Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Genesis Chapter 29 mean?

After his journey east, Jacob arrives at the home of Laban, his mother’s brother. Laban lives in Haran in Mesopotamia, outside of the land God has promised to Abraham, Isaac and, in the previous chapter, to Jacob. Jacob had left his homeland in Canaan, both to find a wife among his father’s people (Genesis 28:1–2) and to escape the murderous rage of his older twin brother, Esau (Genesis 27:41). Jacob’s plan is to seek out the former household of his mother, Rebekah, and her brother, Laban.

First, though, Jacob comes across a well in a field. He asks some shepherds gathered near the well with their flocks if they know Laban and if he is thriving. They do know him and point to Laban’s daughter Rachel arriving with a flock of her own. Jacob immediately rolls the heavy stone away from the well and waters the sheep that belong to Rachel’s father (Genesis 29:1–10). This might have been an effort to impress her, as later verses will show that Jacob comes to love Rachel very much.

Jacob becomes emotional about finding these relatives he has never met before. He kisses Rachel and weeps loudly. Finally, he tells her who he is, and she runs to tell Laban. Laban quickly arrives. He hugs and kisses Jacob and welcomes him into his home. Jacob tells Laban some version of his story and how he came to be there, and Laban acknowledges that Jacob is truly his relative (Genesis 29:11–14).

After Jacob has been with the family for a month and working for Laban, the uncle asks the nephew what wages he would ask to continue working for him. The implication is that Jacob is a good worker and very helpful to Laban. Jacob, who has come in part to find a wife, offers to work for seven years in exchange for marrying Laban’s younger daughter Rachel, whom Jacob loves (Genesis 29:15–18). This intense love for Rachel will be an important contrast to Jacob’s feelings for her older sister, Leah, later in this chapter.

Laban quickly agrees to this generous offer and the years fly by for Jacob. When the time has passed, Laban throws a wedding feast. On the wedding night, however, Laban manages to switch out Rachel with her older, less attractive sister Leah. Jacob sleeps with Leah without realizing she is not Rachel; apparently in that time and place, this was enough to constitute a legal marriage (Genesis 29:19–25).

When Jacob realizes the next morning what has happened, he demands to know why Laban has committed this outrageous deception. Laban calmly tells Jacob that their custom does not allow the younger daughter to marry first (Genesis 29:26). Obviously, even if this were true, it is information Laban had seven years to pass along to Jacob. The entire arrangement was an obvious ploy on Laban’s part. Here, then, is Jacob “getting a taste of his own medicine:” the lying manipulator (Genesis 27:34–36) feeling the sting of deception and fraud.

As if in generosity, Laban offers to allow Jacob to marry Rachel the next week in exchange for another seven years of work. In spite of Laban’s manipulation, Jacob agrees (Genesis 29:27–30). Looking back on this passage after reading about Jacob’s remaining life, it turns out he has gained four wives (two of whom are really servants or concubines) in the span of a week! Both of the servants given to Laban’s daughters, at their weddings, will wind up bearing children to Jacob, as well (Genesis 30:2–3; 30:9–10).

Now married twice over, and with seven more years of unpaid work ahead of him, Jacob settles in. Leah, though, is deeply wounded by the fact that Jacob loves Rachel more than her. In fact, Jacob is said to hate Leah, at least by comparison. Given the circumstances of their marriage, this is hardly a surprise. The Lord, who is always with Jacob, takes notice of Leah’s heartbreak and allows her to begin having children while her younger, better-loved sister remains barren (Genesis 29:31).

Jacob’s first three sons from his unloved wife are named as a result of her faith. Leah trusts in the God who notices her pain and for her hope, or lack of it, that Jacob will now turn his heart toward her. In spite of Leah bearing Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, however, Jacob apparently remains unloving toward Leah (Genesis 29:32–34).

Leah seems to give up hoping that bearing sons will increase Jacob’s love for her. She names her fourth boy Judah, which means “praise” or “may God be praised.” Leah’s faith in God’s goodness remains intact, even while her hope that her husband will love her appears to slip away (Genesis 29:35).

The last verse of this chapter specifically indicates that Leah stopped conceiving children after Judah. This might be due to a temporary time of infertility. However, the next chapter speaks of Rachel’s anger that Leah has had children while Rachel has not. This jealousy from his favored wife might have inspired Jacob to withhold himself from Leah in an effort to give Rachel a child to call her own.

Chapter Context
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.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.

