What does Genesis 29:19 mean?

Jacob has come to his ancestral homeland, both to escape his murderous brother (Genesis 27:41) and to find a wife at the request of his father (Genesis 28:1–2). Luckily, he located his family and fell in love with the younger of his uncle's two daughters, Rachel (Genesis 29:16–17). After a month of living with the family, Laban asks what wages he expects, and Jacob offers to work for seven years in exchange for Rachel's hand in marriage.

Jacob's offer was extraordinarily generous. It's no surprise that Laban quickly agrees. He likely did see Jacob as an excellent husband for his daughter. He also saw seven years of free labor from a hard worker. Had he been more generous, Laban could have countered Jacob's offer with one that was not so strenuous on his daughter's future husband. That wasn't Laban's style. In fact, as the next few verses will explain, Laban's intentions are clearly not good. Jacob, the cheater (Genesis 25:29–34; 27:33–36), is working towards a taste of his own medicine.