Genesis 29:23
in Genesis 29But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
KJV
And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
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This verse in Genesis 29
Commentary
7 notes on this verseIn the evening - he took Leah his daughter - As the bride was always veiled, and the bride chamber generally dark, or nearly so, and as Leah was brought to Jacob in the evening, the imposition here practiced might easily pass undetected by Jacob, till the ensuing day discovered the fraud.
This site's exposition
when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah
on Genesis 29:23-24
Genesis gives the hour and nothing more. Adam Clarke fills in the veil and the dark chamber that held the substitution until morning. The man deceived here had gone in to a blind father wearing his brother's clothes. Laban gives his servant girl Zilpah to Leah in the same breath.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Do you see with how much solemnity they conducted weddings in ancient times? Take heed, you who are swept up in the excitement of satanic rituals and besmirch the solemnity of marriage at its very beginnings. Surely there's no place for flutes? Surely there's no place for cymbals? Surely there's no place for satanic dances? Why is it, tell me, that you introduce such a nuisance into the house and call in people from the stage and the theater so as to undermine the girl's chastity with this regrettable expenditure and make the young person shameless?
Don't idly pass by this sentence, either. Much can be understood from it. [First], there is Jacob's simplicity in being deceived through his own ignorance of any wickedness; second, the fact that everything was conducted with such extreme decorum, no unnecessary display of lamps and dancers and torches, that Laban's deception took effect. It is possible, however, to learn from this incident Laban's affection for Jacob. You see, his purpose in devising this scheme was to keep the good man with him longer. I mean, he realized that Jacob was madly in love with one daughter and that, had he attained the object of his desire, he would then not have chosen to undergo servitude for the sake of Leah or reside with Laban. Hence, seeing Jacob's virtue and realizing that he would not otherwise get the better of him or persuade him, he had recourse to this deception and gave him Leah with her maidservant Zilpah.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And it came to pass in the evening,....
It was not the product of any sinful lust, but for the building up of the church, which was the good that Providence brought out of it; but it will by no means justify the like practice now, when God's will is plainly made known, that one man and one woman only must be joined together, 1 Cor. vii.
This was Laban's sin; he wronged both Jacob and Rachel, whose affections, doubtless, were engaged to each other, and, if (as some say) Leah was herein no better than an adulteress, it was no small wrong to her too.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֣י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בָעֶ֔רֶב | vaerev | in the evening | H6153 → | 134 times |
| וַיִּקַּח֙ | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לֵאָ֣ה | leah | Leah | H3812 → | 34 times |
| בִתּ֔וֹ | vito | daughter his | H1323 → | 588 times |
| וַיָּבֵ֥א | vaiyave' | and he brought | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֹתָ֖הּ | ʾotah | <obj.> her | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֵלָ֑יו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| וַיָּבֹ֖א | vaiyavo' | and he went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֵלֶֽיהָ׃ | ʾeleiha | into her | H413 → | 5510 times |
וַיְהִ֣יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
בָעֶ֔רֶבin the evening
vaerevH6153 →134 times
וַיִּקַּח֙and he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
לֵאָ֣הLeah
leahH3812 →34 times
בִתּ֔וֹdaughter his
vitoH1323 →588 times
וַיָּבֵ֥אand he brought
vaiyave'H935 →2568 times
אֹתָ֖הּ<obj.> her
ʾotahH853 →10935 times
אֵלָ֑יוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
וַיָּבֹ֖אand he went
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
אֵלֶֽיהָ׃into her
ʾeleihaH413 →5510 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Micah 7:5Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 9:4
“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
- Psalms 118:8–9
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
- Matthew 10:16
Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
- Job 6:14–15
A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
- Judges 16:5–20
The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him.…
- Jeremiah 9:4
Through
Genesis 24:65and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “It is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 2:9
Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,
- 1 Corinthians 11:5–6
And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved.
- 1 Corinthians 11:10
For this reason a woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels.
- 1 Timothy 2:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 56.2; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 56.10; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.