He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him seven more years.
Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, “Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, “Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also.” She named him Simeon. She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv30–32 30. And he loved also Rachel more than Leah.…
30. And he loved also Rachel more than Leah. No doubt Moses intended to exhibit the sins of Jacob, that we might learn to fear, and to conform all our actions to the sole rule of God’s word. For if the holy patriarch fell so grievously, who among us is secure from a similar fall, unless kept by the guardian care of God? At the same time, it appears how dangerous it is to imitate the fathers while we neglect the law of the Lord. And yet the foolish Papists so greatly delight themselves in this imitation, that they do not scruple to observe, as a law, whatever they find to have been practiced by the fathers. Besides which, they own as fathers those who are worthy of such sons, so that any raving monk is of more account with them than all the patriarchs. It was not without fault on Leah’s part that she was despised by her husband; and the Lord justly chastised her, because she, being aware of her father’s fraud, dishonorably obtained possession of her sister’s husband; but her fault forms no excuse for Jacob’s lust.
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 vv31–32 This declareth that oft times they which are despised…
This declareth that oft times they which are despised of men, are favored of God.
Hebrew, opened her womb.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv30–34 Gen 29:30 And he went in also unto Rachel,…
Gen 29:30 And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
Ver. 30. And he went in also unto Rachel.] Which incestuous fact cannot ordinarily be justified, nor may at all be imitated. Wicked Julia, soliciting Caracalla to incestuous marriage with her, when he answered, Vellem si liceret , replied impudently (and is therefore, by very heathens, condemned extremely), Si libet, licet: an nescis te Imperatorem esse, leges dare non accipere ?& c. Herod, for marrying his brother’s wife, was reproved, and punished.
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 vv31–34 Leah was hated comparatively to Rachel, less loved, slighted.…
Leah was hated comparatively to Rachel, less loved, slighted. So that word is oft used, as Deu 21:15; Mat 6:24; 10:37, compared with Luk 14:26; Joh 12:25. Thus variously doth God distribute his favours, that all may be contented and none despised.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v31 We have here the birth of four of Jacob's…
We have here the birth of four of Jacob's sons, all by Leah. Observe, 1. That Leah, who was less beloved, was blessed with children, when Rachel was denied that blessing, Gen 29:31. See how Providence, in dispensing its gifts, observes a proportion, to keep the balance even, setting crosses and comforts one over-against another, that none may be either too much elevated or too much depressed. Rachel wants children, but she is blessed with her husband's love; Leah wants that, but she is fruitful. Thus it was between Elkana's two wives (Sa1 1:5); for the Lord is wise and righteous. When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, that is, loved less than Rachel, in which sense it is required that we hate father and mother, in comparison with Christ (Luk 14:26), then the Lord granted her a child, which was a rebuke to Jacob, for making so great a difference between those that he was equally related to, - a check to Rachel, who perhaps insulted over her sister upon that account, - and a comfort to Leah, that she might not be overwhelmed with the contempt put upon her: thus God giveth abundant honour to that which lacked, Co1 12:24. 2. The names she gave her children were expressive of her respectful regards both to God and to her husband. (1.) She appears very ambitious of her husband's love: she reckoned the want of it her affliction (Gen 29:32); not upbraiding him with it as his fault, nor reproaching him for it, and so making herself uneasy to him, but laying it to heart as her grief, which yet she had reason to bear with the more patience because she herself was consenting to the fraud by which she became his wife; and we may well bear that trouble with patience which we bring upon ourselves by our own sin and folly. She promised herself that the children she bore him would gain her the interest she desired in his affections. She called her first-born Reuben (see a son), with this pleasant thought, Now will my husband love me; and her third son Levi (joined), with this expectation, Now will my husband by joined unto me, Gen 29:34. Mutual affection is both the duty and comfort of that relation; and yoke-fellows should study to recommend themselves to each other, Co1 7:33, Co1 7:34. (2.) She thankfully acknowledges the kind providence of God in it: The Lord hath looked upon my affliction, Gen 29:32. "The Lord hath heard, that is, taken notice of it, that I was hated (for our afflictions, as they are before God's eyes, so they have a cry in his ears), he has therefore given me this son." Note, Whatever we have that contributes either to our support and comfort under our afflictions or to our deliverance from them, God must be owned in it, especially his pity and tender mercy. Her fourth she called Judah (praise), saying, Now will I praise the Lord, Gen 29:35. And this was he of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came. Note, [1.] Whatever is the matter of our rejoicing ought to be the matter of our thanksgiving. Fresh favours should quicken us to praise God for former favours. Now will I praise the Lord more and better than I have done. [2.] All our praises must centre in Christ, both as the matter of them and as the Mediator of them. He descended from him whose name was praise, for he is our praise. Is Christ formed in my heart? Now will I praise the Lord.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv30–34 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated,....…
And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated,.... Not properly and simply hated by Jacob, as appears by his doing the duty of an husband to her, but comparatively; she was less loved than Rachel: and there are many things to be said for it; she was not beautiful as Rachel was; she was not Jacob's choice, as she was but imposed upon him through deceit, and he was forced to marry her, or he could not have Rachel his beloved wife: but the Lord had pity on her, and that she might have a share in her husband's affections:
he opened her womb; or gave her conception; as Onkelos paraphrases it:
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but Rachel was barren; bare no children as yet, and for many years after, Gen 30:22.
