From: Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete) "They mean all that was committed to him; but, speaking invidiously, they express themselves thus generally. Note, [1.] Those that are ever so careful to keep a good conscience cannot always be sure of a good name. [2.] This is one of the vanities and vexations which attend outward prosperity, that it makes a man to be envied of his neighbors (Eccl. 4:4 ), and who can stand before envy? Prov. 27:4 . Whom Heaven blesses hell curses, and all its children on earth.2. Laban himself said little, but his countenance was not towards Jacob as it used to be; and Jacob could not but take notice of it, v. 2, v. 5. He was but a churl at the best, but now he was more churlish than formerly. Note, Envy is a sin that often appears in the countenance; hence we read of an evil eye, Prov. 23:6 . Sour looks may do a great deal towards the ruin of peace and love in a family, and the making of those uneasy of whose comfort we ought to be tender. Laban’s angry countenance lost him the greatest blessing his family ever had, and justly." churl - a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend niggard, scrooge, skinflint hoarder - a person who accumulates things and hides them away for future use churl - a bad-tempered person pinchgut - a niggardly person who starves himself (and others) disagreeable person, unpleasant person - a person who is not pleasant or agreeable crabby person, crab - a quarrelsome grouch hothead, fire-eater - a belligerent grouch  Read less

From: Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete) "His complaint of his present uneasiness is excusable, v. 27, v. 28. It should seem, he did his endeavour to quiet and compose himself as his friends advised him. That was the good he would do: he would fain forget his complaints and praise God, would leave off his heaviness and comfort himself, that he might be fit for converse both with God and man; but, 2. He found he could not do it: "I am afraid of all my sorrows. When I strive most against my trouble it prevails most over me and proves too hard for me!’’ It is easier, in such a case, to know what we should do than to do it, to know what temper we should be in than to get into that temper and keep in it. It is easy to preach patience to those that are in trouble, and to tell them they must forget their complaints and comfort themselves; but it is not so soon done as said. Fear and sorrow are tyrannizing things, not easily brought into the subjection they ought to be kept in to religion and right reason." "His complaint of God as implacable and inexorable was by no means to be excused. It was the language of his corruption. He knew better, and, at another time, would have been far from harbouring any such hard thoughts of God as now broke in upon his spirit and broke out in these passionate complaints. Good men do not always speak like themselves; but God, who considers their frame and the strength of their temptations, gives them leave afterwards to unsay what was amiss by repentance and will not lay it to their charge." Thank God! Psalms 103:14 NKJV For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.  Read less