GRIFFIN COMMENTS GEN 29 (Gen 29:1) Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east. When he spoke here of the “land of the people of the east” he was speaking of Mesopotamia, which lies on the other side of the Euphrates river. His destination was the city of Haran. Rich in distant hopes, but cheerlessin his immediate prospects, Jacob left the land of promise. He was a true pilgrim; and his whole life was a wearisome and changeful pilgrimage. The gold of his capacious and lofty mind was to be purified from its strong alloy of dishonesty and cunning in the furnace of misery and toil; his moral education commenced at his departure from the parental house, and after many tribulations only, resulted in that peace of mind which is at once the surest symptom and the choicest reward of true virtue. (M. M. Kalisch, Ph. D.)
(Gen 29:2) And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth. There is quite a contrast between Jacob and the servant of Abraham when the two got to this well. The servant of Abraham prayed for the Lord to lead him and he “being in the way, the Lord led him.” Jacob worked things out his own way and there was no hint of prayer. He saw shepherds at the well and approached them. God prepared the bride to be at the well in both cases,but Jacob missed her becausehe failed to pray. (Gen 29:3) And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place. That is, that is what was usually done. They were now waiting for all other shepherds to arrive before they rolled the stone away. People have a tendency to follow their customs even past the time of their usefulness, and even when it is detrimental to their well-being. When traditions are good they may be wonderful guides, but when they are merely made for momentary purposesthey become hindrances.
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(Gen 29:4) And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. Jacob found out where he was and began to seek information about his family his own way. [my brethren, whence be ye?] a kind and affable way of speaking, used even to strangers, since all men are brethren by nature; or might be used by Jacob, becausethey were of the same occupation with himself, shepherds. (Gill)
(Gen 29:5) And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. Both Eliezer and Jacob knew that it was Laban they sought, or with Eliezer both Laban and his father Bethuel, the latter of which had probably passed away by this time. By the fact that the shepherds knew him we imply that they were of the same city where Laban was, or they were neighbors and fellow shepherds. The language of the shepherds being Chaldaean (vide Gen_31:47), Jacob, who spoke Hebrew, was able to converse with them either becausehe had learnt Chaldeefrom his mother (Clericus), or, as is more probable, becausethe dialects were not then greatly dissimilar (Gosman in Lange). (Pulpit Commentary)
(Gen 29:6) And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. So the first one he met was Rachel one of his future wives and it appears to be one of those “love at first sight” affairs. If Jacob had prayed at the well, like Eleazer prayed at the same well, “Lord let the one who gives me drink be the one you have chosen to be my wife,” it would have been Rachel. But he did not pray. God had her at the well for him. (Gen 29:7) And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. Yet Jacob noticed something strange here. They were just sitting around with the water in the well and the sheep thirsty and no one doing GRIFFIN COMMENTS GEN 29—PAGE 2
anything. We seethat sometimes in a spiritual plain. People who have the resources for spiritual strength but waiting on the church service to get fed instead of feeding themselves; waiting until others drink before slacking their thirst. Roll that stone away and get a drink while it is midday or midnight. Don’t wait until someone else comes to get his or her drink. (Gen 29:8) And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. People often deprive themselves of great blessings becauseof the buildup of customs through the years. Then they often keep following the custom long after the purpose of the custom is forgotten. Who knows who started this or why, but to Jacob it was without a purpose and the answer was “Well, we’ve always done it this way.” When the custom has lost its meaning be willing to change. Of course, that is very difficult to do. People have their comfort zones and their habits that are difficult to break. (Gen 29:9) And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she kept them. He had not found any need to seek the Lord yet. By the ingenuity of this supplanter he had found out in just a little while some of the family and knew where to find the rest. However, he would not gain his prize and get home nearly so quickly as Eliezer becausehe did things his own way, and Eliezer depended on God. Sowe find that young women were not kept concealed in the house till the time they were married, which is the common gloss put on עלמהalmah, a virgin, one concealed. Nor was it beneath the dignity of the daughters of the most opulent chiefs to carry water from the well, as in the caseof Rebekah; or tend sheep, as in the caseof Rachel. The chief property in those times consisted in flocks: and who so proper to take care of them as those who were interested in their safety and increase?(Adam Clarke)
(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.
