New Russian translation. New Russian translation Narratives and history

29:2 well. The similarity of this scene with that described in 24:11-33 testifies to the goodness of divine providence, but at the same time allows us to see a sharp difference between the servant who was in prayer and the patriarch who did not pray.

29:4 my brothers! This address, which in 19:6 is translated as "my friends," speaks of a desire to win favor.

29:5 son. The same Hebrew word can also mean grandson.

29:10 rolled away the stone. In his ministry of love, Jacob gains supernatural power. Once Laban's attention was attracted by the gold ornaments of Abraham's servant (24:30), but now he was impressed by the amazing ability of Jacob.

29:11 kissed. The usual greeting of relatives (v. 14; 31.55).

29:16 Leah... Rachel. Their names, meaning "cow" and "sheep" respectively, were common among shepherd families.

29:18 loved. See 34.3&com.

29:23 In the evening. Jacob took advantage of his father's blindness to deceive him, and Laban outmaneuvered Jacob under cover of night.

took his daughter Leah. This deception should be seen as an admonition to Jacob, who agreed to deceive his father (27:18).

29:25 deceived me. See 27:35.

29:26 they don't do that in our place. An honest person would have told about such a custom even at the first conversation, but Laban kept silent about it. Jacob was powerless to do anything about the situation.

to give the younger one before the older one. Confronted with this coercive custom and Laban's duplicity, Jacob learned a lesson, for he himself, once lying, violated the custom of the birthright. God works contrary to custom in the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

29:30 loved Rachel more than Leah. The result of Isaac's marriage to Rebekah was a calm, quiet love between them; the marriage of Jacob to the daughters of Laban led to discord in the family and rivalry between the sisters (29:31-30:24).

served. A similar Hebrew expression in 27:29 is translated "will serve." The patriarch reaped the fruits of what he sowed (Gal. 6:7).

29:31 - 30,24 God blessed Jacob with twelve sons, despite his neglect of prayer and the rivalry between Leah and Rachel, who sought the love of their husband by bearing sons to him (25:19 35:29&N). The names given by mothers to their sons testify to this struggle, and also to the fact that both of them realized God's help provided to them in those moments when they were either unloved or unable to bear children. God sovereignly and graciously created Israel.

29:31-35 God graciously gave Leah, the unloved wife, the firstborn son and half of all the sons of Jacob, including the priestly line of Levi and the messianic line of Judah.

29:32 The Lord has seen my distress. The first child born in Mesopotamia was given by God as a reward for Leah, who was in disfavor, and the last was Rachel (vv. 22,23).

29:34 will cleave to me. Her wish did not come true (30,15,16).

Levi. The tribe of Levi began to play an important role when all the tribes of Israel were gathered around the tabernacle of revelation (Numbers 18:2).

29:35 Jude. His name means "he will be glorified"; here it refers to the Lord, and in 49:8 to Judas himself.

| Contents of the book | Contents of the Bible

1 And Jacob arose and went to the land of the children of the east.
2 And he saw, behold, there was a well in the field, and there were three herds of flocks lying beside it, for the flocks were drinking from that well. Above the mouth of the well was a large stone.
3 When all the flocks gathered there, they rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep; then again they put the stone in its place, at the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob said to them, My brothers! where are you from? They said: We are from Haran.
5 He said to them, Do you know Laban the son of Nahor? They said we know.
6 He also said to them, Is he well? They said: hello; and behold, Rachel his daughter was walking with the sheep.
7 And he said, Behold, the day is still long; no time to gather cattle; water the sheep and go pasture.
8 They said, We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled away from the mouth of the well; then we will water the sheep.
9 While he was still talking to them, Rachel came with her father's flocks, because she was tending.
10 When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came up, rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep of Laban his mother's brother.
11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.
12 And Jacob said to Rachel that he was a relative of her father, and that he was the son of Rebekah. And she ran and told her father.
13 When Laban heard about Jacob his sister's son, he ran out to meet him, embraced him and kissed him, and brought him into his house; and he told Laban all these things.
14 But Laban said to him, Verily you are my bone and my flesh. And lived with him Jacob whole month.
15 And Laban said to Jacob, Will you serve me freely, because you are a relative? tell me what to pay you?
16 And Laban had two daughters; the name of the eldest: Leah; the name of the youngest: Rachel.
17 Leah was weak in eyes, but Rachel was beautiful in body and beautiful in face.
18 Jacob loved Rachel and said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel your youngest daughter.
19 Laban said, It is better to give it to me for you than to give it to someone else; live with me.
20 And Jacob served for Rachel seven years; and they appeared to him in a few days, because he loved her.
21 And Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for the time has come for me to go in to her.
22 Laban called all the people of the place together and made a feast.
23 In the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her in to him; and went to her Jacob.
24 And Laban gave his maidservant Zilpha to be the maidservant of his daughter Leah.
25 In the morning it turned out that it was Leah. And he said to Laban, What have you done to me? did I not serve you for Rachel? why did you deceive me?
26 Laban said, This is not done in our place, to give the youngest before the oldest;
27 Finish this week, then we will give you that one for the service that you will serve me for another seven years.
28 Jacob did so, and ended this week. And laban gave Rachel his daughter to him to wife.
29 And Laban gave his maidservant Bella to be the maidservant of his daughter Rachel.
30 Jacob went in to Rachel, and loved Rachel more than Leah; and served him another seven years of others.

