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Texts -- Genesis 29:1-9 (NET)

Context
The Marriages of Jacob
29:1 So Jacob moved on and came to the land of the eastern people . 29:2 He saw in the field a well with three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well . Now a large stone covered the mouth of the well . 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there , the shepherds would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep . Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth . 29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers , where are you from?” They replied , “We’re from Haran .” 29:5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban , the grandson of Nahor ?” “We know him,” they said . 29:6 “Is he well ?” Jacob asked . They replied , “He is well . Now look , here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep .” 29:7 Then Jacob said , “Since it is still the middle of the day , it is not time for the flocks to be gathered . You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” 29:8 “We can’t ,” they said , “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well . Then we water the sheep .” 29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep , for she was tending them .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Marriage

    [isbe] MARRIAGE - mar'-ij: Introduction Scope and Viewpoint of the Present Article 1. Marriage among the Hebrews 2. Betrothal the First Formal Part 3. Wedding Ceremonies 4. Jesus' Sanction of the Institution 5. His Teaching concern...
    [nave] MARRIAGE In family blood lines, Abraham and Sarah, Gen. 11:29; 12:13; 20:3, 9-16. Isaac and Rebekah, Gen. 24:3, 4, 67; 28:2. Jacob and his wives, Gen. 29:15-30; see below, in the elaborated text. Levirate (the brother requ...

  • Shepherd

    [isbe] SHEPHERD - shep'-erd (ro`eh, ro`i; poimen, "a feeder"): The sheep owner frequently tends the flocks himself (Gen 4:4; 30:40; compare Ezek 34:12), but more often he delegates the work to his children (Gen 29:9; 1 Sam 16:19; 1...
    [smith] In a nomadic state of society every man, from the sheikh down to the slave, is more or less a shepherd. The progenitors of the Jews in the patriarchal age were nomads, and their history is rich in scenes of pastoral life. The...
    [nave] SHEPHERD One who cares for flocks, Gen. 31:38-40; Psa. 78:52, 53; Jer. 31:10; Amos 3:12; Luke 2:8. David the, defends his flock against a lion and a bear, 1 Sam. 17:34, 35. Causes the flock to rest, Psa. 23:2; Song 1:7; Je...

  • LABAN

    [ebd] white. (1.) The son of Bethuel, who was the son of Nahor, Abraham's brother. He lived at Haran in Mesopotamia. His sister Rebekah was Isaac's wife (Gen. 24). Jacob, one of the sons of this marriage, fled to the house of Laba...
    [smith] (white). Son of Bethuel, brother of Rebekah and father of Leah and Rachel. (B.C. about 1860-1740.) The elder branch of the family remained at Haran, Mesopotamia, when Abraham removed to the land of Canaan, and it is there th...

  • GENESIS, 4

    [isbe] GENESIS, 4 - IV. The Historical Character. 1. History of the Patriarchs: (Genesis 12 through 50): (1) Unfounded Attacks upon the History. (a) From General Dogmatic Principles: In order to disprove the historical character of...

  • Jacob

    [nave] JACOB Son of Isaac, and twin brother of Esau, Gen. 25:24-26; Josh. 24:4; 1 Chr. 1:34; Acts 7:8. Ancestor of Jesus, Matt. 1:2. Given in answer to prayer, Gen. 25:21. Obtains Esau's birthright for a some stew, Gen. 25:29-34...

  • Haran

    [nave] HARAN 1. Father of Lot and brother of Abraham, Gen. 11:26-31. 2. Son of Caleb, 1 Chr. 2:46. 3. A Levite, 1 Chr. 23:9. 4. Called also Charran. A place in Mesopotamia to which Terah and Abraham migrated, Gen. 11:31; 12:4, 5...

  • RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY

    [isbe] RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY - re-la'-shun-ships: I. CONSANGUINITY 1. In General 2. Parents and Children 3. Brothers and Sisters 4. Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Kinsmen II. AFFINITY 1. Husband and Wife 2. Father-in-Law, etc. 3. Brother-...

  • FATHER

    [isbe] FATHER - fa'-ther (Anglo-Saxon, Foeder; German, Vater; Hebrew 'abh, etymology uncertain, found in many cognate languages; Greek pater, from root pa, "nourisher," "protector," "upholder"): 1. Immediate Male Ancestor: Immediat...

  • Wife

    [nave] WIFE Called Desire of the Eyes, Ezek. 24:16. Help, Gen. 2:18, 20. Fruitful Vine, Psa. 128:3. The judgment denounced against Eve, Gen. 3:16. Relation of, to husband, Gen. 2:18, 23, 24; 1 Cor. 11:3-12. Domestic duties of,...

  • Cattle

    [ebd] abounded in the Holy Land. To the rearing and management of them the inhabitants chiefly devoted themselves (Deut. 8:13; 12:21; 1 Sam. 11:5; 12:3; Ps. 144:14; Jer. 3:24). They may be classified as, (1.) Neat cattle. Many hun...

  • Rachel

    [ebd] ewe, "the daughter", "the somewhat petulant, peevish, and self-willed though beautiful younger daughter" of Laban, and one of Jacob's wives (Gen. 29:6, 28). He served Laban fourteen years for her, so deep was Jacob's affecti...
    [isbe] RACHEL - ra'-chel (rachel, "ewe"; Rhachel (Gen 29:6; Jer 31:15, the King James Version "Rahel")): 1. Biography: An ancestress of Israel, wife of Jacob, mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban,...
    [nave] RACHEL, daughter of Laban and wife of Jacob. Meets Jacob at the well, Gen. 29:9-12. Jacob serves Laban fourteen years to secure her for his wife, Gen. 29:15-30. Sterility of, Gen. 29:31. Her grief in consequence of her ste...