The Lord appeared to Jacob in a dream (Genesis 28:10–12) as he was journeying from his father’s household toward Haran, where his mother’s brother lives. Jacob had two reasons for the journey. One was to flee the wrath of his brother Esau, who planned to kill him (Genesis 27:41). The other reason was to look for wife. Isaac had told Jacob specifically to marry one of the daughters of Laban, Rebekah’s brother (Genesis 28:1–2).

So after vowing to make the Lord his God if the Lord would really be with him and care for him (Genesis 28:20–22), Jacob set out once again for Haran. The text literally reads that Jacob “picked up his feet.” It’s like the meeting with God had filled him with new confidence about his purpose and future.

In time, he came to the land of the people of the east, or the eastern lands. He had left behind the land of Canaan. He was closer to reaching his destination than he realized.

Context Summary
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.

Verse 2. As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well ‘s mouth was large,

Jacob does not know it, yet, but he has reached his destination. He is not far from the town of Haran where his uncle Laban lives. As he nears the area, he comes to a well in a field. Wells were places of great significance in this region where water was life. Wells were also often associated with God’s blessing. Jacob’s ancestor Abraham had gone through considerable trouble over wells during his time in Canaan (Genesis 21:25). Jacob’s father, Isaac, as well, had experienced disputes over wells and access to water (Genesis 26:18–22).

Three flocks of sheep and their shepherds are gathered near the well, which is covered with a large stone. The shepherds are waiting for all the sheep to arrive, so they can be watered all at once.

Verse 3. and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well.

Jacob has traveled from the home of his father to find the household of his mother’s brother Laban. At the command of Isaac, Jacob has come with a mission to marry one of Laban’s daughters (Genesis 28:1–2). Of course, Jacob is also escaping the rage of his older twin brother, Esau, whom he’d cheated out of a blessing (Genesis 27:41). He has also recently been assured by God, in a dream, that he will have numerous offspring (Genesis 28:10–12).

Jacob arrives at a well in a field, near which are gathered three flocks of sheep. The shepherds are waiting for the remaining sheep to arrive before rolling the large stone away from the mouth of the well to provide water for the sheep. This stone would have served to keep dirt and dust from collecting in the well. It would also have prevented wild animals from using it as a water source. In order to be of any use, the stone covering the mouth of the well would have been both large and difficult to move.

Verse 4. Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, “We are from Haran.”

Jacob has traveled from his home in Canaan, escaping his brother (Genesis 27:41) and searching for a wife (Genesis 28:1–2). He has come to this region looking for the town of Haran, where his uncle Laban lives. Coming across a well in a field, he strikes up a conversation with some shepherds gathered nearby with their sheep. He asks where they’re from; they tell him Haran. Jacob must have been glad to learn he was so near to his destination.

The fact that this meeting takes place by a well is no accident. In that era, water was important enough to fight over (Genesis 21:25–27), and wells would have been natural meeting places. Because they represent life and nourishment, wells are often used in Scripture to symbolize God’s blessing.

The shepherds here are waiting for all of the sheep to arrive before drawing water (Genesis 29:3). This well is capped with a large stone, probably to keep other animals and debris out of it (Genesis 29:3).

Verse 5. He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.”

Jacob has just learned that the shepherds gathered near this well are from Haran, the very town he has traveled so far to find. Now he asks them if they know Laban, the man he has come to find and hopefully stay with. They do know him. Is Jacob beginning to sense that God is truly with him “on the way,” leading him where he should go? Jacob’s quest was to find this very family, in order to seek out a wife (Genesis 28:1–2). Just as God led the servant of Abraham directly to a well, in order to find a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:12–16), perhaps God has led Jacob to the right place at the right time.

Verse 6. He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!”

Jacob is speaking with shepherds as they wait for their flocks to assemble near a well. Jacob is looking for the family of his mother’s brother, Laban, and the men he has found know exactly who Jacob seeks. Not only do they know him, and know that he’s doing well, the shepherds surprise Jacob pointing out Laban’s daughter Rachel is just arriving at the well with her own flock of sheep.

At this point, it must be obvious to Jacob that the Lord is keeping His promise to be with Jacob on his journey (Genesis 28:15). God has brought Jacob to this well, in this field, at the exact moment one of the daughters of Laban arrives. Jacob’s purpose for coming here, in part, was to marry one of the daughters of Laban at the urging of his father Isaac (Genesis 28:1–2). Jacob’s father, as well, found a wife when God intervened to bring the right woman to a well at just the right moment (Genesis 24:12–16).

Jacob can likely see the plan for his life beginning to come together.

Verse 7. He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.”

The conversation between Jacob and the shepherds has provided him with what must have been shocking and welcome information. They were from Haran, precisely where he is headed (Genesis 28:1–2). They knew Laban. Laban’s daughter, a perspective wife for Jacob, was just arriving with a flock of sheep.

