And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the 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.”
- BSB “Is he well?” Jacob inquired. “Yes,” they answered, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with his 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 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 20:9And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.
- Exod 18:7And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.
- 1 Sam 25:5And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:
- Gen 37:14And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
- Gen 43:27And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
- 1 Sam 17:22And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
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.