who, in his eagerness to keep him, invites him to name the price for which he will remain with him. It is interesting to contrast the relative attitudes of the two men with their bearing in 2915ff. Jacob here shows a decision of purpose which causes Laban to adopt an obsequious tone very unlike his former easy assurance. He is overjoyed to find his nephew's demands so reasonable; and correspondingly mortified (312) when he discovers how completely he has been deceived by Jacob's apparent moderation.—The story, as Gu. reminds us, was originally told to shepherds, who would follow with keen interest the various tricks of their craft which Jacob so successfully applies (and of which he was probably regarded as the inventor). To more refined readers these details were irksome; hence the abridged and somewhat unintelligible form in which the narrative stands.
Sources.—In the earlier vv. (25-31 several duplicates show the composition
of J and E: 25 26a; 26b 29a; 28 31a; (
Hebrew characters) in 27 and 28; (Hebrew characters), 26b
and 29a. Here 25. 27. 29-31 are from J ((Hebrew characters), 27. 30; (Hebrew characters), 27; (Hebrew characters) 27), and 26. 28
from E,—each narrative being nearly complete (cf. Di. Gu. Pro.).—In
32-36 it is quite possible, in spite of the scepticism of Di. and others, to
distinguish two conceptions of Jacob's reward (We. Comp.2 40 ff.). (a)
In the first, Jacob is that very day to take out from Laban's flock all
abnormally coloured animals: that is to be his hire (32). On the morrow
(or in time to come), Laban may inspect Jacob's flock: if he find in it
any normally coloured animals, Jacob is at once convicted of fraud 33.
This account belongs to E (cf. (Hebrew characters), 32, with 28), though it is doubtful if to
the same stratum of E as 317-12. (b) In the other, Laban himself
separates the flocks, leaving the normally coloured sheep and goats in
Jacob's keeping, and removing the others to a distance of three days'
journey, under the charge of his sons (32a(Greek characters) [from (Hebrew characters) 35f.). Thus Jacob
receives for the present nothing at all (31 J). The narrative must have
gone on to explain that his hire was to consist of any variegated animals
appearing in the normally coloured flock now left in his charge (36b;
Laban's precautions aim at securing that these shall be few or none.
Hence we obtain for J 32a(Greek characters). 35. 36, and for E 32a(Greek characters)b. 33. 34.—37-45 is the
natural continuation of J's account, but with numerous insertions, which
may be either from variants or glosses.—The text here is very confused,
and G has many variations.
is less confidently identified with Joseph than the companion Y'ḳb'r with Jacob (cf. p. 360 above; Mey. INS, 262; Spiegelberg, Randglossen, 13 f.; Müller, MVAG, 1907, i. 23, and JBL, 1909, 31). But Yašupili has been found in contract tablets of the Ḥammurabi period along with Yaḳub-ili (Homm. AHT, 96 [from Sayce]).