1 And Jacob arose and went to the land of the children of the east.

2 And he saw, behold, there was a well in the field, and there were three herds of flocks lying beside it, for the flocks were drinking from that well. Above the mouth of the well was a large stone.

3 When all the flocks gathered there, they rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep; then again they put the stone in its place, at the mouth of the well.

4 Jacob said to them, My brothers! where are you from? They said: We are from Haran.

5 He said to them, Do you know Laban the son of Nahor? They said we know.

6 He also said to them, Is he well? They said: hello; and behold, Rachel his daughter was walking with the sheep.

7 And he said, Behold, the day is still long; no time to gather cattle; water the sheep and go pasture.

8 They said, We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled away from the mouth of the well; then we will water the sheep.

9 While he was still talking to them, Rachel came with her father's flocks, because she was tending.

10 When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came up, rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep of Laban his mother's brother.

11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.

12 And Jacob said to Rachel that he was a relative of her father, and that he was the son of Rebekah. And she ran and told her father.

13 When Laban heard about Jacob his sister's son, he ran out to meet him, embraced him and kissed him, and brought him into his house; and he told Laban all these things.

14 But Laban said to him, Verily you are my bone and my flesh. And lived with him Jacob whole month.

15 And Laban said to Jacob, Will you serve me freely, because you are a relative? tell me what to pay you?

16 And Laban had two daughters; the name of the eldest: Leah; the name of the youngest: Rachel.

17 Leah was weak in eyes, but Rachel was beautiful in body and beautiful in face.

18 Jacob loved Rachel and said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel your youngest daughter.

19 Laban said, It is better to give it to me for you than to give it to someone else; live with me.

20 And Jacob served for Rachel seven years; and they appeared to him in a few days, because he loved her.

21 And Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for the time has come for me to go in to her.

22 Laban called all the people of the place together and made a feast.

23 In the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her in to him; and went to her Jacob.

24 And Laban gave his maidservant Zilpha to be the maidservant of his daughter Leah.

25 In the morning it turned out that it was Leah. And he said to Laban, What have you done to me? did I not serve you for Rachel? why did you deceive me?

26 Laban said, This is not done in our place, to give the youngest before the oldest;

27 Finish this week, then we will give you that one for the service that you will serve me for another seven years.

28 Jacob did so, and ended this week. And laban gave Rachel his daughter to him to wife.

35 And she conceived again, and bore a son, and said, Now I will praise the Lord. Therefore, she named him Judas. And she stopped giving birth.

2. BLESSING JACOB IN HIS WAYS (29-32)

These chapters are about how God, faithful to His promise, blessed Jacob richly. But also about how at the same time He was a stern Educator in relation to the patriarch.

a. Meeting with Rachel; Laban deceives Jacob (29:1-30)

Gen. 29:1-6. In its structure and content, the narrative testifies to the significance of Jacob's experience at Bethel. He fled from home to escape Esau, but here we see a sharp change in the "scenery" due to the "change of goals": now Jacob is driven by the desire to find a bride for himself - in the light of the promise he received at Bethel: after all, his "seed" must " ascend" beyond the earth. After Bethel, Jacob will change spiritually: nobility will overcome selfishness in him.

