Genesis 29:8
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.”

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.”

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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
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.”

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.

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."

Douay-Rheims Bible
They 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.

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."

JPS Tanakh 1917
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.'

Literal Standard Version
And 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.”

Majority 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.”

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.”

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 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.”

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.

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.”

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.'

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
Genesis 29:7
"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."

Genesis 29:9
While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

1 Samuel 9:11
And as they were climbing the hill to the city, they met some young women coming out to draw water and asked, "Is the seer here?"


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.

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Able Collected Flock Flocks Gathered Mouth Roll Rolled Sheep Stone Together Water Watered Water-Hole Well's
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Able Collected Flock Flocks Gathered Mouth Roll Rolled Sheep Stone Together Water Watered Water-Hole Well's
Genesis 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.














(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


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OT Law: Genesis 29:8 They said We can't until all (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 29:7
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