Genesis 29:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed."

NIV: Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her."

NASB: Then Jacob said to Laban, 'Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may have relations with her.'

CSB: Then Jacob said to Laban, "Since my time is complete, give me my wife, so I can sleep with her."

NLT: Finally, the time came for him to marry her. 'I have fulfilled my agreement,' Jacob said to Laban. 'Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.'

KJV: And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.

NKJV: Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”

Jacob had offered, and Laban had gladly accepted, an extravagant price for the privilege of marrying Laban's younger daughter, Rachel (Genesis 29:16–17). Jacob would work for Laban for seven years in exchange for this price (Genesis 29:18–19). The previous verse reported that those years flew by for Jacob because of his great love for Rachel. He was happy to pay that price to be married to her.

Jacob's words read like a demand. It's possible there had already been tension between Jacob and Laban and that Jacob felt the need to be strong with Laban to bring their deal to a close. Now the seven years was over, and Jacob asked Laban to make good on his end of the deal: Give me your daughter for my wife. More specifically: Give me my wife so that I may consummate the arranged marriage, indicating that Jacob and Rachel had remained chaste during those seven years.

This only further highlights the nature of Laban's upcoming deception. Seven years have passed; this is plenty of time to explain customs or iron out small details. And yet, when the wedding night is over, Jacob will be stunned to find that he's been tricked (Genesis 29:25). Laban's excuse, coming so long after the deal was made, will only confirm that his deceit was intentional (Genesis 29:27).

Genesis 29:1–30 describes Jacob's arrival at his uncle's household. Laban is happy to see his nephew, likely for the first time. Jacob falls in love with Laban's more attractive daughter, Rachel, and agrees to work for Laban seven years to marry her. On the wedding night, however, Laban treacherously switches Rachel for her older sister Leah. Jacob agrees to marry Rachel the next week, but now must work another seven years.

Jacob's journey from his home brings him to his uncle's household in Haran. He falls in love with Laban's younger daughter Rachel and agrees to work for Laban for seven years to marry her. When the time comes, Laban switches out Rachel for her older, less attractive sister Leah. Jacob is surprised to find he has consummated the marriage with the wrong sister. Manipulative Laban assures Jacob he can still marry Rachel the next week, as long as he will work another seven years. Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah, but with the Lord's help, unloved Leah bears Jacob his first four sons.

The previous chapter described Jacob fleeing from home to seek his uncle in Mesopotamia. This was both to escape the rage of his brother, Esau, and to look for a suitable wife. Now Jacob arrives and falls in love with his uncle's daughter Rachel. After working seven years to marry her, Jacob is tricked by his uncle into marrying the older daughter, Leah, instead. Laban allows Jacob to marry Rachel, as well, in exchange for another seven years' work. Though she is unloved by Jacob, the Lord notices Leah's heartbreak and allows her to bear four sons. In the next chapter, Rachel's jealousy sets off something of a birth war, as she and Leah compete to obtain children.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.