And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
11. Jacob kissed wept ] This demonstrative display of feeling is Homeric in its simplicity. The suddenness of Jacob’s opportune meeting with his relatives, the removal of doubt and anxiety from his mind on entering a strange country, and the apparition of his young and fair cousin, had all deeply stirred his emotional nature. Cf. the tears of Joseph, Gen 45:2; Gen 45:14.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 11. Jacob kissed Rachel] A simple and pure method by which the primitive inhabitants of the earth testified their friendship to each other, first abused by hypocrites, who pretended affection while their vile hearts meditated terror, (see the case of Joab,) and afterwards disgraced by refiners on morals, who, while they pretended to stumble at those innocent expressions of affection and friendship, were capable of committing the grossest acts of impurity.
And lifted up his voice] It may be, in thanksgiving to God for the favour he had shown him, in conducting him thus far in peace and safety.
And wept.] From a sense of the goodness of his heavenly Father, and his own unworthiness of the success with which he had been favoured. The same expressions of kindness and pure affection are repeated on the part of Laban, Ge 29:13.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Jacob kissed Rachel, as the custom of friends then was, both at their first meeting, as Ge 29:13; Ge 33:4; Ex 4:27; 18:7, and at their departure, as Ru 1:14; 1Sa 20:41; 1Ki 19:20.
Wept tears of joy, like those Ge 33:4, at the gracious providence of God to him, which had brought him safe to his desired place, and so happily and strangely conducted him to that person and family which was so desirable and dear to him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And Jacob kissed Rachel,…. Which he did in a way of courtesy and civility; this was done after he had acquainted her with his relation to her; he saluted her upon that:
and lifted up his voice, and wept; for joy at the providence of God that had brought him so opportunely to the place, and at the sight of a person so nearly related to him; and who he hoped would be his wife, and was the person designed of God for him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(11) Jacob kissed Rachel . . . and wept.Jacob first made himself, useful to Rachel, and then discloses to her who he is, claims her as a cousin, and kisses her. Then, overcome with joy at this happy termination of his long journey, and at finding himself among relatives, he can restrain his feelings no longer, but bursts into tears. In this outburst of emotion we see the commencement of his lifelong affection for the beautiful child whom he thus opportunely met.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. Kissed and wept “Delight and sorrow mingled in his heart, and, overwhelmed by his feelings, he paid his tribute to nature by a spontaneous flood of tears . ” Kalisch .
‘And Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted up his voice and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother and that he was Rebekah’s son. And she ran and told her father.’
The meeting is emotional. In days when families were often out of touch for years such scenes were a regular feature of life when they came together. It must be considered certain that Jacob had said something introductory before he kissed Rachel, something like “I am your cousin’. He has after all gone to great trouble to water her sheep and this would hardly be done without saying anything. But after his rapturous welcome he then explains his relationship in more detail. Then, quite excited for she will have heard of her wider family, Rachel runs to tell her father.
“Her father” s brother’, that is, a blood relation, his ‘kinsman’. Strictly he was his nephew. The word for ‘brother’ had a variety of meanings, compare Gen 29:4.
Gen 29:11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
Ver. 11. Lifted up his voice, and wept. ] For joy, that he had so happily lighted upon his kinswoman. It argued also his great affection, and passion of mind, for her sake; love is ecstatical; nec iuris se sinit esse sui. Animus est ubi amat, non ubi animat. a He kisseth Rachel, as if he would have transfused his soul into her: and wept aloud; not as those vain lovers, who ut flerent, oculos erudiere suos :nor as the Brasileans, b whose faculty is such, that tears are for a present salutation, and as soon gone, as if they had said, How do you? but as Joseph wept over Benjamin; the prodigal’s father over him, &c.
a Ovid. Amor ., lib. ii.
b Magni. in Geogr .
kissed. The Eastern greeting.
kissed: Gen 29:13, Gen 27:26, Gen 33:4, Gen 43:30, Gen 45:2, Gen 45:14, Gen 45:15, Exo 4:27, Exo 18:7, Rom 16:16
and wept: Gen 33:4, Gen 43:30, Gen 45:2, Gen 45:14, Gen 45:15
Reciprocal: Gen 21:16 – lift Rth 1:9 – she kissed 1Sa 20:41 – and they kissed Son 1:2 – him Luk 7:45 – gavest
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge