If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take [other] wives beside my daughters, no man [is] with us; see, God [is] witness between me and thee.
50. wives beside my daughters ] So that Leah and Rachel may not be exposed to the risk of any indignity. “Afflict,” cf. “dealt hardly” (Gen 16:6).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 50. No man is with us] Though all were present at the sacrifice offered, yet it appears that in making the contract Jacob and Laban withdrew, and transacted the business in private, calling on God to witness it.
Jacob had already four wives; but Laban feared that he might take others, whose children would naturally come in for a share of the inheritance to the prejudice of his daughters and grandchildren. Though the Koran allows a man to have four wives if he can maintain them, yet we learn that in many cases where a man takes a wife, the parents or relatives of the woman stipulate that the man is not to take another during the lifetime of that one whom he now espouses; and notwithstanding the permission of the Koran, he is obliged to fulfil this agreement.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The curse is here understood, as it commonly is, to maintain a greater reverence for oaths, and to beget a greater dread of the curse belonging to the violaters of it.
No man is with us, i.e. here is now no man with us, who when we are parted can witness and judge between us, and punish the transgressor. Or thus, Though now we have many with us, as witnesses of this agreement, yet shortly, when we shall be parted, no man will be with us, to observe and report our actions to the other, or to do the injured person right.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
If thou shall afflict my daughters,…. In body or mind, by giving them hard blows, or ill words, and by withholding from them the necessaries of life, food and raiment, and the like:
or if thou shall take [other] wives besides my daughters; which also would be an affliction and vexation to them, see Le 18:18. Laban, though he had led Jacob into polygamy, and even obliged him to it, did not choose he should go further into it, for the sake of his daughters, to whom he professes now much kindness and affection, though he had shown but little to them before; as well as talks in a more religious strain than he had been used to do:
no man [is] with us; the sense is not that there were none with them at the present time, for the men or brethren that Laban brought with him were present: or that there were none fit to be witnesses, because these were kinsmen, for they are appealed to by Jacob as judges between them, Ge 31:33; but this refers to time to come, and may be supplied thus, “when no man be with us”; when there is none to observe what is done by either of us, contrary to mutual agreement, and to report it to one or other: then
see, take notice, and observe,
God [is] witness betwixt me and thee; who is omniscient and omnipresent, sees, observes all the actions of men, and deals with them accordingly; and so will be a witness for or against each of us, as we shall behave in observing, or not observing, the terms of our covenant.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
50. If thou shalt take other wives besides my daughters. Laban declares that it would be a species of perfidy, if Jacob should take to himself any other wives. But he had himself compelled Jacob to the act of polygamy: for whence was it that the holy man had more wives than one, except that Leah had been craftily substituted in the place of Rachel? But he now, from a pure sentiment of nature, condemns the fault, of which, blinded by avarice, he had wickedly been the author. And certainly, when the bond of marriage is broken, than which none among men is more sacred, the whole of human society sinks into decay. Wherefore, those fanatical men, who, at this day, delight to defend polygamy, have no need of any other judge than Laban.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
“If you will afflict my daughters, and if you will take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us. See God is witness between me and you.”
Laban deals with his first concern, the security and protection of his daughters. He hands them over to God’s protection for their tribe can no longer protect them. God will see whether Jacob treats them rightly. Note especially the provision against Jacob taking other primary wives (concubines would not matter, they are of lower status and would not affect the status of the primary wives).
This can be paralleled to some extent from Nuzi where ‘Nashwi has given his daughter Nuhuya as wife to Wullu. If Wullu takes another wife he forfeits Nashwi’s land and buildings.’ The parallel is not exact, but it examples restriction being placed on further marriage with a cost involved. Laban clearly does not expect Jacob to marry a further primary wife and would consider it a breach of the covenant, theoretically at least nullifying the promise of non-interference.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 31:50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take [other] wives beside my daughters, no man [is] with us; see, God [is] witness betwixt me and thee.
Ver. 50. See Trapp on “ Gen 31:44 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
afflict: Lev 18:18, Mat 19:5, Mat 19:6
God: Jdg 11:10, 1Sa 12:5, Jer 29:23, Jer 42:5, Mic 1:2, Mal 2:14, Mal 3:5, 1Th 2:5
Reciprocal: 1Sa 20:23 – the Lord 2Sa 14:11 – let the king
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
31:50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take [other] {m} wives beside my daughters, no man [is] with us; see, God [is] witness betwixt me and thee.
(m) Nature compels him to condemn that vice, to which through covetousness he forced Jacob.