Jacob said to his kinsmen: for kinsmen see verses 23 and 37. His kinsmen is unclear because kinsmen of Jacob are also relatives of Laban. We may be inclined to think that kinsmen here refers to those men who were attached to Jacob’s camp, as suggested in verse 37. However, the fact that they ate a treaty meal together suggests that his kinsmen refers to both Laban’s men and those accompanying Jacob. On the other hand, it is possible that Jacob gave instructions to his own group of followers to pile up the stones, and after this was done Laban’s men joined those of Jacob to eat a covenant meal.

Made a heap: heap translates the Hebrew word gal and serves as the first part of the name Galeed in verse 47. The word means a pile of stones and is used in Josh 7.26 and 8.29 for a heap of stones piled over a dead body. According to verse 45 a single stone is raised by Jacob, and in verse 46 other stones are piled up by the men. (Verse 51 says that Laban set up both the single stone and the pile.)

They ate there by the heap: they, according to the discussion of kinsmen earlier in this verse, refers to the relatives of both Jacob and Laban; and it is unlikely that the kinsmen would eat without Jacob and Laban. Eating in this context suggests sharing food as part of the treaty; and this naturally involved the kinsmen in each of the two groups. One translation that tries to make this point clear says “Jacob told his men to get some stones and make a heap. Then the men of Jacob and Laban ate food near the heap of stones.”

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 .