It is noteworthy that the meeting of Jacob with Rachel is very similar to the meeting of his father and Rebekah (chapter 24). Laban, Rebekah's brother, of course, could not forget how God brought Eliezer to his house. But here, unlike chapter 24, God's leading is not emphasized, but only implied. Here is a man who had an amazing vision. He now knows God's intention to bless and guide him. And Jacob arose (worshiping God at Bethel) and went to the land of the sons of the east.

And he saw (hereinafter, in the tone of the narration sounds like a note of surprise, suddenness) in the field a well, and herds of small livestock. But, of course, it was not by chance that Jacob ended up near Haran, where Laban lived (verse 5), it was not by chance that his daughter Rachel came to the well at that time (verse 6). All of this "timetable" was arranged by a loving God (cf. 24:27). Notable is the fact that Jacob and Rachel met at a well often associated with God's blessing (compare 16:13-14; 21:19; 26:19-25,33).

Gen. 29:7-14. It is also symbolic that Jacob watered Laban's sheep: in later chapters (30-31) we read about how Laban prospered with his flocks thanks to Jacob (12:2-3). The difference between the lazy shepherds of Laban (29:7-8) and Jacob, who showed diligence and zeal from the first minute (verse 10), is striking. After all, a mission lay on him, he was driven by a goal approved from above; this led him to success.

The kindred kiss was a common greeting in those days. Calling Jacob his bone and flesh, Laban thus, as it were, adopted his nephew.

Gen. 29:15-30. The joyful prospect of marrying Rachel turned out to be bitter disappointment for Jacob, deceived by Laban. In Laban, however, Jacob saw a reflection of his own duplicity in the recent past, in which he received a reward: just as he had deceived his brother and father, so now he himself has become a victim of deception by his mother's brother! Ahead of him were twenty years (31:38) of hard work, grief and disappointment.

But Jacob's perseverance and diligence throughout this time showed that he regarded what was happening to him as nothing more than trouble. The main thing was that God was with him, Who formed his character and turned the fruits of his deceit into a blessing for him, laying the foundation for the "seed" promised to him - the people of Israel.

Jacob offered Laban to work for him for seven years in order to get Rachel as his wife. The seven years passed quickly because he loved her (29:20). (Note that the wives of each of the first three patriarchs were distinguished by remarkable beauty: Sarah (12:11), Rebekah (24:15-16) and Rachel - 29:17.)

The time for the wedding feast came (verses 21-22), and, behold, that night Laban committed a forgery: under the cover of darkness, he brought Leah to Jacob's tent instead of Rachel. When the deception was revealed in the morning, it was more or less useless for Jacob to be angry. But now he could fully feel how Esau felt!

In explanation, Laban referred to the fact that in their places it was not customary to marry off the younger sister before the older one. Pain and shame, these words of the father-in-law must have echoed in the heart of Jacob: after all, he, the youngest in the family, deceived his father, as if he were the eldest (chapter 27). If we discard the customs and accepted conventions, then it was not the deceit on the part of Laban that caused what happened to Jacob: the hand of God was at work here! Perhaps, realizing this, Jacob did not continue the dispute.

The Bible constantly carries the idea of ​​the unchanging action in a person's life of the principle: As you sow, so shall you reap (Gal. 6:7). This is the immutability of God's retribution, manifested in specific deeds and circumstances. This is also evident in the example of Jacob: the deceiver was placed in the position of the deceived. More recently, he, the youngest, appeared before his father under the mask of Esau, and now Leah, the firstborn, was deceived to him under the mask of Rachel, the youngest.

And after the first stormy reaction, Jacob resigned himself. He "finished" the wedding week with Leah (29:27), after which he received Rachel as his wife (the second wife seven days after the first). (Each of the two daughters was given a maid as a wedding present, according to the custom of the time. Leah received Zelpah and Rachel Bilha, verse 29; compare 30:4-13.) And then Jacob served Laban for another seven years for Rachel (29:30; compare 31:38,41).

b. "Multiplication" of the promised seed: the birth of the ancestors of the tribes (29:31 - 30:24)

Sons of Jacob.
Children from Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and daughter Dinah.
Children from Valla: Dan, Naphtali.
Children from Zelfa: Gad, Assir.
Children from Rachel: Joseph, Benjamin

A passionate desire for approval, praise often leads to dangerous paths. We see an example of this in the "competition" between Rachel and Leah in terms of childbearing.

