Chapter 29

1 Jacob cometh to the well of Haran. 9 He taketh acquaintance of Rachel. 13 Laban entertaineth him. 18 Jacob covenanteth for Rachel. 23 He is deceived with Leah. 28 He marrieth also Rachel, and serveth for her seven years more. 32 Leah beareth Reuben, 33 Simeon, 34 Levi, 35 and Judah.

1. Jacob went on his journey. Literally, “Jacob lifted up his feet and went.” This implies cheerfulness and reflects the state of mind in which the experience of the preceding night had left him. Thus strengthened in spirit Jacob proceeded on his journey to “the land of the people of the east,” which in this case refers to Upper Mesopotamia east of the Euphrates River. The term also included the upper Arabian Desert. In the Bible the peoples “of the east” are those dwelling in Mesopotamia or in the desert in its immediate vicinity. The Hebrews seem to have been content with approximate expressions of direction. “East” could mean any direction between northeast and southeast.

2. A well. After a journey of some 450 mi., which would require about 3 weeks, Jacob reached the vicinity of Haran (v. 4). The remark that the stone upon the well’s mouth was large does not mean that the united strength of all the shepherds was required to roll it away, for Jacob did so alone (v. 10). It suggests, rather, an agreement among the shepherds to water their flocks together. The scene at the well is so thoroughly in harmony with the customs of the East, both ancient and modern, that the similarity of this narrative to the one described in ch. 24:11 is by no means strange. Moreover, this well was constructed differently from the one where Eliezer met Rebekah. There the water was drawn at once from an open well and poured into troughs placed ready for the cattle, as at most wells in the East today, whereas here the well was closed with a stone and no mention is made of the need of pitchers and troughs.

4. Whence be ye? Jacob’s question implies that the well was not situated in the immediate neighborhood of Haran. Learning that they were from Haran, he inquired about “Laban the son [descendant] of Nahor.” Laban was actually Nahor’s grandson (ch. 24:15, 29). The shepherds, whose answers had thus far been brief, since Jacob was a stranger, spoke of the imminent arrival of Rachel. The name Rachel means “sheep” or “ewe.”

9. Rachel came. Apparently it was not the custom for young women to be kept at home until the time of their marriage approached. Nor was it beneath the dignity of girls from wealthy families to carry water from the well, as Rebekah did, or to tend sheep, as Rachel did in this instance. Honest labor, far from being a discredit, is an honor to both high and low. Every son and daughter should learn that work is not humiliating, but that it is a privilege to contribute to the needs of the family.

11. Jacob kissed Rachel. The fact that Rachel did not resent Jacob’s conduct as an undue liberty suggests that he had already made his identity known to her. The first words of v. 12 could as well be rendered “Jacob had told Rachel,” a translation the Hebrew construction permits.

12. Her father’s brother. As Lot is called Abraham’s brother, though in reality his nephew (chs. 13:8; 14:14, 16), so Jacob refers to himself as Laban’s brother. Apparently in cases where accuracy was not important the word “brother” was employed to indicate a close relative.

13. He told Laban. Laban now responded to the coming of a near relative much as he had upon the arrival of Eliezer 97 years previously (ch. 24:30, 31). The same cordiality and hospitality are again in evidence. “All these things” probably refers to what his mother had instructed him to say in order to attest his relationship, and in regard to the cause and objectives of his exile from home. Had he not told the truth, how could he have explained his apparent poverty? Why should he, the son of wealthy parents, reach Haran on foot and without either gifts or servants? How different had been the arrival of Abraham’s servant in the long ago!

15. What shall thy wages be? Having been a guest in his uncle’s home for one month (v. 14), during which he seems to have rendered himself useful to the household, Laban recognized in Jacob a valuable assistant. Of an obviously covetous disposition, Laban purposed to exploit Jacob’s skill and diligence to his own advantage. But lest Jacob discern his motives, Laban carefully concealed his selfishness under the semblance of justice and kindness. To preclude all possible claims on the part of his nephew, he proposed to pay him as he would an ordinary servant.

17. Leah was tender eyed. The Hebrew word rak, here translated “tender” by the KJV, has usually been understood to mean “weak” or “dull.” Ever since the LXX employed this translation most commentators and translators have followed it. The word rak also means “delicate,” “gentle,” “soft,” and “flattering,” and may perhaps mean that her eyes looked the precise opposite of what most commentators have thought. However, the fact that Jacob was not attracted to Leah would indicate more of a contrast between the two sisters than this latter suggestion implies. Perhaps Leah’s eyes, and her personality as well, lacked the brilliance and lustrous warmth the Oriental admires. The RSV renders the word as “weak.”

18. Seven years for Rachel. Jacob, deeply in love with Rachel, was immediately ready to come to terms with his uncle. Jacob’s proposal was based partly on the fact that he was not in a position to pay the usual dowry and partly on his knowledge that the situation at home would make necessary a rather prolonged stay with Laban. Laban’s assent is to be explained solely on the ground of greed, which became more apparent as time went on.

20. The love he had to her. Jacob gave evidence of his devoted affection for Rachel, not alone by his willingness to serve seven years for her, but even more by the spirit in which he worked for his avaricious uncle. Many as were the days that must pass before Rachel should become his bride, they were rendered happy by his love for her. The words used by Moses to express the depth of Jacob’s love breathe pure affection and tender devotion.

21. Give me my wife. It is an interesting comment on Laban that Jacob found it necessary to remind him of the expiration of the seven years. A great marriage feast, probably lasting an entire week (v. 27), was prepared, according to the usual custom. Laban’s deception of Jacob was possible because of the custom of veiling the bride and bringing her to the bridegroom “in the evening.” Although girls usually had little choice in the selection of their husbands, Leah’s consent was necessary to the success of this base proposal. She must herself have loved Jacob, to approve and cooperate in the plan to wrong both her sister and her future husband by marrying one who neither sought nor loved her.

Jacob’s Wanderings in His Flight and Reconciliation with Esau

Laban’s duplicity resulted in lifelong rivalry between the two sisters (see ch. 30:14–16).

24. Zilpah. Laban fulfilled an Oriental custom (see ch. 24:59) when he gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her personal attendant. The meaning of her name may be “short nose.”

25. What is this? Next morning Jacob, the master deceiver, awoke to find himself the victim of deceit. Inexorable justice had repaid him double for his double-dealing. In self-defense Laban pleaded an imaginary requirement of local social custom. Had this actually been the custom in Haran, as it was in some other ancient countries, he should have told Jacob of it when the latter proposed working for Rachel. Jacob’s vow to God at Bethel, however, and his longing for Rachel led him to stay by Laban rather than repudiate the marriage as he might have done.

27. Fulfil her week. Wedding feasts customarily lasted one week (see Judges 14:12), and Jacob was to have Rachel also at the close of Leah’s marital festivities (Gen. 29:28–30). Laban was no doubt anxious to preserve his good name by keeping his fraud from the public eye, in view of the fact that all the men of the city were his guests at the celebration (see v. 22). His behavior reveals nothing but one mean motive after another. Though he attached little value to his daughter’s affections and happiness, he had a keen appreciation of Jacob’s qualities as a shepherd. Out of necessity Jacob agreed to the proposal. Laban thus received 14 years of service instead of 7, and at the same time relieved himself of liability to support Leah, who might otherwise have been difficult to marry off.

28. He gave him Rachel. It is plain that Jacob did not serve another seven years before Rachel became his wife. This occurred at the close of Leah’s festal week. Jacob’s act of bigamy must not be judged by a later provision in the Mosaic law that prohibited marriage with two sisters concurrently (Lev. 18:18). At the same time Jacob’s double marriage cannot be justified on the ground that the blessing of God eventually made it the means of multiplying Jacob’s seed and so fulfilling His promise. God simply overruled the errors of men; even these could not thwart His purpose (see Ps. 76:10). The bigamy that had been occasioned by Laban’s deception and Jacob’s affection brought friction and regret to the homes of both men. In this school of affliction Jacob learned that “the way of transgressors is hard” (Prov. 13:15). The jealousy and misery attending this marriage are a commentary on Moses’ specific injunction against a man’s marrying two sisters concurrently (Lev. 18:18).

Bilhah. As with Leah, a maid was also given Rachel. The meaning of her name may have been “terror,” but this is uncertain.

