Laban gave Zilpah his servant to his daughter Leah for a servant. In the morning, behold, it was Leah! He said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Didn’t I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”
Laban said, “It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me for seven more years.”
Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv25, 27 25. And he said to Laban. Jacob rightly expostulates…
25. And he said to Laban. Jacob rightly expostulates respecting the fraud practiced upon him. And the answer of Laban, though it is not without a pretext, yet forms no excuse for the fraud. It was not the custom to give the younger daughters in marriage before the elder: and injustice would have been done to the firstborn by disturbing this accustomed order. But he ought not, on that account, craftily to have betrothed Rachel to Jacob, and then to have substituted Leah in her place. He should rather have cautioned Jacob himself, in time, to turn his thoughts to Leah, or else to refrain from marriage with either of them. But we may learn from this, that wicked and deceitful men, when once they have turned aside from truth, make no end of transgressing: meanwhile, they always put forward some pretext for the purpose of freeing themselves from blame. He had before acted unjustly toward his nephew in demanding seven years’ labor for his daughter; he had also unjustly set his daughter to sale, without dowry, for the sake of gain; but the most unworthy deed of all was perfidiously to deprive his nephew of his betrothed wife, to pervert the sacred laws of marriage, and to leave nothing safe or sound. Yet we see him pretending that he has an honorable defense for his conduct, because it was not the custom of the country to prefer the younger to the elder.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v26 He esteemed more the profit that he had of…
He esteemed more the profit that he had of Jacob’s service, than either his promise of the manner of the country, though he alleged custom for his excuse.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv24–28 Gen 29:24 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah…
Gen 29:24 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid [for] an handmaid.
Ver. 24. Zilpah his maid.] Who, very likely, was of the conspiracy.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv25–28 Though Laban could not solidly answer the question, yet…
Though Laban could not solidly answer the question, yet Jacob could do it, and had just cause to reflect upon his own former action of beguiling his father; for which God had now punished him in the same kind.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv24–28 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his…
And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid, for an handmaid. It was usual to have many given them at this time, as Rebekah seems to have had, Gen 24:59; but Leah had but one, and this was all the portion Jacob had with her. The Targum of Jonathan is,"and Laban gave her Zilpah his daughter, whom his concubine bore unto him:''hence the Jews say (q), that the daughters of a man by his concubines are called maids.
(q) Pirke Eliezer, c. 36.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv25–27 Behold it was Leah - Jacob had cheated his…
Behold it was Leah - Jacob had cheated his own father when he pretended to be Esau, and now his father-in-law cheated him. Herein, how unrighteous soever Laban was, the Lord was righteous.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv24, 26, 27, 28 Verse 24. And Laban gave - Zilpah his maid]…
Verse 24. And Laban gave - Zilpah his maid] Slaves given in this way to a daughter on her marriage, were the peculiar property of the daughter; and over them the husband had neither right nor power.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv24, 27 Gen 29:24. Laban gave unto Leah, Zilpah his maid…
Gen 29:24. Laban gave unto Leah, Zilpah his maid — Sir John Chardin observes, in his MS. note on this verse, “that none but very poor people marry a daughter in the East, without giving her a female slave for a chamber-maid; there being no hired servants there as in Europe.” He says much the same in another note on Tob 10:10. — Harmer, vol. 2. page 366.
Gen 29:25-26. Behold it was Leah — Surely Jacob’s sin in pretending to be Esau, and cheating his own father, would now be brought to his remembrance, when his father-in-law thus cheated him; and he would be compelled to acknowledge that, how unrighteous soever Laban was, the Lord was righteous. It must not be done so in our country — It is probable there was no such custom in his country; but if there were, and he resolved to observe it, he should have told Jacob so when he undertook to serve him for his younger daughter.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv24, 26, 28 A handmaid, by way of dowry, as he did…
A handmaid, by way of dowry, as he did afterwards to Rachel. Both sisters considered it so small, as to say they had nothing, chap. xxxi. 14. --- Lia, who committed a great sin of adultery, though she was more excusable than Laban; inasmuch as she obeyed his order. (Menochius) --- Jacob might justly have refused to marry her; and then what a dishonour would have been entailed upon her for life! In consequence of this imposition, the legitimacy of Ruben’s conception was rendered doubtful. We may suppose, that shame hindered Lia from opening her mouth; so that Jacob had no means of discovering the cheat till day-break, having gone into the nuptial chamber after it was dark, according to custom, and the woman being also covered with a veil, Tobias viii. 1. Hence Jacob was guilty of no fault, as his mistake was involuntary. (Haydock) --- He afterwards consented to marry her, (Calmet) probably on the second day of the feast. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v28 gave him Rachel also--It is evident that the marriage…
gave him Rachel also--It is evident that the marriage of both sisters took place nearly about the same time, and that such a connection was then allowed, though afterwards prohibited (Lev 18:18).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv24–27 24. Zilpah… for a handmaid — Rebekah had a…
24. Zilpah… for a handmaid — Rebekah had a nurse and several damsels. Gen_24:59; Gen_24:61. Sarah had her handmaid, Hagar. Such maidservants became the special property of the wife to do with as she pleased. See Gen_16:1-6.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv25–27 25. beguiled] i.e. “deceived,” as Jos_9:22; but a different…
25. beguiled] i.e. “deceived,” as Jos_9:22; but a different word in the Hebrew from that in Gen_3:13. Laban had succeeded in astutely bestowing his less attractive daughter in marriage.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv24, 26, 27, 28 (24) Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah .…
(24) Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah . . . —Bethuel had given Rebekah not only Deborah her nurse, but also damsels (Gen_24:61); but then she had been obtained by presents of unusual costliness. Still, Laban does not seem to have acted very liberally by his daughters, and they resented his treatment of them (Gen_31:15).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv24–28 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah Dropping"?…
And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah Dropping"? (Gesenius), "Myrrh-juice" (Furst) his maid (according to Gesenius the word is closely connected with an unused root signifying to spread out, hence a maid-servant) for a handmaid. This was in accordance with Oriental custom. (vide Gen_14:1) That Leah obtained only one damsel need not be ascribed to Laban"s parsimonious character, but to his already-formed intention to bestow a second on Rachel.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv26, 28 It is not our custom to give
It is not our custom to give
"In our family we do not give"
Read full note →
Complete the bridal week of this daughter
"Finish celebrating Leah's bridal week"
we will give you the other also
The full meaning can be made explicit. AT: "next week we will give you Rachel also" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
firstborn
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v28 29:28-30 After the bridal week ended (29:27), Jacob also…
29:28-30 After the bridal week ended (29:27), Jacob also received Rachel as his wife, though he then would have to work an additional seven years (cp. 31:41). Laban seemed to have gained the upper hand.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.