Gen. 29:31-35. Jacob sowed "bitter seeds" in his relationship with his two wives. He was cold to Leah, his unwanted wife, and not only she knew about it, but also the Lord, Who rewarded the unloved woman with the power of childbearing; Rachel, like Sarah and Rebekah, was barren (v. 31; compare 16:1; 25:21).

Leah's first four sons were born one after the other; unlike the first two patriarchs, Jacob did not have to wait long for fatherhood.

The history of these births is sad, but in them, as in the chapter as a whole, God appears as the One who gives life, regardless of human desires and calculations.

The names of Leah's sons, in Hebrew transcription, echo words and phrases that convey the state and hopes of the mother, her faith. Thus, the name Reuben indicates that the Lord "saw Leah's distress"; with the same name "associated" (through a play on words) is the phrase for now my husband will love me.

The name Simeon "corresponds" to the word "heard" (the Lord heard that Leah was not loved); compare with the name Ishmael, meaning "God hears" (16:15). In the name of Levi, Leah expressed the hope that now her husband would become attached to her, but this never happened.

The birth of the fourth son comforted Leah so much that she named him Judas, which means "let He (the Lord) be praised." In her women's grief, the elder wife of Jacob showed deep faith.

Gen. 30:1-8. Rachel's actions resonate with Sarah's: both involve their husbands in cohabiting with their slave girls in order to "overcome" their childlessness (compare 16:1-4). The bitterness of the struggle with her sister and the joy of victory were reflected in the names that Rachel gave to the children of Valla. The name Dan is explained by the word dananni - God judged me (meaning "God justified me"); the name Naphtali is consonant with the words naptule ("struggle") and niptalti ("I struggled": verse 8).

Gen. 30:9-13. Then Leah also followed the dubious example of her younger sister and gave Jacob her servant Zelfa. From her were born Gad ("happiness") and Asir ("for my good"; in meaning, this name is synonymous with the previous one).

Gen. 30:14-21. Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, found mandrake apples (fruits with narcotic power, apparently rare in Mesopotamia), which were credited with the ability to stimulate conception. Rachel, in the hope that they would "help" her, took them from Leah in exchange for permission for her elder sister, whom she "overcame" (verse 8: apparently in the sense that she completely took possession of her husband's heart; verse 15) Jacob.

As a result, Issachar ("there is a reward") was born. Probably, retribution (in the meaning of "retribution") from God, Leah, in her opinion, deserved for her "self-denial" (she introduced a slave to her husband whom she loved so that he would have more sons) and humiliation (she had to "buy Jacob "at Rachel's for one night for mandrake apples).

In the name of the sixth (and last) son - Zebulun - Leah reflected the idea that God had given her a gift, and the hope that now Jacob would live in her tent (in the East, for a long time, the authority of a wife depended on the number of her sons). Then Leah gave birth to a daughter and gave her the name Dina.

Gen. 30:22-24. Finally, Rachel also gave birth (but not because she ate mandrake apples, but because God heard her - verse 22) and named her son Joseph (Yosep). This name, like the name "Zabulun", has a double meaning. And she said (Rachel): God (asap) removed the shame of my barrenness. And another, she said with faith, the Lord will give me a son. In Heb. text here the word josep ("will add").

This section (29:31 - 30:24), composed of a series of short narratives, focuses on the naming of Jacob's sons. Each of them is "interpreted" by Leah or Rachel in relation to specific family circumstances. The text shows how God took care of Jacob, laying the foundation for a great nation.

Looking back later, the Israelites could see their "roots" not only in Jacob, but also in the enmity of two women, which, however, should have served as a warning to them: they, the brothers, the sons of Jacob, should not, like their mothers, step into a dangerous path of competition. From the very beginning, however, it was he who determined to a large extent the nature of intertribal relations in Israel.

As for the presence of God "among" the nascent people, the book of Genesis leaves no doubt that God "preferred" the offended mother. The tribe of Judah, from which the kings of Israel will emerge, and the tribe of Levi, from which its priesthood will emerge, had their "origin" in Leah, despite all Jacob's love for Rachel and her son Joseph.