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Jacob saw an opportunity to do good here and he rolled the stone away for Rachel, backwards from Rebekah. She watered the camels and Jacob watered the sheep. [that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth] either with the help of the shepherds, or of himself by his own strength; which the Jewish writers (h) say amazed the shepherds, that he should do that himself, which required their united strength. The Targum of Jonathan says, he did it with one of his arms; and Jarchi, that he removed it as easily as a man takes off the lid cover of a pot. (Gill) (h) Pirke Eliezer, c. 36.
(Gen 29:11) And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. The Lord had led him to the right place. God was working with him. He had seen the vision of the heavens opened and angels ascending and descending, in the last chapter and now he had arrived in Haran in this chapter, and his heart was grateful for what God had done for him so he wept. He was establishing a relationship with God he never had before. (Gen 29:12) And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father. Jacob now revealed who he was, but not his mission. Here again he was different from Eliezer, who considered himself commissioned to come here, find a bride and return. Jacob seemed to not quite grasp the idea of a commission. He knew he was looking for a wife, and he knew he was running from his brother, but he had a tendency to work things out his own way. (Gen 29:13) And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. This was a happy reunion with family members of his mother and I am sure he had a lot to tell of her life and that of Isaac, and to learn of how the family had been doing here; and it was obvious they had prospered.
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[he told Laban all these things] He told of his parents sending him here, and how God had appeared to him, and the promise that was made. He probably did not tell that the reason was to seek a wife. (Gen 29:14) And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month. Jacob was there for a full month without telling what his mission was, which was very different from Eliezer. It was up to Laban to bring up the subject. To them a month was from one new moon to the next, so it would be either twenty-nine or thirty days. It was during this time he became particularly enamored to Rachel. 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. A similar rule obtained in Laban’s establishment, and the wagesfor which his nephew engaged to continue in his employment was the hand of Rachel. (JFB)
(Gen 29:15) And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? Here we find the first entanglement with Laban. Eliezer refused to get entangled with him, but Jacob, being a lot like him, would try to match wits, and came out the loser. Israel was destined to rise to eminence and power amongst the family of nations. But it was necessary for that people to be reminded of the lowly estate of their forefather. When the Israelite presented his basket of first fruits before the Lord, he was instructed to confess,"A Syrian ready to perish was my father" (Deu_26:5). The nation was thus taught that all its greatnessand prosperity were not due to natural endowments and industry, but to the electing love of God. The strength of His grace was made perfect in weakness. (T. H. Leale.)
