Genesis 29:18

29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with ¹  Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.”

Genesis 29:20

29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. ²  But they seemed like only a few days to him ³  because his love for her was so great. ⁴ 

Genesis 29:30-31

29:30 Jacob ⁵  had marital relations ⁶  with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban ⁷  for seven more years. ⁸ 

The Family of Jacob

29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, ⁹  he enabled her to become pregnant ¹⁰  while Rachel remained childless.

Genesis 29:33

29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, ¹¹  he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. ¹² 

Genesis 29:1

The Marriages of Jacob

29:1 So Jacob moved on ¹³  and came to the land of the eastern people. ¹⁴ 

Genesis 1:4-5

1:4 God saw ¹⁵  that the light was good, ¹⁶  so God separated ¹⁷  the light from the darkness. 1:5 God called ¹⁸  the light “day” and the darkness ¹⁹  “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. ²⁰ 

[29:18]  ¹ tn Heb “Jacob loved.”

[29:20]  ² tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”

[29:20]  ³ sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.

[29:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[29:30]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ⁶ tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

[29:30]  ⁷ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

[29:31]  ⁹ tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.

[29:31]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”

[29:33]  ¹¹ tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.

[29:33]  ¹² sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the Lord “heard” about Leah’s unloved condition and responded with pity.

[29:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.

[29:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”

[1:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “And God saw the light, that it was good.” The verb “saw” in this passage carries the meaning “reflected on,” “surveyed,” “concluded,” “noted.” It is a description of reflection of the mind – it is God’s opinion.

[1:4]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers “good,” not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God’s creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works.

[1:4]  ¹⁷ tn The verb “separate, divide” here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive – a theme that will be developed in the Gospel of John (cf. John 1:5).

[1:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “he called to,” meaning “he named.”

[1:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and the darkness he called night.” The words “he called” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:5]  ²⁰ tn Another option is to translate, “Evening came, and then morning came.” This formula closes the six days of creation. It seems to follow the Jewish order of reckoning time: from evening to morning. Day one started with the dark, continued through the creation of light, and ended with nightfall. Another alternative would be to translate, “There was night and then there was day, one day.”