Genesis 30:36 kjv

And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

Genesis 30:36 nkjv

Then he put three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

Genesis 30:36 niv

Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban's flocks.

Genesis 30:36 esv

And he set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban's flock.

Genesis 30:36 nlt

who took them a three-days' journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban's flock.

Genesis 30 verses

Genesis 30 36 Meaning

Genesis 30:36 describes Laban's deliberate action to separate himself and the solid-colored majority of his flocks from Jacob and the new flock born according to their agreement, creating a "three days' journey" distance. Despite this attempted manipulation by Laban to secure his assets and control the breeding outcomes, Jacob diligently continued to care for Laban's remaining flocks, highlighting both Laban's mistrust and Jacob's unwavering labor under the new terms of their contract, while God's supernatural blessing was at work to ensure Jacob's prosperity.

Genesis 30 36 Context

Genesis chapter 30 concludes the account of Jacob's extensive family building, particularly through his wives and their maidservants, establishing the twelve tribes of Israel. The latter part of the chapter focuses on Jacob's ingenious negotiation with Laban for wages after his original fourteen years of service for Leah and Rachel. Jacob proposes that his wages will be the uniquely marked sheep and goats (speckled, spotted, and dark-colored lambs among the sheep). Laban, eager to maintain his wealth, agrees, believing such animals would be rare. However, immediately after the agreement, Laban attempts to further secure his advantage by removing all existing spotted and speckled animals and putting them under the care of his sons, moving them "three days' journey" away from Jacob. This verse describes this calculated separation by Laban, leaving Jacob to only breed from the plain-colored flocks, which, by human calculation, would produce fewer spotted/speckled offspring. This act reveals Laban's persistent suspicion and deceit, trying to thwart any potential blessing on Jacob.

Genesis 30 36 Word analysis

• And he put: Vayyāšem (וַיָּשֶׂם) from the Hebrew verb sîm/śûm, meaning "to set," "to place," "to put." This emphasizes Laban's deliberate and decisive action. It signifies a calculated maneuver on Laban's part, aimed at controlling the circumstances to his own advantage and preventing any "supernatural" or perceived unfair accumulation of wealth by Jacob.
• three days' journey: Šəlōšeṯ yāmîm (שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים) - "three days." Dereḵ yōm (דֶּרֶךְ יוֹם) means "a day's journey," a common ancient unit of distance, typically signifying a substantial distance that would require a significant amount of travel time. In this context, it highlights Laban's effort to create a substantial physical separation between the 'base' flock (Laban's main herd) and Jacob's care, intending to minimize Jacob's influence on the breeding of the main flock and keep him away from animals that could potentially become Jacob's property. The distance reflects Laban's deep mistrust and his attempt to remove any potential for trickery he might suspect from Jacob, or to prevent a seemingly natural transfer of desirable traits.
• between himself and Jacob: This phrase clearly demarcates the spatial separation engineered by Laban. It signifies a purposeful estrangement and highlights the adversarial nature of their relationship. Laban seeks to establish a clear boundary, assuming physical distance equates to control and reduced risk of financial loss on his part.
• and Jacob was pasturing: VəYaʿăqōḇ rōʿeh (וְיַעֲקֹב רֹעֶה). Rōʿeh is the present participle of rāʿāh (רָעָה), "to pasture," "to shepherd." This indicates Jacob's continuous and ongoing work. Despite Laban's cunning and unfair measures, Jacob diligently continued his duties as a shepherd. This shows Jacob's faithfulness to his end of the bargain, trusting that God would work despite the adverse conditions.
• the rest of Laban's flocks: ʾeṯ-yeṯer ṣōʾn Lāḇān (אֶת־יֶתֶר צֹאן לָבָן). Yeṯer (יֶתֶר) means "the remainder" or "what is left over." This refers specifically to the plain-colored, un-spotted/un-speckled animals that were clearly Laban's property and were not part of the initial "spotted/speckled" agreement. This stresses that Jacob was still obligated to care for Laban's main assets, the vast majority of the flock, while the highly valuable (for Jacob) patterned animals had been moved away, emphasizing the difficult and unfair conditions under which Jacob continued to work.

Genesis 30 36 Bonus section

• The "three days' journey" could be seen as a legal or customary measure in ancient Near Eastern contracts to establish clear separation or ownership boundaries, though here it is driven by Laban's suspicion rather than mutual consent for equitable division.
• While Jacob's subsequent actions with the striped rods might seem like a natural explanation for his success, later in Gen 31:7-12, God explicitly tells Jacob that He personally ensured the stronger, marked animals were born, appearing in Jacob's dream. This reveals that the true cause of Jacob's immense prosperity was not a superficial breeding trick, but a miraculous divine intervention directly counteracting Laban's deceit, thus highlighting God's faithfulness to His covenant promises to Jacob (e.g., Gen 28:15).
• This separation by Laban unwittingly facilitated God's plan. By ensuring that Jacob managed a distinct flock away from the bulk of Laban's sheep, it made it easier for the miraculous increase in the speckled and spotted animals to be clearly identifiable as Jacob's portion, underscoring the divine nature of the blessing.

Genesis 30 36 Commentary

Laban's actions in Genesis 30:36 reveal his avarice and manipulative nature, thinking he could outwit Jacob by separating the main flock from him with a "three days' journey" distance. This separation was an explicit measure to prevent any genetic mingling or 'magical' influence that Laban might have attributed to Jacob concerning the desired speckled and spotted animals. He intended to secure all "strong" (fertile, healthy) animals for himself and leave Jacob with what he considered less desirable breeding stock. However, this human cunning failed to account for divine sovereignty. The subsequent verses reveal that despite Laban's meticulous efforts to ensure Jacob's continued lack of wealth, God intervened powerfully, causing the stronger animals to conceive spotted and speckled offspring directly within Jacob's separate flock (Gen 30:41-42), and changing the normal laws of inheritance in breeding (as further clarified in Gen 31:7-12). This verse thus sets the stage for a dramatic display of God's faithfulness to Jacob's covenant, where divine blessing supersedes human strategy and avarice, transforming disadvantaged circumstances into immense prosperity. It highlights Jacob's persistent diligence even when facing deception, affirming that God often works through faithful labor amidst injustice.