17 And Leah's eyes were clouded, but Rachel was fair in face and form.
Now when he came near to Egypt, he said to Sarai, his wife, Truly, you are a fair woman and beautiful to the eye;
She was a very beautiful girl, a virgin, who had never been touched by a man: and she went down to the spring to get water in her vessel.
And he said to them, Is he well? And they said, He is well, and here is Rachel his daughter coming with the sheep. Then Jacob said, The sun is still high and it is not time to get the cattle together: get water for the sheep and go and give them their food. And they said, We are not able to do so till all the flocks have come together and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the water-hole; then we will get water for the sheep. While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she took care of them. Then when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, coming with Laban's sheep, he came near, and rolling the stone away from the mouth of the hole, he got water for Laban's flock. And weeping for joy, Jacob gave Rachel a kiss. And Rachel, hearing from Jacob that he was her father's relation and that he was the son of Rebekah, went running to give her father news of it.
And Jacob was in love with Rachel; and he said, I will be your servant seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.
Now Rachel, because she had no children, was full of envy of her sister; and she said to Jacob, If you do not give me children I will not go on living. But Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said, Am I in the place of God, who has kept your body from having fruit?
So Rachel came to her end and was put to rest on the road to Ephrath (which is Beth-lehem). And Jacob put up a pillar on her resting-place; which is named, The Pillar of the resting-place of Rachel, to this day.
The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. And Joseph had Manasseh and Ephraim in the land of Egypt, by Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera, priest of On. And the sons of Benjamin were Belah and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim and Ard. All these were the children of Rachel whom Jacob had by her, fourteen persons.
And as for me, when I came from Paddan, death overtook Rachel on the way, when we were still some distance from Ephrath; and I put her to rest there on the road to Ephrath, which is Beth-lehem.
When you have gone away from me today, you will see two men by the resting-place of Rachel's body, in the land of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, The asses which you went in search of have come back, and now your father, caring no longer for the asses, is troubled about you, saying, What am I to do about my son?
Fair looks are a deceit, and a beautiful form is of no value; but a woman who has the fear of the Lord is to be praised.
So has the Lord said: In Ramah there is a sound of crying, weeping and bitter sorrow; Rachel weeping for her children; she will not be comforted for their loss.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 29
Commentary on Genesis 29 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 29
This chapter gives us an account of God's providences concerning Jacob, pursuant to the promises made to him in the foregoing chapter.
Gen 29:1-8
All the stages Israel's march to Canaan are distinctly noticed, but no particular journal is kept of Jacob's expedition further than Beth-el; no, he had no more such happy nights as he had at Beth-el, no more such visions of the Almighty. That was intended for a feast; he must not expect it to be his daily bread. But,
Gen 29:9-14
Here we see,
Gen 29:15-30
Here is,
Gen 29:31-35
We have here the birth of four of Jacob's sons, all by Leah. Observe,