Genesis 31:31-32 - Exposition

And Jacob answered —"in an able and powerful speech" (Kalisch)— and said to Laban (replying to his first interrogation as to why Jacob had stolen away unawares), Because I was afraid: for I said (sc. to myself), Peradventure (literally, lest, i . e . I must depart without informing thee lest ) thou wouldest (or shoudest) take by force —the verb signifies to strip off as skin from flesh ( vide Micah 3:2 ), and hence to forcibly remove— thy daughters from me (after which, in response to Laban's question about his stolen gods, he proceeds). With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live. If Jacob meant he shall not live, but I will slay him with mine own hand (Aben Ezra), let God destroy him (Abarbanel), I give him up to thee to put to death (Rosenmüller), let him instantly die (Drusius), he was guilty of great unadvisedness in speech. Accordingly, the import of his words has been mollified by regarding them simply as a prediction, "he will not live," i . e . he will die before his time (Jonathan), a prediction which, the Rabbins note, was fulfilled in Rachel ( vide Genesis 35:16 , Genesis 35:18 ); or by connecting them with clause following, "he will not live before our brethren," i . e . let him be henceforth cut off from the society of his kinsmen ( LXX ; Bush). Yet, even as thus explained, the language of Jacob was precipitats, since he ought first to have inquired at his wives and children before pronouncing so emphatically on a matter of which he was entirely ignorant (Calvin). Before our brethren —not Jacob's sons, but Laban's kinsmen ( Genesis 31:23 )— discern thou —literally, examine closely for thyself , the hiph. of נָכַר (to be strange) meaning to press strongly into a thing, i.e. to perceive it by finding out its distinguishing characteristics ( vide Furst, sub voce )— what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For (literally, and) Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them —otherwise he would have spoken with less heat and more caution.