4 And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, "My brothers, where are you from?" "We're from Harran," they replied.
4 Jacob said to them, "My brothers, where do you come from?" They said, "We are from Haran."
4 Jacob said, "Hello friends. Where are you from?" They said, "We're from Haran."
4 And Jacob said to them, "My brethren, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from Haran."
4 Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked, "Where are you from, my friends?" "We are from Haran," they answered.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 29:4
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.