Tanakh the pentateuch, prophets and hagiographiatorah as the woman who was married to jacob against his will, and as the sister of the beloved and beautiful rachel. Websters bible leahs eyes were weak, but rachel was beautiful in form and attractive. We may assume that she squinted because of her eyes, and perhaps was plain and homely too. Leahs eyes were weak but her god was strong motherhood. Lets take a look at all the uses of this adjective in the hebrew bible, and you can decide for yourself. There was a definite weakness when it came to the look of leahs eyes. Thats all the times this adjective rak and its related verb are used in the hebrew bible. The bible translators read leah to be a lackluster, weary woman who was an encumbrance to her family. Jacob made an agreement to serve laban seven years for the opportunity.
New american standard bible and leahs eyes were weak, but rachel was beautiful of form and face. Such a person was said to have ayani rakak eyes of tenderness. And jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, esau came, and with him four hundred men. Jacob made an agreement to serve laban seven years for the opportunity to marry rachel. She lived faithfully to the best of her abilities even though her life was hard and unfair. We learn that rachel is beautiful and leahs eyes are weak. She can be found in the bible timeline between 17541704 bc. Leah in the bible, jacobs first wife, second in his heart.
World english bible and the eyes of leah are tender, and rachel hath been fair of form and fair of appearance. Leah, whose name signifies languor, weariness, had dull bleared eyes. The commentary of rashi cites a rabbinic interpretation of how leah s eyes became weak. Now whether your commentary interprets leahs weak eyes as a positive feature tender and lovely or a negative flaw pale, without lusterred and watery, the point is clear.
The hebrew text reads, literally, and the eyes of leah were tender, and i. Leah, whose eyes are said to be weak, means the affection for the first, external truths that one learns about the church. As we read the history of our forefathers in the faith, we cannot help but feel sorry for leah, jacobs first wife gen. Berean study bible leah had weak eyes, but rachel was shapely and beautiful. Your credit card wont be charged until the trial period is over. Leah in the bible is the older daughter of laban and jacobs first wife. Leahs eyes were weak, but rachel was shapely and beautiful.
To me it seems that having the name leah and knowing the story of the biblical leah, i. Yet leah was eclipsed by her younger sister, rachel, who was lovely in form and beautiful. Leah did what we are all encouraged to do when we are faced with the injustices that life can offer. Sometimes people have an eye that is slightly crossed, or sometimes eyes that are big and. Remember leah was the mother of judah from whom david descended and eventually jesus. There are many lessons we can learn from this bible story, but to me, its the emotional undercurrent that i am most. Here is a woman known for weak eyes while her younger sister is recognized for her beauty. Make that tender kjv, delicate nkjv, or pretty nlt eyes. Rachels and leahs stories run right along each other. Leahs eyes were weak, but rachel was shapely and beautiful gen.
Through no fault of her own, she was not one of the beautiful people and it caused her a lifetime of heartache. Link panels synchronize references go to table of contents single column. English bibles lean toward the opinion that leahs eyes were weak, but. How soon did leah begin to notice the differences between her and rachel.
For the eyes of the lord move to and fro throughout the earth that he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his. Leah s eyes were weak, but rachel was shapely and beautiful. Well send you a new verse every day to download or share. The word describing leahs eyes, rakot, can also be translated as tender, soft, or gentle. This is really an ancient idiom to express the idea of a gentle, loving and caring person. They implied that her only redeeming virtue was that she was fertile and gave birth. Lets take a look at all the uses of this adjective in the hebrew bible. I will not retell the story today, you can get the full background by reading rachels side of things. For leah, learning to simply praise god is the same thing as resignation. The webster bible leah was tendereyed, but rachel was beautiful and wellfavored. The eyes of leah were exquisite but rachel was finely formed, a vision to grasp. Tanakh the pentateuch, prophets and hagiographia torah states that leah named her children, to which the rabbis comment that the children of jacob have fine names and their deeds are seemingly fine gen. Youre already logged in with your bible gateway account. This post is part of my mothers in the bible series.