  • Pottery

    [ebd] the art of, was early practised among all nations. Various materials seem to have been employed by the potter. Earthenware is mentioned in connection with the history of Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18), of Abraham (18:4-8), of Rebe...

  • WOMAN

    [ebd] was "taken out of man" (Gen. 2:23), and therefore the man has the preeminence. "The head of the woman is the man;" but yet honour is to be shown to the wife, "as unto the weaker vessel" (1 Cor. 11:3, 8, 9; 1 Pet. 3:7). Sever...
    [isbe] WOMAN - woom'-an ('ishshah, "a woman" (feminine of 'ish, "a man"]; gune, "a woman" "wife"): I. IN THE CREATIVE PLAN II. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES 1. Prominence of Women 2. Social Equality 3. Marriage Laws 4. Inheritance 5. Dome...

  • Women

    [nave] WOMEN Creation of, Gen. 1:27; 2:21, 22. Named, Gen. 2:23. Fall of, and curse upon, Gen. 3:1-16; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14. Promise to, Gen. 3:15. Had separate apartments in dwellings, Gen. 24:67; 31:33; Esth. 2:9, 11. Ve...

  • STONE, STONES

    [isbe] STONE, STONES - ston, stonz: 1. Hebrew and Greek Words: (1) Chiefly 'ebhen, and lithos; but also, occurring rarely, 'eshekh (Lev 21:20); tsur (Job 22:24), usually "rock"; tseror (2 Sam 17:13); petros (Jn 1:42); psephos (Rev ...

  • BENEKEDEM

    [smith] (the children of the East), an appellation given to a people or to peoples dwelling to the east of Palestine. It occurs in (Genesis 29:1; Judges 6:3,33; 7:12; 8:10; Job 1:3)

  • Jacob's Well

    [nave] JACOB'S WELL Gen. 29:4; John 4:6

  • ARABIA

    [smith] (desert, barren), a country known in the Old Testament under two designations:-- The East Country , (Genesis 25:6) or perhaps the East, ((Genesis 10:30; Numbers 23:7; Isaiah 2:6) and Land of the Sons of the East , (Genesis 2...

  • NAHOR

    [isbe] NAHOR - na'-hor (nachor; in the New Testament Nachor):e representative of Naphtali among the 12 spies (Nu 13:14). (1) Son of Serug and grandfather of Abraham (Gen 11:22-25; 1 Ch 1:26). (2) Son of Terah and brother of Abraham...

  • EAST, CHILDREN OF THE

    [isbe] EAST, CHILDREN OF THE - est, (mizrach, qedhem, qedhem, and other derivatives of the same root; anatole): Mizrach is the equivalent of the Arabic meshriq, "the orient" or "place of sunrise." In the same way ma`arabh, "west," ...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1-11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12-50). The ...
  • Genesis provides the historical basis for the rest of the Bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapters 1-11 give historical background essential to understanding that covenant, and chapters 12-50 re...
  • The structure of Genesis is very clear. The phrase "the generations of"(toledotin Hebrew, from yaladmeaning "to bear, to generate") occurs ten times (really eleven times since 36:9 repeats 36:1), and in each case it introduce...
  • The Lord destroyed the corrupt, violent human race and deluged its world, but He used righteous Noah to preserve life and establish a new world after the Flood."Noah's experience presents decisively the author's assertion tha...
  • "The Babel account (11:1-9) is not the end of early Genesis. If it were, the story would conclude on the sad note of human failure. But as with earlier events in Genesis 1-11, God's grace once again supersedes human sin, insu...
  • One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
  • A major theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment of the promises to the patriarchs. The promises in Genesis 12:1-3 and 7 are the fountainhead from which the rest of the Pentateuch flows.397Walter Kaiser labeled the ...
  • "The function of this genealogy is not so much to connect Abraham with the preceding events, as the previous genealogies have done, but to provide the reader with the necessary background for understanding the events in the l...
  • "These verses are of fundamental importance for the theology of Genesis, for they serve to bind together the primeval history and the later patriarchal history and look beyond it to the subsequent history of the nation."414"W...
  • The second crisis Abram faced arose because of a famine in Canaan. Abram chose to sojourn in the Nile Valley until it was past. In this incident Abram tried to pass Sarai off as his sister because he feared for his life. By d...
  • Abraham's purchase of a burial site in the Promised Land demonstrated his intention to remain in Canaan rather than going back to his native homeland. Since he was a sojourner in Canaan his friends probably expected him to bu...
  • A new toledotbegins with 25:19. Its theme is "the acquisition of the blessing and its development and protection by the Lord."625Moses set up the whole Jacob narrative in a chiastic structure that emphasizes the fulfillment o...
  • The long account of Jacob's relationship with Laban (chs. 29-31) is the centerpiece of the Jacob story (chs. 25-35). It is a story within a story, and it too has a chiastic structure. At its center is the account of the birth...
  • Aalders, Gerhard Charles. Genesis. The Bible Student's Commentary series. 2 vols. Translated by William Heynen. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • 105:7-11 God remembered His people (v. 7, cf. v. 42) so His people should remember Him (v. 5). God had been faithful to the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:18-21; 22:15-18; 28:13-15). He made this covenant with Abraham...
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