Genesis 29:27

27 Enjoy your week of honeymoon, and then we'll give you the other one also. But it will cost you another seven years of work."

Genesis 29:27 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 29:27

Fulfil her week
Not Rachel's week, or a week of years of servitude for her, but Leah's week, or the week of seven days of feasting for her marriage; for a marriage feast used to be kept seven days, according to the Jewish writers ^F20, and as it seems from ( Judges 14:17 ) ; and the Targum of Jerusalem fully expresses this sense,

``fulfil the week of the days of the feast of Leah;''

and to the same sense the Targum of Jonathan, Aben Ezra and Jarchi:

and we will give this also;
meaning Rachel that stood by; and the sense is, that he and his wife, if he had any, or his friends about him, would give to Jacob Rachel also to be his wife, upon the following condition:

for the service which thou shall serve with me yet seven other years;
which shows the avaricious temper of the man.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 T. Hieros. Moed Katon, fol. 80. 4. Pirke Eliezer, c. 16, 36.

Genesis 29:27 In-Context

25 Morning came: There was Leah in the marriage bed! Jacob confronted Laban, "What have you done to me? Didn't I work all this time for the hand of Rachel? Why did you cheat me?"

26 "We don't do it that way in our country," said Laban. "We don't marry off the younger daughter before the older.

27 Enjoy your week of honeymoon, and then we'll give you the other one also. But it will cost you another seven years of work."

28 Jacob agreed. When he'd completed the honeymoon week, Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.

29 (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid.)