Genesis 29:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.”

NIV: He said to them, 'Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?' 'Yes, we know him,' they answered.

NASB: So he said to them, 'Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?' And they said, 'We know him.'

CSB: "Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson? " Jacob asked them.They answered, "We know him."

NLT: Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?' he asked. 'Yes, we do,' they replied.

KJV: And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him.

NKJV: Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.”

Jacob has just learned that the shepherds gathered near this well are from Haran, the very town he has traveled so far to find. Now he asks them if they know Laban, the man he has come to find and hopefully stay with. They do know him. Is Jacob beginning to sense that God is truly with him "on the way," leading him where he should go? Jacob's quest was to find this very family, in order to seek out a wife (Genesis 28:1–2). Just as God led the servant of Abraham directly to a well, in order to find a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:12–16), perhaps God has led Jacob to the right place at the right time.

Genesis 29:1–30 describes Jacob's arrival at his uncle's household. Laban is happy to see his nephew, likely for the first time. Jacob falls in love with Laban's more attractive daughter, Rachel, and agrees to work for Laban seven years to marry her. On the wedding night, however, Laban treacherously switches Rachel for her older sister Leah. Jacob agrees to marry Rachel the next week, but now must work another seven years.

Jacob's journey from his home brings him to his uncle's household in Haran. He falls in love with Laban's younger daughter Rachel and agrees to work for Laban for seven years to marry her. When the time comes, Laban switches out Rachel for her older, less attractive sister Leah. Jacob is surprised to find he has consummated the marriage with the wrong sister. Manipulative Laban assures Jacob he can still marry Rachel the next week, as long as he will work another seven years. Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah, but with the Lord's help, unloved Leah bears Jacob his first four sons.

The previous chapter described Jacob fleeing from home to seek his uncle in Mesopotamia. This was both to escape the rage of his brother, Esau, and to look for a suitable wife. Now Jacob arrives and falls in love with his uncle's daughter Rachel. After working seven years to marry her, Jacob is tricked by his uncle into marrying the older daughter, Leah, instead. Laban allows Jacob to marry Rachel, as well, in exchange for another seven years' work. Though she is unloved by Jacob, the Lord notices Leah's heartbreak and allows her to bear four sons. In the next chapter, Rachel's jealousy sets off something of a birth war, as she and Leah compete to obtain children.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/1/2024 7:05:13 AM