Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version “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.” New Living Translation “We can’t water the animals until all the flocks have arrived,” they replied. “Then the shepherds move the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water all the sheep and goats.” English Standard Version But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.” Berean Standard Bible But they replied, “We cannot, until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.” Berean Literal Bible And they said, “We are not able until that all the flocks are gathered together and they have rolled the stone from the mouth of the well; then we will water the sheep.” King James Bible And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. New King James Version But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.” New American Standard Bible But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.” NASB 1995 But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.” NASB 1977 But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.” Legacy Standard Bible But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we give water to the sheep to drink.” Amplified Bible But they said, “We cannot [leave] until all the flocks are gathered together, and the shepherds roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we will water the sheep.” Berean Annotated Bible But they replied, “We cannot, until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep. Christian Standard Bible But they replied, “We can’t until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone is rolled from the well’s opening. Then we will water the sheep.” Holman Christian Standard Bible But they replied, “We can’t until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone is rolled from the well’s opening. Then we will water the sheep.” American Standard Version And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. Contemporary English Version But they replied, "We can't do that until they all get here, and the rock has been rolled away from the well." English Revised Version And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. GOD'S WORD® Translation They replied, "We can't until all the flocks are gathered. When the stone is rolled off the opening of the well, we can water the sheep." Good News Translation They answered, "We can't do that until all the flocks are here and the stone has been rolled back; then we will water the flocks." International Standard Version But they responded, "We can't do that until all the sheep have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the opening of the well. Only then can we water the flock." NET Bible "We can't," they said, "until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water the sheep." New Heart English Bible They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep." Webster's Bible Translation And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks are collected, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleBut they replied, “We cannot, until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.” World English Bible They said, “We can’t, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well’s mouth. Then we will water the sheep.” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd they say, “We are not able, until all the droves be gathered together, and they have rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well, and we have watered the flock.” Berean Literal Bible And they said, “We are not able until that all the flocks are gathered together and they have rolled the stone from the mouth of the well; then we will water the sheep.” Young's Literal Translation And they say, 'We are not able, till that all the droves be gathered together, and they have rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well, and we have watered the flock.' Smith's Literal Translation And they will say, We shall not be able, till that all the flocks shall be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; and we water the sheep. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThey answered: We cannot, till all the cattle be gathered together, and we remove the stone from the well's mouth, that we may water the flocks. Catholic Public Domain Version They responded, “We cannot, until all the animals are gathered together and we remove the stone from the mouth of the well, so that we may water the flocks.” New American Bible They replied, “We cannot until all the shepherds are here to roll the stone away from the mouth of the well; then can we water the flocks.” New Revised Standard Version But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd they said, We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the shepherds roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated They were saying to him, “We cannot until all of the flocks assemble, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well and we give drink to the sheep.” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And they said: 'We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.' Brenton Septuagint Translation And they said, We shall not be able, until all the shepherds be gathered together, and they shall roll away the stone from the mouth of the well, then we will water the flocks. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Jacob Meets Rachel…7“Look,” said Jacob, “it is still broad daylight; it is not yet time to gather the livestock. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.” 8But they replied, “We cannot, until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.” 9While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.