Genesis 29:23

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.

Ver. 23. He took Leah his daughter.] The elder, for the younger; by a like fraud, as Rebekah his mother had not long before, in a cunning disguise, substituted him, the younger son, for the elder. God pays us often in our own coin, {a} and measures to us again the self-same measure that we have meted to others. {Mat 7:2} Herod mocked the wise men, and is mocked of them. {Mat 2:16} And how oft do we see those that would beguile others, punished with illusion? God usually retaliates, and proportions jealousy to jealousy, provocation to provocation, {Deu 32:21} number to number, {Isa 65:11-12} choice to choice, {Isa 66:3-4} device to device, {Mic 2:1; Mic 2:3} frowardness to frowardness, {Psa 18:26} contrariety to contrariety. {Lev 26:21} Even the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, {Pro 11:31} as was Jacob.

{a} Plerumque Deus servat legem talionis .

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gen 29:23. He took Leah and brought her to him — This deceit he might the more easily practise, as it was customary in those times to bring the bride to her husband veiled, and without lights. This guile of Laban undoubtedly sorely grieved Jacob; and perhaps it happened as a punishment to him for the guile he had used in supplanting his brother.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

29:23-26 Like Isaac, Jacob was plied with food and wine (cp. 27:25), deprived of sight in the darkness (cp. 27:1), baffled by clothing (cp. 27:15), and misled by touch (cp. 27:23). The marriage had been consummated (29:23; see 2:24), so Jacob was bound to Leah. • It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn: Laban’s words are a reminder of what Jacob did when he, the younger son, pretended to be his older brother to gain the blessing (ch 27). Now Leah, the older sister, pretended to be the younger sister to get a husband. God gave the deceiver a dose of his own deception as a discipline in his life.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The cause why Jacob was deceived was, that in old time the wife was covered with a veil, when she was brought to her husband in sign of chastity and shamefastness.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 23. In 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 practised might easily pass undetected by Jacob, till the ensuing day discovered the fraud.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(23)He took Leah his daughter.—As the bride is taken to the bridegroom’s house closely veiled (see Note on Gen_24:65), and as probably there was some similarity in voice and form between the two sisters, this deception was quite easy. But Leah must have been a party to the fraud, and therefore Jacob’s dislike of her was not altogether without reason.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23. he took Leah] The bride was brought to the bridegroom enveloped in a veil; cf. Gen_24:65. “The bridegroom can scarcely ever obtain even a surreptitious glance at the features of his bride until he finds her in his absolute possession.” Lane, Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians.

24 (P). Zilpah his handmaid] For the custom of the bride being attended by her own servant to her new home, cf. Gen_24:59.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it came to pass in the evening,.... After the feast was over, and the guests were departed; when it was night, a fit season to execute his designs, and practise deceit:

that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him, to Jacob, in his apartment, his bedchamber, or to him in bed: for it is still the custom in some eastern countries for the bridegroom to go to bed first, and then the bride comes, or is brought to him in the dark, and veiled, so that he sees her not: so the Armenians have now such a custom at their marriages that the husband goes to bed first; nor does the bride put off her veil till in bed (o): and in Barbary the bride is brought to the bridegroom's house, and with some of her female relations conveyed into a private room (p); then the bride's mother, or some very near relation, introduces the bridegroom to his new spouse, who is in the dark, and obliged in modesty not to speak or answer upon any account: and if this was the case here, as it is highly probable it was, the imposition on Jacob is easily accounted for:

and he went in unto her; or lay with her as his wife; a modest expression of the use of the bed.

(o) Tournefort's Voyage to the Levant, vol. 3. p. 255. (p) Ockley's Account of Southwest Barbary, c. 6. p. 78.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The occasion of the deceit was the custom of those times, which was to bring the bride to her husband in the dark, and with a veil upon her face: see Ge 24:65. And Leah being instructed by her father, and confederate with him in the deceit, was, doubtless, careful not to discover herself by speech, or any other way, to him.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

23. Took Leah — There was no formal public ceremony of marriage; the parties were not openly presented to one another, but in the evening the bride, closely veiled, was led to the husband’s tent. Hence the ease with which it was possible to present Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. The deception practiced on Jacob was rendered possible by the fact that the bride was usually conducted into the marriage chamber veiled; the veil being so long and close as to conceal not only the face, but much of the person. (vide Gen_14:5) And he went in unto her. The conduct of Laban is perfectly intelligible as the outcome of his sordid avarice; but it is difficult to understand how Leah could acquiesce in a proposal so base as to wrong her sister by marrying one who neither sought nor loved her. She must herself have been attached to Jacob; and it is probable that Laban had explained to her his plan for bringing about a double wedding.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

who slept with her

It is implied that Jacob did not know he was with Leah because it was dark and he could not see. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

Laban gave his female servant Zilpah ... her servant

Here the author gives background information about Laban giving Zilpah to Leah. Most likely he gave Zilpah to Leah before the wedding. (See: Background Information)

Zilpah

This is the name of Leah's female servant. (See: How to Translate Names)

behold, it was Leah

"Jacob was surprised to see it was Leah in bed with him." The word "behold" here shows that Jacob was surprised by what he saw.

What is this you have done to me?

Jacob uses a question to express his anger and surprise. This rhetorical question can be translated as a statement. AT: "I cannot believe you did this to me!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

Did I not serve you for Rachel?

Jacob uses these questions to express his hurt that Laban had tricked him. This rhetorical question can be translated as a statement. AT: "I served you for seven years to marry Rachel!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

translationWords

Leah

had relations with

servant

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

ויהי בערב, the Torah uses this opportunity to teach us that sexual intercourse even with artificial light, i.e. during the night is not appropriate, how much more so is it inappropriate during daylight hours. If it were appropriate to indulge in intercourse using artificial light Lavan could not have passed off Leah as Rachel without Yaakov becoming aware of this. It is clear from the text that Yaakov did not realise Leah as having been his partner in bed until the following morning. [the word הנה in verse 25 which we explained as always adding a new, up until then unknown, element is proof for this. Ed.]

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.