Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Commentary for Genesis 31:31

וַיַּ֥עַן יַעֲקֹ֖ב וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְלָבָ֑ן כִּ֣י יָרֵ֔אתִי כִּ֣י אָמַ֔רְתִּי פֶּן־תִּגְזֹ֥ל אֶת־בְּנוֹתֶ֖יךָ מֵעִמִּֽי׃

And Jacob answered and said to Laban: ‘Because I was afraid; for I said: Lest thou shouldest take thy daughters from me by force.

Rashi on Genesis

כי יראתי BECAUSE I FEARED — He answered his first question first, for he had asked him (Genesis 31:26) “[what hast thou done…] that thou hast carried away my daughters etc.” (this being the first of all Laban’s questions).
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Rashbam on Genesis

כי יראתי...עם אשר תמצא, Yaakov answered Lavan’s first accusation first, and the second one afterwards.
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Sforno on Genesis

פן תגזול את בנותיך, by saying that you had not given me your daughters in marriage in order for me to remove them from your homeland you would in effect commit robbery as you would detain both my children and my estate. In fact, Lavan used exactly this kind of argument when he said: “the children are my children the daughters are my daughters, etc.” (verse 43). You might have succeeded in doing all this with the help of the local townspeople. Now that I have left your country you will not be able to carry out such a plan.
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Or HaChaim on Genesis

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Radak on Genesis

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Rav Hirsch on Torah

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