Genesis 29:17

17 Leah's eyes were weak,^[a] but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.

Genesis 29:17 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 29:17

Leah [was] tender eyed
Blear eyed, had a moisture in them, which made them red, and so she was not so agreeable to look at; though Onkelos renders the words,

``the eyes of Leah were beautiful,''

as if her beauty lay in her eyes, and nowhere else;

but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured;
in all parts, in the form of her countenance, in her shape and stature, and in her complexion, her hair black, her flesh white and ruddy, as Ben Melech observes.

Genesis 29:17 In-Context

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?"

16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

17 Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.

18 Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."

19 Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me."

Footnotes

• [a]. Or soft