Genesis 29:23 kjv

And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.

Genesis 29:23 nkjv

Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.

Genesis 29:23 niv

But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her.

Genesis 29:23 esv

But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her.

Genesis 29:23 nlt

But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.

Genesis 29 verses

Genesis 29 23 Meaning

Genesis 29:23 describes the deceptive act orchestrated by Laban to substitute his elder daughter, Leah, for Rachel, on the wedding night of Jacob. "When evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob went in to her." This verse details the consummation of a marriage Jacob believed was with Rachel, but which was, unbeknownst to him in the darkness of the night, with Leah. It marks a pivotal moment of deception that reshaped Jacob's family and future.

Genesis 29 23 Context

Genesis 29 begins with Jacob's journey to Haran to flee Esau and find a wife among his mother's kin. He meets Rachel, Laban's younger daughter, at a well and immediately falls in love with her. He offers to work seven years for Laban to marry Rachel. Laban agrees, and Jacob serves his term, remarking that the years "seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her" (Gen 29:20). When the seven years are completed, Jacob demands his wife. Laban prepares a great feast. However, according to local custom and perhaps fueled by a desire to keep Jacob longer for his labor or to ensure his elder daughter Leah was married first, Laban deceitfully substitutes Leah for Rachel under the cover of darkness. This verse marks the physical culmination of that deception.

Historically and culturally, marriages in the ancient Near East often involved arrangements by the families, and a significant dowry (Jacob's seven years of labor served as such). The wedding celebrations concluded with the bride being led to the groom's tent, usually veiled and often at night, making identity difficult to discern until morning light. Primogeniture, the custom of giving precedence to the firstborn, was a common practice, which Laban cites as his reason in the following verse (Gen 29:26). Laban's action reflects a cunning manipulation of these customs.

Genesis 29 23 Word analysis

• "When evening came" (בָּעֶרֶב - ba'erev):
  • Original Language: From the root עֶרֶב (erev), meaning "evening" or "sunset."
  • Significance: The darkness of evening provided the necessary cover for Laban's deception. It obscured Leah's identity and prevented Jacob from distinguishing her from Rachel until dawn. This temporal detail is crucial; the deception relied entirely on the lack of light. In biblical narrative, darkness can often symbolize spiritual blindness or the hiding of sin (e.g., Job 24:15).
• "Laban took his daughter Leah" (וַיִּקַּח לָבָן אֶת־לֵאָה בִתּוֹ - vayyiqqaḥ Lavān ʾet-Lēʾāh bittô):
  • "took" (וַיִּקַּח - vayyiqqaḥ): The verb לָקַח (laqach), "to take," implies a deliberate and active role on Laban's part. It wasn't passive. He was the initiator and perpetrator of the switch. This word is also used for a man taking a wife (e.g., Gen 12:19, Exod 2:1).
  • "Leah his daughter": Highlights the familial relationship, but in this context, it emphasizes Laban's betrayal of both Jacob and arguably Leah herself, by involving her in a deceptive act that would likely cause her significant emotional pain. Leah's role here is often seen as passive, a pawn in her father's scheme.
• "and brought her to Jacob" (וַיָּבֵא אֹתָהּ אֵלָיו - vayiʾāve ʾôtāh ʾēlāyw):
  • "brought" (וַיָּבֵא - vayiʾāveʾ): The Hiphil form of the verb בּוֹא (boʾ), "to go/come," meaning "to bring in" or "cause to enter." It emphasizes the physical conveyance of Leah to Jacob. This action formally presents the bride to the groom, leading to the marriage consummation.
• "and Jacob went in to her" (וַיָּבֹא אֵלֶיהָ - vayyāvōʾ ʾēlêhā):
  • "went in to her" (וַיָּבֹא אֵלֶיהָ - vayyāvōʾ ʾēlêhā): This is a common biblical euphemism for sexual intercourse, signifying the consummation of the marriage (e.g., Gen 16:2, 38:8). The act solidifies the marriage in a legal and social sense. Jacob's act here, while deceived, sealed the union with Leah.
• Word Grouping Analysis:
  • "When evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob": This phrase paints a scene of orchestrated secrecy and manipulation. The setting (evening) and the actions (took, brought) point directly to a premeditated deceptive act by Laban, taking advantage of social customs (veiling of the bride) and the darkness.
  • "and Jacob went in to her": This concluding part, brief and to the point, underscores the irreversible consequence of Laban's deception. It legally and physically bound Jacob to Leah before he even realized her identity. The entire scene highlights the vulnerable position of individuals within the complex familial and social dynamics of the ancient world.

Genesis 29 23 Bonus section

The deception highlights Jacob's shortsightedness and his reliance on what he sees or thinks he knows. This stands in contrast to living by faith. His own experience with deception involving clothes and darkness (Gen 27) might have dulled his senses to being deceived in a similar manner. The biblical account, though silent on Leah's immediate feelings about the switch, hints at her subsequent sorrow and the Lord's compassion toward her (Gen 29:31). This pivotal event sets up the internal family strife and sibling rivalry that marks the rest of Jacob's household narrative. The twelve tribes of Israel would ultimately emerge not from a perfectly chosen path, but from complex, flawed, and often painful relationships shaped by this night.

Genesis 29 23 Commentary

Genesis 29:23 is the pivot point of Laban's master deception. The careful wording emphasizes Laban's cunning, exploiting the cultural practices of marriage conducted under cover of darkness and possibly with a veiled bride. Jacob, a man who himself had deceived his own father, Isaac, to secure a blessing (Gen 27), now becomes the victim of a remarkably similar deceit. The "eye for an eye" principle of poetic justice seems to subtly operate here.

What Laban intended for his own gain—perhaps to keep Jacob working longer or to marry off his elder daughter first, honoring primogeniture—God uses to fulfill His own sovereign purposes. Though a result of human sin and trickery, this night ultimately secured Leah's place as a foundational matriarch of Israel. From Leah, several of the tribes, including Levi (the priestly tribe) and Judah (the kingly tribe, from whom the Messiah would descend), would originate. This verse, therefore, represents a paradox: a dark deed executed under literal darkness, yet divinely integrated into the grand narrative of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the formation of the twelve tribes. It teaches that even through human failures and schemes, God's ultimate plans will prevail.