(Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid): see verse 24.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Jacob made a vow: vow refers to a solemn promise to give to God some service in exchange for certain prayers or wishes being granted. See Num 21.2.

If God will be with me: this is the first wish. Jacob addresses God in the third person, but this may need to be expressed in the second person; for example, “God, if you will be with me….”

Keep me in this way that I go is Jacob’s second wish. Revised Standard Version renders the Hebrew literally. We may translate, for example, “if you will protect me during my journey [to Haran].” As noted in the comments on verse 5, Jacob’s journey covered a distance of some 800 kilometers (500 miles), a very long way. Some translations bring out this fact here by saying “care for me on this long journey I am making.”

The third request is give me bread to eat and clothing to wear. Bread is used here for food generally: “if you will give me food and clothing.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Laban’s response on hearing Jacob’s account is Surely you are my bone and my flesh! Surely translates an emphatic particle that can also be rendered “Certainly,” “There is no question,” “Without doubt.”

My bone and my flesh has the same sense as the expression used by Adam in 2.23. By using this idiom Laban recognizes Jacob as his relative or close kinsman. Good News Translation and others employ an English equivalent, “my own flesh and blood.” Bible en français courant says “You certainly are of my family, the same blood as I,” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “Truly you are a person of my own blood.” We may also say, for example, “You are really part of my family” or “We-two are from the same ancestor.”

This part of the narrative closes with And he stayed with him a month; that is, “Jacob remained in Laban’s house for a month.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The last wish is so that I come again to my father’s house in peace. Jacob asks that he be able to return home safely. It should be noticed that, aside from asking for food and clothing, each of these requests is set forth in the promises made to Jacob by the LORD in verse 15.

Having stated his wishes or requests to the LORD, Jacob promises to do three things in return. The first is the LORD shall be my God. Here again Jacob addresses the LORD in the third person, which must often be shifted to second person by saying, for example, “you will be my God,” or in many cases “you will be the God I will serve [worship].”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The text from this verse to verse 19 is another instance of a negotiation between two parties, in this case Jacob and Laban. For a previous instance see 23.3-18. In his relationship with Laban, Jacob was neither a slave nor a hired worker; so some agreement or contract was necessary if Jacob was to stay and work with Laban.

This episode opens with Laban asking Jacob a rhetorical question: Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? This question expects a negative reply. “Should you work for me for nothing? No!” In many languages it will be more natural to use a negative statement, “You should not work for me for nothing,” or a positive statement, “You should be paid for working for me.” Laban’s question assumes Jacob will work or has accepted that he will work for his uncle. However, this fact is not stated until verse 18. It may be necessary, therefore, to make this clear at the beginning of verse 15 by saying, for example, “Then Laban spoke with Jacob about his work….” It is not stated, but we may quite naturally assume from the text that Jacob had already begun to work for Laban during the month that is referred to in verse 14. If this is the case, then the negotiation that is reported here takes place to sort out a problem that has already arisen. One translation that reflects this understanding of the situation moves the time expression “for one month” from the end of verse 14 to the beginning of this episode as part of a time transition: “After Jacob had been working for his uncle Laban for one month, Laban said to him, ‘You can’t work for me without pay.’ ”

Kinsman translates the Hebrew for “brother.” See comments on verse 12. Here the translation may follow Good News Translation “my relative,” or else give the actual relationship, “my nephew.” Note that Good News Translation has switched the two clauses so that the cause clause follows the result clause. This may serve as a model for some languages.

Tell me, what shall your wages be?: the reply to this question comes in verse 18. Wages refers to payment or reward given in exchange for services. We may translate “Tell me how much I should pay you,” “What wages do you ask?” or “How much money will you want?”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The second part of Jacob’s vow or promise is this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. The text makes clear that the stone and not the place generally is to be God’s house. The sense of God’s house is “a place for worshiping God,” “a place to pray to God.” Accordingly we may translate this sentence, for example, “This stone I have set up as a marker will be the place where people come to worship you.”