We don’t know why, exactly, but for some reason Jacob addresses the shepherds with what seems like a challenge. In fact, he gives them an order. Some commentators suggest perhaps the shepherds were being short with Jacob, not giving the stranger much respect. From Jacob’s perspective, it’s too early in the day to gather the separate flocks of sheep into a single herd for the night. They should still be out with their flocks grazing on the vegetation in this region. Jacob tells the shepherds, in essence, to stop hanging out, to water the sheep, and to get back to the pasture.

Is Jacob just the kind of guy who tells other people what to do or is he beginning to assert himself as a relative of an important man in the region? Or does he perhaps wish for these shepherds to go away so he can meet and get to know his cousin and prospective wife Rachel?

Verse 8. But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”

Jacob has just learned several things at once. His journey has brought him near his destination of Haran and the household of his uncle Laban (Genesis 28:1–2). According to the shepherds standing around a well, Laban is in good health, and his daughter is approaching with a flock of sheep (Genesis 29:5–6).

In the previous verse, Jacob seems to have taken some borrowed ownership of the situation around the well. He ordered the shepherds gathered with their flocks to water the sheep and get back to the pasture. This seems like a brash statement from a stranger, so perhaps the other men were being rude to Jacob. Or, he’s simply trying to assert himself in an effort to win over Rachel.

Here, the shepherds respond that Jacob’s plan is not how they do things. They wait until all of the sheep have arrived, all of the flocks, then they roll away the well’s heavy stone covering and water all of the flocks at once. It’s not clear exactly why they do it this way. Some commentators suggest, however, that the first flocks to arrive would usually be the first to be watered. Laban won’t follow that practice in the following verses.

Verse 9. While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father ‘s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

Jacob has learned from a group of shepherds gathered with their sheep near a well in a field that they are from Haran, Jacob’s destination (Genesis 28:1–2). In fact, it turns out they know Jacob’s uncle Laban, the very man Jacob has travelled to stay with. Even more, Laban’s daughter is arriving with another flock of sheep at this very moment. Her name is Rachel, and she is a shepherdess.

Jacob has attempted to order the waiting shepherds to water their flocks and get back out into the field. As one would expect, since he’s a stranger, the men did not obey his request (Genesis 29:7–8). According to them, it’s necessary to wait until all of the flocks are assembled before they’ll roll away the heavy stone covering the mouth of the well.

This story represents an interesting parallel to the experiences of Jacob’s own mother, Rebekah. A servant sent by Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather, was sent to find a wife for Isaac, Jacob’s father (Genesis 24:2–4). That man located Rebekah by using a test performed at a well in this same region (Genesis 24:13–14).

Verse 10. Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother ‘s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother ‘s brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well ‘s mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother ‘s brother.

After a terse exchange with the local shepherds gathered around this well, Jacob sees his beautiful cousin Rachel and turns into kind of a joyful mess. The other shepherds have just told Jacob that they wait for all the flocks to arrive before watering the sheep, likely in order of arrival. Jacob ignores all of that and rolls the heavy stone away from the mouth of the well, apparently all by himself. He immediately waters Laban’s flock of sheep without asking or being asked.

Suddenly, Jacob is a take-charge kind of guy. In the following verses, he will express even more openly his joy at finding Rachel and, by extension, Laban. Perhaps Jacob is also aware of the similarities between this moment and the time when Abraham’s servant found Jacob’s own mother at a well while looking for a wife for his father Isaac. The servant had asked God to make the one who offered to water his camels the one intended for Isaac. Rebekah had done so immediately (Genesis 24).

Verse 11. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud.

When Jacob saw his cousin Rachel arrive at the well with his uncle’s sheep, he became very bold and emotional. Without apparently saying anything to Rachel, Jacob immediately watered her flock of sheep (Genesis 29:10). Now he kisses his cousin and starts crying loudly! Jacob seems to have been overcome with joy that he had so quickly found his family upon arriving in the region, as well as making contact with a woman who could be a potential wife. Isaac had sent him to marry one of Laban’s daughters, after all (Genesis 28:1–2).

Jacob’s joyful response is similar to that of Abraham’s servant upon realizing that the young woman he had found at a well as a potential wife for Isaac was also a close relative of Abraham (Genesis 24:22–27).

To kiss a relative would not necessarily have been seen as a romantic gesture in this era. It may, however, have seemed strange to do without first identifying oneself as a relative, especially when bursting into tears immediately afterwards. We would assume Rachel was confused.

Verse 12. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father ‘s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah ‘s son, and she ran and told her father.

