Genesis 29:17

17 Leah had weak[a] eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.

Genesis 29:17 in Other Translations

KJV
17 Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.
ESV
17 Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.
NLT
17 There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.
MSG
17 Leah had nice eyes, but Rachel was stunningly beautiful.
CSB
17 Leah had delicate eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.

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 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.
18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”
19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.”

Cross References 2

Footnotes 1

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