and also consulted as oracles (see my Archäologie, §90).
verses 20-21
“ Thus Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled;” - לב גּנב to steal the heart (as the seat of the understanding), like κλέπτειν νοο͂ν, and גּנב with the simple accus. pers., Gen 31:27, like κλεπτειν τίνα, signifies to take the knowledge of anything away from a person, to deceive him; - “ and passed over the river (Euphrates), and took the direction to the mountains of Gilead.”
verses 22-25
Laban's Pursuit, Reconciliation, and Covenant with Jacob. - As Laban was not told till the third day after the flight, though he pursued the fugitives with his brethren, i.e., his nearest relations, he did not overtake Jacob for seven days, by which time he had reached the mountains of Gilead (Gen 31:22-24). The night before he overtook them, he was warned by God in a dream, “ not to speak to Jacob from good to bad,” i.e., not to say anything decisive and emphatic for the purpose of altering what had already occurred (vid., Gen 31:29, and the note on Gen 24:50). Hence he confined himself, when they met, “to bitter reproaches combining paternal feeling on the one hand with hypocrisy on the other;” in which he told them that he had the power to do them harm, if God had not forbidden him, and charged them with stealing his gods (the teraphim).
Verse 26
“ Like sword-booty;” i.e., like prisoners of war (2Ki 6:22) carried away unwillingly and by force.
verses 27-28
“ So I might have conducted thee with mirth and songs, with tabret and harp,” i.e., have sent thee away with a parting feast.
==Verse 28== Gen 31:28 עשׂו: an old form of the infinitive for עשׂות as in Gen 48:11; Gen 50:20.
==Verse 29== Gen 31:29 ידי לאל ישׁ: “ there is to God my hand” (Mic 2:1; cf. Deu 28:32; Neh 5:5), i.e., my hand serves me as God (Hab 1:11; Job 12:6), a proverbial expression for “the power lies in my hand.”
Verse 30
“ And now thou art gone (for, if thou art gone), because thou longedst after thy father's house, why hast thou stolen my gods?” The meaning is this: even if thy secret departure can be explained, thy stealing of my gods cannot.
verses 31-32
The first, Jacob met by pleading his fear lest Laban should take away his daughters (keep them back by force). “ For I said:” equivalent to “for I thought.” But Jacob knew nothing of the theft; hence he declared, that with whomsoever he might find the gods he should
