Genesis 31:33

33 Laban went through Jacob's tent, Leah's tent, and the tents of the two maids but didn't find them. He went from Leah's tent to Rachel's.

Genesis 31:33 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 31:33

And Laban went into Jacob's tent
Into that first where he most suspected they were, being taken not out of value for them, but contempt of them; and into Leah's tent;
and not Leah's tent next, whom next to Jacob he might suspect of taking them, out of veneration to them, because her tent lay next: and into the two maidservants' tents:
Bilhah and Zilpah; or "the" tent of them; for the word is singular, and perhaps they had but one tent for them both, which distinguished them from the principal wives: but he found [them] not;
in neither of these tents: then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent;
which he went into last of all, as least suspecting her, being less addicted to the superstition and idolatry of his family than Leah and the maidservants: Aben Ezra thinks that he was twice in Leah's tent, and at the last time came out of that into Rachel's; and that Jacob's tent lay between Leah's and Rachel's. From this account it more clearly appears that men and their wives had separate tents or apartments; see ( Genesis 24:67 ) .

Genesis 31:33 In-Context

31 Jacob answered Laban, "I was afraid. I thought you would take your daughters away from me by brute force.
32 But as far as your gods are concerned, if you find that anybody here has them, that person dies. With all of us watching, look around. If you find anything here that belongs to you, take it." Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen the gods.
33 Laban went through Jacob's tent, Leah's tent, and the tents of the two maids but didn't find them. He went from Leah's tent to Rachel's.
34 But Rachel had taken the household gods, put them inside a camel cushion, and was sitting on them. When Laban had gone through the tent, searching high and low without finding a thing,
35 Rachel said to her father, "Don't think I'm being disrespectful, my master, that I can't stand before you, but I'm having my period." So even though he turned the place upside down in his search, he didn't find the household gods.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.