Genesis 29:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)

NIV: And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

NASB: Laban also gave his female slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a slave.

CSB: And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.

NLT: (Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)

KJV: And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid.

NKJV: And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.

This verse feels like a non-essential detail in light of Laban's enormous act of betrayal in the previous verse. He switched one daughter for another on her wedding night so that her groom would unknowing sleep with—and be legally married to—her sister! This, after accepting an offer from the groom to work seven years of labor, with no other wages, for the right to that marriage (Genesis 29:18–21). Many translations of the Bible include this in parentheses, since it's clearly meant to be a footnote to the main story. Verse 29 will contain a similar aside.

The note given here is that Laban gave to Leah one of his servant girls, Zilpah, as a wedding present. He will do the same when Rachel is married. It was not uncommon for a father to give his daughter a generous gift for her wedding, and the lifetime gift of a servant girl would have been very generous, indeed. The family precedent for this had been set many years earlier when Rebekah set off to be married to Isaac. Then Laban's father had given to Laban's sister Rebekah her childhood nurse and several servant girls (Genesis 24:59–61).

The gift of Zilpah to Leah is not totally irrelevant, however. This moment will become significant in Jacob's life later on. Due to problems conceiving children in the family, Zilpah will eventually become Jacob's wife and a mother to his children.

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.