Genesis 29:19

19. Better… to thee, than… to another Laban gladly accepts Jacob’s offer . It was worth more to him than gold . This custom of preferring marriage with one’s own kindred, and also the practice of receiving dowry for a daughter, illustrate the manners of the ancient East, which prevail largely even at the present day. While the daughter is not sold as a slave, the practice shows the comparatively low position of women in the East, and how little a wife had to say in the choice of a husband. But the dowry may be looked upon as a reward paid to parents for the care of a daughter’s training and bringing up to womanhood, and also a suitable expression of gratitude on the part of the husband towards the parents of his wife.