Genesis 29:7

7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

Genesis 29:7 in Other Translations

7 And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.

7 He said, "Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them."

7 Jacob said, “Look, it’s still broad daylight—too early to round up the animals. Why don’t you water the sheep and goats so they can get back out to pasture?”

7 Jacob said, "There's a lot of daylight still left; it isn't time to round up the sheep yet, is it? So why not water the flocks and go back to grazing?"

7 And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together. Water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.

7 "It's still the middle of the day," he said. "It isn't time yet to gather the livestock. Water the sheep. Then let them graze."

7 Then Jacob said, "Look, it is still broad daylight. It's not time for the animals to be gathered. Water the flock, then go out and let them graze."

7 "Look," he said, "the sun is still high in the sky. It's not time for the flocks to be brought together. Give water to the sheep and take them back to the grasslands."

Genesis 29:7 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 29:7

And he said, lo, [it is] yet high day
Noonday, when the sun is highest; at which time in those hot countries flocks used to be made to lie down in shady places, and by still waters, to which the allusion is in ( Psalms 23:2 ) ( Song of Solomon 1:7 ) ; or however the sun was still up very high, and there was a great deal of the day yet to come; for so the phrase is, "yet the day is great" or "much" ^F3, a long time still untonight:

neither [is it] time that the cattle should be gathered together;
off of the pastures, to be had home, and put into folds, which was usually done in the evening:

water ye the sheep, and go [and] feed [them];
give them water out of the well to drink, and then lead them out the pastures, and let them feed until the night is coming on: this he said not in an authoritative way, or in a surly ill natured manner, and as reproving them for their slothfulness; but kindly and gently giving his advice, who was a shepherd himself, and knew what was proper to be done; and this appears by the shepherds taking in good part what he said, and returning a civil answer.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 (lwdg) "magnus", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; "multus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt; "multum adhuc suparet diei", Vatablus.

Genesis 29:7 In-Context

5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” “Yes, we know him,” they answered.

6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?” “Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”

9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd.