What does Genesis 31:36 mean?
At Jacob's invitation, Laban has made a thorough search of all of the possessions of Jacob's company. He is looking for house idols—small spiritual statuettes—which went missing precisely when Jacob and his family fled. What neither Laban nor Jacob know is that Rachel had stolen the idols (Genesis 31:19), and has successfully hidden them in her saddle (Genesis 31:34). By claiming to be menstruating, Rachel fooled Laban into assuming that she could not stand, and that he could not touch her or her seat (Genesis 31:35). As a result, Laban has come up empty and looking foolish for his accusation against Jacob.Now Jacob will begin a long, angry speech against Laban. He will finally tell his father-in-law off in a way that we, as readers, may have wanted to hear him do much sooner. He will lay out all of his frustration with Laban, making the case for why Laban did not deserve better treatment from Jacob, and why Jacob attempted to escape without a confrontation.
Jacob will start by asking Laban, rhetorically, to point to any offense, any sin, that Jacob has done against him. In doing so, Jacob is declaring his innocence to Laban's relatives standing as witnesses. Next he will declare Laban's longstanding guilt.