The story of leah, rachel, and jacob is quite a dramatic love triangle. And leah s eyes were weak, but rachel was beautiful of form and face. Later, those affections will come to be seen as childish when one learns more internal things, but nonetheless these affections and truths are needed to serve as a basis or. Leahs bleared eyes would be regarded in the east as a great defect, just as bright eyes were much admired. She had a younger sister rachel who had been promised to jacob in marriage. Whatever the case, her eyes were not attractive, and are mentioned as a detriment to her looks.
English bibles lean toward the opinion that leah s eyes were weak, but soft, tender, and delicate are also strong contenders for how to translate this line. Leahs eyes were weak, but rachel was beautiful in form and attractive. Leah s eyes were weak, but rachel was beautiful and lovely. Leah was born in the town of paddanaram, the oldest daughter of laban, sister of rachel, and niece of rebekah. The next step is to enter your payment information. We dont know a whole lot about leah, but the bible tells us that leah has gentle eyes the word describing leahs eyes has a few translations but gentle and timid seem to make the most sense while rachel was beautiful in form and face vs.
For leah, gods seeing her and granting her sons does not bring her the love she wants. Leah was the daughter of laban, the sister of rachel, a wife of jacob, and the mother of seven of jacobs children. Yet it was not rachel, with her fair face and wellproportioned figure, and her husbands lasting love, that was the mother of the progenitor of the messiah, but the. To me it seems that having the name leah and knowing the story of the biblical leah, i would take my name as an honor to have. Jul 09, 2015 leah had weak eyes, but rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. Sometimes people have an eye that is slightly crossed, or sometimes eyes that are big and bulging, etc. Her father took advantage of the opportunity which the local marriage rite afforded to pass her off in her sister. Leahs name is variously said to mean wild cow, gazelle, wearied, and weary in hebrew. May 09, 2018 we dont know a whole lot about leah, but the bible tells us that leah has gentle eyes the word describing leahs eyes has a few translations but gentle and timid seem to make the most sense while rachel was beautiful in form and face vs. The bible says that sarah was very beautiful but also had a leah in the inside, calling abraham her lord a sign of humility regardless of having the same predicament like rachel, all the same god makes characters for our.
Four thousand years ago, leah must have felt the same kind of heartache. Probably she suffered, as so many do in that hot sandy region, from some form of ophthalmia. Rachel, with whom jacob fell in love, was labans younger daughter. Leah, biblical figure amazing bible timeline with world.
Leah s bleared eyes would be regarded in the east as a great defect, just as bright eyes were much admired. Leah had ordinary eyes, but rachel was shapely and beautiful. The rabbis, who regarded leah, like all the matriarchs, as a prophet, found allusions to the future. Leahs eyes were tender, but rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance. Leah was not noted for her beauty as her sister rachel was, but for her weak, or delicate, eyes. Leahs story in the bible is told in genesis chapters 2931, 3335, 46, and 49. From the moment she appears in scripture, leah is described as having weak eyes genesis 29. In the bible it says leah was hated and tender eyed. Feb 10, 2017 leah did what we are all encouraged to do when we are faced with the injustices that life can offer.
Jan 02, 2020 the bible does not say how the switch was accomplished, but, in any case, jacob slept with leah and was shocked the next morning to find leah in bed with him verses 2325. Leah had weak eyes, but rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. Leahs eyes were weak, but rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. Leah had nice eyes, but rachel was stunningly beautiful. Her father took advantage of the opportunity which the local marriage rite afforded to pass her off in her sisters stead on the unconscious bridegroom, and excused himself to jacob by. And leahs eyes were weak, but rachel was beautiful of form and face.
