Genesis 31:10

10. in a dream] Cf. Gen_20:3. It is thus revealed to Jacob (Gen_31:10-12) that the birth, in such numbers, of spotted and parti-coloured young is due to God’s goodness towards him, and in order to requite Laban (Gen_31:12).

grisled] i.e. “gray” (Fr. gris). This Old English word, now generally spelt “grizzled,” occurs also in Zec_6:3; Zec_6:6. Compare, in Bacon’s Essays, “pusled” for “puzzled.”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gen 31:10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle [were] ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.

Ver. 10-12. I saw in a dream, &c.] Of divine dreams, such as this was, {See Trapp on "Gen 20:3"}

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.

(10) Rams.—Heb., he-goats. The Authorised Version has made the alteration, because the word rendered “cattle” is really sheep (and so in Gen_31:8; Gen_31:12, &c.); but, like our word flock, it also included goats.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the Angel of God spake unto me in a dream,.... In the same dream before related, and to direct him to observe what was presented to him, and to confirm what he saw, and lead him to the design and use of it. This was not a created angel, but the eternal one, the Son of God, and who is afterwards called God, and to whom Jacob had made a vow, which he would never have done to an angel; but to God only, as Ben Melech observes:

saying, Jacob; and I said, here am I; the Angel called him by his name, to which he answered, and signified that he was ready to attend to whatsoever he should say to him.

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

i.e. Were marked with spots, like hail in colour and proportion, as the word signifieth.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

10. Saw in a dream — In Gen_30:37-43, we have the human side of Jacob’s procedure. We there see his artifice and cunning. Here is another view, not at all in conflict with that, but designed to show that all Jacob’s tricks were as nothing without supernatural interference. God interposed to favour Jacob, not because of his guile or cunning, still less to sanction any thing of the kind as an example for others. Probably such dreams had come repeatedly during the last four or five years, and at the end of the sixth year of his independent service he received the revelation of Gen_31:11-13.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it came to pus at the time that the cattle conceived (this obviously goes back to the commencement of the six years" service), that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams he-goats, from an unused root, to be ready, perhaps because ready and prompt for fighting (Gesenius, sub voce)which leaped (literally, Heir up) upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled. The grisled ( beruddim, from barad, to scatter hail) were spotted animals, as if they had been sprinkled with hail, not a fifth sort in addition to the four already mentioned (Rosenm but the same as the teluim of Gen_30:35. (Kalisch) Wordsworth observes that the English term grisled, from the French word grele, hail, is a literal translation of the Hebrew. Gesenius connects with the Hebrew root the words pardov, pardus, leopard (so called from its spots), and the French broder, to embroider. The LXX understand the to include both sheep and goats, and translate oiJ tragoi kai oiJ kriointev ejpi tabata kai tav aijgav.

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

General Information:

Jacob continues his story to his wives Leah and Rachel.

Once at the time of breeding season

"During the breeding season"

mating with the flock

Here "flock" represents only the female goats. AT: "mating with the female goats of the flock" (See: Synecdoche)

were striped, speckled, and spotted

"had stripes, little spots, and big spots"

angel of God

Possible meanings are 1) God himself appeared as a man or 2) one of God's messengers appeared. Since the phrase is not well understood, it is best to simply translate it as "the angel of God," using the normal word that you use for "angel."

I said

"And I answered"

Here I am

"Yes, I am listening" or "Yes, what is it?" See how you translated this in Genesis 22:1.

translationWords

dream

goat

angel

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

והנה העתדים BEHOLD THE RAMS — Although Laban had separated all these so that the sheep should not give birth to young marked similar to them, angels brought them from the flock which had been placed in charge of Laban’s sons to the flock in Jacob’s charge (Genesis Rabbah 73:10).

וברדים GRISLED — Explain it as the Targum renders it: פציחין open; old French faissie, checquered. There was a white stripe going right round the body, the spots of which it was composed being open and running from one end to the other. But I can bring no evidence from Scripture that this is the meaning.

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.

AND IT CAME TO PASS AT THE TIME THAT THE FLOCK CONCEIVED. This was after Laban changed his wages, and therefore the angel said to Jacob, For I have seen all that Laban does unto thee.

AND, BEHOLD THE HE-GOATS WHICH WENT UP ON THE FLOCKS [WERE RINGSTRAKED, SPECKLED, AND GRIZZLED]. The meaning thereof is that it was shown to Jacob in a dream that the he-goats which mounted the flocks were all ringstraked, and afterwards they were all speckled, and still later they were all grizzled. And the angel told him that in view of the injustice which Laban does him by changing his wages, the future offspring will have the appearance which Jacob will need, and that henceforth Jacob should not make the sticks, for Whoso putteth his trust in the Eternal shall be set up on high.

AND, BEHOLD, ‘HA’ATUDIM’ WHICH WENT UP ON THE FLOCKS. He-goats and rams are called atudim for all the adults in the flocks are so called. This applies also to the mighty ones among men, as in: ‘atudei’ (the chief ones) of the earth. And Rashi comments: “Although Laban had separated all these so that the sheep should not give birth to young marked similarly to them, angels brought them from the flock which had been placed in charge of Laban’s sons to the flock in Jacob’s charge.”In line with the simple meaning of Scripture this was a vision assuring Jacob that the flocks would give birth to young similar to the marked rams and he-goats, and the proof of it is the word vehinei (and behold), for this expression is used with respect to all dreams, indicating that it is as if the action is in the presence of the dreamer. In Bereshith Rabbah, the Sages did not mention the angels [bringing the marked ones from the flocks of Laban], but it may be inferred by exegesis. Thus they said: “It is not written here olim (went up) but ha’olim (those that mounted),” [meaning those which actually mounted. Thus the dream only indicated the action of the atudim which came from Laban’s flocks and that they were ringstraked, speckled, etc. However, the fact that they came was not part of the dream. This really occurred since the angels brought them]. But the plain sense of the verse is as we have said.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ויהי...העתודים, another word for he-goats, תישים.

וברודים, a variant of the word טלואים; the reason why the Torah switched to this term is to tell us that the whiteness of the spots in questions is similar to that of hail stones, ברד.

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.