After watering Rachel’s sheep without being asked and then kissing her and bursting into tears, Jacob finally tells her who he is. It may seem out of order to us, but Jacob was apparently overwhelmed with joyful emotion. He has fled his homeland in Canaan to escape his brother’s wrath (Genesis 27:41), and also to obey the request of his father to seek a wife (Genesis 28:1–2). Rachel is from the very people-group Jacob was meant to contact. Along the way, Jacob experienced a profound dream where he was given promises by God (Genesis 28:10–12).

Specifically, Jacob tells Rachel that he is related to her father Laban. In fact, he is her aunt Rebekah’s son. In response, Rachel ran home to tell Laban the news. Jacob’s mother Rebekah responded in a similar way when she learned about Abraham’s servant and his mission (Genesis 24:28).

Verse 13. As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister ‘s son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things,

Many years earlier, Laban had heard about the arrival of the servant of a relative and had run out of the city to greet him (Genesis 24:28–29). That time it was Abraham’s servant who came to offer great wealth as part of his request to take Rebekah away and marry her to Isaac (Genesis 24:34–38). Perhaps when Laban heard from Rachel that Rebekah’s son had arrived, he expected to find a similar opportunity for wealth. Or perhaps he was just excited to meet his nephew. As the events of this chapter will reveal, it is often difficult to know whether Laban is driven by greed or by love.

Whatever Laban’s initial motives, he would have quickly seen that Jacob arrived without great wealth. He was likely traveling alone, and in the prior chapter he was described as sleeping in the wilderness with a rock for a pillow (Genesis 28:10–11)! We’re told of no servants or caravan of camels. Still, Laban warmly greets Jacob, hugging and kissing him in the manor of the day and welcoming his nephew into his home.

Jacob, also overjoyed, is said to have told Laban “all these things.” We assume that means that Jacob told Laban some of the story of his family and his reason for coming to Haran (Genesis 28:1–2). We don’t know, however, if Jacob revealed all of his family’s business, including his own deception of his father to get Esau’s blessing (Genesis 27:41) or of his encounter with the Lord in a dream (Genesis 28:12).

Verse 14. and Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month.

Just as he did when Abraham’s servant arrived to seek a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:28–29), Laban rushes out to a well to greet someone who has arrived from Canaan in search of a wife (Genesis 29:12–13). After meeting his sister’s son, Laban embraced Jacob, kissed him, and welcomed him into his home. The phrase “surely you are my bone and my flesh” may be a statement of celebrating his close family connection to Jacob. It may also have been an acknowledgement that Jacob was who he said he was, the son of Rebekah and thus a true member of Laban’s family.

Welcomed into Laban’s home, Jacob stays with the family for a month. Apparently, he began to work for Laban during that time (Genesis 29:15). It’s possible that Jacob’s plan was to follow the instruction of his parents and only stay with Laban for a short season. A month may have been long enough for Esau to cool off (Genesis 27:41), for Jacob to find a wife (Genesis 28:1–2), and to return home.

Instead, Laban will make Jacob an offer he can’t refuse, one that will keep him working for Laban in the land of Mesopotamia for a long time.

Verse 15. Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”

Jacob had apparently arrived at Laban’s house without a clear exit strategy. At the urging of both of his parents, Jacob had come to escape the murderous wrath of his brother (Genesis 27:41) and to find a wife (Genesis 28:1–2). Up to this point, things have gone well. He arrived safely, despite at least one night alone and without shelter in the wilderness (Genesis 28:10–11). Laban had welcomed him warmly as a true member of the family (Genesis 29:14).

Now we learn Jacob had apparently started to work for Laban without an explicit arrangement for payment, a mark of good character. Laban realized that arrangement shouldn’t continue indefinitely, even though Jacob was a relative. The following verses will reveal that Jacob was a good worker. It’s possible Laban didn’t want to lose him.

To that end, he approached Jacob to ask what wages he would want to continue to work for him. By now, Jacob had probably begun to think about returning home. Laban’s offer would require him to stay longer with his uncle. In the end, what started as a stay of one month (Genesis 29:14) will turn into 20 years (Genesis 31:41)!

Verse 16. Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

After Jacob had lived with him for a month (Genesis 29:14), Laban approached Jacob to ask what wages his nephew would want to stay on with Laban and continue to work for him. Apparently, he was impressed with the work Jacob was doing or he just liked having him around.

Before telling us Jacob’s response, the story backs up to add some characters to the plot. Laban had two daughters. Leah is the older of the two. The text has already introduced Rachel, the younger sister and a shepherdess (Genesis 29:6–9). Since Isaac had sent Jacob to marry one of Laban’s daughters (Genesis 28:1–2), Jacob must have been considering these two since arriving at Laban’s household.

