Comentário sobre Gênesis 29:7

הן עוד היום גדול LO, IT IS YET HIGH DAY — Because he saw them lying down he thought that they wished to take the cattle home, and that they should not graze any longer. He, therefore, said to them, “Lo, it is yet high day” — meaning, if you are hired men you have not yet finished your day’s task, and if these are your own cattle, nevertheless — 'לא עת האסף המקנה וגו IT IS NOT YET TIME FOR THE CATTLET TO BE GATHERED TOGETHER TO TAKE THEM HOME (Genesis Rabbah 70:11).

The day is yet long. He thought they were shirking their duties. The righteous are disturbed by injustice even when they are not the victims.

ויאמר הן עוד היום גדול, He said: "The day is still long, etc." The reason that Jacob presumed to judge their actions was that he was concerned with unnecessary suffering of the animals (compare Baba Metzia 32). He also wanted to find out if the reason they delayed watering the flocks was because this was not the proper time and that the town was far off and these animals were used to be kept in the town overnight. This interested him because it would help him determine the distance he had travelled. He learned from the shepherds' answer that what they did was not related to the distance from Charan.