Jacob comes to Haran and meets the shepherds at the well.

Gen.29:1. And Jacob arose and went to the land of the sons of the east [to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, to the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau].

Strengthened by a heavenly vision, Jacob continues on his way and comes "to the land of the sons of the east"; "sons of the east" - usually inhabitants of Arabia (Jud. 6:33; Job. 1:3; Is. 11:14); here as in (Num. 23:7) - in a broader sense, applied to the inhabitants of Syria. According to the Midrash, Esau sent his son Eliphaz to pursue Jacob, but he did him no harm.

Gen.29:2. And he saw: behold, there was a well in the field, and there were three herds of flocks lying beside it, because the flocks were being watered from that well. Above the mouth of the well was a large stone.

The first thing that Jacob meets in the country that served as the goal of his journey was a well, as is the same in (Gen. 24:11) it is said about Eliezer; only in the latter case is meant a suburban well, and in this case a cistern, apparently not close to the city (as can be seen from the question of James, v. 4). Large stone (Heb. haeben with the article) -: famous stone for its intended purpose) closed the mouth of the well to protect the mouth of the water from sand - a common occurrence now in the hot areas of Arabia and Asia Minor. The whole picture of Jacob's forthcoming meeting with Rachel (cf. Gen. 24:11, etc.; Ex. 2:16) bears the stamp of the specific features of Eastern life.

Gen.29:3. When all the flocks gathered there, they rolled off a stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep; then again they put the stone in its place, at the mouth of the well.

The well was the property of several owners, and therefore, in order to open the stone, the arrival of herds of all owners was expected; Laban was probably one of the last (when Rachel arrives, the well is immediately opened, vv. 9-10).

Gen.29:4-5. Jacob said to them [the shepherds]: My brothers! where are you from? They said: We are from Haran.

He said to them, Do you know Laban the son of Nahor? They said we know.

Jacob refers to his brothers-in-arms in a friendly manner, calling them "brothers." Upon hearing about Haran, Jacob happily inquires about Laban; he calls him the son of Nahor, while the latter was his grandfather, and the father of Bethuel (Gen. 22:20-23, 24:24-29) - no doubt, according to the ancient Eastern custom, to name instead of the little-known closest ancestor, in this case Nahor, as the ancestor (Gen. 11:27) of the younger line of the descendants of Terah; moreover, the Hebrew names of father (ab), brother (ach), son (ben) and the like are very widely used.

Gen.29:6. He also said to them: Is he well? They said, He is well, and behold, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep.

Greek υγιαίνειν, Slav.-Russian. "hello" somewhat narrows the meaning of the Hebrew: schalom lo, meaning well-being in general: to live and be healthy. That Rachel comes with the sheep to the well just as the shepherds told Laban about her father is not just a writer's device (Gunkel's opinion), but a real, quite plausible coincidence.

Gen.29:7. And [Jacob] said, Behold, the day is still long; no time to gather cattle; water the sheep and go pasture.

The shepherd himself, Jacob advises not to waste time and, having watered the flock, continue to graze it until sunset. Perhaps, however, Jacob deliberately wants to remove the shepherds, not wanting to have outside witnesses of his first meeting with his cousin.

Gen.29:8. They said, We cannot until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled away from the mouth of the well; then we will water the sheep.

To Jacob, who is not familiar with the customs of the area, the shepherds of Harran explain that the well (probably as a common property of several owners) is opened only upon the arrival of all the flocks.

Jacob meets Rachel.

Gen.29:9. While he was still talking to them, Rachel [Laban's daughter] came with her father's flocks, because she was tending [her father's flocks].

That Rachel was a shepherdess (Heb. roah - also: Greek and Slavic added: “sheep of her father”), this was not humiliating for her, since in the ancient and new (according to Burkgardt) East, shepherding was and remains common occupation for unmarried daughters even of noble sheikhs.

Gen.29:10. When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, Jacob came up, rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother.

The impression of meeting with a relative gives Jacob a boost of spirit, and he, wanting to please Rachel and Laban (Jacob's relationship with the latter is deliberately exposed here - in the threefold designation of Laban as Uncle Jacob), does the hard work of raising a stone from the mouth of the well; he, as a stranger, could do this, not embarrassed by local customs.

