Kejadian 30:25-26

The Flocks of Jacob

30:25 After Rachel had given birth ¹  to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send ²  me on my way so that I can go ³  home to my own country. ⁴  30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. ⁵  Then I’ll depart, ⁶  because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” ⁷ 

[30:25]  ¹ tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.

[30:25]  ² tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.

[30:25]  sn For Jacob to ask to leave would mean that seven more years had passed. Thus all Jacob’s children were born within the range of seven years of each other, with Joseph coming right at the end of the seven years.

[30:25]  ³ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”

[30:26]  ⁵ tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.

[30:26]  ⁶ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”