TRV
Translation
King James Version
And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
Complete Jewish Bible
Now Lavan had two daughters; the name of the older was Le'ah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
Berean Standard Bible
Now Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel.
American Standard Version
And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
World English Bible Messianic
Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Now Laban had two daughters, the elder called Leah, and the yonger called Rahel.
Young's Literal Translation
And Laban hath two daughters, the name of the elder is Leah, and the name of the younger Rachel,
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In the KJVVerse 812 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Genesis 29 verses 15–30
15 ¶ And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?
16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.
18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
19 And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
21 And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.
22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
24 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid.
25 And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?
26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
30 And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
Here is, I. The fair contract made between Laban and Jacob, during the month that Jacob spent there as a guest, Gen 29:14. It seems he was not idle, nor did he spend his time in sport and pastime; but like a man of business, though he had no stock of his own, he applied himself to serve his uncle, as he had begun (Gen 29:10) when he watered his flock. Note, Wherever we are, it is good to be employing ourselves in some useful business, which will turn to a good account to ourselves or others. Laban, it seems, was so taken with Jacob's ingenuity and industry about his flocks that he was desirous he should continue with him, and very fairly reasons thus: "Because thou art my brother, shouldst thou therefore serve me for nought? Gen 29:15. No, what reason for that?" If Jacob be so respectful to his uncle as to give him his service without demanding any consideration for it, yet Laban will not be so unjust to his nephew as to take advantage either of his necessity or of his good-nature. Note, Inferior relations must not be imposed upon; if it be their duty to serve us, it is our duty to reward them. Now Jacob had a fair opportunity to make known to Laban the affection he had for his daughter Rachel; and, having no worldly goods in his hand with which to endow her, he promises him seven years' service, upon condition that, at the end of the seven years, he would bestow her upon him for his wife. It appears by computation that Jacob was now seventy-seven years old when he bound himself apprentice for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep, Hos 12:12. His posterity are there reminded of it long afterwards, as an instance of the meanness of their origin: probably Rachel was young, and scarcely marriageable, when Jacob first came, which made him the more willing to stay for her till his seven years' service had expired.
II. Jacob's honest performance of his part of the bargain, Gen 29:20. He served seven years for Rachel. If Rachel still continued to keep her father's sheep (as she did, Gen 29:9), his innocent and religious conversation with her, while they kept the flocks, could not but increase their mutual acquaintance and affection (Solomon's song of love is a pastoral); if she now left it off, his easing her of that care was very obliging. Jacob honestly served out his seven years, and did not forfeit his indentures, though he was old; nay, he served them cheerfully: They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had to her, as if it were more his desire to earn her than to have her. Note, Love makes long and hard services short and easy; hence we read of the labour of love, Heb 6:10. If we know how to value the happiness of heaven, the sufferings of this present time will be as nothing to us in comparison of it. An age of work will be but as a few days to those that love God and long for Christ's appearing.
III. The base cheat which Laban put upon him when he was out of his time: he put Leah into his arms instead of Rachel, Gen 29:23. This was Laban's sin; he wronged both Jacob and Rachel, whose affections, doubtless, were engaged to each other, and, if (as some say) Leah was herein no better than an adulteress, it was no small wrong to her too. But it was Jacob's affliction, a damp to the mirth of the marriage-feast, when in the morning behold it was Leah, Gen 29:25. It is easy to observe here how Jacob was paid in his own coin. He had cheated his own father when he pretended to be Esau, and now his father-in-law cheated him. Herein, how unrighteous soever Laban was, the Lord was righteous; as Jdg 1:7. Even the righteous, if they take a false step, are sometimes thus recompensed on the earth. Many that are not, like Jacob, disappointed in the person, soon find themselves, as much to their grief, disappointed in the character. The choice of that relation therefore, on both sides, ought to be made with good advice and consideration, that, if there should be a disappointment, it may not be aggravated by a consciousness of mismanagement.
