Genesis 29:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast.

NIV: So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.

NASB: So Laban gathered all the people of the place and held a feast.

CSB: So Laban invited all the men of the place and sponsored a feast.

NLT: So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast.

KJV: And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

NKJV: And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast.

Laban appears to be keeping his end of the agreement with Jacob: the hand of his daughter, Rachel, in exchange for seven years of free work (Genesis 29:18–19). Jacob has put in his seven years of work and has now demanded to marry Rachel (Genesis 29:21). Jacob has not been intimate with Rachel (Genesis 29:21), and is ready to take her as his wife. Appropriately, Laban throws a wedding feast, inviting everyone in the area to come to the celebration.

Nobody from Jacob's family is said to have been invited. We're not told that Jacob had any contact with Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, or others from their household during the seven years that have passed. That may not be surprising given the circumstances under which Jacob left home (Genesis 27:33–41). Still, we wonder if any word of Jacob's wedding would have reached them.

A wedding feast during this era may have lasted as long as a week with much eating and drinking, as well as several specific rituals and ceremonies. One of significant event would involve the groom taking the bride to his chamber to consummate the marriage. It is at that point in the proceedings that Laban will betray his contract and relationship with Jacob in the most shocking way.

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.