(Gen 29:16) And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
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Jacob began in his own mind to figure out a way to negotiate with Laban in order to obtain a wife from among his daughters. Little did he know that Laban was also conniving to work this thing out his own way and deceive Jacob when the time came. Both could see a way to work this affair out to their own advantage. No mention was ever made of the identity of Laban's wife, though we have mention of other relatives. (Gen 29:17) Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. [Leah was tender- eyed] rakowt (OT:7390), "soft, delicate, lovely." I believe the word means just the reverse of the signification generally given to it. The design of the inspired writer is to compare both the sisters together, that the balance may appear to be greatly in favor of Rachel. The chief recommendation of Leah was her soft and beautiful eyes, but Rachel was yÂŞpat (OT:3303) to'ar (OT:8389), "beautiful in her shape, person, mien, and gait," and yÂŞpat (OT:3303) mar'eh (OT:4758), "beautiful in her countenance." The words plainly signify a fine shape and fine features, all that can be considered as essential to personal beauty. (Adam Clarke's Commentary) (Gen 29:18) And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. Very likely the first encounter that he had with Rachel at the well with her sheep, had made Jacob feel like this must be the one for him since his mission was to find a daughter of Laban, and this was the first daughter he saw, and now when the decision was to be made she would naturally be the one he would choose. He had no dowry to offer so he willingly served Laban for seven years instead. (Gen 29:19) And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. They did strike up a bargain for a wife for Jacob, and both were content with the agreement; however, Laban had other plans that Jacob knew nothing about. Whether he had them that day, or happened to think of it
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later is unknown, but he planned to get rid of Leah before Rachel. It was also likely that it was a verbal agreement and Laban did not actually say he would give Rachel, but "I will give you my daughter." (Gen 29:20) And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. After the time was over, it would appear as nothing. After all Jacob was 77 years old when he came down to Haran, and when you are that old time passesvery swiftly anyway. When you add to this, the fact that he loved Rachel, the time was nothing to him. Love is a powerful force that has a tremendous affect on everything we do. (Gen 29:21) And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. Notice that it was Jacob who had to keep track of when the time was for the seven years to end. Laban would have kept Jacob working as long as he would without saying anything to him. He was now eighty-four years of age when the time of marriage came. Yet he still was able to have twelve sons and at least one daughter. (Gen 29:22) And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. Marriage feasts have always been a part of the marriage ceremony, but on this occasion he especially wanted to make this as joyful an occasion as possible becausehe knew there was going to be a reaction and he was trying to cushion the blow. Apparently during this time he had told Leah also so that she was prepared to act her part. (Gen 29:23) 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. Of course, it was night and the woman had a veil over her face so Jacob could not tell who it was. But the question is, why didn’t she tell him? She knew she was being made Jacob’s wife. It could be that her father had forbid her to say anything. It could be that she hoped he would soon forget and the joy of their life together would make him forget Rachel. Whatever
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her reasoning, she spent the night with him in high hopes of this being the beginning of a happy married life with Jacob. (Gen 29:24) And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. This was a customary act for servants to be given to members of the family on occasions like this, and not only that but other times when a servant could be used and you had plenty of servants to spare, they might be given. Remember that Rebekah had been given damsels to go with her as well as her nurse, Deborah. (Gen 29:25) And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? What a shock! He realized for the first time that he was dealing with someone who was just as sharp at conniving as he was and with more experience, so he began to reap as he had sown. He confronted Laban about it, but there was nothing he could do now, he had taken Leah as his wife. AWAKENINGS(Gen_29:25) 1. Adam awoke with a new bride 2. Jacob (Gen_29:25) awoke with an unexpected bride 3. Jacob (Gen_28:16) awoke with a beloved bride 4. Boaz awoke with a bride at his feet 5. Samson awoke to a bride who took his strength 6. Peter 7. Joseph (Mat_1:24) 8. Shunnamite (Son_5:6) (Gen 29:26) And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Of course this was not true, but Laban passedit off as an excuse, knowing that there was not much Jacob could do about it. Eliezer would have been gone long before now, but Jacob had gotten himself involved, and the longer he was here the more involved he became and the more of a problem he had. You never do well to get entangled with Laban. The best GRIFFIN COMMENTS GEN 29—PAGE 8