… Cross References But they replied, Genesis 24:50-51 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter. / Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has decreed.” Ruth 4:11-12 “We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem. / And may your house become like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the LORD will give you by this young woman.” “We cannot, until all the flocks have been gathered Ezekiel 34:12-13 As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. / I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the settlements of the land. Jeremiah 31:10 Hear, O nations, the word of the LORD, and proclaim it in distant coastlands: “The One who scattered Israel will gather them and keep them as a shepherd keeps his flock. Zechariah 10:8 I will whistle for them to gather, for I have redeemed them; and they will be as numerous as they once were. and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Genesis 24:11 As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water. Mark 16:3-4 They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?” / But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, even though it was extremely large. Then we will water the sheep.” Exodus 2:16-17 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. / And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock. Genesis 24:19-20 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.” / And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels. Psalm 23:1-2 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. / He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. Exodus 2:17 And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock. John 4:6-7 Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. / When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” John 4:10-14 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” / “Sir,” the woman replied, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water? / Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?” … John 10:3-4 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. / When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. Isaiah 40:11 He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes. Ezekiel 34:13-15 I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the settlements of the land. / I will feed them in good pasture, and the lofty mountains of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in a good grazing land; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. / I will tend My flock and make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. Treasury of Scripture And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. until. Genesis 29:3 And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place. Genesis 34:14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: Genesis 43:32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. roll. Mark 16:3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? Luke 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. Jump to Previous Able Collected Flock Flocks Gathered Mouth Roll Rolled Sheep Stone Together Water Watered Water-Hole Well'sJump to Next Able Collected Flock Flocks Gathered Mouth Roll Rolled Sheep Stone Together Water Watered Water-Hole Well'sGenesis 29 1. Jacob comes to the well of Haran.9. He becomes acquainted with Rachel. 13. Laban entertains him. 18. Jacob covenants for Rachel. 23. He is deceived by Laban with Leah. 28. He marries also Rachel, and serves for her seven years more. 32. Leah bears Reuben; 33. Simeon; 34. Levi; 35. and Judah. But they replied This phrase indicates a response from the shepherds to Jacob. In the context of Genesis 29, Jacob has arrived in Haran and is speaking with local shepherds. The dialogue reflects the communal nature of shepherding in ancient times, where cooperation was necessary for tasks like watering flocks. We cannot, until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well Then we will water the sheep Persons / Places / Events 1. JacobThe central figure in this chapter, Jacob is on a journey to find a wife from his mother's family. He encounters shepherds at a well, which is a significant meeting place in biblical accounts. 2. Shepherds These are the men Jacob meets at the well. They are responsible for tending to the flocks and are waiting for all the flocks to gather before removing the stone from the well. 3. The Well A critical location in the account, the well represents a place of provision and community gathering. It is covered by a large stone that requires multiple people to move. 4. The Stone Symbolic of obstacles that require collective effort to overcome, the stone covering the well's mouth must be moved to access the water. 5. The Flocks Representing the wealth and livelihood of the people, the flocks are dependent on the water from the well, highlighting the importance of cooperation and timing. Teaching Points The Importance of Community and CooperationThe shepherds' response to Jacob underscores the necessity of working together to achieve common goals. In our lives, we should seek to foster community and collaboration. Patience and Timing in God's Plan The need to wait for all the flocks to gather before removing the stone teaches us about the importance of patience and God's perfect timing in our lives. Overcoming Obstacles with Collective Effort The stone represents challenges that may seem insurmountable alone but can be overcome with the help of others. We should not hesitate to seek support from our community. Divine Encounters in Everyday Places Just as Jacob's life was significantly impacted by his encounter at the well, we should be open to divine appointments in our daily routines. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Genesis 29:8?2. How does Genesis 29:8 demonstrate patience in God's timing for our lives? 3. What does "until all the flocks are gathered" teach about community cooperation? 4. How can we apply the shepherds' obedience in Genesis 29:8 to our faith? 5. In what ways does Genesis 29:8 connect to waiting on God's promises elsewhere? 6. How can we emulate the shepherds' respect for tradition in our daily actions? 7. Why did Jacob wait for the stone to be moved in Genesis 29:8? 