We’re told very little about the women, other than a brief idea of their physical appearance. Unfortunately for Leah, she is not as attractive as her younger sister, nor will she be loved by Jacob (Genesis 29:17–18).

Verse 17. Leah ‘s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.

Prior verses described how Jacob came to find the family of his uncle, Laban (Genesis 29:1–12), in search of a wife (Genesis 28:1–2). Laban welcomed Jacob warmly, and after a month of work, asked Jacob what wages he would be expecting (Genesis 29:15). Shifting to provide background information, Scripture then introduced Laban’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel (Genesis 29:16).

We now learn that the older daughter, Leah, was not as attractive as her younger sister. The text indicates that she had “weak” or “soft” eyes. The suggestion is that her eyes didn’t have much liveliness, especially as compared to her sister. According to that era’s standards of beauty, it was ideal to have sharp, dark, expressive eyes. Leah, it seems, had a plainer face than what Jacob would have preferred. Rachel, on the other hand, is described as being “beautiful in both form and appearance,” which seems to be a reference to both the shape of her body and the look of her face.

As the rest of the chapter will reveal, these differences between Leah and Rachel—and Jacob’s response to them—will drive the events of his life for many years to come.

Verse 18. Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

Jacob had been sent by his father to his uncle’s household, in part, to find a wife (Genesis 28:1–2). In addition, Jacob had grown to love Laban’s younger daughter Rachel (Genesis 29:16–17). When Laban asked Jacob what wages he would want to continue to work for him, Jacob saw his chance to broach the subject of marriage. Jacob responded to Laban’s question about wages with quite an offer: He would work for Laban for seven years for the hand of Rachel, the younger daughter, in marriage.

Why would Jacob make such an offer, beyond being deeply in love with Rachel? Perhaps he lacked any access to his father’s great wealth. Though he had been sent by his father, Jacob was also fleeing his angry brother (Genesis 27:41), and apparently left alone and without much in the way of supplies (Genesis 28:11). It was customary for a groom or groom’s family to pay a “bride price” to the family of the woman he wished to marry. If Jacob was without funds, he may have thought it necessary to make such an offer of longtime service.

Still, even at the lowest wage for a common worker during this time, seven years of free labor would apparently far exceed any normal payment for a bride price. Perhaps Jacob imagined that during that time he, as a nephew, would grow to inherit some of Laban’s wealth. Or perhaps he just enjoyed the work and the surroundings and didn’t mind the thought of spending the next seven years there. It’s hard to know for sure.

Verse 19. Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.”

Jacob has come to his ancestral homeland, both to escape his murderous brother (Genesis 27:41) and to find a wife at the request of his father (Genesis 28:1–2). Luckily, he located his family and fell in love with the younger of his uncle’s two daughters, Rachel (Genesis 29:16–17). After a month of living with the family, Laban asks what wages he expects, and Jacob offers to work for seven years in exchange for Rachel’s hand in marriage.

Jacob’s offer was extraordinarily generous. It’s no surprise that Laban quickly agrees. He likely did see Jacob as an excellent husband for his daughter. He also saw seven years of free labor from a hard worker. Had he been more generous, Laban could have countered Jacob’s offer with one that was not so strenuous on his daughter’s future husband. That wasn’t Laban’s style. In fact, as the next few verses will explain, Laban’s intentions are clearly not good. Jacob, the cheater (Genesis 25:29–34; 27:33–36), is working towards a taste of his own medicine.

Verse 20. So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

This is among the most romantic verses in the Bible. Certainly, it’s one of the most romantic in Genesis. Jacob was sent to this region to find a wife (Genesis 28:1–2), as well as to keep away from his vengeful twin brother (Genesis 27:41). He managed to locate his uncle, Laban, and fall in love with the younger of Laban’s two daughters, Rachel (Genesis 29:16–17). After a month of work, Laban had asked what wages Jacob expected, and Jacob offered much more than he needed to in order to secure Rachel’s hand in marriage. Laban, always looking for a bargain, quickly accepted Jacob’s proposal: seven years of free labor!

Jacob doesn’t seem to have regretted it for a moment. He was so crazy in love with Rachel that seven years seemed to him to be only a few days. The years flew by. Love can do that to a man. Those years would quickly slow down, however. Jacob’s history is one of deception and fraud (Genesis 25:29–34; 27:33–36), and Laban is actually plotting a scheme using Jacob’s great love for Rachel.

Verse 21. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.”

