He said: He refers to Laban.

Come in sounds like an invitation to enter the house. However, in verse 30 Laban and the servant are outside the city at the well. In verse 32 the servant enters the house. There are two ways to view the space problem here. The first is to assume that the narrator does not bother to give us the information that his characters have moved from the well to the house, and that Come in is spoken near the house. The other view is that Laban’s speech in verses 31 and 32a is spoken outside the city by the well where Rebekah left the servant. This is the assumption of Good News Translation, which says “Come home with me.” Others say “Come, let us go to the house” or “Come with me; come back to my camp.”

Laban addresses the servant as O blessed of the LORD. This is used as a title of distinction. It is also used by Abimelech addressing Isaac in 26.29. We may also say “you whom the LORD has blessed” or “you to whom the LORD has given good gifts.”

Why do you stand outside?: outside may refer to outside the town or outside Laban’s house. Good News Translation assumes again that the place is outside the city; “Why are you standing out here?” Revised Standard Version and others assume Laban’s invitation and question are spoken near the house. Translators should maintain a viewpoint throughout that will not confuse the reader. And if the view is taken that Laban spoke outside the house, then something like “Laban brought the man back to his house [camp] and said…” may be necessary to make this clear.

Prepared the house: prepared translates a verb form meaning to clear out obstacles, set in order, arrange. We may translate, for example, “I have got a place ready for you” or “I have fixed up a place for you.”

A place for the camels may also be inside the same house, as this has long been the practice in the area. This may be the sense conveyed by New English Bible “I have prepared the house and there is room for the camels.”

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 .