Gen 29:1
So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East.: This was a long journey of about 450 miles. https://headwatersresources.org/map-of-jacobs-journey-to-haran-and-back/. But the idea behind the wording here is that Jacob had been refreshed and the travel was easy.
Gen 29:2
And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well's mouth.: These stones were really heavy and typically several people to move them, so the women would usually bring their flocks and wait till there were enough people to move the stone.
Gen 29:3
Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well's mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well's mouth.: Once enough women with their flocks would be gathered, they'd move the stone, water their flocks and then cover the well again.
Gen 29:4
And Jacob said to them, "My brethren, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from Haran.": Jacob was a shepherd, so he greets them as brethren. He asks where they're from so he can know where he is, and they tell him they're from Haran.
Gen 29:5
Then he said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?" And they said, "We know him.": Now that Jacob knows that he's in Haran, he asks if the shepherds know Nahor. Jacob was to go to Laban's house to find a wife. He's in the right place.
Gen 29:6
So he said to them, "Is he well?" And they said, "He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.": Jacob asks how Laban is doing, and they say Laban is doing well. And by "coincidence," just as with the "coincidence" of Eliezar meeting Rebekah, Rachel comes to the well to water her sheep.
Gen 29:7
Then he said, "Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.": There's a few possible meanings for what Jacob says here. First, he could be saying that they're being lazy. Second, he could be trying to get Rachel alone. Third, he may be showing them that he's also a shepherd. Personally, I think he was calling them lazy, as you'll see in Gen 29:10, Jacob rolls the stone from the well by himself. They certainly weren't great shepherds because the sheep need to eat, and they were lazing around this well. An interesting side note: In Joh 10:11, Jesus declares Himself The Good Shepherd.
Gen 29:8
But they said, "We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.": Lots of "they" going around here. Not sure who these shepherds were referring to because the only other person mentioned as coming to the well is Rachel. Were they waiting for Rachel to move the stone? I think Jacob asked a great question. It was in the middle of the day and they were just laying around. They should be out in pasture so the sheep could eat.
Gen 29:9
Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.: Do you believe in coincidences? I don't. Rachel just happens to show up at the time when Jacob does, right?. No, this is how God works. We all receive these gentle nudges and wind up in places at the right times. We can write them off as coincidence, but not if you believe that God is in control and Joh 3:8, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Gen 29:10
And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.: To prove his point that they're being lazy, Jacob goes to the well and rolls it off himself. These rocks are usually very heavy, so these shepherds were using that as an excuse to be lazy. It wasn't that heavy if one man could roll it off. And notice that Jacob doesn't water their sheep. He just waters Rachel's flock.
Gen 29:11
Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.: Jacob's journey must have been long and arduous. 450 miles isn't easy out in the desert. Jacob was clearly happy that he had made it. The kiss isn't the kiss of a lover here. Jacob was clearly happy and kissed her in a greeting, probably like you see in European countries.
Gen 29:12
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebekah's son. So she ran and told her father.: You can tell from Rachel's reaction that she hadn't been assaulted, so the kiss was probably that of a greeting. Jacob explains that he's Laban's nephew, and Rachel excitedly runs and tells Laban. This is very similar to the story of Eliezar when he finds Rebekah (Gen 24:1-67).
Gen 29:13
Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things.: I've read that it was 97 years since Eliezar came and took Rebekah to Isaac. Laban still acts in the same manner, and runs (spry old man!) to meet Jacob. Jacob then fills Laban in on everything. What exactly that entails, we can only guess.
Gen 29:14
And Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." And he stayed with him for a month.: Laban shows kindness to Jacob and lets Jacob stay there for a month.
Gen 29:15
Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?": Jacob didn't just free-load either. Jacob was a shepherd and earned his keep. He must have been a good worker because Laban doesn't want him to leave. Laban asks what Jacob wants in return for working for him. In my opinion, this is how deceivers work. They start off acting like they are acting in good faith, and when they've gained your trust, they start working on what they really want. Although this conversation seems innoncent enough, we'll see what Laban's true intent was later.
Gen 29:16
Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.: Leah's name means wearied, or dull. Rachel's name means ewe, or sheep.
Gen 29:17
Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance.: Basically, Leah wasn't beautiful, but Rachel was. What exactly it means that Leah's eyes were delicate isn't clear, but it made her less beautiful than Rachel.
Gen 29:18
Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.": Jacob was physically attracted to Rachel and so he loved her, agreeing to work seven years for Laban so he can marry her. I can't fault him though, but it had to be terrible for Leah.
Gen 29:19
And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.": Laban agrees. Jacob will work for seven years and then he can marry Rachel. Apparently, Rachel had no say in the matter.
