Genesis 30:28 — Word Study
WLCוַיֹּאמַ֑ר נָקְבָ֧ה שְׂכָרְךָ֛ עָלַ֖י וְאֶתֵּֽנָה׃
BSAAnd he addedʼâmar▸ [then said, continued] Namenâqab [appoint, define] your wagessâkâr [payment, compensation, recompense for labor] and I will pay themnâthan [give, provide, bestow upon you, the agreed upon amount, your due]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמַ֑ר | and he said | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| נָקְבָ֧ה | designate ! | Verb qal imperative second person masculine singular, suffix |
| שְׂכָרְךָ֛ | wage[s] your | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| עָלַ֖י | on me | Preposition, suffix |
| וְאֶתֵּֽנָה׃ | so let me give [it] | Conjunction, verb qal infinitive construct first person common singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.” |
| KJV | And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. |
| ASV | And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. |
| YLT | He saith also, 'Define thy hire to me, and I give.' |
| WEB | He said, “Appoint me your wages, and I will give it.” |
| BBE | Say then what your payment is to be and I will give it. |
Where they part company is נָקְבָ֧ה — see How Translations Differ.
The verse consists of a main clause followed by a direct speech clause, clearly indicating Laban's request.
4 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
verbאָמַר
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Genesis 30:28
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Negotiation Between Laban and Jacobgenerated
Genesis 30:28 presents a moment where Laban, recognizing Jacob's value, offers him the opportunity to name his wages. This exchange highlights the dynamics of their relationship and Jacob's role as a shepherd. The context reveals Laban's dependence on Jacob's labor for his prosperity, as seen in the preceding verses, where Laban acknowledges the blessings he has received due to Jacob's presence.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 29:15–19 | Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — נָקְבָ֧ה, na.ke.Vahgenerated
The verb נָקְבָ֧ה (naqab) is an imperative form meaning 'to designate' or 'to appoint.' It carries the sense of specifying or defining something, especially in the context of wages or compensation. This usage emphasizes Laban's request for Jacob to clearly state what he expects in return for his labor.
The imperative form indicates urgency and directness in Laban's request, suggesting that he is eager to finalize the terms of their agreement. This word is often associated with the act of piercing or striking through, but here it takes on a figurative meaning related to naming or defining.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses name for נָקְבָ֧ה.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the verse is יֹּאמַ֑ר (he said), which introduces Laban's statement. This verb governs the entire clause, indicating what Laban is doing.
The structure of the sentence is straightforward, with Laban's request followed by the direct object of what he wants Jacob to do — name his wages. The use of the imperative form highlights the urgency of the request.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נָקְבָ֧ה as διάστειλον, which means 'designate' or 'appoint.' This choice reflects a similar emphasis on the act of naming or defining, aligning with the Hebrew meaning while adapting it to the Greek context.
This translation choice shows a consistent understanding of the need for Jacob to specify his wages, reinforcing the negotiation aspect of the passage.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Genesis 30:28 shows Laban asking Jacob to name his wages, promising to pay him for his work. This moment is significant as it highlights the negotiation between them and Laban's recognition of Jacob's contributions.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Laban is asking Jacob to specify what he wants to be paid for his work, indicating a willingness to negotiate.
This negotiation is important as it reflects the value of Jacob's labor and the relationship dynamics between him and Laban.
This exchange teaches us about the importance of clear communication and negotiation in relationships.
This verse connects to Jacob's journey and his role as a worker in Laban's household, highlighting the blessings and challenges he faces.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What are some ways I can clearly communicate my needs in my relationships?
- How can I recognize and appreciate the contributions of those around me?
- In what situations have I had to negotiate for what I believe I deserve?
- What lessons can I learn from Jacob's experience in working for Laban?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Genesis 30:28 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd he said, appoint me thy wages, and I will give [it]. Say what thou wilt have, fix what salary thou thinkest sufficient, and I will agree to it, and punctually pay it: this he craftily said, not
Read John Gill on Genesis 30 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. Appoint me thy wages.
Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 30 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsGenesis 30:28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [it].Ver. 28. Appoint me thy wages.] Heb., Expressly name, or nominate plainly. And I will give it.] Pollicitis dives quilibet esse potest .
Read John Trapp on Genesis 30 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges25–43 (J, E). Jacob’s Wages In this passage and in the following chapter Laban is depicted in the Israelite narrative as the typical Aramaean, a crafty, selfish, grasping man of business. Jacob, however, in spite of Laban’s duplicity, prospers exceedingly. By greater cunning he outwits Laban himself, and God gives him protection and prosperity.
Read Cambridge on Genesis 30 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
He said, “Appoint me your wages, and I will give it.”
And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.”
Tyndale line
And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
Also he said, Appoynt vnto me thy wages, and I will giue it thee.
Strictly literal
And he said, Appoint to me thy wages, and I will give it.
He saith also, 'Define thy hire to me, and I give.'
He also says, “Define your hire to me, and I give.”
And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give them.
Then he said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
From the Latin
Appoint thy wages which I shall give thee.
Simplified
Then Laban continued, “Tell me how much to pay you and I'll give it to you.”
Say then what your payment is to be and I will give it.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text is supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word. The Septuagint matches four of the five words in the Hebrew text, indicating a close relationship between the translations, though it presents them in a different order.
וַיֹּאמַ֑ר נָקְבָ֧ה שְׂכָרְךָ֛ עָלַ֖י וְאֶתֵּֽנָה׃
4 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ויאמר נקבה שׂכרך עלי ואתנה
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Genesis 30:28
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.
אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say
Qal
Say
Say in the heart (= think)
Promise
Command (esp. late)
Niph. be said, told
Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
Hithp. act proudly, boast
base
H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say
. Say in the heart (= think)
. Promise
. Command (esp. late)
. be said, told
. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
. act proudly, boast
559 'amar aw-mar'
a primitive root; to say (used with great
latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,
certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),
commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X
expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,
publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X
suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),
utter, X verily, X yet.
אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.
1) to say, speak, utter
1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend
1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called
1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly
1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch
Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vqw3ms
The Hebrew word נָקַב (naqab) primarily means to pierce or bore, with additional meanings including to designate or appoint. It can also refer to cursing or blaspheming. The entries indicate a range of uses, from literal piercing to figurative designations, but do not provide specific verse references.
[נָקַב] vb. pierce
Qal
pierce, bore
prick off, designate, wages
Niph. who were pricked off, designated, by name
base
[נָקַב] vb. curse
base
H5344a נָקַב pierce .. pierce, bore
. prick off, designate, wages
. who were pricked off, designated, by name
H5344b נָקַב curse
5344 naqab naw-kab'
a primitive root; to puncture, literally (to perforate, with
more or less violence) or figuratively (to specify, designate,
libel):--appoint, blaspheme, bore, curse, express, with
holes, name, pierce, strike through.
נָקַב (na.qav) — to pierce.
1) to pierce, perforate, bore, appoint
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to pierce, bore
1a2) to prick off, designate
1b) (Niphal) to be pricked off, be designated, be specified
נָקַב (na.qav) — to curse.
(Qal) to curse, blaspheme
V-Qal-Impv-2ms | Suff — Verb qal imperative second person masculine singular · suffixHVqv2ms/Sh
שָׂכָר (sakar) refers to hire or wages, encompassing payment for work, rewards for faithfulness, and even fare for travel. It is derived from a root meaning 'to hire' and includes concepts of compensation and worth. The term appears in contexts related to employment and remuneration.
שָׂכָר n.m. hire, wages
wages, of a servant
= reward, for work done, faithfulness, etc.
passage-money, fare
base
H7939 שָׂכָר hire, wages
7939 sakar saw-kawr'
from 7936; payment of contract; concretely, salary, fare,
maintenance; by implication, compensation, benefit:--hire,
price, reward(-ed), wages, worth.
see HEBREW for 07936
שָׂכָר (sa.khar) — wages.
1) hire, wages
1a) wages
1b) reward, pay
1c) fare, fee, passage-money
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp2ms
The Hebrew word עַל (*al*) is a preposition meaning 'upon' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including 'on account of,' 'beside,' 'above,' and 'against.' It can indicate physical placement, emotional burdens, or duties imposed on a person. The entries also note its use in idiomatic expressions and with verbs of motion. There is a mention of its function as a conjunction in certain contexts.
כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as
base
עַל, עָ֑ל
subst. height
As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against
Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed
—
of clothing, etc., which any one wears
With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it
Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him
Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him
על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him
חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)
H5921a עַל, עָ֑ל . As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against . Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed . — . of clothing, etc., which any one wears
. With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it
. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him
. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him
. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him
. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)
5921 `al al
properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the
singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a
particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always
in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great
variety of applications (as follow):--above, according
to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because
of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both
and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in
(that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than,
through(-out), to, touching, X with.
see HEBREW for 05920
עַל (al) — upon.
prep
1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against
1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards
1b) above, beyond, over (of excess)
1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence)
1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition)
1e) over (of suspension or extension)
1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity)
1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion)
1h) to (as a dative)
[כִּי] עַל [כֵּן] ([ki] al [ken]) — as.
conj
HRd/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffixHRd/Sp1bs
The Hebrew word נָתַן (natan) means 'to give' and encompasses a wide range of applications such as putting, setting, and making. It can also indicate actions like bestowing, delivering, and assigning. The entries describe its use in various forms, including Qal, Niphal, and Hophal, but do not present any significant disagreements among lexicons.
נָתַן 2007 vb. give, put, set
Qal 1917
give
Put, set
Make, constitute
Niph.
82be given
Be put, set
Hoph.
be given, bestowed
= be given to one for wife
be put upon
base
H5414 נָתַן give, put, set .. give
. Put, set
. Make, constitute
. . be given
. Be put, set
. . . be given, bestowed
. = be given to one for wife
. be put upon
5414 nathan naw-than'
a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of
application (put, make, etc.):--add, apply, appoint, ascribe,
assign, X avenge, X be ((healed)), bestow, bring (forth,
hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, +
cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, X doubtless, X
without fail, fasten, frame, X get, give (forth, over, up),
grant, hang (up), X have, X indeed, lay (unto charge, up),
(give) leave, lend, let (out), + lie, lift up, make, + O that,
occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, X
pull , put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send
(out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), + sing, + slander,
strike, (sub-)mit, suffer, X surely, X take, thrust, trade,
turn, utter, + weep, + willingly, + withdraw, + would (to)
God, yield.
נָתַן (na.tan) — to give: give.
: give/deliver/send/produce
1) to give, put, set
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend
1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate
1a3) to make, constitute
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned
1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted
1c) (Hophal)
1c1) to be given, be bestowed, be given up, be delivered up
1c2) to be put upon
נָתַן (na.tan) — to give: put.
: put/set/apppoint
1) to give, put, set
1a) (Qal)
Conj | V-Qal-1cs — Conjunction · verb qal infinitive construct first person common singularHC/Vqc1cs