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 vv31–32 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated -…
When the Lord saw that Leah was hated - That is, loved less than Rachel, in which sense it is required that we hate father and mother, in comparison with Christ, Luke xiv, 26, then the Lord granted her a child, which was a rebuke to Jacob for making so great a difference between those he was equally related to; a check to Rachel, who, perhaps insulted over her sister upon that account; and a comfort to Leah, that she might not be overwhelmed with the contempt put upon her.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv31–34 Verse 31. The Lord saw that Leah was hated]…
Verse 31. The Lord saw that Leah was hated] From this and the preceding verse we get the genuine meaning of the word שנא sane, to hate, in certain disputed places in the Scriptures. The word simply signifies a less degree of love; so it is said, Ge 29:30: "Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah," i.e., he loved Leah less than Rachel; and this is called hating in Ge 29:31: When the Lord saw that Leah was hated-that she had less affection shown to her than was her due, as one of the legitimate wives of Jacob, he opened her womb-he blessed her with children. Now the frequent intercourse of Jacob with Leah (see the following verses) sufficiently proves that he did not hate her in the sense in which this term is used among us; but he felt and showed less affection for her than for her sister. So Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated, simply means, I have shown a greater degree of affection for Jacob and his posterity than I have done for Esau and his descendants, by giving the former a better earthly portion than I have given to the latter, and by choosing the family of Jacob to be the progenitors of the Messiah. But not one word of all this relates to the eternal states of either of the two nations. Those who endeavour to support certain peculiarities of their creed by such scriptures as these, do greatly err, not knowing the Scripture, and not properly considering either the sovereignty or the mercy of God.
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 vv31–32 Gen 29:31. When the Lord saw that Leah was…
Gen 29:31. When the Lord saw that Leah was hated — That is, loved less than Rachel, in which sense it is required that we hate father and mother, in comparison with Christ, Luk 14:26, then the Lord granted her a child, which was a rebuke to Jacob for making so great a difference between those he was equally related to; a check to Rachel, who, perhaps, insulted over her sister upon that account; and a comfort to Leah, that she might not be overwhelmed with the contempt put upon her.
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 vv30–34 Latter. Jacob is the figure of Jesus Christ; who…
Latter. Jacob is the figure of Jesus Christ; who rejected the synagogue, and treated his Church, gathered from all nations, with the utmost affection. (Calmet) --- Lia means "painful or labourious;" and Rachel a sheep; denoting, that a quiet contemplative life must be united with an active one; and that the Church must suffer here, and be crowned in heaven. (Haydock) (St. Gregory, Mor. vi. 28.)
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 vv31–32 Leah . . . hated--that is, not loved so…
Leah . . . hated--that is, not loved so much as she ought to have been. Her becoming a mother ensured her rising in the estimation both of her husband and of society.
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 vv31–34 LEAH’S FIRST FOUR SONS, Gen_29:31-35.
LEAH’S FIRST FOUR SONS, Gen_29:31-35.
Rachel was barren — This would appear like a chastisement for Jacob’s partiality, (Gen_29:30,) and an intimation that the blessing of posterity was “not of him that willeth, but of God that showeth mercy.”
