“Is he well?” Jacob inquired. “Yes,” they answered, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with his sheep.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep.”
- KJV And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.
- ESV He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!”
- NKJV So he said to them, “Is he well?” And they said, “He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.”
- NASB And he said to them, “Is it well with him?” And they said, “It is well, and here is his daughter Rachel coming with the sheep.”
- NLT “Is he doing well?” Jacob asked. “Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now.”
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The shepherds report that Laban is well and that his daughter Rachel is approaching with the sheep.
Overview
At the very moment Jacob inquires, Rachel arrives—an unmistakable mark of providential timing. The mention of her keeping sheep introduces the woman Jacob will love and serve for years. God's perfect arrangement of this meeting echoes his promise to be with Jacob and prosper his way.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Sam 20:9“Are you well, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa. And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.
- Exod 18:7So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and went into the tent.
- 1 Sam 25:5So David sent ten young men and instructed them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel. Greet him in my name
- Gen 37:14Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem,
- Gen 43:27He asked if they were well, and then he asked, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?”
- 1 Sam 17:22Then David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 29:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.