Genesis 29:26

New King James Version

And Laban said, "It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Laban said, "It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

Update Bible Version
And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born.

New Century Version
Laban said, "In our country we do not allow the younger daughter to marry before the older daughter.

New English Translation
"It is not our custom here," Laban replied, "to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Laban said, it must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the first-born.

World English Bible
Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the first born.

Amplified Bible
But Laban only said, "It is not the tradition here to give the younger [daughter in marriage] before the older.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Laban answerde, It is not custom in oure place that we yyue first the `lesse douytris to weddyngis;

Young's Literal Translation
And Laban saith, `It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the first-born;

Berean Standard Bible
Laban replied, "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older.

Contemporary English Version
Laban replied, "In our country the older daughter must get married first.

Complete Jewish Bible
Lavan answered, "In our place that isn't how it's done, to give the younger daughter before the firstborn.

American Standard Version
And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born.

Bible in Basic English
And Laban said, In our country we do not let the younger daughter be married before the older.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Laban aunswered: It is not the maner of this place, to marry ye younger before the first borne.

Darby Translation
And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.

Easy-to-Read Version
Laban said, "In our country we don't allow the younger daughter to marry before the older daughter.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Laban said: 'It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born.

King James Version (1611)
And Laban said, It must not be so done in our countrey, to giue the yonger, before the first borne.

King James Version
And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

New Life Bible
Laban said, "It is not allowed in our country to give the younger in marriage before the first-born.

New Revised Standard
Laban said, "This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Laban said, It must not be done so in our place, - to give the later-born before the firstborn.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Laban answered, It is not the maner of this place, to giue the yonger before the elder.

George Lamsa Translation
Then Laban said to Jacob, It is not so done in our country, to give the younger in marriage before the elder.

Good News Translation
Laban answered, "It is not the custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Laban answered: It is not the custom in this place, to give the younger in marriage first.

Revised Standard Version
Laban said, "It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the first-born.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Laban answered, It is not done thus in our country, to give the younger before the elder.

English Revised Version
And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.

Christian Standard Bible®
Laban answered, “It is not the custom in this place to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn.

Hebrew Names Version
Lavan said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the first born.

Lexham English Bible
Then Laban said, "It is not the custom in our country to give the younger before the firstborn.

Literal Translation
And Laban said, It is not done this way in our place, to give the younger before the first-born.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Laban answered: It is not the maner in oure countre, to mary the yongest before the eldest.

THE MESSAGE
"We don't do it that way in our country," said Laban. "We don't marry off the younger daughter before the older. Enjoy your week of honeymoon, and then we'll give you the other one also. But it will cost you another seven years of work."

New American Standard Bible
But Laban said, "It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn.

New Living Translation
"It's not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn," Laban replied.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Laban said, "It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn.

Legacy Standard Bible
But Laban said, "It is not the practice in our place to give the younger before the firstborn.

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?|" ¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. ¹⁸ Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter." ¹⁹ And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me." ²⁰ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. ²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her." ²² And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. ²³ Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. ²⁴ And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

country: Heb. place, Genesis 29:26

Reciprocal: Genesis 48:18 - for this 1 Timothy 6:10 - and pierced

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Laban said, it must not be so done in, our country,.... Or "in our place" s; in this our city it is not usual and customary to do so; he does not deny what he had done in beguiling him, nor the agreement he had made with him, but pleads the custom of the place as contrary to it:

to give the younger, that is, in marriage,

before the firstborn; but it does not appear there was any such custom, and it was a mere evasion; or otherwise, why did not he inform him of this when he asked for Rachel? and why did he enter into a contract with him, contrary to such a known custom? and besides; how could he have the nerve to call the men of the city, and make a feast for the marriage of his younger daughter, if this was the case?

s במקומנו "in loco nostro", Pagninus, Montanus, &c

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

- Jacob’s Marriage

6. רחל rāchēl, Rachel, “a ewe.”

16. לאה lê'âh, Leah, “wearied.”

24. זלפה zı̂lpâh, Zilpah, “drop?”

29. בלהה bı̂lhâh, Bilhah, “timidity.”

32. ראוּבן re'uvbēn, Reuben, “behold a son.” A paronomasia in allusion to the phrase בעניי ראה be‛ānyı̂y rā'âh. 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. שׁמעין shı̂m‛ôn, Shim‘on, “hearing, answer.”

34. לוי lêvı̂y, Levi, “junction, union.”

35. יחוּדה yehûdâh, Jehudah, “praised.”

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. “The land of the sons of the east.” 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 Abraham’s 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 father’s 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. “The day is great.” A great part of it yet remains. It is not yet the time to shut up the cattle for the night; “water the sheep and go feed them.” Jacob may have wished to meet with Rachel without presence of the shepherds. “We cannot.” 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

Jacob’s interview with Rachel, and hospitable reception by Laban. Rachel’s approach awakens all Jacob’s 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. “Surely my bone and my flesh art thou.” 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. “What shall thy wages be?” An active, industrious man like Jacob was of great value to Laban. “Two daughters.” 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. “Made a feast.” The feast in the house of the bride’s 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. “A handmaid.” 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 relative’s hands, though he had himself taken part in proceedings equally questionable. “Fulfill the week of this.” 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 Laban’s terms.

Rachel was the wife of Jacob’s 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 Laban’s time Genesis 16:1. “And loved also Rachel more than Leah.” 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. “The Lord saw.” 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. “That Leah was hated” - less loved than Rachel. He therefore recompenses her for the lack of her husband’s affections by giving her children, while Rachel was barren. “Reuben” - behold a son. “The Lord hath looked on my affliction.” Leah had qualities of heart, if not of outward appearance, which commanded esteem. She had learned to acknowledge the Lord in all her ways. “Simon” - answer. She had prayed to the Lord, and this was her answer. “Levi” - 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. “Judah” - 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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Genesis 29:26. It must not be so done in our country — It was an early custom to give daughters in marriage according to their seniority; and it is worthy of remark that the oldest people now existing, next to the Jews, I mean the Hindoos, have this not merely as a custom, but as a positive law; and they deem it criminal to give a younger daughter in marriage while an elder daughter remains unmarried. Among them it is a high offence, equal to adultery, "for a man to marry while his elder brother remains unmarried, or for a man to give his daughter to such a person, or to give his youngest daughter in marriage while the eldest sister remains unmarried." - Code of Gentoo Laws, chap. xv., sec. 1, p. 204. This was a custom at Mesopotamia; but Laban took care to conceal it from Jacob till after he had given him Leah. The words of Laban are literally what a Hindoo would say on such a subject.