Genesis 30:31

31 And he sayde: what shall I geue the? And Iacob answerd: thou shalt geue me nothinge at all yf thou wilt do this one thinge for me: And then will I turne agayne and fede thy shepe and kepe them.

Genesis 30:31 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 30:31

And he said, what shall I give thee?
&c.] So said Laban to Jacob, still avoiding making any offer himself, but waiting for Jacob, and pressing upon him to fix his wages: and Jacob said, thou shalt not give me anything;
a speech Laban liked very well: his meaning is, that he should give him no certain settled salary, nor even of anything that Laban was now possessed of, and God had blessed him with for his sake he did not desire any part of it; but if thou wilt do this thing for me;
which he was about to mention, and does in ( Genesis 30:32 ) ; I will again feed [and] keep thy flock;
there is an elegance in the original; "I will return, I will feed, I will keep thy flock": it seems by this that Jacob had relinquished the care of the flock, upon the time of his servitude being out; but, upon the following condition, proposes to return to it, lead it out to the pastures, and feed it on them, and keep it night and day, as he had used to do.

Genesis 30:31 In-Context

29 But he sayde vnto hym thou knowest what seruyce I haue done ye and in what takynge thy catell haue bene vnder me:

30 for it was but litle that thou haddest before I came and now it is encreased in to a multitude and the LORDE hath blessed the for my sake.But now when shall I make provysion for myne awne house also?

31 And he sayde: what shall I geue the? And Iacob answerd: thou shalt geue me nothinge at all yf thou wilt do this one thinge for me: And then will I turne agayne and fede thy shepe and kepe them.

32 I will go aboute all thy shepe this daye and separate fro the all the shepe that are spotted and of dyverse coloures and all blacke shepe amonge the lambes and the partie and spotted amonge the kyddes: And then such shalbe my rewarde.

33 So shall my rightwesnes answere for me: when the tyme commeth that I shall receaue my rewarde of the: So that what soeuer is not speckeld and partie amonge the gootes and blacke amonge the lambes let that be theft with me.