Jacob had offered, and Laban had gladly accepted, an extravagant price for the privilege of marrying Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel (Genesis 29:16–17). Jacob would work for Laban for seven years in exchange for this price (Genesis 29:18–19). The previous verse reported that those years flew by for Jacob because of his great love for Rachel. He was happy to pay that price to be married to her.

Jacob’s words read like a demand. It’s possible there had already been tension between Jacob and Laban and that Jacob felt the need to be strong with Laban to bring their deal to a close. Now the seven years was over, and Jacob asked Laban to make good on his end of the deal: Give me your daughter for my wife. More specifically: Give me my wife so that I may consummate the arranged marriage, indicating that Jacob and Rachel had remained chaste during those seven years.

This only further highlights the nature of Laban’s upcoming deception. Seven years have passed; this is plenty of time to explain customs or iron out small details. And yet, when the wedding night is over, Jacob will be stunned to find that he’s been tricked (Genesis 29:25). Laban’s excuse, coming so long after the deal was made, will only confirm that his deceit was intentional (Genesis 29:27).

Verse 22. So Laban gathered together all the people 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.

Verse 23. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her.

Laban’s betrayal of Jacob and, arguably, of his own daughter Rachel, takes place in this verse. Jacob had offered to work for seven years, free of wages, in order to marry Rachel (Genesis 29:18–19). When the appointed time came, however, Laban finds a way to substitute Leah, the older daughter, instead!

For the modern reader, it’s difficult to understand exactly how Jacob could have missed this key detail on his wedding night. Clearly, this supports the idea that he and Rachel had not been intimate before this point (Genesis 29:21). Somehow, Laban switched Rachel for Leah in Jacob’s chambers before they had consummated their marriage. The fact that Jacob slept with Leah without realizing she was not Rachel may be explained by wedding customs that would have involved the veiling of the bride. Likewise, cultural attitudes towards modesty might have meant her identity was unclear during the night. Also, a celebration involving wine can sometimes lead to a lack of judgment.

All of these are speculation, however. All we know for sure is that Laban successfully tricks Jacob into consummating—and therefore, by that culture’s customs, marrying—someone other than the woman he had worked seven years for. As painful as this would have been to Jacob, his own past was one of deception and trickery (Genesis 27:33–41). Like it or not, Jacob is now learning what it feels like to be cheated.

Verse 24. (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)

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.

Verse 25. And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”

Jacob made an extravagant offer to Laban: to work seven years for the right to marry Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel (Genesis 29:18–19). The years flew by because of his love for her (Genesis 29:20). But Laban has betrayed Jacob and Rachel by switching Leah for Rachel on their wedding night. Jacob has slept with Leah, believing her to be Rachel. Scripture does not explain exactly how he could have done so without realizing the difference. Genesis 29:17 indicates Rachel was beautiful in both her face and her body, while Leah was less attractive (Genesis 29:16–17). It’s possible that too much wine, or elaborate veils, cultural modesty, or Jacob’s wedding night nervousness caused him to miss this key fact, but we don’t really know.

Now he knows. The phrase given here is almost comical, aside from the tragic implications for Jacob and Rachel. Jacob was truly shocked to discover he had slept with—and by the laws of that culture, legally married—the older sister, Leah. When he understood what had happened, he immediately went to Laban to ask why he had been lied to. Jacob had kept his part of the bargain in full. Why did Laban do this?

Laban’s deception seems outrageous, unfair, and even monstrous. And it is. However, it’s hard not to see echoes of Jacob’s own deception of his dying, blind father Isaac (Genesis 27:19). Isaac and Esau together experienced a similar terrible moment of shock when they realized Jacob had impersonated Esau and had stolen the family blessing (Genesis 27:30–36).

Scripture never explicitly labels this an act of retribution from God for Jacob’s deception. It could be argued the parallel is so obvious that it doesn’t need to be stated, but the fact is the Bible does not directly say this is a punishment. Perhaps, though, Jacob began to learn empathy for those he had harmed. One would hope this would inspire him not to follow in the footsteps of his mother Rebekah and his uncle Laban.

Later in his life, both Jacob’s prior deception and this moment will be reflected in an encounter with God. There, Jacob will be asked to state his name, in order to be blessed (Genesis 32:24–28).

Verse 26. Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

On the wedding night, Laban had switched his older, less attractive daughter for the younger one whom Jacob loved (Genesis 29:16–17). Jacob had unknowingly consummated a marriage with Leah instead of Rachel. The previous verse contains Jacob’s outraged but very reasonable questions to Laban on the morning after: What have to you done to me? Didn’t I work with you for seven years for Rachel? Why have you tricked me?

