Genesis 29:5
in Genesis 29“Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked. “We know him,” they replied.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him.
KJV
And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him.
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This verse in Genesis 29
Commentary
3 notes on this verseAnd he said unto them, know ye Laban the son of Nahor?.... He was the son of Bethuel, and grandson of Nahor; grandsons being called the sons of their grandfather; and Nahor might be more known than Bethuel, Haran being Nahor's city, Gen 24:10; and not Bethuel his mother's father, but Laban her brother is inquired after; perhaps Bethuel was dead, and Laban was the head of the family, and well known, and it was to him he was sent: and they said, we know him; perfectly well; he lives in our city, and is our neighbour.
This site's exposition
My brothers, Jacob asked the shepherds
on Genesis 29:4-6
Jacob asks the shepherds three questions and gets three short answers, and the third comes with Rachel walking toward him. Laban is named here as the grandson of Nahor, Abraham's brother, reaching past his own father Bethuel. Chapter 24 had him running out at the sight of gold.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Laban the son of Nahor - Son is here put for grandson, for Laban was the son of Bethuel the son of Nahor.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָהֶ֔ם | lahem | to <the> them | ||
| הַיְדַעְתֶּ֖ם | hayda'tem | ¿ do you know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לָבָ֣ן | lavan | Laban | H3837 → | 55 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| נָח֑וֹר | nachor | Nahor | H5152 → | 18 times |
| וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יָדָֽעְנוּ׃ | yadaenu | we know [him] | H3045 → | 945 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לָהֶ֔םto <the> them
lahem
הַיְדַעְתֶּ֖ם¿ do you know
hayda'temH3045 →945 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
לָבָ֣ןLaban
lavanH3837 →55 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
נָח֑וֹרNahor
nachorH5152 →18 times
וַיֹּאמְר֖וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
יָדָֽעְנוּ׃we know [him]
yadaenuH3045 →945 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 31:53May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
it leads to
- Genesis 31:42
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen…
- Genesis 16:5
Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me…
- Genesis 11:24–29
When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah.
- Joshua 24:2
And Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your fathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates and…
- Exodus 3:6
Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to…
- Genesis 31:42
Through
Genesis 24:24She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.”
it leads to
- Genesis 24:15
Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.
- Genesis 22:23
And Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.
- Genesis 11:29
And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
- Genesis 24:15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.
