John Gill Commentary


John Gill Commentary
"And Laban went into Jacob`s tent, and into Leah`s tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found them not. And he went out of Leah`s tent, and entered into Rachel`s tent." — Genesis 31:33 (ASV)
And Laban went into Jacob's tent Into that first where he most suspected they were, being taken not out of value for them, but contempt of them;
and into Leah's tent ; and not Leah's tent next, whom next to Jacob he might suspect of taking them, out of veneration to them, because her tent lay next:
and into the two maidservants' tents : Bilhah and Zilpah; or "the" tent of them; for the word is singular, and perhaps they had but one tent for them both, which distinguished them from the principal wives: but he found [them] not ; in neither of these tents:
then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent ; which he went into last of all, as least suspecting her, being less addicted to the superstition and idolatry of his family than Leah and the maidservants:
Aben Ezra thinks that he was twice in Leah's tent, and at the last time came out of that into Rachel's; and that Jacob's tent lay between Leah's and Rachel's.
From this account it more clearly appears that men and their wives had separate tents or apartments; see (Genesis 24:67) .