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 1 of Nahor?” “We know him,” 2 they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” 3 Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. 4 Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob 5 said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, 6 it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” 7 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 8 the sheep.”
1 tn Heb “son.”
2 tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.
1 tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”
2 tn Heb “peace.”
1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “the day is great.”
3 tn Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.
1 tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.