What Does Genesis 24:30 Mean in the King James?
And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Laban sees the gifts and hears Rebekah’s words, but hearing is the hinge that moves him toward the man.
THE MEANING
You see recognition arrive through both what is visible and what is spoken: Laban sees the gifts and hears Rebekah name the encounter. Her words carry him toward the man standing at the well. Here, hearing becomes movement.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It dissolves the belief that hearing is only passive receipt: Rebekah’s words move Laban toward the man.
THE ROOT
שָׁמַע
shamaʿ
GROWS FROM
שמע
To hear, listen, heed, and respond.
“heard” in this verse is shamaʿ. The Hebrew verb can hold hearing and response together. Laban hears Rebekah’s report and immediately goes toward the man, so the verse lets hearing take the shape of movement.
ALSO GROWS
shemaʿ: Hear; listen and respond.
שְׁמַע
This imperative carries the same root’s sense of hearing that calls forth a response.
shemuʿah: A report or tidings; something heard.
שְׁמוּעָה
Rebekah’s words are a report that Laban hears, and that report draws him to the man.
THE PATTERN
Hearing becomes a path of response when the received word draws the hearer into movement.
Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.THE THREAD
And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.The same root שמע (shamaʿ, hear) appears as the servant receives Laban and Bethuel’s words. Laban comes after hearing Rebekah; the servant bows after hearing the family’s answer, and the chapter gives hearing a visible response.
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