John Gill Commentary


John Gill Commentary
"And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days` journey; and he overtook him in the mountain of Gilead." — Genesis 31:23 (ASV)
And he took his brethren with him
Some of his relations, the descendants of his father's brethren, the sons of Nahor, of whom there were seven, besides Bethuel; and who all perhaps lived in Haran the city of Nahor, see (Genesis 22:20–24) ; or some of his neighbours and acquaintance whom he might call to:
and pursued after him seven days' journey ;
which must be reckoned, not from Jacob's departure from Haran, but from Laban's; for Laban being three days' journey from thence, where he had to return, after he received the news of Jacob being gone; Jacob must have travelled six days before Laban set out with his brethren from Haran; so that this was, as Ben Gerson conjectures, the thirteenth day of Jacob's travel;
for Laban not having cattle to drive as Jacob, could travel as fast again as he, and do that in seven days which took up Jacob thirteen:
and they overtook him in the mount Gilead ;
said to be three hundred and eighty miles from Haran F5 .