Genesis 31:4
in Genesis 31So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,
KJV
And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,
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This verse in Genesis 31
Commentary
5 notes on this verseJacob sent and called Rachel and Leah - He had probably been at some considerable distance with the flocks; and for the greater secrecy, he rather sends for them to the field, to consult them on this most momentous affair, than visit them in their tents, where probably some of the family of Laban might overhear their conversation, though Laban himself was at the time three days’ journey off.
This site's exposition
called Rachel and Leah to the field
on Genesis 31:4-6
Jacob calls Rachel and Leah out to the field where his flocks were. Clarke reads the meeting place as deliberate, away from the ears of Laban's household. He tells them their father's attitude toward him has changed. The God of his father has been with him all the same.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
He was but a churl at the best, but now he was more churlish than formerly. Note, Envy is a sin that often appears in the countenance; hence we read of an evil eye, Prov. xxiii.
And Jacob sent,.... Having this encouragement and direction from the Lord, which seems to have been given him in the field, while he was attending his flocks, he dispatched a messenger home to his wives, one of his servants or under shepherds.
Where there is a mutual affection there will be a mutual confidence. And the prudence of the wife should engage the heart of her husband to trust in her, Prov. xxxi.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח | vaiyishlach | and he sent | H7971 → | 845 times |
| יַעֲקֹ֔ב | yaako | Jacob | H3290 → | 350 times |
| וַיִּקְרָ֖א | vaiyikra' | and he summoned | H7121 → | 733 times |
| לְרָחֵ֣ל | lerachel | <to> Rachel | H7354 → | 47 times |
| וּלְלֵאָ֑ה | uleleah | and <to> Leah | H3812 → | 34 times |
| הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה | hasadeh | the field | H7704 → | 334 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| צֹאנֽוֹ׃ | tzono | flock his | H6629 → | 274 times |
וַיִּשְׁלַ֣חand he sent
vaiyishlachH7971 →845 times
יַעֲקֹ֔בJacob
yaakoH3290 →350 times
וַיִּקְרָ֖אand he summoned
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
לְרָחֵ֣ל<to> Rachel
lerachelH7354 →47 times
וּלְלֵאָ֑הand <to> Leah
uleleahH3812 →34 times
הַשָּׂדֶ֖הthe field
hasadehH7704 →334 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
צֹאנֽוֹ׃flock his
tzonoH6629 →274 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Genesis
Who and where
3 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPatriarchsLeahJacob's unloved first wife, on whom the LORD's eye fell — the mother of Judah, the messianic tribe, and of Levi, the priestly trib…
- PersonPatriarchsRachelJacob's beloved wife; mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who dies on the road to Bethlehem — later wept for in the prophets (Jer 31:15…
- PersonPatriarchsJacobThe heel-grasping supplanter reshaped at Peniel into 'Israel, he who strives with God' — father of the twelve tribes.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.