John Calvin Commentary Genesis 29:14

"And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month." — Genesis 29:14 (ASV)

And he abode with him the space of a month. Though Laban did not doubt that Jacob was his nephew by his sister, he nevertheless put his character to the test for a month, and then discussed wages with him. From this, the uprightness of the holy man can be inferred; because he was not idle while with his uncle, but engaged in honest work, so that he would not idly eat another's bread for nothing. Thus, Laban was compelled to acknowledge that some reward beyond his mere food was due to him.

When he says, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? his meaning may be twofold: either that it would be excessively absurd and unjust to defraud a relative of his due reward, for whom he ought to have greater consideration than for any stranger; or that he was unwilling to demand unpaid service under the pretext of relationship.

This second interpretation is the more suitable and is nearly universally accepted. For they read it as one connected sentence: Because thou art my brother, shalt thou therefore serve me for nought? Moreover, we must note the purpose for which Moses relates these things. First, a great principle of equity is presented to us in Laban, since this sentiment is inherent in almost all minds: that justice ought to be mutually cultivated, until blind greed draws them away in another direction.

And God has engraved a law of equity in human nature, so that whoever deviates from that rule through an excessive desire for personal gain is left completely without excuse. But a short time later, when it came to practical matters, Laban, forgetting this equity, thought only of what might be profitable to himself.

Such an example is certainly worthy of note, for people seldom err in general principles and therefore, with one voice, confess that everyone ought to receive what is due to them. But as soon as they turn to their own affairs, perverse self-love blinds them, or at least envelops them in such clouds that they are carried in an opposite direction.

Therefore, let us learn to restrain ourselves, so that a desire for our own advantage may not prevail to the point of sacrificing justice. From this has arisen the proverb that no one is a suitable judge in his own case, because each person, being unduly favorable to himself, becomes forgetful of what is right. Therefore, we must ask God to govern and restrain our desires by a spirit of sound judgment.

Laban, in wishing to enter into a covenant, does what tends to avoid disputes and complaints. The ancient saying is known: “We should deal lawfully with our friends, so that we may not afterwards be obliged to go to law with them.” For, from where do so many legal disputes arise, except that everyone is more generous towards himself, and more stingy towards others than he ought to be? Therefore, to foster harmony, firm agreements are necessary, which can prevent injustice on either side.