Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Genesis 31:31/ספורנו על בראשית ל״א:ל״א

אפֶּן תִּגְזֹל אֶת בְּנוֹתֶיךָ. כִּי בְּאָמְרְךָ שֶׁלֹּא נָתַתָּ אֶת בְּנוֹתֶיךָ לְהַרְחִיקָם מֵעָלֶיךָ, תִּגְזֹל אוֹתָן מֵעִמִּי לְעַכֵּב גַּם הַבָּנִים וְהַמָּמוֹן, כְּעִנְיַן אָמְרוֹ אַחַר כָּךְ הַבָּנוֹת בְּנוֹתַי וְהַבָּנִים בָּנַי וְהַצֹּאן צֹאנִי, וְכָל זֶה אוּלַי הָיִיתָ עוֹשֶׂה בְּעֶזְרַת אַנְשֵׁי אַרְצְךָ בִּהְיוֹתִי שָׁם, וְלֹא תַּשִּׂיג זֶה אַחֲרֵי שֶׁיָּצָאתִי מֵאַרְצְךָ.
1פן תגזול את בנותיך, by saying that you had not given me your daughters in marriage in order for me to remove them from your homeland you would in effect commit robbery as you would detain both my children and my estate. In fact, Lavan used exactly this kind of argument when he said: “the children are my children the daughters are my daughters, etc.” (verse 43). You might have succeeded in doing all this with the help of the local townspeople. Now that I have left your country you will not be able to carry out such a plan.