Genesis 30:27

Summary

Laban addresses Jacob, using a polite formula to ask him to stay, and states that he has perceived by divination that Yehovah has blessed him because of Jacob's presence. The verse combines a courtesy phrase with a causal explanation tied to Jacob's role in Laban's prosperity.

Key words

• ma.Tza.ti ("I have found", H4672) — qal perfect, 1st person; part of the idiomatic phrase "if I have found favor in your eyes," a conventional politeness formula preceding a request.
• chen ("favor", H2580) — masculine singular noun; the object of "finding," central to the courtesy idiom.
• ni.Chash.ti ("I have learned by divination", H5172) — niphal perfect, 1st person; the niphal stem marks this as a passive/reflexive action, "I have divined/observed by omens," describing how Laban claims to have perceived the blessing.
• y.va.ra.Khe.ni ("he has blessed me", H1288) — piel narrative form, intensive stem, with 1st person object suffix; expresses an intensified, decisive act of blessing directed at Laban.
• g.la.Le.kha ("on account of you", H1558) — masculine singular noun in construct with 2nd person suffix; states the causal link between Jacob's presence and the blessing.

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative va ("and", H9001) attached to i.Yo.mer ("he said", H0559), marking a new turn in dialogue. Laban's speech begins with the conditional particle 'im ("if", H0518A) combined with the interjection na' ("please", H4994), forming the idiom "if I have found favor in your eyes" — a stock phrase used to introduce a polite request, though the request itself ("stay") is not explicitly stated in the Hebrew words given; it is implied by the context of the phrase.

The second clause shifts to ni.Chash.ti ("I have learned by divination", H5172), a niphal perfect verb. This stem indicates that the action of perceiving is presented in a passive or reflexive manner — Laban frames his knowledge as something arrived at through a specific method (divination) rather than plain observation. The following clause, joined again by narrative va, uses the piel verb y.va.ra.Khe.ni ("he has blessed me", H1288), an intensive stem attached to the divine name Yah.weh (H3068G), stating that Yehovah's blessing came biglalekha ("on account of you", H1558) — attributing the cause of the blessing directly to Jacob's presence.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew ni.Chash.ti ("I have learned by divination", H5172) is rendered in the LXX as οἰωνισάμην ("I would divine by omens"), placed in a conditional construction ("if I have found favor... I would divine"), differing from the Hebrew's straightforward perfect statement. The Vulgate renders the same verb as "experimento didici" ("I have learned by experience"), omitting the divinatory sense present in the Hebrew term. Additionally, where the Hebrew names Yah.weh (H3068G), the LXX uses ὁ θεός ("God") instead of a proper name.