Genesis 29:19
in Genesis 29Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to another. Stay here with me.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
KJV
And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
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This verse in Genesis 29
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel
on Genesis 29:18-20
Jacob names the daughter twice, by her name and by her birth order. He has no herds for a bride price, so he offers seven years of his labour. The years seemed but a few days to him, out of love for Rachel, and Laban's substitution follows in verse 23.
This site's exposition
Better that I give her to you
Laban's answer refers to her without her name, and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note a proposal went to the father without the daughter being consulted. The price was paid in gifts, cattle or years of service. Rachel herself says nothing in the chapter.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And Laban said,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
he abode a month--Among pastoral people a stranger is freely entertained for three days; on the fourth day he is expected to tell his name and errand; and if he prolongs his stay after that time, he must set his hand to work in some way, as may be agreed upon.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָבָ֗ן | lavan | Laban | H3837 → | 55 times |
| ט֤וֹב | tov | [is] good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| תִּתִּ֣י | titi | to give I | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֹתָ֣הּ | ʾotah | <obj.> her | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לָ֔ךְ | lakh | to <the> you | ||
| מִתִּתִּ֥י | mititi | more than to give I | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֹתָ֖הּ | ʾotah | <obj.> her | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לְאִ֣ישׁ | leish | to a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אַחֵ֑ר | ʾacher | another | H312 → | 166 times |
| שְׁבָ֖ה | shevah | remain ! | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| עִמָּדִֽי׃ | ʾimadi | with me | H5978 → | 42 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לָבָ֗ןLaban
lavanH3837 →55 times
ט֤וֹב[is] good
tovH2896 →538 times
תִּתִּ֣יto give I
titiH5414 →2011 times
אֹתָ֣הּ<obj.> her
ʾotahH853 →10935 times
לָ֔ךְto <the> you
lakh
מִתִּתִּ֥יmore than to give I
mititiH5414 →2011 times
אֹתָ֖הּ<obj.> her
ʾotahH853 →10935 times
לְאִ֣ישׁto a man
leishH376 →1663 times
אַחֵ֑רanother
ʾacherH312 →166 times
שְׁבָ֖הremain !
shevahH3427 →1079 times
עִמָּדִֽי׃with me
ʾimadiH5978 →42 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
Isaiah 6:5Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD…
it leads to
- Luke 5:8–9
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.”
- James 3:6–10
The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on…
- Jeremiah 9:3–8
“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.
- Jeremiah 1:6
“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!”
- Matthew 12:34–37
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
- Luke 5:8–9
Through
Psalms 12:2They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
it leads to
- Romans 16:18
For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
- Jeremiah 9:8
Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.
- Psalms 41:6
My visitor speaks falsehood; he gathers slander in his heart; he goes out and spreads it abroad.
- Romans 16:18
Where this verse is studied
About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).