Gen.29:11. And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.

Immediately after the display of courage and strength (v. 10), Jacob reveals an extraordinary sensitivity: in the kiss of Rachel and then in tears. According to Jewish interpretations, Jacob wept or because at the first meeting with Rachel she foresees Rachel's early death and that she will not rest in the same grave with him - or in embarrassment that she cannot bring such a rich vein as Eliezer to Rebekah. Easier, maybe from the joy of meeting, after the trials of the path experienced (cf. Gen. 43:30, 45:14-15, 46:29).

Gen.29:12. And Jacob said to Rachel that he was a relative of her father, and that he was the son of Rebekah. And she ran and told her father [all this].

Jacob refers to himself as Laban's "brother," of course, in the broad sense of "relative" (Russian translation), as Abraham and Lot are called "brothers" (Gen. 13:8). The girl runs home like Rebekah (Gen. 24:28), but tells about the visitor not to her mother, like that, but to her father; perhaps, as the rabbis note, Rachel's mother was no longer alive at that time; She is not mentioned at all in the rest of the story.

Laban meets and receives Jacob.

Gen.29:13. Laban, hearing about Jacob his sister's son, ran out to meet him, embraced him and kissed him, and brought him into his house; and he told Laban all these things.

Hearing from his daughter about the arrival of his nephew, Laban - this man of calculation and self-interest - surrenders to impulses of kindred feeling: he runs towards Jacob, embraces him, kisses him and cordially introduces him into the house - manifestations of kindred affection are natural and common in the East. Jacob tells Laban all this, i.e., “his family, his adventures, and unexpectedly, according to the arrangement of Providence, finding Laban’s house” (m. Philaret).

Gen.29:14. Laban said to him, "Truly you are my bone and my flesh." And lived with him Jacob whole month.

In order for Laban to be convinced of the truth of Jacob's story and recognize him as his blood relative, the latter had to stay with his uncle for at least a few days: as a guest, Jacob lived with him for a whole month, during which, no doubt, he showed himself to be a strong and diligent worker whence Laban's speech is explained.

Signs an agreement with him.

Gen.29:15. And Laban said to Jacob, Will you serve me for free, because you are a relative? tell me what to pay you?

Here, under the guise of looking out for Jacob's interests, Laban inquires whether Jacob's service would cost him too much. While not equating Jacob with hired laborers, Laban is not averse to exploiting his workforce and abilities. To Laban's question, Jacob makes it clear (v. 18) that he does not pursue money, but desires marriage to his daughter.

Gen.29:16-17. Laban had two daughters; the name of the eldest: Leah; the name of the youngest: Rachel.

Leah was weak-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful in shape and beautiful in face.

The beauty of Rachel (Heb. Rachel - a sheep) consisted, in addition to the general beauty of the camp, in the special charm and liveliness of the eyes - the main sign of a beautiful woman (and even a man) (cf. 1 Sam. 16:12) according to the concepts of the Eastern inhabitants; meanwhile, Leah (Heb. Leah - a wild cow; then, working, suffering), in other respects, too, perhaps beautiful, had precisely an organic lack of eyes: a disease, according to the rabbis, that appeared from the constant crying of Leah that she, as the eldest daughter of Laban, would have to marry the wicked Esau.“Great is the power of prayer: it not only canceled this fate, but also helped Leah to marry the righteous before Rachel” (R. Huna, Beresch. r., s, 344).

Gen.29:18-19. Jacob loved Rachel and said: I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your youngest daughter.

Laban said to [him], it is better to give it to me for you than to give it to someone else; live with me.

The mutual agreement between Jacob and Laban bears the stamp of biblical-Jewish and generally Eastern customs. According to the custom of the ancient and even modern East, it is not the father-in-law who gives a dowry to the groom, but, on the contrary, the latter pays for the bride to her father - a vein, Heb. mohar (cf. Gen. 24:53, 34:12), usually providing (according to the ketubah document) his wife in case of divorce. Jacob, a poor wanderer (Gen. 32.10), offers his personal work as a vein for 7 years: the replacement of a vein is not unusual even in biblical antiquity (David to Saul for Michal (1 Sam. 18:25-27), earlier - Othoniel married Ahse, daughters of Caleb (Josh. 15:16-17) both - a personal feat of courage), and now in the East. But in the same agreement, on the one hand, the modesty and undemandingness of Jacob, which he had already expressed (Gen. 28:20), appear and surprise, who, however, had the opportunity to present more difficult conditions to Laban, and to demand from his father the part of the estate that followed him, on the other hand, the selfishness of Laban, who did not hesitate to turn his nephew, his “blood and flesh”, into a worker; this act was not approved after and by the daughters of Laban (Gen. 31:15).