Laban’s answer certainly doesn’t satisfy those questions. In fact, it’s so absurd that it almost comes across as mocking. Laban brushes Jacob off with a shrug and a policy statement: our people don’t marry off the younger before the older. While it’s possible that was the custom, Laban could have explained that to Jacob at any point in the previous seven years. If it really were a hard rule of that culture, someone would have mentioned it to Jacob eventually. There can be no question whatsoever: this was a deliberate deception on the part of Laban.

Was his outrageous act of deception motivated, in part, by love for his older daughter Leah and a concern for her future? Laban’s hurtful choices sometimes seem to be a wrong response to some compassionate impulse, but that is often the defense of abusive, controlling people.

In a particularly ironic twist, Laban’s response involves an older sibling having rights over the younger. Jacob, as it turns out, is also getting a taste of his own medicine. Earlier in his life, Jacob had manipulated his older twin brother out of his birthright (Genesis 25:29–34). Then, he’d connived with his mother to fool his blind father, stealing a blessing meant for that same older brother (Genesis 27:15–19). Esau’s rage from that betrayal was one reason Jacob had to flee Canaan to come live with Laban (Genesis 27:41).

Verse 27. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.”

Jacob has confronted his uncle, Laban, for an act of incredible deception. After working his agreed-upon seven years for the right to marry Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel, Jacob has discovered the morning after his wedding night that Leah, the older sister, has been secretly switched in. He is now legally—in that culture—married to a woman he does not love, and has been cheated out of his agreement with Laban. This incident sees Jacob on the receiving end of the kind of manipulation (Genesis 25:29–34) and deception (Genesis 27:15–19) he himself had practiced.

What had Jacob planned for his future? Did he imagine that after completing his seven years of work for Laban, he would marry Rachel and return home to his own family in Canaan? If so, that dream came to an end when he discovered Laban’s treachery. In response to Jacob’s angry questions about why Laban switched Leah for Rachel, he has responded that the local custom is for the older daughter to marry first (Genesis 29:26). This, of course, is a ridiculous excuse, so farcical that it makes more sense as a deliberate insult than an actual answer. Even so, it would have been especially stinging to Jacob, whose prior acts cheated his older twin brother, Esau (Genesis 27:41).

Now Laban “offers” to allow Jacob to marry Rachel after he completes the week-long wedding celebrations with Leah. However, Jacob will need to work another seven years for her afterwards. In short, he’s married to Leah no matter what, but he can marry Rachel almost immediately if he’ll go into debt for her.

Laban comes across to us as a manipulative, almost cartoonish villain. He solves the problem of getting Leah married and the problem of not losing Jacob’s free labor all in one tidy scheme. He gets everything he wants at Jacob’s expense.

Jacob did have options, of course. He could have refused to marry Rachel and left Laban’s household. He could have refused the marriage to Leah, though if it was legally binding, that might have ruined his chances to marry Rachel. Or, more reasonably, he could have simply demanded Rachel and told Laban that he wasn’t going to be cheated into extra work. But, Laban seems to have known from the beginning that Jacob loved Rachel and was likely to continue to serve him in order to marry her.

Verse 28.Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.

Jacob’s name literally means “usurper,” or “leg-puller” (Genesis 25:26). When he manipulated his older brother out of a birthright, and stole a blessing from his father through deception, he lived up to his name (Genesis 27:34–36). Fallout from those acts of deceit are a major reason Jacob was forced to flee Canaan, in order to live with Laban (Genesis 27:41; Genesis 28:1–2). In what seemed like a stroke of luck, at least for Jacob, he found a woman he loved so much that he was willing to work seven years for the right to marry her: Rachel, the younger daughter of Laban (Genesis 29:16–20).

In a deeply ironic twist, however, Jacob the cheater has run into a true master manipulator in Laban. Having tricked Jacob into consummating a legal marriage with the older daughter, Leah, instead of Rachel (Genesis 29:23–25), he has made Jacob a new offer: Agree to work for me another seven years, and you can marry Rachel next week (Genesis 29:27).

Laban’s excuse (Genesis 29:26) and updated offer are both abusive and completely unfair. And yet, Jacob agrees. He’s not only stuck, to some extent, he’s also still desperately in love with Rachel. A week after what he thought would be the beginning of a new life with Rachel, he will find himself married to both his true love and her sister. And, unfortunately, on the hook for another seven years of free labor for his uncle.

Verse 29. (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.)

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).

Verse 30. So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for 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.

Verse 31. When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, 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.

Context Summary
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.

Verse 32. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.”

