Genesis 31:30

Now I understand that ¹  you have gone away ²  because you longed desperately ³  for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” ⁴ 

Ge 31:19; Ex 12:12; Nu 33:4; Jud 6:31; Jud 18:24; 1Sa 5:2-6; 2Sa 5:21; Isa 37:19; Isa 46:1,2; Jer 10:11; Jer 43:12

¹ tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

² tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.

³ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.

⁴ sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.