Genesis 29:17

17 Leah had delicate eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and was good-looking.

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 Jacob, "You shouldn't have to work for free just because you are my relative. Tell me what you would like to be paid."

16 Now Laban had two daughters: the older was named Leah and the younger Rachel.

17 Leah had delicate eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and was good-looking.

18 Jacob loved Rachel and said, "I will work for you for seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

19 Laban said, "I'd rather give her to you than to another man. Stay with me."

Footnotes

• [a]. Heb uncertain; perhaps Leah had poor eyesight