Genesis 31:23

23 Lavan took his kinsmen with him and spent the next seven days pursuing Ya'akov, overtaking him in the hill-country of Gil'ad.

Genesis 31:23 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 31:23

And he took his brethren with him
Some of his relations, the descendants of his father's brethren, the sons of Nahor, of whom there were seven, besides Bethuel; and who all perhaps lived in Haran the city of Nahor, see ( Genesis 22:20-24 ) ; or some of his neighbours and acquaintance whom he might call to: and pursued after him seven days' journey;
which must be reckoned, not from Jacob's departure from Haran, but from Laban's; for Laban being three days' journey from thence, whither he had to return, after he received the news of Jacob being gone; Jacob must have travelled six days before Laban set out with his brethren from Haran; so that this was, as Ben Gerson conjectures, the thirteenth day of Jacob's travel; for Laban not having cattle to drive as Jacob, could travel as fast again as he, and do that in seven days which took up Jacob thirteen: and they overtook him in the mount Gilead;
said to be three hundred and eighty miles from Haran ^F5.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Bunting's Travels, p. 72.

Genesis 31:23 In-Context

21 So he fled with everything he had: he departed, crossed the [Euphrates] River and set out for the hill-country of Gil'ad.

22 Not until the third day was Lavan told that Ya'akov had fled.

23 Lavan took his kinsmen with him and spent the next seven days pursuing Ya'akov, overtaking him in the hill-country of Gil'ad.

24 But God came to Lavan the Arami in a dream that night and said to him, "Be careful that you don't say anything to Ya'akov, either good or bad."

25 When Lavan caught up with Ya'akov, Ya'akov had set up camp in the hill-country; so Lavan and his kinsmen set up camp in the hill-country of Gil'ad.