the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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New King James Version
Genesis 29:18
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Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."
And Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.
Jacob loved Rachel, so he said to Laban, "Let me marry your younger daughter Rachel. If you will, I will work seven years for you."
Since Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel, he said, "I'll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel."
And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."
Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you [as a hired workman] for seven years [in return] for [the privilege of marrying] Rachel your younger daughter."
And Jacob louede Rachel, and seide, Y schal serue thee seuene yeer for Rachel thi lesse douytir.
And Jacob loveth Rachel, and saith, `I serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter:'
Since Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."
Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he answered, "If you will let me marry Rachel, I'll work seven years for you."
(iii) Ya‘akov had fallen in love with Rachel and said, "I will work for you seven years in exchange for Rachel your younger daughter."
And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
And Jacob was in love with Rachel; and he said, I will be your servant seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.
And Iacob loued Rachel, and sayde: I wyll serue thee seuen yere for Rachel thy younger daughter.
And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
Jacob loved Rachel, so he said to Laban, "I will work seven years for you if you will allow me to marry your daughter Rachel."
And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said: 'I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.'
And Iacob loued Rachel, and said, I will serue thee seuen yeeres for Rachel thy yonger daughter.
And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
Jacob loved Rachel. So he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."
Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."
So Jacob loved Rachel, - and he said, I will serve thee seven years, for Rachel thy younger daughter.
And Iaakob loued Rahel, and sayde, I will serue thee seuen yeeres for Rahel thy yonger daughter.
And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.
Jacob was in love with Rachel, so he said, "I will work seven years for you, if you will let me marry Rachel."
And Jacob being in love with her, said: I will serve thee seven years for Rachel, thy younger daughter.
Jacob loved Rachel; and he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."
And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, I will serve thee seven years for thy younger daughter Rachel.
And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
Jacob loved Rachel, so he answered Laban, “I’ll work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
Ya`akov loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."
And Jacob loved Rachel and said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter."
And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.
and Iacob loued her well, and sayde: I will serue the seuen yeare, for Rachel thy yongest doughter.
Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."
Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, "I'll work for you for seven years if you'll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife."
Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."
Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
loved: Genesis 29:20, Genesis 29:30
I will serve: In ancient times, it was a custom among many nations to give dowries for their wives; but Jacob, being poor, offered for Rachel seven year's service. Genesis 31:41, Genesis 34:12, Exodus 22:16, Exodus 22:17, 2 Samuel 3:14, Hosea 3:2, Hosea 12:12
Reciprocal: Genesis 29:17 - Rachel Genesis 29:21 - my days Genesis 44:27 - General Genesis 46:19 - Rachel Deuteronomy 21:11 - desire Deuteronomy 21:15 - two wives Ruth 4:10 - have I 1 Samuel 18:20 - loved David 1 Samuel 18:25 - dowry 2 Samuel 13:1 - loved her
Cross-References
Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance.
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.
Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.
Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife."
So David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, saying, "Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines."
So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.
Jacob fled to the country of Syria; Israel served for a spouse, And for a wife he tended sheep.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And Jacob loved Rachel,.... As he seems to have done from the moment he saw her at the well, being beautiful, modest, humble, affable, diligent, and industrious:
and he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter: signifying, that he desired no other wages for his service than that, that he might have her for his wife, at the end of seven years' servitude, which he was very willing to oblige himself to, on that condition; for having no money to give as a dowry, as was customary in those times, he proposed servitude instead of it; though Schmidt thinks this was contrary to custom, and that Laban treated his daughters like bondmaids, and such as are taken captives or strangers, and sold them, of which they complain, Genesis 31:15.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- Jacobâs Marriage
6. ר×× raÌcheÌl, Rachel, âa ewe.â
16. ××× leÌ'aÌh, Leah, âwearied.â
24. ×××¤× zıÌlpaÌh, Zilpah, âdrop?â
29. ×××× bıÌlhaÌh, Bilhah, âtimidity.â
32. ר××Ö¼×× re'uvbeÌn, Reuben, âbehold a son.â A paronomasia in allusion to the phrase ××¢× ×× ×¨×× beâaÌnyıÌy raÌ'aÌh. Derivatives and compounds, being formed by the common speaker, are sometimes founded upon resemblance in sound, and not always on precise forms of the original sentence which prompted them.
33. ש×××¢×× shıÌmâoÌn, Shimâon, âhearing, answer.â
34. ××× leÌvıÌy, Levi, âjunction, union.â
35. ×××Ö¼×× yehuÌdaÌh, Jehudah, âpraised.â
In this chapter and the following, Jacob grows from a solitary fugitive with a staff in his hand Genesis 32:10 to be the father of a large family and the owner of great wealth. He proves himself to be a man of patience and perseverance, and the Lord according to promise is with him.
Genesis 29:1-8
Jacob arrives at the well of Haran. âThe land of the sons of the east.â The points of the heavens were defined by the usage of practical life, and not by the standard of a science yet unknown. Hence, the east means any quarter toward the sunrising. Haran was about four degrees east of Beer-sheba, and five and a half degrees north. The distance was about four hundred and fifty miles, and therefore it would take Jacob fifteen days to perform the journey at thirty miles a day. If he reached Bethel the first night, he must have travelled about fifty miles the first day. After this he proceeds on his journey without any memorable incident. In the neighborhood of Haran he comes upon a well, by which lay three flocks. This is not the well near Haran where Abrahamâs servant met Rebekah. It is in the pasture grounds at some distance from the town. On its mouth was a large stone, indicating that water was precious, and that the well was the common property of the surrounding natives. The custom was to gather the flocks, roll away the stone, which was too great to be moved by a boy or a female, water the flocks, and replace the stone. Jacob, on making inquiry, learns that Haran is at hand, that Laban is well, and that Rachel is drawing nigh with her fatherâs flocks. Laban is called by Jacob the son of Nahor, that is, his grandson, with the usual latitude of relative names in Scripture Genesis 28:13. âThe day is great.â A great part of it yet remains. It is not yet the time to shut up the cattle for the night; âwater the sheep and go feed them.â Jacob may have wished to meet with Rachel without presence of the shepherds. âWe cannot.â There was a rule or custom that the flocks must be all assembled before the stone was rolled away for the purpose of watering the cattle. This may have been required to insure a fair distribution of the water to all parties, and especially to those who were too weak to roll away the stone.
