Bible Strands
Genesis 29:23
But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Laban acts at the conclusion of the wedding feast to complete his deception regarding Jacob's marriage. He presents Leah to Jacob as the wedding night begins.
The words — The narrative emphasizes וַ/יִּקַּח (va/i.yi.Kach, "and he took") and וַ/יָּבֵא (va/i.ya.Ve', "and he brought") to record Laban's active delivery of the bride. These verbs frame the event as a deliberate transfer rather than a spontaneous union.
The thread — The motif of concealed identity and familial deception recurs in Genesis 24:65 and Genesis 38:14, where veiling and mistaken identity advance the plot. It also aligns with the warning in Micah 7:5 against placing trust in a companion who lies.
Why it lands — The text records a breach of marital trust that forces Jacob to endure the consequences of his own prior deception. It requires the reader to acknowledge that human schemes, even within family structures, operate outside divine protection.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Micah 7:5 Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
- Genesis 24:65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “It is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
- Genesis 38:14 she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.