And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
And Jacob fled into ... Syria; and Israel served for a wife. Though ye pride yourselves on the great name of "Israel," forget not that your progenitor was the same Jacob who was a fugitive, and who served for Rachel fourteen years. He forgat not ME, who delivered him when fleeing from Esau, and when oppressed by Laban the Syrian, in Padan-aram (Genesis 28:5; Genesis 29:20; Genesis 29:28; Deuteronomy 26:5, In offering the first-fruits "thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous"). Ye, though delivered from Egypt (Hosea 12:13), and loaded with my favours, are yet unwilling to return to me.
Country of Syria - the champaign region of Syria - i:e., the portion lying between the Tigris and Euphrates, hence called Mesopotamia. Padan-aram means the same - i:e., Low Syria, as opposed to Aramea (meaning the high country) or Syria (Genesis 48:7).