Then Laban overtook Jacob ,.... He was come to the mount the overnight, but now in the morning he came nearer to him, so as to hold a conversation with him: now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead ; both on the same mount; one perhaps at the bottom, and the other at the top; or one on one hill of it, and the other on another, or right over against one another. read more
And Laban said unto Jacob ,.... Upon their meeting together; perhaps in some middle place between their two tents: what hast thou done ? what evil hast thou committed? what folly art thou guilty of? and what could induce thee to take such a step as this? suggesting that he could see no necessity for it; and as if he had done nothing that should occasion it, and that Jacob had done a very ill thing that thou hast stolen away unawares to me : of this phrase See Gill on Genesis 31:20 ... read more
Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me ?.... Intimating as if he should not have been against his departure, if he had but acquainted him with it, and the reasons of it; so that he had no need to have used such privacy, and go away like a thief by stealth, as if he had done something he had reason to be ashamed of: and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth , and with songs, with tabret and with harp : pretending that he would have... read more
And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters ?.... Did not give him an opportunity of taking his farewell, which used to be done with a kiss, as it is with us at this day: by his sons he means his grandsons, and so the Targum of Jonathan, my daughters' sons; and by his daughters Rachel and Leah, and Dinah his granddaughter: thou hast done foolishly in so doing : since, as he would have him believe that he was both a loser by this step he took, and exposed himself to... read more
It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt ,.... Jacob and his family, wives, children, and servants, who were not able to stand against Laban and the men he brought with him; and so the Jerusalem Targum paraphrases it,"I have an army and a multitude;'a large force, which Jacob could not withstand: or, "my hand could have been for a god" F8 יש לאל ידי "esset mihi pro deo manus mea", Schmidt. to me: you could have no more escaped it, or got out of it, or withstood me, than you... read more
And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone ,.... Or, "in going wouldest go" F9 הלך הלכת "eundo ivisti", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius. , was determined upon it, and in haste to do it: because thou sore longedst after thy father's house , or "desiring didst desire it" F11 כסף נכספתה "desiderando desiderabis", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius, Piscator. ; had a vehement desire for it, which Laban signifies he should not have opposed, if he had let him know his... read more
And Jacob answered and said to Laban, because I was afraid ,.... That he would have done all he could to have hindered him from going away himself; and not only so, but would have prevented his taking his daughters with him; and especially would have detained his cattle; but of this last Jacob makes no mention, only of the former: for I said ; either within himself, or to his wives: peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me ; which of right belonged to him; for... read more
With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live ,.... This is the answer to his last question, as what goes before is to his first: Jacob knew nothing of their being taken away by any, and thought himself safe in saying what he did, being confident that no one with him could ever take them; but it was too rashly spoken by him, giving leave to Laban to put to death the person with whom they should be found, or imprecating death on him by the hand of God; "may he not live", but die,... read more
I might have sent thee away with mirth - בשמחה , besimchah , with rejoicing, making a feast or entertainment on the occasion; and with songs, בשרים beshirim , odes either in the praise of God, or to commemorate the splendid acts of their ancestors; with tabret, בתף bethoph , the tympanum used in the east to the present day, and there called diff , a thin broad wooden hoop, with parchment extended over one end of it, to which are attached small pieces of brass, tin, etc., which... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 31:25-35
We have here the reasoning, not to say the rallying, that took place between Laban and Jacob at their meeting, in that mountain which was afterwards called Gilead, Gen. 31:25. Here is, I. The high charge which Laban exhibited against him. He accuses him, 1. As a renegade that had unjustly deserted his service. To represent Jacob as a criminal, he will have it thought that he intended kindness to his daughters (Gen. 31:27, 28), that he would have dismissed them with all the marks of love and... read more