Genesis 31:20

Gen 31:20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.

Ver. 20. And Jacob stole away.] God’s saints are put upon the use of such means sometimes, for their own safety, as render them contemptible to worldly men; all whose contumelies they can bravely bear, so long as their consciences clear and cheer them: yea, they can rejoice and say, It is a mercy they know no worse by me. It is a great work of nature to keep the filth of the body, when it is in man, from being unsavoury to others. But it is a greater work of God to keep the filth of the soul, that is so unsavoury to him, from the knowledge of those that wait all occasions to blaze and blaspheme us.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Or, went away privily from Laban.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Jacob stole away--The result showed the prudence and necessity of departing secretly; otherwise, Laban might have detained him by violence or artifice.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

20. And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban By the Hebrew form of expression, “stole away the heart of Laban,” Moses shows that Jacob departed privately, or by stealth, unknown to his father-in-law. Meanwhile, he wishes to point out to what straits Jacob was reduced, so that he had no hope of deliverance but in flight. For Laban had determined to hold him all his life as a captive, as if he had been a slave bound to the soil, or sentenced to the mines. Therefore let us also learn, by his example, when the Lord calls us, courageously to strive against every kind of obstacle, and not to be surprised if many arduous difficulties oppose themselves against us.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(20) Jacob stole away unawares.—Heb., stole the heart. But the heart was regarded by the Hebrews as the seat of the intellect, and so to steal a man’s understanding, like the similar phrase in Greek, means to elude his observation.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20. stole away, &c.] Heb. stole the heart of Laban the Aramean. Cf. Gen_31:26. Jacob outwitted Laban; fled secretly, and got three days’ start. For the phrase, cf. the Greek κλέπτειν νοῦν, “to steal the mind,” i.e. to deceive; see 2Sa_15:6.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

So he fled with all that he had,.... His wives, his children, cattle and substance:

and he rose up, and passed over the river; the river Euphrates, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, which lay between Mesopotamia and Canaan:

and set his face toward the mount Gilead: he travelled and bent his course that way: this, was a mountain on the border of the land of Canaan, adjoining to Lebanon, near which was a very fruitful country, which had its name from it: it is so called here by way of anticipation; for this name was afterwards given it from the heap of stones here laid, as a witness of the agreement between Laban and Jacob, Gen 31:45.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Away. Hebrew, "Jacob stole the heart of Laban," concealing his flight from him. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Heb. Stole away the heart of Laban, to wit, his daughters, his cattle, and his gods, upon which his heart was vehemently set, as Micah’s was, Jdg 18:24. But if this had been meant, it had been imputed to Rachel, and not to Jacob, who knew nothing of the gods. Or rather, stole away from the heart, & c., the Hebrew eth being put for meeth, as Gen 4:1; 49:25; 1Ki 8:43, compared with 2Ch 6:33; Mic 3:8, i.e. without the knowledge and consent of Laban, which sense is confirmed by the words next following, and by Gen 31:26,27, and by the like use of the phrase, 2Sa 19:3. Thus he fled, because he knew Laban’s selfish, and unrighteous, and cruel disposition, that he would always hinder him from departing, either by fraudulent pretences or by open force, nor suffer so great a diminution in that estate, which he thought one time or other he might in good measure recover to himself.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20. Stole away unawares to Laban — Hebrews, stole the heart of Laban. There is a play on the words heart and Laban — stole the Leb-Laban. Rachel stole the teraphim, Jacob the heart, of Laban. He used deception in keeping Laban from any suspicion of his plans for flight.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, literally, stole the heart of Laban the Syrian, he deceived his mind and intelligence, like kleptein noon, Horn., " II," 14. 227 (el. vers. 26, 27); hence ekruye (LXX); so Calvin, Rosenm Keil, Gesenius, and others. Lange fancifully understands by the heart of Laban which Jacob stole either Laban"s daughters or his favorite Rachel Gerlach contrasts Jacob"s stealing with that of Rachel, in which Jacob, had no part. The exact import of Jacob s stealing is declared by the words that followin that he told him not (Lunge and Bush interpret dyGiohi impersonally, as signifying in that or because it was not told; but in this among expositors they stand alone) that he fled.

Vers. 20, 21.

The separation from Laban.

Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian," &c. A great lesson on;

I THE EVIL OF DISSIMULATION. Hatred and wrong the fruits of crafty ways. Family dissensions where the things of this world uppermost. Separations which are made in the spirit of dependence on God rend no true bond, but rather strengthen affection.

II THE FORBEARANCE OF GOD. No justification of Laban, much imperfection in Jacob; yet the shield of Divine patience and mercy thrown over the man who vowed the vow of service, in whom his grace would yet be abundantly revealed. Laban"s action controlled by God. He forbad the evil design. He stilleth the enemy and the avenger. "Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad" (ver. 29). "Touch not mine anointed," &c. When we are doing God"s work and walking towards his chosen end we may leave it with him to speak with those who would hinder or harm us. R. ;

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

"Thus Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled;" - לב גּנב to steal the heart (as the seat of the understanding), like κλέπτειν νοο͂ν, and גּנב with the simple accus. pers., Gen 31:27, like κλεπτειν τίνα, signifies to take the knowledge of anything away from a person, to deceive him; - "and passed over the river (Euphrates), and took the direction to the mountains of Gilead."

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Yaakov fooled Lavan. He did not give any sign that he knew that Lavan had accepted the slander about him.

The Aramean. Besides indicating his nationality, which is irrelevant here, this hints that he was an experienced swindler (ramai). Thus if he had realized that Yaakov knew of the change in his attitude he would not have left him any escape.

Sforno on the Tanakh — English translation: “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ויגנב יעקב את לב לבן, he misled him seeing that Lavan thought that Yaakov was in the city, whereas in fact he had left the city.

על בלי הגיד לו, in that he had not told him his route. Not having told Lavan what route he was going to travel turned his leaving Lavan into a flight. Obviously, Yaakov was not expected by Lavan to announce: “I am fleeing;” the word בורח has to be linked to the word ויגנב. Deceiving Lavan as a sin of omission, i.e. not giving Lavan false information, but failing to give him relevant information, turned Yaakov’s sudden departure into what Lavan perceived to be a flight.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.