8. What does Genesis 29:8 reveal about ancient shepherding practices? 9. How does Genesis 29:8 reflect on community cooperation in biblical times? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Genesis 29? 11. How did Jacob end up marrying both Leah and Rachel? 12. What is Mizpah's significance in the Bible? 13. Genesis 29:2–3: How plausible is it for Jacob alone to remove a stone that typically required multiple shepherds? 14. If 'clean' and 'unclean' animals (Genesis 7:2) were not defined until later, why are they mentioned here? What Does Genesis 29:8 Mean But they repliedThe scene opens with a straightforward response from the local shepherds to Jacob’s suggestion that they water their sheep right away. • Their reply shows an established routine already in place, reminding us of similar moments where travelers respect local customs (Genesis 24:11–14; Acts 21:23–24). • Conversation in Scripture often reveals hearts (Proverbs 15:23) and sets up divine appointments—here, it paves the way for Jacob to meet Rachel (Genesis 29:9–12). We cannot The shepherds confess their inability, not unwillingness. • A practical limitation—moving the heavy stone requires several hands (Genesis 29:3). • Spiritually, Scripture often pairs human inability with God-provided strength (2 Chronicles 20:12; John 15:5). Jacob himself will shortly step in and do what they “cannot” (Genesis 29:10), previewing God’s empowering of His servants (Philippians 4:13). until all the flocks have been gathered Timing matters. The well was likely on common ground, and fairness demanded everyone be present. • Gathering language echoes God’s future work: “I have other sheep… they will become one flock” (John 10:16) and the final assembling of His people (Isaiah 40:11). • Patience and order protect resources and relationships—principles repeated in passages like 1 Corinthians 14:40. and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well A literal boulder kept the water clean and guarded ownership rights. • Stones mark turning points in Scripture: rolled away here by Jacob’s strength (Genesis 29:10); rolled from Jesus’ tomb by angelic power (Mark 16:4). • Wells symbolize life and blessing (Genesis 26:18–22; John 4:6–14). The obstructing stone pictures barriers only God—or His chosen servant—can remove (Psalm 62:2; 1 Corinthians 10:4). Then we will water the sheep Once the conditions are met, life-giving water flows. • Shepherds serving flocks foreshadow leaders who feed God’s people (Ezekiel 34:23; John 21:15–17). • The sequence—gathering, removing the stone, refreshing—mirrors the gospel pattern: Christ gathers, removes sin’s barrier, and gives living water (Revelation 7:17). summary Genesis 29:8 describes a simple pastoral custom that God uses to reveal deeper truths. The shepherds’ orderly practice sets the stage for Jacob’s decisive act, portrays fair stewardship, and quietly anticipates greater moments when God removes obstacles to bless His flock. The verse invites us to trust the Lord’s timing, recognize our limitations, and rejoice that He alone rolls away every stone that blocks the flow of His living water. (8) And till they roll the stone . . . --More correctly, then they roll the stone from the well's mouth, and we water the sheep. As soon as the flocks were all collected round the well the stone is removed. and all in their turn give their sheep water.Verse 8. - And they said, We cannot, - not because of any physical difficulty (Kalisch), since three men could easily have accomplished what Jacob by himself did, but because they had agreed not to do so (Rosenmüller, Murphy), but to wait - until all the flocks be gathered together (when the watering was done at once, instead of at so many different times), and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; - more correctly rendered, and (sc. then, i.e. when the flocks are assembled) they (i.e. the shepherds) roll away the stone - then (or, and) we water the sheep. The object of watering the flocks collectively may have been, as above stated, for convenience, or to prevent the well from being opened too frequently, in which case dust might rapidly accumulate within it (Kalisch), or perhaps to secure an equal distribution of the water (Murphy).Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew But they replied,וַיֹּאמְרוּ֮ (way·yō·mə·rū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 559: To utter, say “We cannot, לֹ֣א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no until עַ֣ד (‘aḏ) Preposition Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while all כָּל־ (kāl-) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every the flocks הָ֣עֲדָרִ֔ים (hā·‘ă·ḏā·rîm) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 5739: An arrangement, muster have been gathered יֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ (yê·’ā·sə·p̄ū) Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove and the stone הָאֶ֔בֶן (hā·’e·ḇen) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 68: A stone has been rolled וְגָֽלֲלוּ֙ (wə·ḡā·lă·lū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Strong's 1556: To roll, roll away away from מֵעַ֖ל (mê·‘al) Preposition-m Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against the mouth פִּ֣י (pî) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to of the well. הַבְּאֵ֑ר (hab·bə·’êr) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 875: A pit, a well Then we will water וְהִשְׁקִ֖ינוּ (wə·hiš·qî·nū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common plural Strong's 8248: To quaff, to irrigate, furnish a, potion to the sheep.” הַצֹּֽאן׃ (haṣ·ṣōn) Article | Noun - common singular Strong's 6629: Small cattle, sheep and goats, flock Links Genesis 29:8 NIVGenesis 29:8 NLT Genesis 29:8 ESV Genesis 29:8 NASB Genesis 29:8 KJV Genesis 29:8 BibleApps.com Genesis 29:8 Biblia Paralela Genesis 29:8 Chinese Bible Genesis 29:8 French Bible Genesis 29:8 Catholic Bible OT Law: Genesis 29:8 They said We can't until all (Gen. 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