291 Then Jacob went on his journey till he came to the land of the children of the East. 2 And there he saw a water-hole in a field, and by the side of it three flocks of sheep, for there they got water for the sheep: and on the mouth of the water-hole there was a great stone. 3 And all the flocks would come together there, and when the stone had been rolled away, they would give the sheep water, and put the stone back again in its place on the mouth of the water-hole. 4 Then Jacob said to the herdmen, My brothers, where do you come from? And they said, From Haran. 5 And he said to them, Have you any knowledge of Laban, the son of Nahor? And they said, We have. 6 And he said to them, Is he well? And they said, He is well, and here is Rachel his daughter coming with the sheep. 7 Then Jacob said, The sun is still high and it is not time to get the cattle together: get water for the sheep and go and give them their food.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 29:1-7
Commentary on Genesis 29:1-8
(Read Genesis 29:1-8)
Jacob proceeded cheerfully in his journey, after the sweet communion he had with God at Beth-el. Providence brought him to the field where his uncle's flocks were to be watered. What is said of the care of the shepherds for their sheep, may remind us of the tender concern which our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, has for his flock the church; for he is the good Shepherd, that knows his sheep, and is known of them. The stone at the well's mouth was to secure it; water was scarce, it was not there for every one's use: but separate interests should not take us from helping one another. When all the shepherds came together with their flocks, then, like loving neighbours, they watered their flocks together. The law of kindness in the tongue has a commanding power, Proverbs 31:26. Jacob was civil to these strangers, and he found them civil to him.