And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
Jacob was reminding Laban of his faithful service and of his care of Laban's cattle and flocks while they were with him, speaking when they were discussing his wages and service after he had served Laban fourteen years for his two daughters. The resulting agreement gave Jacob the spotted and speckled goats and the black sheep from Laban's flocks. During his years with Laban God blessed his labor and prospered him in flocks and herds despite Laban's efforts to deprive him of his right, so that he returned to Canaan with a prosperous family and abundant flocks and herds. Laban's deception of Jacob in the matter of his daughters was just retribution for Jacob's deception of Esau, though Jacob's sin did not justify Laban's.
The cattle Jacob had with Laban were only sheep, goats, and neat cattle, for the Hebrew word translated cattle strictly means sheep, goats, and neat cattle and excludes beasts of burden and unclean beasts. The patriarchs and their descendants did not deal in unclean beasts and held none as possessions for trade or food, except beasts of burden which were little used and never eaten. The verse falls within the account of Jacob's trials and victories, which culminates in a complete change of heart and his place among the Israel of God.
The verse belongs to the record of Jacob's polygamous family life and the patriarchs' plain violation of the marriage institution through polygamy. That polygamous family life proves that polygamy brings very great unhappiness into every family where it enters and was never anything but evil and wrong. That patriarchal violation of marriage does not destroy the sacred character of marriage, which was made for man before the fall, any more than a patriarchal violation of the Sabbath would destroy the sacred character of the Sabbath.
Jacob was reminding Laban of his faithful service and of his care of Laban's cattle and flocks while they were with him, speaking when they were discussing his wages and service after he had served Laban fourteen years for his two daughters. The resulting agreement gave Jacob the spotted and speckled goats and the black sheep from Laban's flocks. During his years with Laban God blessed his labor and prospered him in flocks and herds despite Laban's efforts to deprive him of his right, so that he returned to Canaan with a prosperous family and abundant flocks and herds. Laban's deception of Jacob in the matter of his daughters was just retribution for Jacob's deception of Esau, though Jacob's sin did not justify Laban's.
The cattle Jacob had with Laban were only sheep, goats, and neat cattle, for the Hebrew word translated cattle strictly means sheep, goats, and neat cattle and excludes beasts of burden and unclean beasts. The patriarchs and their descendants did not deal in unclean beasts and held none as possessions for trade or food, except beasts of burden which were little used and never eaten. The verse falls within the account of Jacob's trials and victories, which culminates in a complete change of heart and his place among the Israel of God.
The verse belongs to the record of Jacob's polygamous family life and the patriarchs' plain violation of the marriage institution through polygamy. That polygamous family life proves that polygamy brings very great unhappiness into every family where it enters and was never anything but evil and wrong. That patriarchal violation of marriage does not destroy the sacred character of marriage, which was made for man before the fall, any more than a patriarchal violation of the Sabbath would destroy the sacred character of the Sabbath.