Genesis 29:27

27 Complete the celebratory week with this woman. Then I will give you this other woman too for your work, if you work for me seven more years."

Genesis 29:27 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 29:27

Fulfil her week
Not Rachel's week, or a week of years of servitude for her, but Leah's week, or the week of seven days of feasting for her marriage; for a marriage feast used to be kept seven days, according to the Jewish writers ^F20, and as it seems from ( Judges 14:17 ) ; and the Targum of Jerusalem fully expresses this sense,

``fulfil the week of the days of the feast of Leah;''

and to the same sense the Targum of Jonathan, Aben Ezra and Jarchi:

and we will give this also;
meaning Rachel that stood by; and the sense is, that he and his wife, if he had any, or his friends about him, would give to Jacob Rachel also to be his wife, upon the following condition:

for the service which thou shall serve with me yet seven other years;
which shows the avaricious temper of the man.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 T. Hieros. Moed Katon, fol. 80. 4. Pirke Eliezer, c. 16, 36.

Genesis 29:27 In-Context

25 In the morning, there she was—Leah! Jacob said to Laban, "What have you done to me? Didn't I work for you to have Rachel? Why did you betray me?"

26 Laban said, "Where we live, we don't give the younger woman before the oldest.

27 Complete the celebratory week with this woman. Then I will give you this other woman too for your work, if you work for me seven more years."

28 So that is what Jacob did. He completed the celebratory week with this woman, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.

29 Laban had given his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her servant.

Footnotes

• [a]. LXX, Sam, Syr, Tg, Vulg; MT we will give