Starting your free trial of bible gateway plus is easy. The torah introduces leah by describing her with the phrase, leah had tender eyes hebrew. According to this story, leah was destined to marry jacobs older twin brother, esau. It is said of the two girls, leah s eyes were delicate, but rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. In the rabbinic mind, the two brothers are polar opposites. Bible questions answered why does it say leah was tender. And rachel and leah answered and said unto him, is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our fathers house. World english bible leah s eyes were weak, but rachel was beautiful and well favored. Bible questions answered why does it say leah was tendereyed. Leah looked rather plain, but rachel was lovely in form and appearance. Darby bible leah was tendereyed, but rachel was beautiful and wellfavored. Yet it was not rachel, with her fair face and wellproportioned figure, and her husbands lasting love, that was the mother of the progenitor of the messiah, but the weary. What does scripture mean that leah was tender eyed.
Biblical passages are dismissive of leah and favorable of rachel, with rachel said to be beautiful and of leah, only that she had weary or tired eyes. Leah was the oldest daughter of laban, rebekahs brother. And the heartache of feeling unloved and unattractive. Outraged, jacob demanded to know why laban had given him leah in spite of the fact that he had worked seven years for rachels hand. It is here that i wave the kjv flag and say, i am in your camp. Leah eventually has two more sons with jacob, issachar and zebulon, and jacobs only daughter, dinah. Websters bible leah s eyes were weak, but rachel was beautiful in form and attractive. Before i met the lord, i spent a decade looking for love in all the wrong places, convincing myself that if a man spent the night with me, he must 1 care for me, and 2 think im pretty. Oct 12, 2017 leahs soft eyes are eventually mirrored in the eyes of the earthly jesus. Leah is the elder daughter of laban and the wife of jacob, father of twelve sons who will become the twelve tribes of israel. But today, his eyes are a flame of fire as he awaits the appointed time for his return to planet earth. Leah had lovely eyes, but rachel was shapely, and in every way a beauty. But, the eyes of leah were weak, whereas, rachel, was comely in form and comely in countenance.
The new international version has, leah had weak eyes, while the new american bible reads, leah had lovely eyes. Probably she suffered, as so many do in that hot sandy. Later, those affections will come to be seen as childish when one learns more internal things, but nonetheless these affections and truths are needed to serve as a basis or plane on which the internal truths, symbolized by. Leah had weak eyes, but rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Enrich your faith and grow in spiritual maturity with the incredible bible study and devotional books listed below. Leahs first mention in the bible comes in the story of jacob. Leah and her sister rachel, whose names mean cow and ewe, give jacob many sons.
Leahs eyes were weak, but rachel was beautiful in form and appearance genesis 29. In the first place we read that her eyes were weak v. Bible verses about leah 28 passages king james version. One was that leahs eyes were her most beautiful or notable feature. Both rachel and leah are considered beautiful women in jewish tradition, but a verse in this weeks torah seems to suggest that rachel was the beauty queen of the family. After jacob tricked his father and stole his brothers birthright genesis 27. Apparently, leah was still unmarried after the seven years that jacob toiled for the right to marry rachel. Now while jacob found rachel to be very beautiful, the bible describes her older sister leahs looks in one translation by saying she had weak eyes. Most of us have read the passage above about jacobs wives as describing leahs bad eyesight.
Jacob being a godfearing scholar and esau being a hunter who also indulges in idolatry and adultery. Apr, 2016 apparently, leah was still unmarried after the seven years that jacob toiled for the right to marry rachel. English bible readers have wondered if this is another way of saying her eyes were deformed crosseyed, lazyeyed, or the like. I heard two different interpretations of leahs weak eyes. Well, i never really took any hebrew classes in college or seminary but i have a hunch that the true meaning of weak eyes might just be butt ugly. And he divided the children unto leah, and unto rachel, and unto the two handmaids. New king james version leahs eyes were delicate, but rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. They are contrasted with rachel, who is described as looking beautiful.
268 777 1103 1531 1545 535 1073 366 9 1334 1496 523 1428 1471 1264 1260 1016 1378 170 1414 1385 782 263 1289 655 539 1462 818 1192 233 528 1050 1377 1376 229 202 443 906 1233 509 1247 1201 569 303 182