And the Lord said unto Jacob,.... In answer to a prayer of his; or seeing what difficulties and discouragements Jacob laboured under, he appeared unto him for his encouragement and instruction how to proceed:
return unto the land of thy fathers; the land of Canaan, given to Abraham and Isaac by promise:
and to thy kindred: his father and mother, and brother, who all dwelt in the land of Canaan at this time, or as many as were living: or "to thy nativity" (w), the place where he was born, and to which he must have a natural desire to return: and
I will be with thee; to protect him from any injury that might be attempted to be done unto him, either by Laban or Esau.
(w) למולדתך "ad natale solum", Tigurine version; "ad nativitatem tuam", Vatablus, Drusius.
And the Lord said unto Jacob,.... In answer to a prayer of his; or seeing what difficulties and discouragements Jacob laboured under, he appeared unto him for his encouragement and instruction how to proceed:
return unto the land of thy fathers; the land of Canaan, given to Abraham and Isaac by promise:
and to thy kindred: his father and mother, and brother, who all dwelt in the land of Canaan at this time, or as many as were living: or "to thy nativity" (w), the place where he was born, and to which he must have a natural desire to return: and
I will be with thee; to protect him from any injury that might be attempted to be done unto him, either by Laban or Esau.
(w) למולדתך "ad natale solum", Tigurine version; "ad nativitatem tuam", Vatablus, Drusius.