30. He loved. Leah, a party to Laban’s cruel fraud, was unsuccessful in winning her husband’s affections. The result was a home where envy, jealousy, and contention prevailed. For years Jacob had worked and waited patiently for the day when he would have a happy home with his beloved Rachel, only to find himself burdened with two quarrelsome wives (see ch. 30:1, 2, 8, 15). How different had been the early years of the married life of his father Isaac, upon whose home no shadow of polygamy, with its baleful consequences, rested (ch. 24:67). The sad experience of Jacob shows the wisdom of Abraham in forbidding the return of Isaac to Mesopotamia (ch. 24:6).

31. Leah was hated. Taken together, vs. 20, 30, 31, and 34 clarify the meaning of the word here translated “hated.” It need indicate nothing more than a less intense degree of love. The record of Jacob’s relations with Leah proves that he did not “hate” her in the sense that word generally conveys to us today. He simply felt and showed less affection for her than he did for her sister. The statement, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated” (Mal. 1:2, 3; Rom. 9:13), must be understood in the same way. God felt and manifested a greater degree of affection for Jacob and his posterity than He did for Esau and his descendants. God chose the one to be His special channel of blessing to the world in preference to the other, not on an arbitrary basis, but because of character (see Deut. 7:6–8).

He opened her womb. As Jehovah had visited Sarah Gen. 21:1) and had been entreated for Rebekah (ch. 25:21), He interposed now in favor of Leah. By blessing Leah with children, while Rachel was permitted to remain barren for a time, God sought to foster love in Jacob’s heart for Leah. Thus a certain equality was established, for while Jacob loved Rachel for what she personally meant to him, he was led to appreciate Leah also.

32. Reuben. Each of the sons of Jacob received a name signifying his mother’s thoughts and emotions at the time of his birth. In one way or another these names all reflect the rivalry of the two sisters. Each name is related in sound to certain key words in the accompanying statement made by the mother. Thus, the first syllable of Reuben, which means “see, a son,” is from raХah, “to see,” used in her remark, “the Lord hath looked upon my affliction.” To Leah, her first child was evidence of Jehovah’s compassion, and well might she expect him to be the means by which she could win Jacob’s affection. In the first flush of maternal joy she was confident that Jacob’s heart would now turn to her.

33. Simeon. The birth of Reuben, apparently, did not fully meet Leah’s expectations with regard to Jacob. Her second son, born approximately a year later, she named Simeon, “hearing.” Perhaps, at last, God had heard how much she was hated.

34. Levi. The third of Leah’s sons, born in rapid succession, was named Levi, “attachment,” in the hope that this time her husband would truly become attached to her. In an Oriental harem it is the mother of the male child destined to become the heir who is most honored. Leah could not understand why Jacob did not turn his affections from her barren sister Rachel to her.

35. Judah. The birth of Leah’s fourth son caused her to exclaim, “Now will I praise Jehovah,” as if she knew by intuition that he was to be the ancestor of the kings of Israel, and of the Messiah. Thus she called him Judah, “the praised one.” Leah’s joy was complete.

Left bearing. Temporarily, that is. Jacob, in spite of himself, could not now help appreciating Leah as the mother of four sons, even though he did not love her so much as a wife. Lest Leah be unduly elated by her and good fortune, or forget that it was God who had blessed her, and lest Rachel be discouraged beyond measure, God again intervened. Perhaps a certain equilibrium of affection had been achieved.

Leah must have been a pious woman, a devoted wife, and a faithful mother. According to the Sacred Record she mentioned the name of Jehovah in connection with the birth of three of her first four sons. Although from an idolatrous family, she must have accepted the religion of her husband and become a sincere believer in Jehovah. In contrast, Rachel’s conversion seems at first to have accomplished little more than a superficial change. While outwardly she too had accepted her husband’s religion, her heart remained attached to the old family idols, or she may have taken them in an attempt to secure the family inheritance (ch. 31:19). Upon various occasions her conduct stands in sharp contrast to that of Leah, and seems to reflect a spirit far more selfish (see ch. 30:1–3, 8, 15). There can be no doubt that Leah’s excellence of character as well as her sincerity and piety eventually brought a change in Jacob’s attitude toward her (see chs. 31:4, 14; 49:31).

Ellen G. White comments

1-30PP 188-190

1, 10-14PP 188

18 SR 89

18-20PP 188, 237

25-30PP 189, 237; SR 89