Genesis 29: 26-30: “And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.”
Laban had won in his quest for superiority. He managed to trick Jacob and force him to do what he didn’t want to do. He must have been concerned about finding a husband for Leah because she was tender eyed. This probably means that she was unable to see very well and couldn’t do much work. In the book of Deuteronomy “tender” is associated with delicate and someone who doesn’t want to go outside at all. If this was the case then it would have been hard to find a husband for her because she would not be a good worker for her new husband. On the other hand we also read that Rachel was beautiful and well favoured so we can assume that Leah wasn’t very pretty either. Laban was a very cruel man who forced his daughters into a situation whereby they would constantly be competing with each other for love and attention. He really didn’t care for his daughters at all. We don’t read how either reacted to this situation but we can assume that neither of them liked it very much. Laban forced Jacob to finish the week’s celebrations for the wedding then he let Jacob marry the woman he loved. Later these women took Jacob’s side against their father when they tried to escape with some of the wealth. This is not the way to treat anyone, let alone your own children. However, God was with Leah and blessed with many children. in the mean time Jacob had to work for another seven years.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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