Bible Strands
Genesis 24:29
Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Rebekah has just reported the stranger's words and gifts to her household, prompting her brother Laban to leave the family compound and head to the spring. The narrative moment captures the immediate aftermath of Rebekah's report.
The words — The Hebrew אָח ('ach) identifies Laban as Rebekah's brother, while וַיָּרָץ (va.ya.ratetz) describes his rapid movement toward the stranger. These terms anchor the scene in kinship ties and urgent physical response.
The thread — Laban appears again in Genesis 24:55 when he and Rebekah's mother propose a ten-day delay before her departure, and in Genesis 29:13 when he runs to greet his nephew Jacob. Genesis 29:5 records a question confirming others know Laban, establishing his regional presence.
Why it lands — The text records Laban's swift physical response to a stranger's actions without explaining his internal motives. Readers observe how immediate family reaction directly advances the covenant narrative's next phase.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
Cross-references
- Genesis 29:5 “Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked. “We know him,” they replied.
- Genesis 24:55 But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”
- Genesis 29:13 When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him all that had happened.
- Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”