What Does Genesis 30:31 Mean in the King James?
And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:
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
Jacob shifts the measure of a gift from what is handed over to the continuing work of shepherding and guarding the flock.
THE MEANING
Value appears here as ongoing care: Jacob asks for no gift at the outset and offers to feed and keep the flock. The verse holds provision and watchfulness together as the work by which the agreement takes shape.
THE ROOT
אֶרְעֶה
’er‘eh I will
GROWS FROM
רעה
r-ʿ-h
To pasture, tend, or shepherd.
The verb rendered “feed” belongs to the same root used for shepherding and tending a flock; it describes sustained care, not simply delivering food. Jacob’s offer is to remain in the work of tending.
ALSO GROWS
ro‘eh: Shepherd; one who tends a flock.
רֹעֶה
The shepherd is defined by the same tending named in Jacob’s offer.
mir‘eh: Pasture; grazing land.
מִרְעֶה
The pasture is the place where the flock’s ongoing nourishment and care meet.
אֶתֶּן
’etten
GROWS FROM
נתן
n-t-n
To give, set, or place.
The same verb frames both sides of the exchange: Laban asks what he might give, and Jacob says not to give him anything. Its sense of setting or placing lets the question of a gift open onto what is placed into the agreement: continued care for the flock.
ALSO GROWS
mattanah: Gift; present.
מַתָּנָה
This word for a gift makes concrete what Jacob declines at the outset.
natun: Given; placed.
נָתוּן
The sense of placing adds another layer to the exchange: value takes shape through what is entrusted and set within the arrangement.
אֶשְׁמֹר
’eshmor I will
GROWS FROM
שמר
sh-m-r
To watch over, guard, or keep.
English “keep” can sound like possession, while this root also carries the sense of watching and guarding. Jacob names watchful care alongside feeding: the flock is both nourished and kept safe.
ALSO GROWS
shomer: Keeper; watchman.
שֹׁמֵר
The keeper’s role brings out the watchful quality in Jacob’s commitment.
mishmeret: Charge; guard duty.
מִשְׁמֶרֶת
This branch presents keeping as an entrusted responsibility, which is central to Jacob’s offer.
THE PATTERN
An entrusted flock is cared for through sustained tending, feeding, and keeping.
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.THE THREAD
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.The same Hebrew root, שָׁמַר (shamar, keep, guard, or watch over), appears in both verses. In each, keeping is active care for what has been entrusted.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us