thing to do now, would be to take Leah, go back to the homeland and learn to love and appreciate her. But this is not what Jacob wanted and he was not accustomed to not getting what he wanted. (Gen 29:27) Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. Laban was able to get Jacob even more involved and Jacob wound up with even more problems than he could have anticipated becausethere was still more that he wanted and he could not get it without further involvement with Laban. So he was willing to serve for seven more years to get Rachel whom he loved. However, before he could take her as wife he had to fulfill the week of festivities that were a customary part of weddings. (Gen 29:28) And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. Jacob had to spend a week with Leah before getting Rachel, and I am sure that Leah was hoping that during that short time she could show him all the attention he needed and make him happy and becauseshe was his first wife that though he might love Rachel more, he would love her also. She was in for disappointment. There was no way Jacob could love her after such a trick had been played on him. (Gen 29:29) And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. Jacob had come here for just one wife, but due to his getting involved with Laban and as far as we know still not enquiring of the Lord about all this, there were now four women involved in his life instead of just one he had hoped for and soon all four would become his wives, and he would have children by them all. From Bilhah would come Dan and Naphtali. (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. So he had to spend fourteen years for two wives, instead of fourteen days for one, which he hoped to do, when, he left his family in Hebron. But that is what happens when we try to work things out by our own wisdom and ingenuity. The saving quality of all of this is that God was orchestrating the end results behind the scenesand would have His way in the end. GRIFFIN COMMENTS GEN 29—PAGE 9
(Gen 29:31) And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. The Lord intervened in the caseall right, but not like that of Eliezer. In Rebekah’s casethe Lord heard the prayer of Isaac and opened her womb to give her these twins. For Jacob God closed the womb of his loved companion and opened the one he hated. Human reasoning can excuse Jacob for hating a woman who had been thrust upon him like this, but God works by principles and Jacob was breaking a principle that love is the key to every relationship. He did not want to love her, he wanted to hate her and becauseof it there was a miserable situation in his home from that day until the day she died. (Gen 29:32) And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. The girl was still dreaming. She knew the value of having children, and she felt like this would make the difference. But the hatred was too deeply engrained. Though he had a son it did not turn his attention to his wife. She called him Reuben or “See a son.” In other words: “Look, God has given me a son that will give me favor with my husband.” AGEOFJACOBAT MARRIAGE (Gen_29:32-35) Leah had four sons 1. Reuben 2. Simeon 3. Levi 4. Judah She stopped bearing Bilhah had two sons (Born after Leah ceasedbearing and before her next one) • Gad • Asher
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5. 6. 7.
Issachar Zebulun Dinah
Then Rachel had Joseph at the end of fourteen years (Gen_30:24-25; Gen_31:41) (Seelist by wives Deu_27:12) At least nine children plus Bilhah's two were born in that fourteen years before Joseph. (So he took both wives at the beginning of the fourteen years). Joseph was 30 when he stood before Pharaoh (Gen_41:46). Then 7 years of plenty and two years of famine before Jacob stood before Pharaoh at the age of 130 (Gen_47:9). Joseph was now 39. 130 Jacob in Egypt 39 Joseph (same time) 91 At Jacob's fourteenth year with Laban -14 77 years old when he came to Haran and met Rachel In this time (52 years from 78 to 130) Jacob has Great-Great-Grandchildren (Judah, Er, Pharez, 2 sons (Gen_46:12). Jacob was 82 when Judah was born (or 89 if after 7 years) so 4 generations were in 48 or 41 years. He would have to have married at 14 or 16 years of age. (Deu_27:12) (Gen 29:33) 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. Now she was becoming a little more realistic and knew that things were not going to change very readily, though she never lost hope that some day her husband Jacob would come to love her. So she called him Simeon: “Hearing.” In other words, “God has heard of my being hated, and He gave me this son as a token of His attention.”
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(Gen 29:34) 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. Each child was named as part of this conflict. Each time Leah had a son she named it in hopes that she would gain her husband's love. She was constantly aware of the attention that Jacob paid to Rachel. She longed for some affection from him. The longer she lived, and the more she tried, the more she knew that this was something she would never gain. She named this one Levi: “Joined,” in hopes that now she would be joined to her husband. (Gen 29:35) And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing. She was resigned to her fate and said, “Well, I will just praise Jehovah anyway, whatever happens,” and named the child Judah. That was a good attitude and she would have been better off to have named her first one Judah and kept the praise in her heart forever, for she would be disappointed in this life, but you can have joy unspeakable and full of glory even when your plans do not materialize. She called him Judah, which is simply, “Praise.” She would continue to praise Jehovah for continuing to bless her through her time of affliction.
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