And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.
It was told Laban on the third day. No sooner did the intelligence reach Laban than he set out in pursuit, and he being not encumbered, advanced rapidly; whereas Jacob, with a young family and numerous flocks, had to march slowly, so that he overtook the fugitives after seven days' journey, as they lay encamped on the brow of mount Gilead, an extensive range of hills forming the eastern boundary of Canaan. (For the length of one days' journey, see the note at Genesis 30:36).