Yet Another Meeting at the Well. Genesis 29:1-8

May the mumbling commence!

Happy New Year!  Guess what!  To start the New Year out, we have another match at the wells in Paddan Aram.  It must be a great place to meet a future spouse.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Jacob set out again on his way to the people of the east.  He noticed a well out in an open field with three flocks of sheep bedded down around it.  This was the common well from which the flocks were watered.  The stone over the mouth of the well was huge.  When all the flocks were gathered, the shepherds would roll the stone from the well and water the sheep; then they would return the stone, covering the well.

            Jacob said, “Hello, friends.  Where are you from?”

            They said, “We’re from Haran.”

            Jacob asked, “Do you know Laban son of Nahor?”

            “We do.”

            “Are things well with him?” Jacob continued.

            “Very well,” they said.  “And here is his daughter Rachel coming with the flock.”

            Jacob said, “There’s a lot of daylight still left; it isn’t time to round up the sheep yet, is it?  So why not water the flocks and go back to grazing?”

            “We can’t,” they said.  “Not until all the shepherds are here.  It takes all of us to roll the stone from the well.  Not until then can we water the flocks.”  (Genesis 29:1-8)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.  There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large.  When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. 

Jacob asked the shepherds, "My brothers, where are you from?"

"We're from Haran," they replied. 

He said to them, "Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?"

"Yes, we know him," they answered. 

Then Jacob asked them, "Is he well?"

"Yes, he is," they said, "and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep." 

"Look," he said, "the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture." 

"We can't," they replied, "until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep."  (Genesis 29:1-8)

There seems to be some confusion about Laban’s relationship with Nahor.  The NIV calls him Nahor’s grandson, and Peterson’s work call him Nahor’s son.  It’s curious.  

I looked up a number of translations only to find that most of them translate the Hebrew into Nahor’s son.  A point for Peterson!  

But, it must also be noted that the Hebrew use of son / father is notorious for being a bit uncertain.  It could mean ancestor… or grandfather.  It’s a simple choice of interpretation and the outcome either way will not be earth shattering.

The more significant difference, in my opinion, is the reason given for the shepherds to wait for all the flocks to be gathered.  Peterson gives the reason that it took all the shepherds to move the huge and heavy stone from the mouth of the well.  That’s quite specific.  

The NIV translates the Hebrew by talking about all the flocks being gathered before the well is opened.  That could mean a number of different things… including Peterson’s take on it… but not exclusively that.

Looking at multiple translations, the shepherd’s gathering was key, not the flocks in most of the cases.  One point for Peterson!  

However, only two of the nine translations that I looked at seem to give the reason that the stone was too heavy for just a portion of the shepherds to open.  What other reasons could there be to wait?  It could be for the safety of the sheep.  It could be a gathering and fellowship time between shepherds.  Shepherding can be a lonely business.  

Why would we want to limit the possibilities to only one?

Still, it’s obvious in both works that Jacob wanted to get rid of the other shepherds before Rachel arrived at the well.  For some reason, he wanted to be alone with Rachel… but that’s for tomorrow.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out