Genesis 29:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.)

NIV: Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.

NASB: Laban also gave his female slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave.

CSB: And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave.

NLT: (Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.)

KJV: And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

NKJV: And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid.

As was the case in verse 24, these words read like a footnote to the main story. While they are not crucial to the plot at this point, this information will be important later on. As he had done with Leah, Laban gave a generous wedding present to Rachel: a servant girl. Rachel's servant was named Bilhah. She, too, was destined to become a wife of Jacob and give birth to his sons. This means, in the space of a week, Jacob has gone from single, to living with four women who will all, eventually, bear his children.

It would have been common in this era for a wealthy father to give his daughter a lavish wedding gift, and the lifetime gift of a servant girl would have been very generous, indeed. A similar event occurred earlier in Jacob's family when Rebekah set off to be married to Isaac. At that time, their father had given to Laban's sister Rebekah her childhood nurse and several servant girls (Genesis 24:59–61).

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 3:30:57 AM