And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
18. I will serve Rachel ] He has no money to offer; he is ready to give seven years’ service without wages, in order to win Rachel as his bride. He cannot as bridegroom, or suitor, offer the usual gifts, or mohar (see note on Gen 24:53). So he offers the equivalent in work. See the reference to this incident in Hos 12:12.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
It being then the custom for men to buy their wives. See Ge 34:12; Ex 22:17; 1Sa 18:25; 2Sa 3:14; Ho 3:2
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. I will serve thee seven yearsfor Rachel thy daughterA proposal of marriage is made to thefather without the daughter being consulted, and the match iseffected by the suitor either bestowing costly presents on thefamily, or by giving cattle to the value the father sets upon hisdaughter, or else by giving personal services for a specified period.The last was the course necessity imposed on Jacob; and there forseven years he submitted to the drudgery of a hired shepherd, withthe view of obtaining Rachel. The time went rapidly away; for evensevere and difficult duties become light when love is the spring ofaction.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Jacob loved Rachel,…. As he seems to have done from the moment he saw her at the well, being beautiful, modest, humble, affable, diligent, and industrious:
and he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter: signifying, that he desired no other wages for his service than that, that he might have her for his wife, at the end of seven years’ servitude, which he was very willing to oblige himself to, on that condition; for having no money to give as a dowry, as was customary in those times, he proposed servitude instead of it; though Schmidt thinks this was contrary to custom, and that Laban treated his daughters like bondmaids, and such as are taken captives or strangers, and sold them, of which they complain, Ge 31:15.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
18. I will serve thee seven years. The iniquity of Laban betrays itself in a moment; for it is a shameful barbarity to give his daughter, by way of reward, in exchange for Jacob’s services, making her the subject of a kind of barter. He ought, on the other hand, not only to have assigned a portion to his daughter, but also to have acted more liberally towards his future son-in-law. But under the pretext of affinity, he defrauds him of the reward of his labor, the very thing which he had before acknowledged to be unjust. (65) We therefore perceive still more clearly what I have previously alluded to, that although from their mother’s womb men have a general notion of justice, yet as soon as their own advantage presents itself to view, they become actually unjust, unless the Lord reforms them by his Spirit. Moses does not here relate something rare or unusual, but what is of most common occurrence. For though men do not set their daughters to sale, yet the desire of gain hurries the greater part so far away, that they prostitute their honor and sell their souls. Further, it is not altogether to be deemed a fault that Jacob was rather inclined to love Rachel; whether it was that Leah, on account of her tender eyes, was less beautiful, or that she was pleasing only by the comeliness of her eyes, (66) while Rachel excelled her altogether in elegance of form. For we see how naturally a secret kind of affection produces mutual love. Only excess is to be guarded against, and so much the more diligently, because it is difficult so to restrain affections of this kind, that they do not prevail to the stifling of reason. Therefore he who shall be induced to choose a wife, because of the elegance of her form, will not necessarily sin, provided reason always maintains the ascendancy, and holds the wantonness of passion in subjection. Yet perhaps Jacob sinned in being too self-indulgent, when he desired Rachel the younger sister to be given to him, to the injury of the elder; and also, while yielding to the desire of his own eyes, he undervalued the virtues of Leah: for this is a very culpable want of self-government, when any one chooses a wife only for the sake of her beauty, whereas excellence of disposition ought to be deemed of the first importance. But the strength and ardor of his attachment manifests itself in this, that he felt no weariness in the labor of seven years: but chastity was also joined with it, so that he persevered, during this long period, with a patient and quiet mind in the midst of so many labors. And here again the integrity and continence of that age is apparent, because, though dwelling under the same roof, and accustomed to familiar intercourse, Jacob yet conducted himself with modesty, and abstained from all impropriety. Therefore, at the close of the appointed time he said, “Give me my wife, that I may go in unto her,” by which he implies that she had been hitherto a pure virgin.
(65) Perhaps undue severity of language is here used respecting Laban; for we find it not unusual for the father to demand somehting for his daughter, instead of giving a dowry with her. See the history f Shechem, who says concerning Dinah, “Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give it.” Gen 34:12. David also had to purchase Saul’s daughter by the slaughter of the Philistines. The Prophet Hosea bought his wife “for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley.” Still it was by no means generous on the part of Laban to make such terms with a near relative; and at all events, he ought to have given his daughters and their children any profit that he might have obtained by his hard bargain with Jacob — Ed.
(66) This latter opinion is adopted by Dr. A Clarke, who says, “The chief recommendation of Leah was her soft and beautiful eyes; but Rachel was beautiful in her shape, person, mien and gait and beautiful in her countenance.” The greater part of commentators, however, take the same view of the case as our translators. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(18) I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.Heb., thy daughter, the little one, just as Leah, in Gen. 29:16, is called the great one. (See Note on Gen. 9:24.) So in Gen. 44:20, the phrase the little one simply means the youngest. Wives had to be purchased in the East (Gen. 24:53), and as Jacob had brought no rich presents, such as Abraham had sent when seeking a wife for his son, he had only his personal services to offer. As the sale was usually veiled in true Oriental fashion under the specious form of freewill gifts, we shall find that both Leah and Rachel are offended at being thus openly bartered by Laban.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. I will serve thee seven years A week of years . Jacob had not, like his grandfather’s servant, rich presents to offer as a dowry for his bride, (Gen 24:53,) but he offers what he can, the cheerful labour of willing and active hands .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And Jacob loved Rachel and he said, “I will serve you for seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.” ’
Jacob replies that he has made his choice as to which daughter he wants. He is prepared to offer seven years service in exchange for Rachel whom he loves. This may appear a long time but he knows that during the period he will be treated as a relative and equal (‘you are my brother’ – Gen 29:15) and he has brought little with him. Offering service in exchange for a man’s daughter was a regular feature of the times.
In fact a period of seven years service appears to have been an accepted one in ‘Hebrew’ circles. Consider the stipulations re a Hebrew slave in Exo 21:2; Deu 15:12, although the circumstances are not the same. (See article, ” “).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 29:18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
Ver. 18. I will serve thee seven years. ] He had nothing to endow her with; he would therefore earn her with his hard labour: which, as it shows Laban’s churlishness to suffer it, and his baseness to make a prize and a prey of his two daughters, so it sets forth Jacob’s meekness, poverty, patience, and hard condition here, mentioned many years after by the prophet Hosea. Hos 12:12 He was a man of many sorrows; and from him therefore the Church hath her denomination: neither were the faithful ever since called Abrahamites but Israelites.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
loved: Gen 29:20, Gen 29:30
I will serve: In ancient times, it was a custom among many nations to give dowries for their wives; but Jacob, being poor, offered for Rachel seven year’s service. Gen 31:41, Gen 34:12, Exo 22:16, Exo 22:17, 2Sa 3:14, Hos 3:2, Hos 12:12
Reciprocal: Gen 29:17 – Rachel Gen 29:21 – my days Gen 44:27 – General Gen 46:19 – Rachel Deu 21:11 – desire Deu 21:15 – two wives Rth 4:10 – have I 1Sa 18:20 – loved David 1Sa 18:25 – dowry 2Sa 13:1 – loved her