Subject: Genesis 29:30- chapter 30:24 |
Bible Note: Great answer. Let me add this: Gen.29:31 - "The Lord saw that Leah was unloved and He opened her womb;but Rachel was barren." The Hebrew for "unloved" is s'nu-ah which actually means "hated" and that perhaps is more accurate here. Did Jacob hate Leah or love her less that he loved Rachel? Rachel was beautiful and it was love at first sight for Jacob while "Leah had weak eyes" (Gen.29:17) a term for "not pretty". Perhaps Leah actually hated herself for having tricked Jacob into marrying her. Knowing what we know about humans, we can suspect that Jacob did indeed hate Leah because, by reminding him of the fraudulent circumstances of their wedding, she reminded him of his most shameful memory, the time he deceived his father, Isaac. We often hate people for confronting us with what we like least about ourselves. Also notice how God once again shows mercy when no one else would. In Gen.30:1, Rachel says "Give me children or I shall die. Ironically, she died in the act of giving birth to a 2nd child. Literally, the only difference between a wife and a concubine in Jacob's day was that no bride-price (Hebrew: mohar) is paid to the former. Over time, the social status between the two often disappeared. Yet, today, in Jewish worship, only Leah and Rachel are remembered as Jewish matriarchs. An important prayer recalls the names of Abraham, Sara, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Leah and Rachel but not the names of Bilhah and Zilpah. Young women today should keep that in mind - Get That Ring! |
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jbw | ||
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wmarina21 | ||
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JohnTheBaptist | ||
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Acts 22 | ||
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Kahari | ||
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SweetT12082 | ||
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TommyS | ||
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biblesearcher |