IV. The excuse and atonement Laban made for the cheat. 1. The excuse was frivolous: It must not be so done in our country, Gen 29:26. We have reason to think there was no such custom of his country as he pretends; only he banters Jacob with it, and laughs at his mistake. Note, Those that can do wickedly and then think to turn it off with a jest, though they may deceive themselves and others, will find at last that God is not mocked. But if there had been such a custom, and he had resolved to observe it, he should have told Jacob so when he undertook to serve him for his younger daughter. Note, As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceeds from the wicked, Sa1 24:13. Those that deal with treacherous men must expect to be dealt treacherously with 2. His compounding the matter did but make bad worse: We will give thee this also, Gen 29:27. Hereby he drew Jacob into the sin, and snare, and disquiet, of multiplying wives, which remains a blot in his escutcheon, and will be so to the end of the world. Honest Jacob did not design it, but to have kept as true to Rachel as his father had done to Rebekah. He that had lived without a wife to the eighty-fourth year of his age could then have been very well content with one; but Laban, to dispose of his two daughters without portions, and to get seven years' service more out of Jacob, thus imposes upon him, and draws him into such a strait by his fraud, that (the matter not being yet settled, as it was afterwards by the divine law, Lev 18:18, and more fully since by our Saviour, Mat 19:5) he had some colourable reasons for marrying them both. He could not refuse Rachel, for he had espoused her; still less could he refuse Leah, for he had married her; and therefore Jacob must be content, and take two talents, Kg2 5:23. Note, One sin is commonly the inlet of another. Those that go in by one door of wickedness seldom find their way out but by another. The polygamy of the patriarchs was, in some measure, excusable in them, because, though there was a reason against it as ancient as Adam's marriage (Mal 2:15), yet there was no express command against it; it was in them a sin of ignorance. It was not he product of any sinful lust, but for the building up of the church, which was the good that Providence brought out of it; but it will by no means justify the like practice now, when God's will is plainly made known, that one man and one woman only must be joined together, Co1 7:2. The having of many wives suits well enough with the carnal sensual spirit of the Mahomedan imposture, which allows it; but we have not so learned Christ. Dr. Lightfoot makes Leah and Rachel to be figures of the two churches, the Jews under the law and the Gentiles under the gospel: the younger the more beautiful, and more in the thoughts of Christ when he came in the form of a servant; but he other, like Leah, first embraced: yet in this the allegory does not hold, that the Gentiles, the younger, were more fruitful, Gal 4:27.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 15–30. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Genesis 29:16 serves as a pivotal, yet seemingly simple, introduction to Laban's two daughters, Leah and Rachel. This verse immediately sets the stage for the complex and consequential marital arrangements of Jacob, which will profoundly shape his household, the lineage of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the unfolding of God's redemptive plan through the ordinary, and often challenging, events of human life.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Genesis 29:16 employs several subtle but powerful literary devices. The primary device is Introduction, as the verse formally presents Leah and Rachel, who will become foundational figures in the narrative. This introduction is not merely informational but serves as a clear act of Foreshadowing. By naming both daughters and specifying their birth order, the text immediately hints at the complex marital arrangements and the potential for conflict that will define Jacob's household. The emphasis on "elder" and "younger" subtly prepares the reader for the deception that will occur, where the customary order of marriage is manipulated. Furthermore, the use of Nominalism is evident, as the names Leah and Rachel, with their potential etymological meanings ("weary" and "ewe," respectively), subtly contribute to their characterization and foreshadow their future roles and experiences within the narrative.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Genesis 29:16, though a simple genealogical statement, is deeply intertwined with God's overarching plan for His covenant people. It underscores the theological truth that God's sovereign purposes often unfold through the seemingly ordinary and even flawed circumstances of human life. The introduction of these two women, who will become the primary matriarchs of Israel, highlights God's meticulous attention to lineage and His faithfulness in building a nation from Jacob's descendants, despite the complex and often challenging family dynamics that will ensue. This verse sets the stage for the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant's promise of numerous offspring, demonstrating how God works through specific individuals and their relationships to bring about His divine will.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Genesis 29:16, in its brevity, reminds us that even seemingly minor details in the biblical narrative can carry profound significance for God's unfolding plan. For believers today, this verse encourages us to recognize God's sovereign hand at work not only in grand, miraculous events but also in the everyday introductions and relationships that shape our lives. Just as Leah and Rachel were introduced for God's specific purpose in building the nation of Israel, so too can we trust that God orchestrates our paths and connections for His divine will, even when the immediate circumstances seem ordinary or challenging. It prompts us to reflect on how God uses imperfect people and complex situations to achieve His perfect purposes, fostering a deeper trust in His providence and reminding us that every person, every relationship, and every detail can be part of His grand design.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why are both daughters named if Jacob only initially loved Rachel?
Answer: The text names both daughters because both will play crucial and indispensable roles in Jacob's life and the formation of the twelve tribes of Israel, regardless of Jacob's initial preference for Rachel. This immediate introduction of both sisters, along with their birth order, foreshadows the complex marital dynamics and divine purposes that will involve them equally, indicating their foundational importance in the larger narrative of God's covenant people and the lineage of the Messiah.
What is the significance of the names Leah and Rachel?
Answer: The names carry symbolic weight that subtly hints at their personalities and future experiences. Leah (לֵאָה, Le'ah) is often associated with "weary" or "cow," which some interpret in relation to her "tender eyes" mentioned in Genesis 29:17, possibly implying a less striking appearance or a life of sorrow. Rachel (רָחֵל, Raḥel) explicitly means "ewe" (female sheep), fitting her role as a shepherdess when Jacob first meets her (Genesis 29:9) and often implying beauty, gentleness, or even vulnerability. These names contribute to their characterization and foreshadow their distinct experiences within Jacob's household.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Genesis 29:16, by introducing Leah and Rachel, initiates a crucial phase in the patriarchal narrative that directly contributes to the lineage of Jesus Christ. While not directly messianic, this verse sets in motion the family tree that would eventually lead to the tribe of Judah, from whom the Messiah would descend. Leah, the elder daughter, becomes the mother of Judah (Genesis 29:35), establishing a direct ancestral link to the promised Seed. This seemingly simple introduction of two sisters thus becomes a vital step in God's meticulous, sovereign plan for human redemption. The subsequent complexities and imperfections within Jacob's family underscore God's ability to work through flawed human circumstances to bring about His perfect will, ultimately culminating in the birth of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This demonstrates that God's plan of salvation, culminating in Christ, is woven through every generation and every family, even those marked by human frailty, as seen in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1.