✝
← Bible
ARCBLIVREKJVVBL

Génesis 29

VBL · Chapter 29/50

1Jacob se apresuró y se puso en marcha, y llegó a la tierra de los orientales.

2Al contemplar a su alrededor, vio un pozo en un campo y a tres rebaños de ovejas acostadas junto a él, esperando recibir agua. Una gran piedra cubría la boca del pozo.

3La práctica común era que cuando todos los rebaños llegaban, los pastores rodaban la piedra de la boca del pozo y le daban agua a las ovejas, y luego colocaban la piedra en su lugar nuevamente.

4Y Jacob les preguntó: “Hermanos míos, ¿de dónde son ustedes?”

5“¿Conocen a Labán, el nieto de Nacor?” les preguntó.

6“¿Cómo está él?” preguntó.

7“Todavía es temprano”, dijo Jacob. “Es muy pronto para guardar las ovejas. ¿Por qué no les dan agua de beber y las dejan pastar un poco más?”

8“No podemos hasta que hayan llegado todos los rebaños”, le dijeron los pastores. “Entonces rodamos la piedra del pozo y las dejamos beber agua”.

9Mientras aún hablaban, llegó Raquel con el rebaño que pastoreaba para su padre.

10Cuando Jacob vio a Raquel, la hija de Labán, que era el hermano de su madre, subió y rodó la piedra del pozo para que las ovejas de Labán pudieran beber agua.

11Entonces Jacob besó a Raquel y lloró de alegría.

12(Le había dicho ya que él era el hijo del hermano de Labán y de Rebeca). Y ella corrió y le contó a su padre lo que había sucedido.

13Tan pronto como Labán escuchó la noticia acerca de Jacob, salió corriendo a su encuentro. Lo abrazó y lo besó, y se lo llevó a casa. Después de que Jacob le explicó todo a Labán,

14Labán le dijo: “¡No hay duda alguna, eres carne de mi carne y sangre de mi sangre!” Y Jacob se quedó con Labán durante un mes.

15Un día, Labán le dijo: “¡Eres mi pariente, así que no es justo que trabajes sin una compensación por ello! Dime entonces, ¿cuánto debo pagarte?”

16Labán tenía dos hijas. La mayor se llamaba Lea, y la más joven se llamaba Raquel.

17Lea tenía ojos que expresaban amabilidad, pero Raquel tenía un cuerpo armonioso y una apariencia hermosa.

18Jacob se enamoró de Raquel, así que le prometió a Labán: “Trabajaré siete años para ti por Raquel, tu hija menor”.

19“Pues para mi es mejor dártela a ti que a cualquier otro”, respondió Labán. “Así que quédate y trabaja para mi”.

20Y Jacob trabajó para Labán por siete años, pero para él fueron como días, porque realmente la amaba.

21Entonces Jacob le dijo a Labán: “Ha llegado el tiempo que acordamos. Ahora dame a tu hija para que sea mi esposa”.

22Y Labán organizó un banquete de bodas y invitó a todos para que vinieran al banquete.

23Pero al caer la noche, Labán trajo donde Jacob a su hija Lea, y Jacob se acostó con ella.

24(Labán se había encargado de que su sierva Zilpá fuera la criada personal de Lea).

25¡Al amanecer, Jacob se dio cuenta de que era Lea! Así que fue donde Labán y con enojo le preguntó: “¿Qué me has hecho? ¡Trabajé para ti por Raquel! ¿Por qué me has engañado?”

26“Aquí no entregamos a la hija menor en matrimonio antes que a la hija mayor”, respondió Labán.

27“Deja que la semana de celebración por la boda termine, y entonces te daré a mi otra hija también, pero con la condición de que trabajes siete años más para mi”.

28Jacob estuvo de acuerdo. Terminó la semana de celebración por la boda con Lea, y entonces Labán le dio a su hija Raquel como esposa también.

29(Labán también se encargó de que su sierva Bila fuera la criada personal de Raquel).

30Así que Jacob se acostó con Raquel, y amó a Raquel más que a Lea. Y trabajó para Labán siete años más por Raquel.

31Y el Señor vio que Lea no era amada, y la ayudó a tener hijos. Pero no hizo lo mismo con Raquel.