Gen 29:20
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.: Jacob was 78 when he agreed, and 85 after the seven years. The people must have aged very differently than today. But I think we can all relate how time flies in certain circumstances. College flies by in anticipation of graduation, closing day on a house, etc...
Gen 29:21
Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.": Interesting culture back then. Jacob had fulfilled his seven years, and now he could be married to Rachel. I'm glad that we have come a long way since that time and women now have equal rights.
Gen 29:22
And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast.: The custom in that time was a seven day party.
Gen 29:23
Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.: As was the custom, the wedding was consummated on the wedding night. Laban deceitfully brought Leah to Jacob. He was supposed to bring Rachel, but brought Leah instead.
Gen 29:24
And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.: Laban's family was rich, so he was able to give Leah a servant as a wedding present.
Gen 29:25
So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?": When I read this the first time, I instantly thought, "How could he possibly be deceived like this?" Of course, this was based on my own experience, and I knew exactly who I was with. What I didn't know was that it was customary for the wife to be veiled. The only difference noted in scripture is that Leah had delicate eyes, so they probably had a similar physique. They were also partying, so it's likely that Jacob wasn't sober. And Laban would have waited until it was dark also. So it's entirely possible that Leah looked like Rachel because it was dark, she was wearing a covering, and Jacob was drunk. Even if he wasn't drunk, who would imagine something like that happening? Here's a great article from Got Questions on this.
Gen 29:26
And Laban said, "It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.: We see how deceitful Laban is here. It's possible that Laban knew that nobody would want Leah because of her eyes and did this out of concern for Leah. It is true that this custom existed, but Laban lied about his intent.
Gen 29:27
Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.": Laban asks Jacob to fulfill the week of cosummation with Leah, and then he'd give Rachel to him as a second wife also. However, there's more deceit. He required Jacob to work another seven years for Rachel. So it seems that Laban knew exactly what he was doing from the beginning. His plan all along was to make Jacob work 14 years for Rachel.
Gen 29:28
Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.: Jacob finished the week of partying and consummated the wedding as required, and Laban gave Rachel to Jacob as a second wife. Oh boy... this can't be good.
Gen 29:29
And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid.: The family was rich enough to have multiple servants, and he gives another to Rachel as a maid.
Gen 29:30
Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.: This is why polygamy will never work. It's natural for people to like someone more than someone else. In the case of marriage, this isn't acceptable and will always cause jealousy and strife. My heart breaks for these two women.
Gen 29:31
When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.: It's probably just me, but I can't see how Jacob could sleep with Leah if he didn't love her. One thing that is clear is that God's promises were fulfilled by God, and not through Jacob. If Jacob had children with Rachel, we'd be able to say that Jacob fulfilled God's promises. Those people who claim that God is done with Israel because of their unbelief need to reread their Old Testament because over and over, God's promises are fulifilled in spite of the unbelief of His chosen people, just like it is here. The Messiah would come from Leah, not Rachel. Jacob didn't want Leah. God fulfilled His promise in spite of Jacob's intentions. God is faithful, and man is selfish. God's promise of giving the land to Israel will be fulfilled, in spite of Israel's rejection of the Messiah. God's promises do not rely on man's faithfulness, as shown over and over again.
Gen 29:32
So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, "The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.": The name Reuben means "behold a son." Sadly, Leah knew that Jacob did not love her, and thought that he would if she gave him sons. Trying to earn love will never work. Love has to be freely given. If you're with someone that doesn't love you, don't try to earn it. You'll only end up worse off. Focus on serving God and maybe the other will do the same. It's the only resolution in a loveless marriage. If two people focus on serving God, they will come closer together than if someone tries to earn the love of another.
We also see that God fulfilled His promises through a woman that wasn't loved. There's certainly something to that. I believe it's to show that God's promises don't rely on man. God does as He wills. And we can also know that God is faithful to fulfill His promises. We probably won't understand it at the time, but He is faithful. God's promises can be relied on. We can see the working of God through Leah, but I'm sure that Jacob didn't understand it.
Gen 29:33
Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon.: The name Simeon means, "heard." Leah believed that God heard her suffering, being unloved. Leah is still trying to earn the love of Jacob.
Gen 29:34
She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi.: The name Levi means, "joined." Leah believed that she would earn the love of Jacob by bearing sons for him, but you can't earn someone's love. This is such a terrible world. I can't wait for Jesus to come back and make things right.
Gen 29:35
And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.: The name Judah means, "praise." In Gen 29:31, we see that God opened Leah's womb, and now we see that she stopped bearing. Judah is where the name Jews comes from too. The Jewish people are built on praise. A praise that comes from knowing Him. Why God stopped Leah from bearning more children is probably to show that God's promises are fulfilled by God, in the manner He chooses. If she had continued bearing children, we would have assumed that Rachel was barren and Leah wasn't, and that's how things went. But, this story is about to get much crazier.
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