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.
8. We cannot ] The local custom was not to be broken. All the flocks were to be collected, before any were to be watered; and then those who had come first had the privilege of watering their flocks first.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 8. We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together] It is a rule that the stone shall not be removed till all the shepherds and the flocks which have a right to this well be gathered together; then, and not before, we may water the sheep. See Clarke on Ge 29:3.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Either because of the greatness of the stone, which they could not remove till more help came; or rather because of the custom, order, and agreement made amongst themselves about it.
We cannot, to wit, rightly; or we may not, as that word is used, Ge 34:14; 43:32; 44:26.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. They said, We cannot, until allthe flocks be gatheredIn order to prevent the consequences oftoo frequent exposure in places where water is scarce, the well isnot only covered, but it is customary to have all the flockscollected round it before the covering is removed in presence of theowner or one of his representatives; and it was for this reason thatthose who were reposing at the well of Haran with the three flockswere waiting the arrival of Rachel.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And they said, we cannot,…. That is, water the sheep; either because the stone was a great one, as Jarchi observes, and therefore used to be removed by the joint strength of all the shepherds when they came together, though Jacob rolled it away of himself afterwards; but this is imputed to his great strength: or rather it was a custom that obtained among them, or an agreement made between them, that the stone should not be removed from the mouth of the well, and any flock watered,
until all the flocks be gathered together; and therefore they could not fairly and rightly do it, without violating the law and custom among them:
and [till] they roll the stone from the well’s mouth; that is, the shepherds of the several flocks:
then we water the sheep; and not till then.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(8) And till they roll the stone . . . More correctly, then they roll the stone from the wells 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.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. We cannot There was an understanding among them that the stone should not be removed until all the flocks were gathered together. Thus all the shepherds and all the flocks would share equally, and each party prevented from taking any advantage of the other .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well’s mouth. Then we water the sheep.” ’
The answer was that it was because the stone could not be moved. This may have been because there were not enough men there to move the stone. Most of the keepers of the sheep were probably women. Alternately it may have been because it was part of the agreement in respect of the private well that the stone not be removed until all were present. But we are probably intended to get the idea of the diligence of Jacob compared with the dilatoriness of the shepherds.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
How the Lord directed Jacob’s way! Psa 32:8 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 29:8 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.
Ver. 8. We cannot, until all the flocks. ] As we are not, by the example of these shepherds, to enterprise things above our strength, Psa 131:1 so neither to be discouraged by every difficulty; but to lend, and borrow help one of another; each man “pleasing his neighbour for his good, and serving him in love, to edification”. Rom 14:1-2
“ Divisae his operae, sed mens fuit unica, pavit
Ore Lutherus oves, flore Melancthon apes .”
until: Gen 29:3, Gen 34:14, Gen 43:32
roll: Mar 16:3, Luk 24:2
Reciprocal: Gen 21:25 – reproved
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge