Genesis 29:15
And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?
Laban recognized Jacob as his own kinsman, yet he held that family ties did not obligate Jacob to labor without pay, and therefore he invited him to state what compensation he desired. That invitation opened the bargain for Rachel, in which years of service were accepted in place of a bride-price because Jacob arrived with no property with which to pay. Such an arrangement followed the custom by which a suitor's period of service proved his diligence and fitness for marriage before the union took place. The custom was afterward corrupted by Laban himself, who retained for his own use the dowry that by right should have passed to his daughters.