Genesis 29:31 kjv

And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.

Genesis 29:31 nkjv

When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

Genesis 29:31 niv

When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.

Genesis 29:31 esv

When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

Genesis 29:31 nlt

When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.

Genesis 29 verses

Genesis 29 31 Meaning

Genesis 29:31 reveals the divine response to human circumstances, particularly Jacob's favoritism. It states that Yahweh, the covenant God, perceived Leah's deep emotional suffering from being unloved by Jacob in comparison to Rachel. In an act of compassion and sovereignty, God supernaturally intervened to enable Leah to conceive children, contrasting this divine provision with Rachel's inability to bear children at that time, despite being the beloved wife. This verse highlights God's active involvement in human affairs, especially on behalf of the downtrodden, and His exclusive control over fertility.

Genesis 29 31 Context

Genesis chapter 29 details Jacob's arrival in Paddan-Aram, his meeting with Rachel, and his immediate affection for her. He agrees to work seven years for Laban to marry Rachel. However, Laban deceives Jacob, substituting Leah, his older daughter, at the wedding. Jacob unknowingly marries Leah first. When he realizes the deception, he confronts Laban, who agrees to give him Rachel after a week if Jacob works another seven years. Consequently, Jacob marries both sisters. The preceding verses emphasize Jacob's intense love for Rachel, stating his "love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah." This sets the stage for Leah's "hated" (less loved) status, which verse 31 addresses as the reason for divine intervention. In ancient Israelite culture, the ability to bear children, particularly sons, was paramount for a woman's status, identity, and for the continuation of the family line, making barrenness a source of deep distress and often perceived as a sign of divine disfavor.

Genesis 29 31 Word analysis

• And when (וַיַּ֧רְא - vayyar', a consecutive imperfect verb)
  • Significance: Introduces a divine observation and subsequent action. It's a key transition, marking God's initiative in response to human events. It connects God's awareness directly to His immediate action.
• the LORD (יְהוָ֣ה - Yahweh, the Tetragrammaton)
  • Meaning: The personal, covenant name of God.
  • Significance: Emphasizes that it is not fate, chance, or another deity, but the sovereign, faithful God of Israel who is acting. This demonstrates His character and power in Jacob's household, a central lineage for His redemptive plan.
• saw (רָאָה - ra'ah, from root ra'ah)
  • Meaning: Not just visual perception, but deep comprehension, active noticing, and understanding, often leading to compassionate intervention.
  • Significance: God "seeing" human distress often precedes His miraculous deliverance or justice, as seen in the liberation of Israel from Egypt. It implies a recognition of Leah's unmerited suffering.
• that Leah (לֵאָה - Le'ah)
  • Significance: Focuses on Leah's specific individual condition, validating her personal plight in a household centered around Jacob's love for Rachel. She is acknowledged by God where others neglected her.
• was hated (שְׂנוּאָה - senu'ah, a Qal passive participle of sane')
  • Meaning: Often translated as "hated," but in biblical comparative usage, it frequently means "less loved," "disregarded," or "unpreferred" in contrast to another. It expresses a distinct lack of affection rather than malice.
  • Significance: Leah was not necessarily despised by Jacob, but she clearly occupied a secondary place in his affections compared to Rachel, a devastating blow to a wife in that culture. God observes this inequality.
• he opened (וַיִּפְתַּ֥ח - vayyiftach, a Hiphil perfect consecutive)
  • Meaning: Literally "caused to open." It denotes direct, intentional, and powerful divine action.
  • Significance: This is an exclusive power of God. Fertility is not a given; it is a gift and a sovereign act. This serves as a polemic against pagan fertility cults prevalent in the ancient Near East, where conception was attributed to other gods or human rituals. God alone "opens" or "shuts" the womb.
• her womb (רַחְמָהּ - rachmah, from rechem)
  • Meaning: The physical organ of conception. The Hebrew root rechem also implies "compassion" or "tender mercies."
  • Significance: The action connects directly to Leah's core need for children. The shared root with "compassion" implicitly links God's act of opening her womb to His tender mercy for her plight.
• but Rachel (וְרָחֵל - ve'Rachel)
  • Significance: Introduces a stark contrast between the two sisters. Rachel, the beloved and desired wife, is set against Leah, the unloved but divinely blessed.
• was barren (עֲקָרָה הִיא - aqarah hi')
  • Meaning: Aqarah means "barren" or "sterile." Hi' is an emphatic pronoun, "she herself was barren."
  • Significance: Barrenness was considered a major tragedy and stigma in ancient society. The emphatic hi' highlights the stark irony: the favored wife was the one unable to conceive, demonstrating that human favor and beauty do not equate to divine blessing or control over life. This sets up future dramatic tension and Rachel's desperate pleas.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated": This phrase captures God's divine awareness and justice. It portrays Yahweh as intimately involved in the private sorrows of His people, not aloof from their emotional and social struggles. It foreshadows His consistent nature of defending the vulnerable.
• "he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren": This part clearly defines the divine intervention and establishes the narrative contrast. God directly empowers life for the unloved, while the beloved struggles with barrenness. This powerful antithesis underlines God's sovereign hand in all aspects of life, confounding human expectations and demonstrating that His ways are higher than man's.

Genesis 29 31 Bonus section

The story of Leah and Rachel, particularly highlighted in Gen 29:31, serves as a poignant illustration that God's economy of blessing often operates inversely to human valuations. Those whom man disfavors, God often elevates and bestows special favor upon, thereby demonstrating His impartiality and justice. Leah's emotional distress is met with divine fruitfulness, leading to the rapid birth of four sons, whom she names with clear theological meaning reflecting her situation and God's intervention. This early surge of fertility for Leah ensures the speedy continuation of the promised lineage, emphasizing God's provident hand in ensuring His covenant promises, regardless of human interpersonal complexities or choices. This divine intervention not only addressed Leah's sorrow but also established the foundation for Israel's tribal structure, setting the stage for national identity rooted in God's grace and choice.

Genesis 29 31 Commentary

Genesis 29:31 is a pivotal verse in the Jacob narrative, laying the foundation for the lineage of the twelve tribes of Israel and revealing profound theological truths about God's character. Jacob's preference for Rachel, which led to Leah being "hated" or unloved, created an imbalanced and sorrowful household dynamic. However, this verse asserts that God observed Leah's suffering. The use of "the LORD" (Yahweh) emphasizes His covenant fidelity and active presence within this family. God's "seeing" is not mere observation; it's a compassionate recognition that prompts divine action on behalf of the disfavored.

By "opening her womb," God demonstrates His sole sovereignty over fertility and life, a direct challenge to the ancient world's belief in multiple deities or human rites controlling conception. He grants Leah children, despite her husband's lesser affection, establishing her vital role in the formation of the Abrahamic covenant line. This divine intervention introduces the thematic motif throughout the Bible where God empowers the weak, lifts the humble, and acts justly in situations of human favoritism or injustice. The immediate contrast with Rachel's barrenness highlights that physical beauty or human preference do not dictate God's blessing or control over life's fundamental processes. This act of grace for Leah serves to explain the future prominence of tribes descended from her, such as Levi (the priestly tribe) and Judah (the kingly tribe, from whom the Messiah would come), illustrating that God's ways transcend human preferences and values.