22 And it is told to Laban on the third day that Jacob hath fled, 23 and he taketh his brethren with him, and pursueth after him a journey of seven days, and overtaketh him in the mount of Gilead. 24 And God cometh in unto Laban the Aramaean in a dream of the night, and saith to him, 'Take heed to thyself lest thou speak with Jacob from good unto evil.'
25 And Laban overtaketh Jacob; and Jacob hath fixed his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren have fixed 'theirs' in the mount of Gilead. 26 And Laban saith to Jacob, 'What hast thou done that thou dost deceive my heart, and lead away my daughters as captives of the sword? 27 Why hast thou hidden thyself to flee, and deceivest me, and hast not declared to me, and I send thee away with joy and with songs, with tabret and with harp, 28 and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters?—now thou hast acted foolishly in doing 'so'; 29 my hand is to God to do evil with you, but the God of your father yesternight hath spoken unto me, saying, Take heed to thyself from speaking with Jacob from good unto evil. 30 'And now, thou hast certainly gone, because thou hast been very desirous for the house of thy father; why hast thou stolen my gods?' 31 And Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, 'Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest thou take violently away thy daughters from me; 32 with whomsoever thou findest thy gods—he doth not live; before our brethren discern for thyself what 'is' with me, and take to thyself:' and Jacob hath not known that Rachel hath stolen them. 33 And Laban goeth into the tent of Jacob, and into the tent of Leah, and into the tent of the two handmaidens, and hath not found; and he goeth out from the tent of Leah, and goeth into the tent of Rachel. 34 And Rachel hath taken the teraphim, and putteth them in the furniture of the camel, and sitteth upon them; and Laban feeleth all the tent, and hath not found; 35 and she saith unto her father, 'Let it not be displeasing in the eyes of my lord that I am not able to rise at thy presence, for the way of women 'is' on me;' and he searcheth, and hath not found the teraphim.
36 And it is displeasing to Jacob, and he striveth with Laban; and Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, 'What 'is' my transgression? what my sin, that thou hast burned after me? 37 for thou hast felt all my vessels: what hast thou found of all the vessels of thy house? set here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and they decide between us both. 38 'These twenty years I 'am' with thee: thy ewes and thy she-goats have not miscarried, and the rams of thy flock I have not eaten; 39 the torn I have not brought in unto thee—I, I repay it—from my hand thou dost seek it; I have been deceived by day, and I have been deceived by night; 40 I have been 'thus': in the day consumed me hath drought, and frost by night, and wander doth my sleep from mine eyes. 41 'This 'is' to me twenty years in thy house: I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou changest my hire ten times; 42 unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been for me, surely now empty thou hadst sent me away; mine affliction and the labour of my hands hath God seen, and reproveth yesternight.'
43 And Laban answereth and saith unto Jacob, 'The daughters 'are' my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the flock my flock, and all that thou art seeing 'is' mine; and to my daughters—what do I to these to-day, or to their sons whom they have born? 44 and now, come, let us make a covenant, I and thou, and it hath been for a witness between me and thee.' 45 And Jacob taketh a stone, and lifteth it up 'for' a standing pillar; 46 and Jacob saith to his brethren, 'Gather stones,' and they take stones, and make a heap; and they eat there on the heap; 47 and Laban calleth it Jegar-Sahadutha; and Jacob hath called it Galeed. 48 And Laban saith, 'This heap 'is' witness between me and thee to-day;' therefore hath he called its name Galeed; 49 Mizpah also, for he said, 'Jehovah doth watch between me and thee, for we are hidden one from another; 50 if thou afflict my daughters, or take wives beside my daughters—there is no man with us—see, God 'is' witness between me and thee.' 51 And Laban saith to Jacob, 'Lo, this heap, and lo, the standing pillar which I have cast between me and thee; 52 this heap 'is' witness, and the standing pillar 'is' witness, that I do not pass over this heap unto thee, and that thou dost not pass over this heap and this standing pillar unto me—for evil; 53 the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, doth judge between us—the God of their father,' and Jacob sweareth by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 And Jacob sacrificeth a sacrifice in the mount, and calleth to his brethren to eat bread, and they eat bread, and lodge in the mount; 55 and Laban riseth early in the morning, and kisseth his sons and his daughters, and blesseth them; and Laban goeth on, and turneth back to his place.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 31:22-55
Commentary on Genesis 31:22-35
(Read Genesis 31:22-35)
God can put a bridle in the mouth of wicked men, to restrain their malice, though he do not change their hearts. Though they have no love to God's people, they will pretend to it, and try to make a merit of necessity. Foolish Laban! to call those things his gods which could be stolen! Enemies may steal our goods, but not our God. Here Laban lays to Jacob's charge things that he knew not. Those who commit their cause to God, are not forbidden to plead it themselves with meekness and fear. When we read of Rachel's stealing her father's images, what a scene of iniquity opens! The family of Nahor, who left the idolatrous Chaldees; is this family itself become idolatrous? It is even so. The truth seems to be, that they were like some in after-times, who sware by the Lord and by Malcham, Zephaniah 1:5; and like others in our times, who wish to serve both God and mammon. Great numbers will acknowledge the true God in words, but their hearts and houses are the abodes of spiritual idolatry. When a man gives himself up to covetousness, like Laban, the world is his god; and he has only to reside among gross idolaters in order to become one, or at least a favourer of their abominations.
Commentary on Genesis 31:36-42
(Read Genesis 31:36-42)
If Jacob were willingly consumed with heat in the day, and frost by night, to become the son-in-law of Laban, what should we refuse to endure, to become the sons of God? Jacob speaks of God as the God of his father; he thought himself unworthy to be regarded, but was beloved for his father's sake. He calls him the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac; for Abraham was dead, and gone to that world where perfect love casts out fear; but Isaac was yet alive, sanctifying the Lord in his heart, as his fear and his dread.
Commentary on Genesis 31:43-55
(Read Genesis 31:43-55)
Laban could neither justify himself nor condemn Jacob, therefore desires to hear no more of that matter. He is not willing to own himself in fault, as he ought to have done. But he proposes a covenant of friendship between them, to which Jacob readily agrees. A heap of stones was raised, to keep up the memory of the event, writing being then not known or little used. A sacrifice of peace offerings was offered. Peace with God puts true comfort into our peace with our friends. They did eat bread together, partaking of the feast upon the sacrifice. In ancient times covenants of friendship were ratified by the parties eating and drinking together. God is judge between contending parties, and he will judge righteously; whoever do wrong, it is at their peril. They gave a new name to the place, The heap of witness. After this angry parley, they part friends. God is often better to us than our fears, and overrules the spirits of men in our favour, beyond what we could have expected; for it is not in vain to trust in him.