(15) When Pharaoh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moses; but Moses fled from Pharaoh. He arrived*arrived Lit. “sat” or “settled.” in the land of Midian, and sat down beside a well.

(32) “He settled in the land of Midyan, and sat alongside the well.” He learned the way of the patriarchs. Three were paired with their mates at the well; Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. Regarding Isaac, it is written: “Isaac came from going to Be’er [laḥai ro’i]” (Genesis 24:62). Moreover, Rebecca met Eliezer near the spring. Jacob, “he saw, and behold, there was a well in the field” (Genesis 29:2).

The Journey begins

(1) So Isaac sent for Jacob and blessed him. He instructed him, saying, “You shall not take a wife from among the Canaanite women. (2) Up, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and take a wife there from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. (3) May El Shaddai*El Shaddai See note at 17.1. bless you, make you fertile and numerous, so that you become an assembly of peoples.

The Journey continues

(1) Jacob resumed his journey*resumed his journey Lit. “lifted up his feet.” and came to the land of the Easterners. (2) There before his eyes was a well in the open. Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, for the flocks were watered from that well. The stone on the mouth of the well was large. (3) When all the flocks were gathered there, the stone would be rolled from the mouth of the well and the sheep watered; then the stone would be put back in its place on the mouth of the well.

(1) ונאספו [AND THITHER WERE ALL THE DROVES] GATHERED — they regularly gathered there because the stone was a heavy one

(1) AND THEY ROLLED THE STONE. The shepherds rolled the stone.

(4) Jacob said to them, “My friends, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.” (5) He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “Yes, we do.” (6) He continued, “Is he well?” They answered, “Yes, he is; and there is his daughter Rachel, coming with the flock.” (7) He said, “It is still broad daylight, too early to round up the animals; water the flock and take them to pasture.” (8) But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are rounded up; then the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well and we water the sheep.”

Woman at the well

(9) While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s flock—for she was its shepherd.

Draws water

(10) And when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle*uncle Lit. “mother’s brother.” Laban, and the flock of his uncle Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of his uncle Laban. (11) Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and broke into tears.

(1) וישק יעקב לרחל, “Yaakov kissed Rachel, etc. The reason the Torah referred to Rachel as קטנה, “small,” is that she was still a minor and Yaakov could not consummate marriage vows with her. This was the reason Lavan was not worried to hand his flocks to her instead of to his already adult daughter Leah who was liable to be molested by the male shepherds on account of her age. We should also note that Yaakov did not kiss Rachel on the mouth but on the head or the shoulder, suggesting that there was no sexual element in that kiss (Ibn Ezra).

((2) ויבך, he wept for joy. When close relatives meet after not having seen each other for a while, their emotional cup runs over so that they find it hard to control their feelings and they give way to them by crying for joy.

News

(12) Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father. (13) On hearing the news of his sister’s son Jacob, Laban ran to greet him; he embraced him and kissed him, and took him into his house. He told Laban all that had happened,

Hospitality

(14) and Laban said to him, “You are truly my bone and flesh.” When he had stayed with him a month’s time,

Joining

(15) Laban said to Jacob, “Just because you are a kinsman, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” (16) Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older one was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. (17) Leah had weak eyes; Rachel was shapely and beautiful. (18) Jacob loved Rachel; so he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” (19) Laban said, “Better that I give her to you than that I should give her to an outsider. Stay with me.” (20) So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her. (21) Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is fulfilled, that I may cohabit with her.” (22) And Laban gathered all the people of the place*people of the place Or “the locals” or “the local dignitaries,” whose presence clearly validated a marriage; Heb. ’anshe ha-maqom. See the Dictionary under ’ish. and made a feast.

(28) The maiden ran and told all this to her mother’s household. (29) Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man at the spring—

(6) Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quick, three seahs of choice flour! Knead and make cakes!” (7) Then Abraham ran to the herd, took a calf, tender and choice, and gave it to a servant-boy, who hastened to prepare it.