32Así que Lea quedó embarazada, y tuvo un hijo a quien llamó Rubén, pues dijo: “¡El Señor vio lo mucho que he sufrido y ahora mi esposo me amará!”

33Entonces Lea volvió a quedar embarazada, y tuvo un hijo. Y dijo: “El Señor ha esuchado que no soy amada, y me ha dado otro hijo”. Así que le puso por nombre Simeón.

34Lea volvió a quedar embarazada por tercera vez, y tuvo otro hijo. Y dijo: “Finalmente mi esposo se sentirá unido a mi, porque ahora le he dado tres hijos”. Por eso le puso por nombre Leví.

35Una vez más, Lea quedó embarazada y tuvo otro hijo. Lo llamó Judá, pues dijo: “¡Ahora realmente puedo alabar al Señor!” Y no tuvo más hijos después de esto.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Jacob arrives at Laban's house, falls in love with Rachel, and works seven years for her, but is deceived and receives Leah as his wife first; he works another seven years for Rachel, and Leah begins to have children.

Explanation

This chapter brings an ironic twist in Jacob's life: the man who deceived his own father using disguise is now deceived by his uncle Laban, who secretly swaps Leah for Rachel on the wedding night, using the darkness and wedding customs to hide the trick until the next morning. Laban's response ('it must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn,' v. 26) sounds almost like an ironic echo of Jacob's own story, who also took advantage of his position as the younger brother. Despite the troubled beginning of this double marriage, God shows particular grace to Leah, the less-loved wife, opening her womb and allowing her to give birth to the first four of the twelve sons who would form the tribes of Israel. The lesson is that God sees and cares for those who feel rejected or overlooked.

