“And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.”
Jacob asked the shepherds: my brothers, where are you from? We're from Harran, they replied. The exchange of greetings and origins is the standard opening of conversation among strangers in the ancient Near East. The identification of Harran as the shepherds' home is Jacob's confirmation that he has arrived at his destination. The application: asking before assuming is the posture of humility in a new environment. Jacob does not assume; he asks.
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