Genesis 29:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

NIV: When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.

NASB: Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was unable to have children.

CSB: When the Lord saw that Leah was neglected, he opened her womb; but Rachel was unable to conceive.

NLT: When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.

KJV: And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.

NKJV: When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

First Laban and then the Lord Himself intervened on behalf of poor, heartbroken Leah. It's easy to imagine that she might have grown in affection for Jacob during the seven years in which he was working for Laban. Unfortunately for Leah, those years were worked by Jacob specifically to earn Rachel's hand in marriage. It's also easy to understand the hurt she may have felt that her younger, more attractive sister would be married before she was (Genesis 29:16–20). Whether in sympathy for his daughter's plight, or simply as an act of greed, Laban used an outrageous act of cruel deception, tricking Jacob into legally marrying Leah first (Genesis 29:21–26).

Jacob accepted the marriage, but unsurprisingly did not feel the same love for Leah which he carried for Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel enough to work seven years for her; finding Leah in his marriage bed was a cruel surprise. The previous verse tells us flatly that he loved Rachel more than Leah. This verse goes further: Leah was hated. This is a common feature of ancient literature, which often used exaggerated contrasts in order to show a difference from one side to another. Jacob's love for Rachel, combined with his resentful indifference to Leah, meant she was "hated," at least by comparison. Then again, in this particular case, Jacob's experience might well have caused him to hate Leah, literally.

Now God, who is always with Jacob as He has promised, takes particular notice of Leah's great pain. To comfort her, the Lord causes her to become pregnant, while the favored, more beautiful, and younger Rachel remains childless.

Rachel becomes the third wife of the first patriarchs of Israel unable to conceive a child until the Lord allows it. The same was true for Sarah (Genesis 16:1–2) and Rebekah (Genesis 25:21). Even Leah's firstborn son by Jacob is only born with the Lord's intervention. Clearly, it was important to God for Israel to know that children were a gift from Him and that pregnancy was not something that could be controlled by human will alone.

Genesis 29:31–35 describes Leah's joy and heartbreak. Tricked into marrying Leah, Jacob's heart is never with her. He loves Rachel more; in fact, it would be fair to say he never loved Leah at all. The Lord, who is ever with Jacob, notices Leah's heartbreak and allows her to begin bearing children while Rachel remains childless. Leah's four sons are named in celebration of the Lord and His noticing her, as well as for her hope, or lack of it, that Jacob will come to love her.

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.