“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.”
When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. The communal practice of sharing the well — rolling the stone when all are gathered, replacing it after — reflects the social organization of the pastoral world Jacob is entering. The cooperative management of limited resources is the background for Jacob's intervention in verse 10. The application: the social practices of a new community are worth observing before acting. Jacob watches before he acts.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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