Laban said to him: just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be. The question is the opening of a negotiation. Laban frames it generously — just because you're family doesn't mean you should work for free — but the question is designed to put Jacob in the position of naming his price. Proverbs 20:14 observes that buyers always say the goods are bad — the negotiation that follows will reveal Laban as a skilled operator. The application: the question that opens a negotiation is rarely as generous as it sounds. Hear the structure of the question before answering.

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