Genesis 29:3

Gen 29:3 And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in his place.

Ver. 3. And they put the stone again upon the well’s mouth.] To keep the waters clean and filth free. The Turks had procured some traitor in Scodra, where Scanderbeg ruled, to poison the town well. {a} The Pope hath endeavoured the like, by pouring out his deadly poison "upon the rivers and fountains of water" (the Scriptures) "that they might become blood". {Rev 16:4} Witness that heathenish decree of the Council of Trent; equalising, if not preferring, the Apocrypha to the canonical Scripture; the vulgar translation to the original; traditions to Holy Writ; and affirming that the Holy Ghost himseff is not to be heard, though he bring never so plain Scripture for himself; nisi accedat meretricis purpuratae effrons interpretatio , saith a learned doctor, unless the Pope may interpret it. {b} Horrible blasphemy! Had not God’s servants need to see to the cleansing of this well, and the keeping it free from the tramplings and defilements of this foul beast? The Council of Constance comes in with a Non-obstante against Christ’s institution, withholding the cup from the sacrament. {c} Before that the gospel was corrected, amended, and expounded, say the Canonists, there were many things permitted (as priests’ marriage); which now, since the time is come that all things are made perfect, are clearly abolished and taken away. When the Hussites denied to admit any doctrine that could not be proved by the Holy Scriptures, the Council of Basil answered them, by Cardinal Cusanus, that the Scriptures were not of the essence of the Church, but of the well being of it only; that the Word of God was so much the better taught the people, by how much it had less of the Scriptures in it; that the Scripture was to be interpreted according to the current rite of the Church; {d} qua mutante sententiam, mutetur et Dei iudicium . Can any hear this, and his ears not tingle? This was then the Pope’s express: for in Popish councils, the bishops and others have no more to do, but simply, inclinato capite , to say Placet to that which in the Pope’s name is propounded to them: as nothing was resolved by the Trent fathers, but all in Rome: whence grew that blasphemous proverb, which I abhor to relate. {e} This council was that sea, upon which the second angel poured out his vial, {Rev 16:3} and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in that sea. Cavete .

{a} Turk. Hist.

{b} D. Prid., Lect. de Testibus .

{c} Licit Christus, post coenam, instituerit, et suis discipulis administraverit ,& c. - Caranza, Sum. Concil., sess. 13; Bee Hive of Rome, p. 12.

{d} Tanto dignius verbum Dei tradi, quanto remotius ab omni Scriptura: eam explicandam iuxta currentem Ecclesiae ritum , &c. - Revius, De Vit. Pontif ., p. 235.

{e} Hist. of Coun. of Trent, 497.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

thither were all the flocks gathered; and a stone, &c.--In Arabia, owing to the shifting sands and in other places, owing to the strong evaporation, the mouth of a well is generally covered, especially when it is private property. Over many is laid a broad, thick, flat stone, with a round hole cut in the middle, forming the mouth of the cistern. This hole is covered with a heavy stone which it would require two or three men to roll away. Such was the description of the well at Haran.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 3. All the flocks] Instead of העדרים hadarim, flocks, the Samaritan reads [Samaritan] haroim, shepherds; for which reading Houbigant strongly contends, as well in this verse as in Ge 29:8. It certainly cannot be said that all the flocks rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep: and yet so it appears to read if we prefer the common Hebrew text to the Samaritan. It is probable that the same reading was originally that of the second verse also.

And put the stone again upon the well's mouth] It is very likely that the stone was a large one, which was necessary to prevent ill-minded individuals from either disturbing the water, or filling up the well; hence a great stone was provided, which required the joint exertions of several shepherds to remove it; and hence those who arrived first waited till all the others were come up, that they might water their respective flocks in concert.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And thither were all the flocks gathered,.... The three above mentioned, Gen 29:2,

and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep; that is, when they watered the sheep, they used to roll away the stone from the mouth of the well in order to do it; for as yet the flocks, now lying by it, had not been watered, as appears from Gen 29:7,

and put a stone upon the well's mouth in this place; this they were wont to do every time they watered the flocks.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Sheep. Instead of this, Kennicott would read shepherds; as also ver. 2. and 8. In which last, the Samaritan, Arabic and Septuagint agree with him; as the two former do likewise in this third verse. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

And thither were all the flecks gathered. "Fifteen minutes later we came to a large well in a valley among the swells, fitted up with troughs and reservoirs, with flocks waiting around" (Robinson, 3. p. 21).

And they rolled the stone from the well"s mouth, find watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well"s mouth in his place. From the middle of ver. 2 the words are parenthetical, the watering of the flocks not having taken place till Rachel had arrived (ver. 9) and Jacob had uncovered the well (ver. 10).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

ונאספו [AND THITHER WERE ALL THE DROVES] GATHERED — they regularly gathered there because the stone was a heavy one

וגללו AND THEY ROLLED THE STONE — it means and they used to roll. In the Targum it is therefore translated by ומגנדרין (a participle). The idea of frequentative action is expressed indifferently by the imperfect (future) or the perfect (past) because every action that occurs continually, has already happened and will again happen,

והשיבו AND RESTORED [THE STONE] — In the Targum it is translated by ומתיבין(a participle) — and they were always putting back.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ונאספו שמה...וגללו, the subject of the verse are the various shepherds who have as yet not been mentioned.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.