"Fulfil her week;" i.e., let Leah's marriage-week pass over. The wedding feast generally lasted a week (cf. Judges 14:12; Job 11:19). After this week had passed, he received Rachel also: two wives in eight days. To each of these Laban gave one maid-servant to wait upon her; less, therefore, than Bethuel gave to his daughter (Genesis 24:61). - This bigamy of Jacob must not be judged directly by the Mosaic law, which prohibits marriage with two sisters at the same time (Leviticus 18:18), or set down as incest (Calvin, etc.), since there was no positive law on the point in existence then. At the same time, it is not to be justified on the ground, that the blessing of God made it the means of the fulfilment of His promise, viz., the multiplication of the seed of Abraham into a great nation. Just as it had arisen from Laban's deception and Jacob's love, which regarded outward beauty alone, and therefore from sinful infirmities, so did it become in its results a true school of affliction to Jacob, in which God showed to him, by many a humiliation, that such conduct as his was quite unfitted to accomplish the divine counsels, and thus condemned the ungodliness of such a marriage, and prepared the way for the subsequent prohibition in the law.

Genesis 29:35 Parallel Commentaries

A.M.

2255. B.C.

1749. called.

Genesis 35:26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.

Genesis 38:1-30 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brothers, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah...

Genesis 43:8,9 And Judah said to Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and you...

Genesis 44:18-34 Then Judah came near to him, and said, Oh my lord, let your servant, I pray you, speak a word in my lord's ears...

Genesis 46:12 And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan...

Genesis 49:8-12 Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise: your hand shall be in the neck of your enemies...

Deuteronomy 33:7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people...

1 Chronicles 5:2 For Judah prevailed above his brothers, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)

Matthew 1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brothers;

Judah. that is, Praise. left bearing. Heb. stood from bearing. ch.

Genesis 49:8 Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise: your hand shall be in the neck of your enemies...

That is, for a time; for she had several children afterwards. (See ch.

Genesis 30:17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob the fifth son.

, etc.).