Verses 1-2 form a transition between the close of chapter 30 and the introductory episode in chapter 31.

Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying: Now is the Revised Standard Version rendering of the Hebrew connective and serves to mark the change to the new events that will now unfold. Jacob heard probably means here that he heard these words from others who reported them to him. This is often expressed as “Jacob received word” or “Jacob heard news that.” In some cases it may be better to say “learned” or “found out.” In societies where it is important to express relationships when speaking of people, the sons of Laban may have to be called “his [Jacob’s] brothers-in-law.” And the speech that follows may begin “Our brother-in-law has taken….”

Laban’s sons are quoted in Revised Standard Version as saying Jacob has taken all that was our father’s. The sense of taken is “taken for himself,” “taken away from Laban.” All that was … means “all the animals that belonged to our father.” This may be understood as exaggeration. It may be clearer to say, for example, “All the animals that Jacob has taken belonged to our father.”

And from what was our father’s he has gained: that is, “from the things that belonged to our father” or “from our father’s wealth.” See Good News Translation “from what our father owned.”

Gained all this wealth may be rendered “he has gotten all his riches, animals, property.” A number of translations express this simply as “he has become [very] rich.”

In many languages it will be more natural to change the order of the clauses in the last part of the sentence as Good News Translation has done. One other translation that does this says “He is a very rich man, but everything he has belonged to our father before.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .