Jacob seeks to confirm that he has reached the correct location and to establish whether these shepherds know his uncle Laban, whom he has never met but has been sent to find as a refuge and potential source of a wife.

The shepherds answered affirmatively, ‘We know him,’ confirming both their familiarity with Laban and that Jacob had successfully reached the region where his mother’s family dwelt.

Jacob’s question demonstrates both prudence and hope as he approaches the culmination of his long journey from Canaan. Rather than assuming he has reached the right location, he verifies his destination by asking about the specific person he seeks. The structure of the question in Hebrew (hayәda’tem, ‘do you know’) expects a positive answer and opens conversation naturally without revealing Jacob’s own identity or purpose. By identifying Laban through his grandfather Nahor rather than his father Bethuel, Jacob uses the name most likely to be recognized in this region where Nahor’s family had settled generations earlier. The question format rather than a mere inquiry (‘Where is Laban?’) allows Jacob to gauge not just location but also the shepherds’ relationship with his uncle, establishing whether Laban is a man of standing in the community. This measured approach reveals Jacob’s growing maturity and strategic thinking, contrasting with his earlier impulsive deception of Isaac.