Verse 24 interrupts the sequence of events to say that (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid). This was probably done before the wedding, and in English we may say “Laban had given his maid….” This information is placed between parentheses in both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation to show that it is not part of the story line. See also verse 29. Zilpah is a slave girl who is given to Leah to serve her. For further information see the case of Hagar and Sarah in 16.1.

It may be desirable in some languages to move this verse so that it does not interrupt the main story line. One way of doing this is to move verse 24 back to the middle of verse 23 to give the same sequence of information as in the parallel verses 28-30. Another way is to move both verses 24 and 29 and place them together after verse 30.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

And in the morning, behold, it was Leah: the text does not make clear that it is Jacob who discovers that he has been tricked, but this is certainly the intended sense. In the morning refers to “The next morning,” “When daylight came,” or “When it was light.” Behold expresses the element of shock or surprise in Jacob’s discovery. We may translate, for example, “The next morning he saw that it was not Rachel but Leah!” “In the morning he looked at her and exclaimed, ‘Leah!’ ” In some languages an exclamation is probably required to express the element of shock and surprise: “In the morning … and said, ‘Hey! This is Leah!’ ” In other languages a word or expression may be used to describe what Jacob felt: “In the morning Jacob was shocked to see that the woman sleeping with him was not Rachel. It was Leah.”

And Jacob said to Laban: in some languages a word or expression stronger than just the word said may be required here to express the force of Jacob’s words; for example, “… went and accused Laban” or “… spoke angrily to Laban.”

What is this you have done to me?: Jacob’s question is rhetorical. He is not asking what happened but is using this form of the question to express his anger and surprise that Laban could do such a thing. Good News Translation shifts to “Why did you do this to me?” In languages that have different words for “Why?” the use of the word that expresses anger will be most appropriate here.

Did I not serve with you for Rachel? is another rhetorical question that may also be translated as a statement: “I worked for you to get Rachel,” “I served you in order to marry Rachel.”

Why then have you deceived me?: this is the climax of Jacob’s angry speech, “Why [angry] have you tricked me?” It is expressed idiomatically in some languages as “Why did you speak to me with two tongues?” or “Why did you deal with me with two hearts?”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the first-born: Laban explains what he means in the next clause. Good News Translation “It is not the custom here” expresses this thought well. We may also say, for example, “We do not give the younger daughter in marriage before the older daughter”; or this may be stated positively: “It is our practice to give the firstborn in marriage before we give the younger daughter.” In some languages it may be more natural to express this verse as a rhetorical question: “Is it the custom among us to give the younger daughter in marriage before the marriage of the firstborn?” And in some cases this question must be answered with “No” or “It is not.” It is common for what is done in relation to custom to be spoken of as “right” or “not right”; so another way of expressing Laban’s explanation is “No, our custom here is not like that. We don’t let our younger daughters get married first and our older daughters afterward. That isn’t right.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Complete the week of this one: the week refers to the week of the marriage feast that is under way. Laban is asking Jacob to go through with the seven days of the marriage ceremony with Leah. Speiser refers to this as “the bridal week.” We may translate “Go ahead and finish the marriage feast week with Leah.” This may also be expressed as a condition: “If you will finish the week of celebration….” See Good News Translation for another model.

We will give you the other also: we is the form preferred by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project and probably refers to Laban and the members of his family or household. In translation, if we is kept, it should express a form that excludes Jacob. Note that Good News Translation shifts to “I.” The other means the other daughter, namely, Rachel.

In return for serving me another seven years: this may be rendered “if you will work for me for seven more years.”

A translation of this verse that expresses some of its elements in a different way says “Next week this feast will be over, and after that I will give you Rachel. But you will have to work for me seven more years.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Jacob did so: Jacob agrees to finish the marriage feast with Leah and does as his uncle requires.

Completed her week: Jacob remained with Leah for the week of the marriage feast and accepted Leah as his wife.

Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to wife: unlike the case of the first wife, Laban now gives Rachel to Jacob apparently in advance of his seven years service. The narrator says nothing regarding a second marriage feast. We may assume perhaps that this was really a double wedding. Note that Lev 18.18 forbids a man to marry sisters.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

(Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid): see verse 24.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

So Jacob went in to Rachel also: see verse 23.

Loved Rachel more than Leah: for loved see verse 18. Different languages have different ways of expressing the idea of more than; some examples are “He really loved Rachel, but he didn’t love Leah very much,” “Out of the two, Rachel and Leah, he greatly loved Rachel,” “He liked Rachel a lot, but he didn’t like Leah.”

And served Laban for another seven years: it may be necessary to make clear in translation that Jacob worked for Laban after he married Rachel. In that case we may say, for example, “After Jacob married Rachel, he worked for Laban another seven years.” In some translations the reason for this period of service is repeated here: “He worked seven years more for his father-in-law, in order to repay his marriage obligations” or “as a payment for his daughter Rachel.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

When the LORD saw that Leah was hated: hated may be understood in a relative sense; for example, “loved less than Rachel” (Good News Translation). So we may translate “When the LORD saw that Jacob loved Leah less than he loved Rachel.” In its normal sense hated may be expressed by such terms as “unloved,” “disliked,” “rejected.” A translation that expresses this sense may say “When the LORD saw that Jacob did not like Leah [much].”

Opened her womb: in 20.18 the LORD closed the wombs of Abimelech’s women. Here we may say “The LORD enabled Leah to have children,” “The LORD made her fertile,” or “… made her able to become pregnant.”

But Rachel was barren: for barren see 11.30; 25.21.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .