Isaac stayed in the land, but Jacob had to leave. God would deal with Jacob through his uncle Laban (see study note on 29:1–31:55).
Believers must remain spiritually pure by marrying other believers (2 Corinthians 6:14–18). The Canaanites had many groups and clans among their people through wars, treaties, and marriages (see Genesis 34:20–23).
Abraham’s family was to resist such mixing (compare 24:3; chapter 34). They were supposed to marry within their clan to maintain the purity of the line and of the faith that identified them as the chosen people. The surest way to lose their distinctiveness was to intermarry with people of other tribal backgrounds and beliefs (see Ezra 9–10; Nehemiah 13:23–29).