According to the rabbis, Jacob, as if anticipating the deceit on the part of Laban, with particular accuracy names exactly Rachel, Laban's youngest daughter; he expressed by this that, as the youngest son of Rebekah, he should marry the youngest daughter of Laban. Laban willingly agrees to Jacob's proposal, which provided him with seven years of his free work; but Laban also motivates his consent with a more plausible reason - the requirement of the custom of the East (which is still valid there) to prefer marriages in close relationship to marriages with strangers.

Gen.29:20. And Jacob served for Rachel seven years; and they appeared to him in a few days, because he loved her.

The example of Jacob's love shows that the most exalted love between the sexes was not alien to the ancient Semites. Some interpreters believed that the marriage of Jacob with the daughters of Laban began already at the beginning of the first seven years of the service of the first, since otherwise it is difficult to understand how, over the next seven years, 12 children were born to Jacob, and Leah had an even more or less significant gap between the birth of Judah (Gen. 29:35) and Issachar (Gen. 30:17-18). But in explaining the last difficulty, it should be remembered that some of the children of Jacob were born - from different wives and concubines - at the same time. The very same assumption is directly refuted by Art. 21, which says that Jacob requires marriage only after 7 years of service.

Gen.29:21. And Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for the time has come for me to go in to her.

The Midrash gives the following paraphrase: “The Lord promised me that 12 tribes would come from me; but I am already 84 years old, when will I become the ancestor of those tribes? (Beresch. r., s. 345).

Marriage of Jacob to Leah.

Gen.29:22. Laban called all the people of that place together and made a feast.

Despite his prudence, Laban gathers many guests for a feast: perhaps in order to have witnesses in case of Jacob's vigorous objections about the upcoming deceit, or to make (through drinking) the latter easier, or, finally, having in mind to celebrate both weddings at once. .

Gen.29:23. In the evening [Laban] took his daughter Leah and brought him in; and [Jacob] went in to her.

The very substitution of the bride was quite possible thanks to the custom of the ancient and new East - to introduce the newlywed into the nuptial rest under a veil and, moreover, in darkness: “there were no lamps, no other illumination beyond the need, therefore a deception was committed” (John Chrysostom, Bes. 56 , p. 598). Leah, who was an accomplice in deceit, according to the Midrash (Beresch. r., s. 346), justified herself before Jacob as follows: “is there a teacher who would not have a student like himself (i.e., I first learned deception from you)? Did you pass yourself off as Esau when your father asked about your name?

Gen.29:24. And Laban gave his maidservant Zilpha to be the maidservant of his daughter Leah.

As Rebekah, when she left her father's house, received several slave girls as a gift (Gen. 24:61), so Leah Laban gives Zelpah as a dowry, and, according to the rabbis, here too Laban made a substitution - to complete the deception, giving Leah Zelp who hitherto was Rachel's maid, and vice versa.

Gen.29:25-26. In the morning it turned out that it was Leah. And [Jacob] said to Laban, What have you done to me? did I not serve you for Rachel? why did you deceive me?

Laban said, In our place they don't do that, to give the younger one before the older one;

Amazed, Jacob asks Laban about the reason for the deceit, to which he receives a plausible motive: Laban refers (v. 26) to the local custom not to marry a younger sister or daughter before an older one; a similar custom really existed and exists in Asia Minor, in India and in other countries. But Laban's deception is not justified by this. “If Laban wanted to truly keep the order and the accepted custom, he should have revealed his intention to Jacob before the condition of seven years of work. The cunning he used shows that he wanted not so much to do justice to his eldest daughter, but to get a cheap worker in his son-in-law for another seven years ”(Metro Philaret, Zap. on the book of Genesis 2.60).

Gen.29:27. finish this week, then we will give you that one too for the service that you will serve with me for another seven years.

