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.”
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.
- 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.”
- 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 20:9Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
- Exod 18:7Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.
- 1 Sam 25:5David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name.
- Gen 37:14He said to him, “Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock; and bring me word again.” So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
- Gen 43:27He asked them of their welfare, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive?”
- 1 Sam 17:22David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.