It is for economic reasons that in Gen. 31:43, he says: או חיום לאלה מה־אעשה ולבנתי לי־הוא ראה אשר־אתהוכל צאני והצאן בני הבניםו בנתי הבנתי אל־יעקבאו ילדו אשר לבניהן (“The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about their children whom they have borne?”). When read in light of the ancient value of children’s labor rather than modern emotional pricelessness, Laban’s motivation becomes clear to the modern reader, as it would have been to the ancient audience.