Wanting to make amends with Jacob, and at the same time secure his obligation to work for the new seven years, Laban invites him to finish the week of the marriage celebration with Leah (schebua is exactly a week, a week of days, and not a week of years, as in (Dan. 9: 2 , 24)) and then marry Rachel.

Marriage of Jacob to Rachel.

Gen.29:28. Jacob did so and ended the week. And [Laban] gave Rachel his daughter to him to wife.

Jacob, immediately after Leah's wedding week, marries Rachel (and not after the new 7 years of work, as the old interpreters believed, following the example of I. Flavius ​​and St. I. Chrysostom, Bes. on Genesis 61, 599).

Gen.29:29. And Laban gave his maidservant Vallah to be the maidservant of his daughter Rachel.

And Laban gives his second daughter the property of the slave Valla. Both slaves are named by name, and it is precisely in the history of Jacob's marriage, because both of them became wives of the second rank for him (Gen. 30:3, 9).

Leah gives birth to four sons.

Gen.29:31. The Lord [God] saw that Leah was unloved, and opened her womb, and Rachel was barren.

Instead of"Unloved", Greek Slav. more accurately conveys the Hebrew. senuah - "hated"; but there is only one thought: in comparison with his passionately beloved Rachel, Jacob hardly noticed, did not appreciate Leah (“amorem sequentis priorui praetulit”, Vulg.). Jehovah, graciously looking down on all the unfortunate and offended (Gen. 14:7, 21:17, 39:2), bestows His mercy on those who did not have complete marital happiness: she becomes the first mother, and Rachel remains barren (that one of the two wives was beloved , aguvah, and the other unloved, senuah, was common (Deut. 21:15).

Gen.29:32. Leah conceived and bore [Jacob] a son, and called his name: Reuben, because she said: The Lord looked upon my distress [and gave me a son], for now my husband will love me.

According to the custom of antiquity (cf. Gen. 4:1), the name of the firstborn of Jacob is given by his mother, Leah.: Reuben heb. Ruben is a son - a natural exclamation of joy from a mother. But in the text of the verse, a slightly different etymology of the name is given, based on a play on words that is not uncommon in the Hebrew language: raah beani - “the Lord has looked upon my disaster.” Jewish commentators, drawing attention to the word (v. 31) vajiphtach, "and opened," believed that Leah was completely barren, and that 12 patriarchs were born in the same not quite natural way as Isaac, Esau and Jacob.

Gen.29:33. And [Leah] conceived again and gave birth to [Jacob's second] son, and said: The Lord heard that I was unloved, and gave me this also. And she called his name: Simeon.

If Reuben (maybe Ruben? Or - raah beani - see above) expresses that God: saw Leah, then Shim-on - Simeon - that He: I heard her. In its idea and meaning, the name of Simeon is identical with the name of Ishmael (Gen. 16:11), only the birth of the first four sons of Leah is actually attributed to Jehovah, while the birth of Ishmael, as well as the subsequent sons of Leah, is attributed to God under the common name of Elohim.

Gen.29:34. And she conceived again, and bore a son, and said, Now my husband shall cleave to me, for I have bore him three sons. from which his name was called: Levi.

from Heb. - "sticking" (Vulg:. "copulabitur"). If at the birth of her first son, Leah hopes to earn through him the great love of her husband, through the second - to achieve equality with her sister, then the birth of the third arouses in her the expectation of at least the constancy of affection from her husband. The Midrash interprets "clinging" in the sense that the sons of Levi will be devoted to their heavenly Father. The masculine verb "to name" in relation to Levi, the rabbis attributed either to the Angel, who allegedly gave the name of Levi, or to Jacob. The Midrash says that Leah, knowing that from all 4 wives of Jacob has 12 sons, after the birth of her third son, she decided that she would not give birth anymore: hence the expression of hope for Levi, and then - the delight of surprise at the birth of Judah.

Gen.29:35. And she conceived again, and bore a son, and said, Now I will praise the Lord. Therefore, she named him Judas. And she stopped giving birth.

Judah - "Yehuda": may he be blessed or glorified Jehovah. Leah glorifies above all Jehovah, and then Judas himself with his offspring (cf. Gen. 49:8-10; 1 Chr. 28:4; 1 Chr. 5:2).