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 vv31–34 31. hated] By this is meant that Jacob had…
31. hated] By this is meant that Jacob had less affection for Leah than for Rachel. Cf. Deu_21:15, “if a man have two wives, the one beloved and the other hated.” In order to prevent the evil effects of jealousy, the marriage by one man of two sisters is forbidden in Lev_18:18. See, also, Mal_1:2-3, “I loved Jacob, but Esau I hated.”
Gen_29:31 to Gen_30:24. Birth of Jacob’s Children
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31–35 (J); Gen_30:1-24 (J, E and P)
In this section is narrated the account of the birth of eleven sons and one daughter. Six of the sons, viz. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, and the daughter Dinah, are the children of Leah; Gad and Asher are the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid; Dan and Naphtali are the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; and Joseph is the son of Rachel. These are all born to Jacob in Haran. The only son born in Canaan is Benjamin (see Gen_35:16-19).
It has been conjectured that this account not only furnishes the popular etymology of the names of the tribes of Israel, but may also symbolize, under the terms of family life, the growth of Israelite clans into a united, though composite, people in the land of Mesopotamia, before the migration into Canaan.
The explanation of the meaning of the names is of the usual popular kind, based upon resemblances of sound. The fact that in some cases more than one etymology is given reflects the composite nature of the narrative (cf. Gen_30:16; Gen_30:18; Gen_30:20; Gen_30:23-24).
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 vv31–32 (31) Leah was hated.—We must not soften this down…
BIRTH OF JACOB’S ELEVEN SONS, AND HIS DAUGHTER.
(31) Leah was hated.—We must not soften this down too much; for plainly Leah was not the object of love at all. It was her fruitfulness which gave her value in her husband’s eyes, and when this ceased, Jacob utterly neglected her (Gen_30:15).
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 vv30–34 And he went in also unto Rachel, and he…
And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah (implying, however, that Leah had a place in his affections), and served with him yet seven other years. The seven years cunningly exacted for Leah was thus the second fraud practiced upon (Gen_30:26 Gen_31:41; Hos_12:12)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v31 The First Sons of Leah
The First Sons of Leah
v. 31. And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, that is, that she was loved less than Rachel, he opened her womb and thus prepared her for bearing children, which are His blessing. But Rachel was barren, also by God’s dispensation.
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v. 32. And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben (Behold, a son!); for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now, therefore, my husband will love me. Since children were so particularly desirable at the time of the patriarchs, Leah, whose love for Jacob was so deep and strong that she had even consented to Laban’s deception, hoped to have her husband’s affection turn to her also.
v. 33. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also; and she called his name Simeon (hearing). God had heard her prayer for another son, and she believed this to be a guarantee that her husband would eventually love her also.
v. 34. And she conceived again, and bare a son, and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons; therefore was his name called Levi (attachment). From her earlier hope of gaining the full love of her husband and of being on an equality with Rachel before him she now drew back to the hope that he would at least remain attached to her in constant affection.
v. 35. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she said, Now will I praise the Lord; therefore she called his name Judah (praise of God, one for whom one praises God); and left bearing. Leah now turned entirely away from herself to Jehovah, who now also stopped her bearing for a time, lest she begin to trust in herself. The lesson that all good gifts come down from God and are given by His merciful goodness cannot be learned too well.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv31, 33 Leah was not loved
Leah was not loved
This can be stated in active form. AT: "Jacob did not love Leah" (See: Active or Passive)
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not loved
This is an exaggeration to emphasize that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. AT: "loved less than Rachel" (See: Hyperbole and Generalization)
so he opened her womb
God causing Leah to be able to become pregnant is spoken of as if God is opening her womb. (See: Metaphor)
was childless
"was not able to become pregnant"
Leah conceived and bore a son
"Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son"
she called his name Reuben
Translators may also add a footnote that says: "The name Reuben means 'See, a son.'" (See: How to Translate Names)
Yahweh has looked upon my affliction
Leah was experiencing emotional pain because Jacob had rejected her. The abstract noun "affliction" can be stated as a verb. AT: "Yahweh saw that I was suffering" (See: Abstract Nouns)
translationWords
Yahweh
love
womb
conceive
Reuben
afflicted
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 vv30–34 29:30 Jacob loved Rachel much more than Leah: Favoritism…
29:30 Jacob loved Rachel much more than Leah: Favoritism was an ongoing cause of dysfunction in Jacob’s family (cp. 25:28; 37:3). Jacob’s favoritism had lasting effects: his family was never together, and their descendants, the tribes of Israel, were rarely unified.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.