And of all that thou givest me I will give the tenth to thee completes the three promises or vows made by Jacob to God. The regular practice of the tithe, which came much later, is discussed in Deut 14.22-29; 26.12-15. In some languages to give a tenth requires saying something like “Out of every ten things you give me I will give back one to you.” In other languages this is best expressed by using the idea of dividing everything into ten parts; for example, “I will divide everything that you give me into ten heaps, and give one heap back to you.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The whole story of Jacob’s journey, which extends from 28.10 to 29.14, only makes two references to Jacob traveling: in 28.10 and here. So this verse picks up the action from 28.10, continuing Jacob’s journey from Bethel after the dream he had there. This verse in fact covers the rest of Jacob’s traveling from Bethel to Haran.

Then Jacob went on his journey is literally “Jacob lifted up his feet and went.” If this is an idiom, it is found only here. The sense is as given in both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Went on means he left Bethel and continued his journey toward Haran his destination. We may translate, for example, “After that Jacob went on toward Haran” or “Then Jacob continued on his journey” (New International Version). Another model is “Jacob set out again….”

Came to the land of the people of the east is literally “to the land of the sons of the east.” The reference is to the land that lay to the east (in this case northeast) of Canaan, that is, Mesopotamia. The expression is also used broadly of the people living east and northeast of Canaan, such as Moab, Ammon, and Gilead, as seen in Judges 6.3, 33; Isa 11.14; Jer 49.28. In some languages this expression is rendered by descriptive terms; for example, “people who live where the sun rises,” “people where the big river flows.” New English Bible/Revised English Bible say “land of the eastern tribes.” In the context of the story that follows, the geographic location east is not as significant as the fact that Jacob came to another country, where the people had different customs from those of Canaan.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The text contains no transition marker other than the common connective between the general statement in verse 1 and the statement about Jacob seeing the well in Gen 29.2. In many languages this is too abrupt and needs to be adjusted to say, for example, “When he reached that place” or “When he got there….” Bible en français courant says “One day he saw….”

As he looked, he saw a well in the field: the Hebrew sentence uses hinneh, commonly rendered “behold” elsewhere by Revised Standard Version. This particle is probably used to emphasize the vivid image of the well and to give an element of surprise. Wells were an uncommon and highly welcomed sight to travelers. Good News Translation expresses the element of surprise with “Suddenly.” Well refers here not to a spring or cistern but to a dug well. Field is the same term as used in 25.27, 29, which referred to the place where Esau hunted game. This is not a cultivated field but rather open grazing country. Moffatt says “in the open country,” Good News Translation (Australian edition) “out in the country,” New Jerusalem Bible “out in the open.” It is called “open” in English because such areas are not surrounded by any kind of enclosure such as a hedge or fence and are outside of the town area.

And lo, three flocks of sheep lying beside it: lo is the translation of hinneh, and that term is repeated here to emphasize Jacob’s surprise at what he saw (sheep gathered around a well in the middle of the day). The word translated sheep refers to sheep and goats. Three flocks depicts these animals as gathered into three groups.

Since the well was in the open country, it is very likely that Jacob saw the sheep before he actually saw the well. A translation that takes account of this order says “He was looking around and he saw three flocks of sheep lying near a well.” Lying pictures these animals as resting on the ground.

In the remainder of verse 2 and all of verse 3, the verbs in Hebrew describe a customary practice, actions that were taken daily to water the sheep. The flocks were watered means that the sheep herders gave their flocks water from this well daily.

The stone on the well’s mouth was large: the stone covered the opening of the well, and water could not be drawn until the stone had been removed. The stone is not a large rock or bolder but a thick flat stone that lay over the opening of the well to keep objects from falling in and to control the use of the water. Hebrew, like many other languages, uses mouth to refer to the opening of the well. Other expressions that are often used are “the eye of the well” or “over the top of the well.”

We may restructure verse 2 to say, for example:

• One day Jacob came to a well out in the open country, where the sheep herders watered their animals. Three flocks of sheep and goats were lying near the well, and a large stone was still covering the opening.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .