We have explained in our article Biblical Formatting located on the world wide web at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/biblicalformatting.pdf, that the Biblical Author indicated unspecified emphasis by using repetition.

That is, if a modern author wanted to get a point across using bold, italics, underlhine - an indication of unspecified emphasis - then the Biblical Author would instead use repetition. Today's verse illustrates this principle.

With this in mind we review verse Gn31-50a, discussing Laban's warning not to afflict his daughters, which states If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my daughters, no man being with us; see, G-d is witness betwixt me and thee.' Note the repeated underlined word, daughters. Malbim, clarifies the nature of this repetition: The verse could have substituted a pronoun for the second occurrence of daughters: If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside them,

The repetition of the word, daughters creates an unspecified emphasis, similar to a modern bolding or italicizing of the word. In modern notation we would write If thou shalt afflict my daughters. Rashi comments on the unspecified emphasis: Daughters includes his actual daughters, Rachel and Leah, and apparently also includes their handmaids, BIlhah and Zilpah. Apparently Bilhah and Zilpah were also his daughters from live-in girlfriends (concubines).

Advanced Rashi: For further examples of regarding Biblical styles such as repetition as parallel to modern styles such as bold, italics, underline, see my article Biblical Formatting located on the world wide web at http://www.RashiYomi.com/biblicalformatting.pdf.