid the wrath of your brother. By doing this, you will protect yourself from peril and spare me from distress. This is so that he, should he dare to act, may face retribution, and my profound grief will not be compounded on every side. He instructs, go to my brother Laban and reside with him. To alleviate any sadness the young man might feel about being sent to a distant land, observe how she soothes his spirit: she begins by saying, go ‘to Laban my brother.’ Am I, she questions, urging you to visit some stranger?

Rebekah urged Jacob to leave home, suggesting that he distance himself from his brother and travel to Laban, a man who worshipped idols. Likewise, Isaac, Jacob's father, admonished him against marrying a Canaanite and instead encouraged him to pursue a union with one of Laban's daughters. In a similar way, the Church, which Rebekah may symbolize, wisely advises the new people, who face danger and persecution, to steer clear of those who rage against them. Moreover, Christ, the Bridegroom, aligns with this counsel, instructing His followers to avoid spiritual connections with those filled with ungodly fury and who plot to commit grievous acts, considering marriage as a common bond.

Rebekah encouraged Jacob to journey to Laban's household to prevent enmity from leading to violence between the brothers, as she feared losing both her sons in a single moment.

Let us take a lesson from Rebekah about the discernment we ought to cultivate, so that animosity does not escalate into wrath and ultimately lead to fratricide. May Rebekah inspire us—this is, let us embody patience, the steadfast guardian of our moral integrity—so that she may guide us away from yielding to anger. Let us find refuge in a distant place until our outrage diminishes and our grievances fade away. Patience, therefore, does not shy away from isolation but willingly embraces it: not merely for the sake of experiencing salvation itself but to create the opportunity to avoid situations that provoke offense.

Hostility and retribution nourish the fleshly; serenity and retreat serve as the tools of the spiritual.