Genesis 29:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.

NIV: Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

NASB: So Jacob had relations with Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.

CSB: Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

NLT: So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years.

KJV: And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

NKJV: Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.

Here, Jacob consummates his second marriage in a week, this time with Rachel. His prior marriage, to her older sister Leah, was the result of outrageous deception on the part of the sisters' father, Laban (Genesis 29:18–27). Now in debt for a marriage he had thought was paid for, Jacob continues his work for Laban. His apparent inaction and passivity in response to Laban's manipulation gives us a clue to Jacob's personality and character. He can't seem to stand up to Laban in any meaningful way, to the point of being married to both the man's daughters, one without his own consent.

The text hardly needs to tell us that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Given the circumstances of their marriages, it would be hard to imagine anything else. It will also not surprise us when that imbalance of love between the two couples will create sibling rivalry, jealousy, and hurt feelings. At first, Leah will bear the brunt of that pain. In fact, the Lord Himself will intervene on Leah's behalf.

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 5/1/2024 11:49:42 PM