Genesis 29:17

17 There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.

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, “You shouldn’t work for me without pay just because we are relatives. Tell me how much your wages should be.”

16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel.

17 There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.

18 Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.”

19 “Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.”

Footnotes

• [a]. Or Leah had dull eyes, or Leah had soft eyes. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.