Then the maiden ran: it is important for discourse considerations to open this stage with an introductory transition to the new developments. In some languages this may be expressed, for example, as “While the servant was praying…” or “After they had finished speaking.”

Told her mother’s household: told may be rendered by a word that means to report or explain a series of happenings recently witnessed by the speaker. Mother’s household is “her mother’s house.” This is the place she ran to and probably refers to the women’s area, or her mother’s room in Bethuel’s compound. There may be other wives, but if so they are not mentioned.

Her telling was probably to everyone present in the mother’s quarters. In some translations this is expressed as “she ran back to her mother and told everyone in that camp” and “she ran to the house and told everything to her mother and all the other women.”

About these things refers to all that happened at the well. Bible en français courant says “The young woman ran to announce this news in her mother’s house.” Good News Translation says “told the whole story.” We may also say “ran to her mother’s place and reported everything that had happened.”

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 .