The first of Jacob’s twelve sons is born to his unloved wife Leah. Blame for this lack of relationship can be laid at the feet of her father, Laban. After agreeing to let Jacob work seven years for Leah’s younger sister, Rachel (Genesis 29:17–20), Laban switched Leah into the wedding night chambers, tricking Jacob into consummating his marriage to the wrong sister (Genesis 29:21–26). By that deception, Laban earned another seven years of free work from Jacob (Genesis 29:27–30).

Responding to Leah’s heartbreak, the Lord intervened and allowed her to become pregnant while her favored sister remained childless. Leah names the boy Reuben, connecting it to her circumstances at the time. In Hebrew, Ra’uwben is similar to the phrase rā’ahbe’ōnyi, meaning “my misery is seen.” The name is also similar to the hopeful phrase Leah utters regarding Jacob, hoping her husband ye’ehā’ba ni—”will love me.”

Leah’s naming of the boy is an act of faith in God. She clearly gives Him credit for both noticing her pain and for giving her this gift of a son. The name also expresses Leah’s misplaced confidence that bearing a son for Jacob will turn his heart toward her. It won’t.

Verse 33. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon.

Leah is unloved by her husband, Jacob (Genesis 29:21–28). This is unsurprising, since Jacob never intended to marry her in the first place. It was only by an act of trickery that Jacob woke up the morning after his wedding to find Leah, instead of her younger sister, Rachel, in his bed. God saw Leah’s pain at being an unwanted, unloved wife, and has blessed her with a son; the favored Rachel, meanwhile is childless (Genesis 29:31).

After giving birth to Jacob’s firstborn son Reuben, Leah expressed her faith that God had seen her pain. She also believed that bearing Jacob a son would cause him to love her (Genesis 29:32).

Here we find that even at the birth of their second son that Jacob continued to “hate” Leah, especially in comparison to Rachel. In giving this second boy the name Simeon, Leah again shows her faith that God did this for her in response to her pain. Shim’own more or less literally means “heard.” This time, though, the name also reflects the fact that she is hated. She seems to have given up hope, for the moment, that the birth of sons will turn Jacob’s heart to her. God has seen (Reuben) and heard (Simeon) her pain, but Jacob does not love her.

Verse 34. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.

Leah’s father, Laban, tricked her husband Jacob into marrying her. In fact, Laban had sneakily replaced Jacob’s intended bride, Rachel, with Leah, her older sister, on the wedding night. The end result of this chaos was Jacob married to two women, but unexpectedly owing Laban another seven years of labor (Genesis 29:16–30). For this reason, it’s not surprising to read that Jacob does not love Leah. Whether figuratively in comparison to his beloved Rachel, or literally, Jacob “hates” Leah (Genesis 29:31).

Seeing this pain, God has allowed Leah to conceive sons while the favored Rachel has remained childless. The prior boys were named to reflect Leah’s hope that Jacob would come to love her. Their names, Reuben and Simeon, serve as reminders that God has seen (Genesis 29:32) and heard (Genesis 29:33) her pain.

Leah now bears Jacob a third son. Again she names the boy based on her longing for her husband to love her. In Hebrew, Leviy literally means “joined to,” and is very similar to the root of a word spoken by Leah earlier in the verse, lavah, which means “to become attached.” Leah hopes this third son will cause Jacob to be attached to her in a way that he apparently never had been before.

Verse 35. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.

Leah has married Jacob, but only because her father brutally deceived him, using Jacob’s love for her younger sister, Rachel (Genesis 29:16–30). As one might expect, Jacob’s attitude towards Leah has not been warm, and the Bible actually says that Jacob “hated” Leah (Genesis 29:31). Seeing and hearing her pain, God granted Leah her first two sons, who she named accordingly: Reuben (Genesis 29:32) and Simeon (Genesis 29:33). Her third son, Levi, was named to express a hope that Jacob would finally become attached to her (Genesis 29:34).

Now, Leah bears Jacob a fourth son. This time, she does not name the boy according to a hope that her husband will begin to love her. Perhaps Leah has given up on winning Jacob’s affection. The name she gives to Judah does, however, continue to reflect Leah’s faith in God. Yahuwdah means “praise,” or more specifically, “may God be praised.” Leah had an active faith in the Lord, who continued to be with her husband.

After this fourth son, however, Leah seems to have stopped bearing children. Scripture does not always mention every single child a particular person has, but this verse specifically says Leah did not continue to conceive after Judah. Either she became infertile for a time, or Jacob stopped sleeping with her. This second option is not impossible, given the jealousy expressed by her sister Rachel, as described in the next chapter.

End of Chapter 29.

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