Genesis 31:39

39 neither I showed to thee anything taken of a beast; I yielded all [the] harm; whatever thing perished by theft, thou askedest of me; (I never showed thee anything caught by a beast; I even yielded to thee for any harm that was done; yea, whatever thing perished by theft, thou askedest for it from me, and thou received it;)

Genesis 31:39 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 31:39

That which was torn [of beasts] I brought not unto thee
To show what had befallen it; that so it might appear he had one the less to account for to him: I bore the loss of it;
took it upon himself, as if it had been somewhat blameworthy in him, as the word used signifies; and so made satisfaction for it; which, how he did, when he had no wages, is difficult to say: he might have some perquisites allowed him by Laban, though he had no settled salary; or he might lay himself under obligation to make it good whenever it was in his power, as follows: of mine hand didst thou require it, [whether] stolen by day, or stolen
by night;
whether by men or beasts; or by men in the daytime, and by beasts in the night, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem distinguish: Laban was so rigorous and unjust as to require the restoration of them, or an equivalent for them at the hand of Jacob; all which were contrary to the law of God, ( Exodus 22:10-13 ) .

Genesis 31:39 In-Context

37 and hast sought (through) all the purtenance of mine house(hold)? What hast thou found of all the chattel of thine house(hold)? Put thou here before my brethren and thy brethren, and deem they betwixt me and thee (Put thou it here before my kinsmen and thy kinsmen, and let them judge between me and thee).
38 Was I (not) with thee therefore twenty years? (Was I not with thee for twenty years?) Thy sheep and (thy) goats were not barren, I ate not the rams of thy flock,
39 neither I showed to thee anything taken of a beast; I yielded all [the] harm; whatever thing perished by theft, thou askedest of me; (I never showed thee anything caught by a beast; I even yielded to thee for any harm that was done; yea, whatever thing perished by theft, thou askedest for it from me, and thou received it;)
40 I was anguished in day and night with heat and frost, and sleep fled from mine eyes;
41 so I served thee by twenty years in thine house (but I served thee for twenty years in thy household), fourteen years for thy daughters, and six years for thy flocks; and thou changedest my meed ten times.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.