Fun facts

  • The names Leah gave to her first four sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah) directly reflect her emotional pain and hope — Judah, for example, means 'praise,' as she declares: 'now will I praise the LORD' (v. 35), a name that centuries later would be carried by the line of David and of Jesus.
  • The custom of giving personal maidservants to daughters at marriage (Zilpah to Leah, Bilhah to Rachel) is confirmed by real marriage contracts from ancient Mesopotamia, showing the cultural and historical authenticity of the account.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Génesis 29:1“The land of the people of the east” is how the text describes the region of Mesopotamia Jacob is heading to — the same destination as the Padan-aram mentioned earlier.
  2. Génesis 29:2A well covered by a large stone and surrounded by waiting flocks was a common sight: the stone protected the water and was only removed once all the shepherds were present, avoiding disputes.
  3. Génesis 29:3The custom of waiting for all the flocks to gather before moving the stone ensured the water was shared fairly among the region’s various livestock owners.
  4. Génesis 29:4Jacob asks the shepherds where they are from and finds out they are from Haran — confirmation that he has finally reached the right place.
  5. Génesis 29:5The question about Laban, Nahor’s grandson, confirms the kinship: Jacob really is near his mother’s family.
  6. Génesis 29:6Rachel appears tending her own flock — a role that might be surprising today, but was normal in families without sons available for that task.
  7. Génesis 29:7Jacob suggests it is still early to gather all the livestock and that the sheep should keep grazing — possibly a way to gain more time alone with Rachel before the other shepherds return.
  8. Génesis 29:8The shepherds explain the local rule: they only move the stone once all the flocks are gathered, not before.
  9. Génesis 29:9Rachel arrives right in the middle of this conversation — the perfect timing that kicks off the encounter between her and Jacob.
  10. Génesis 29:10Before introducing himself to anyone, Jacob alone rolls “the stone from the well’s mouth,” even though the text had just explained that all the flocks needed to be gathered to move that stone. It is a sign both of physical strength and of the sudden excitement of seeing Rachel for the first time.
  11. Génesis 29:11Jacob’s weeping as he kisses Rachel mixes the relief of having arrived, the emotion of reuniting with family, and perhaps even the weight of everything he left behind fleeing Esau.
  12. Génesis 29:12Jacob identifies himself as a relative, and Rachel runs to tell her father — the news spreads quickly through a family that surely had been expecting word of Rebekah, far away in Canaan.
  13. Génesis 29:13Laban’s warm welcome — running, embracing, kissing, bringing him home — mirrors the hospitality Abraham’s own servant had received from this same family, back in chapter 24.
  14. Génesis 29:14Laban calls Jacob “my bone and my flesh” when welcoming him home — an expression used to acknowledge someone as a close blood relative, not just poetic praise.
  15. Génesis 29:15Laban offers to pay Jacob for his work instead of letting him serve for free just for being family — a negotiation that will shape the next twenty years of Jacob’s life.
  16. Génesis 29:16The text introduces Laban’s two daughters: Leah, the older, and Rachel, the younger — an age difference that will lead to a conflict of rights in the marriage.
  17. Génesis 29:17“Tender eyed,” describing Leah, is an expression translators read in different ways — it could mean delicate eyes or dull ones — but the contrast with Rachel’s striking beauty is clear in the text.
  18. Génesis 29:18Jacob offers “seven years” of work as payment to marry Rachel, instead of money or goods. This kind of service in place of a dowry was an accepted practice when the suitor had no possessions — and Jacob had fled home with nothing.
  19. Génesis 29:19Laban accepts the proposal without revealing any details of his own plan — he would rather give Rachel to Jacob, a relative, than to a stranger, but the final arrangement will turn out quite different from what was agreed.
  20. Génesis 29:20Seven years of work felt like just a few days to Jacob, simply because of how much in love he was with Rachel — one of the few moments in the book where romantic love is described with such emphasis.
  21. Génesis 29:21Jacob demands the deal be honored as soon as the seven years end, formally asking for the wife he was promised.
  22. Génesis 29:22The wedding feast gathered the men of the place as witnesses — part of the custom that made the union public and recognized by everyone.
  23. Génesis 29:23At night, covered by a veil as was the custom in weddings, Leah is brought to Jacob instead of Rachel — the deceiver from chapter 27 is now deceived the same way, at night and unable to clearly see who is before him.
  24. Génesis 29:24Giving a maidservant as part of a daughter’s dowry at marriage was common practice at the time — the same thing will happen again with Rachel in the next verse.
  25. Génesis 29:25Jacob only realizes, “in the morning,” that he had spent the night with Leah instead of Rachel, because the bride entered veiled and in the dark into the groom’s tent. It is the very same kind of disguise Jacob himself had used against his blind father in the previous chapter, now turned against him by Laban.
  26. Génesis 29:26Laban justifies the trick by saying that “it must not be so done” in his country, “to give the younger before the firstborn.” There really was a custom of marrying off daughters in order of age, and Laban uses that rule to justify — or cover up — the switch he had arranged against Jacob.
  27. Génesis 29:27“Fulfil her week” refers to the week-long wedding celebration for Leah, which had to end before Jacob could also marry Rachel, a week later. That is how he ends up with two sister-wives almost at the same time.
  28. Génesis 29:28Jacob completes the week of celebration for his marriage to Leah, and only after that does he also receive Rachel as his wife — the original deal of seven years for Rachel ends up costing, in practice, two wives and fourteen years of service.
  29. Génesis 29:29Bilhah becomes Rachel’s maidservant, the same way Zilpah had become Leah’s — both will play an important role later on, as mothers of Jacob’s children.
  30. Génesis 29:30Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah and keeps working another seven years — this declared preference will fuel the rivalry between the two sisters in the verses that follow.
  31. Génesis 29:31God intervenes right at Leah’s disadvantage: because she was the unloved one in Jacob’s heart, she is the one who becomes pregnant first, while Rachel, the beloved, remains barren.
  32. Génesis 29:32The name Reuben sounds, in Hebrew, similar to “he hath looked upon my affliction” — Leah interprets the birth as a sign that God noticed how despised she was.
  33. Génesis 29:33Simeon comes from a Hebrew word tied to “hear” — Leah ties the name to the fact that God heard that she was unloved by Jacob.
  34. Génesis 29:34Levi sounds like a Hebrew word for “join” or “attach” — Leah hopes that, after three sons, her husband will finally become more attached to her.
  35. Génesis 29:35Judah comes from the Hebrew word for “praise” — after three names heavy with the pain of rejection, this is the first one given in a tone of pure gratitude, with no complaint against her husband.

Chapters

1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

App StoreGoogle Play

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.

App StoreGoogle Play