Keraia
Genesis 29

Genesis 29:12

Jacob Meets Rachel · Genesis 29:1–13
Read Genesis 29

Translations

Modern
He told Rachel that he was Rebekah’s son, a relative of her father, and she ran and told her father.
Traditional
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son: and she ran and told her father.
Literal
And Jacob told to Rachel that he was a brother of her father, and that he was a son of Rebekah. And she ran and told it to her father.
Latin
…et indicavit ei quod frater esset patris sui, et filius Rebeccæ: at illa festinans nuntiavit patri suo.

Original

Hebrew
English
He told Rachel that he was Rebekah’s son, a relative of her father, and she ran and told her father.

Notes

Genesis 29:2–12

Jacob met Rachel at the well at just the right time. This happened under God’s guidance, because God rules over all things (God is sovereign). God was leading Jacob toward the fulfillment of his promises (see 24:12–20). The well was a reminder of God’s blessing (compare 16:13–14; 21:19; 26:19–25, 33).

Genesis 29:1–31:55

  • These chapters describe how God fulfilled his promise by greatly blessing Jacob with a family and possessions. God also disciplined Jacob, leaving him to struggle with Laban for many years. Laban was Jacob’s match in deception, and thus a means of correction.

  • The story of Jacob and Laban is similar to Israel's later stay in Egypt. Jacob struggled while serving his uncle but finally emerged with a large family (the founders of the 12 tribes) and great wealth. In Egypt, the Israelites suffered under their oppressors, but they also flourished, becoming a great nation of 12 large tribes and escaping with great riches.

Theme notes and profiles

Arameans Jacob Rachel Rebekah Symbolic Numbers

People

Israel: Patriarch, son of Isaac, father of twelve tribes Rachel: Wife of Jacob; mother of Joseph and Benjamin Rebekah: Wife of Isaac; mother of Jacob and Esau

Glossary

Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Bilhah (Person) City Ebla Tablets Family Life and Relations Genesis, Book of Jacob Maid, Maiden Nathanael Patriarchs, Period of the

Topics

Brother: Signifies: A Relative, Laban: Receives Jacob, and Gives Him his Daughters in Marriage Rachel: Meets Jacob at a Well