Genesis 29:9-14
Jacobâs interview with Rachel, and hospitable reception by Laban. Rachelâs approach awakens all Jacobâs warmth of feeling. He rolls away the stone, waters the sheep, kisses Rachel, and bursts into tears. The remembrance of home and of the relationship of his mother to Rachel overpowers him. He informs Rachel who he is, and she runs to acquaint her father. Laban hastens to welcome his relative to his house. âSurely my bone and my flesh art thou.â This is a description of kinsmanship probably derived from the formation of the woman out of the man Genesis 2:23. A month here means the period from new moon to new moon, and consists of twenty-nine or thirty days.
Genesis 29:15-20
Jacob serves seven years for Rachel. âWhat shall thy wages be?â An active, industrious man like Jacob was of great value to Laban. âTwo daughters.â Daughters in those countries and times were also objects of value, for which their parents were accustomed to receive considerable presents Genesis 24:53. Jacob at present, however, is merely worth his labor. He has apparently nothing else to offer. As he loves Rachel, he offers to serve seven years for her, and is accepted. Isaac loved Rebekah after she was sought and won as a bride for him. Jacob loves Rachel before he makes a proposal of marriage. His attachment is pure and constant, and hence the years of his service seem but days to him. The pleasure of her society both in the business and leisure of life makes the hours pass unnoticed. It is obvious that in those early days the contact of the sexes before marriage was more unrestrained than it afterward became.
Genesis 29:21-30
Jacob is betrayed into marrying Leah, and on consenting to serve other seven years obtains Rachel also. He claims his expected reward when due. âMade a feast.â The feast in the house of the brideâs father seems to have lasted seven days, at the close of which the marriage was completed. But the custom seems to have varied according to the circumstances of the bridegroom. Jacob had no house of his own to which to conduct the bride. In the evening: when it was dark. The bride was also closely veiled, so that it was easy for Laban to practise this piece of deceit. âA handmaid.â It was customary to give the bride a handmaid, who became her confidential servant Genesis 24:59, Genesis 24:61. In the morning Jacob discovers that Laban had overreached him. This is the first retribution Jacob experiences for the deceitful practices of his former days. He expostulates with Laban, who pleads the custom of the country.
It is still the custom not to give the younger in marriage before the older, unless the latter be deformed or in some way defective. It is also not unusual to practise the very same trick that Laban now employed, if the suitor is so simple as to be off his guard. Jacob, however, did not expect this at his relativeâs hands, though he had himself taken part in proceedings equally questionable. âFulfill the week of this.â If this was the second day of the feast celebrating the nuptials of Leah, Laban requests him to Complete the week, and then he will give him Rachel also. If, however, Leah was fraudulently put upon him at the close of the week of feasting, then Laban in these words proposes to give Rachel to Jacob on fulfilling another week of nuptial rejoicing. The latter is in the present instance more likely. In either case the marriage of Rachel is only a week after that of Leah. Rather than lose Rachel altogether, Jacob consents to comply with Labanâs terms.
Rachel was the wife of Jacobâs affections and intentions. The taking of a second wife in the lifetime of the first was contrary to the law of nature, which designed one man for one woman Genesis 2:21-25. But the marrying of a sister-in-law was not yet incestuous, because no law had yet been made on the subject. Laban gives a handmaid to each of his daughters. To Rebekah his sister had been given more than one Genesis 24:61. Bondslaves had been in existence long before Labanâs time Genesis 16:1. âAnd loved also Rachel more than Leah.â This proves that even Leah was not unloved. At the time of his marriage Jacob was eighty-four years of age; which corresponds to half that age according to the present average of human life.
Genesis 29:31-35
Leah bears four sons to Jacob. âThe Lord saw.â The eye of the Lord is upon the sufferer. It is remarkable that both the narrator and Leah employ the proper name of God, which makes the performance of promise a prominent feature of his character. This is appropriate in the mouth of Leah, who is the mother of the promised seed. âThat Leah was hatedâ - less loved than Rachel. He therefore recompenses her for the lack of her husbandâs affections by giving her children, while Rachel was barren. âReubenâ - behold a son. âThe Lord hath looked on my affliction.â Leah had qualities of heart, if not of outward appearance, which commanded esteem. She had learned to acknowledge the Lord in all her ways. âSimonâ - answer. She had prayed to the Lord, and this was her answer. âLeviâ - union, the reconciler. Her husband could not, according to the prevailing sentiments of those days, fail to be attached to the mother of three sons. âJudahâ - praised. Well may she praise the Lord; for this is the ancestor of the promised seed. It is remarkable that the wife of priority, but not of preference, is the mother of the seed in whom all nations are to be blessed. Levi the reconciler is the father of the priestly tribe. Simon is attached to Judah. Reuben retires into the background.
Reuben may have been born when Jacob was still only eighty-four, and consequently Judah was born when Jacob was eighty-seven.
