@@allenwalker1379 The Danes are from the tribe of Dan. The Goths are from the tribe of Gad. The Jutes are also from the tribe of Judah along with most of the Judeans (Jews), and the name "Saxons" is literally an abbreviation for "Isaac's sons." The French Ribuari are from Rueben, and the Dutch "Sabolingoi" are from the tribe of Zebulon etc. etc.
A beautiful picture of God's love and mercy. Leah may not have been loved my Jacob but she certainly was loved by God. We don't have to be pretty or popular or fill-in-the-blank to be loved by God; we all are.
How comforting right? Getting burried in the family grave. And she never knew Jesus is going to come in her lineage. That blessing is not going to cancel all the pain she went through her whole life though. Imo She was an unfortunate person born to suffer.
That was because the marriage to Leah and not Rachel was the covenant marriage. The marriage to Rachel was an adulterous marriage. God recognizes marriage as a permanent and exclusive covenant. No additional persons are allowed into that covenant. Just like a relationship with God is exclusive. Leah was the legitimate wife even though she won that through deliberate and elaborate deception.
WOAH. I am seeing a new pattern in how Jacob acquired blemished animals from Laban and made them multiply and flourish, and God blessed that plan, and how Leah was considered less desirable/even blemished herself-given away freely by her Father while the younger sister was bargained for-and yet God blessed Leah, and made her abundant. Leah is the one who was faithful to the Lord and He, not men, arranges things.
We don't know that Leah was faithful to the Lord and that Rachel wasn't. We do know that God blessed Leah with children because she was not loved. This tale is a cautionary lesson to all men: make sure your wife is really the woman you are engaged to before you consummate the marriage.
@@kaymojil7669 God blessed her in spite of her deception, because she was the covenant wife. And the covenant wife through whom the Messiah would eventually be born. God can turn things right even though Satan tries to intervene. But that doesn't mean that he approved or sanctioned her actions, he just honored the covenant.
@markhumphries6020 However, if Leah was veiled at the wedding ceremony and Jacob only saw her eyes, then he would have known that Leah was NOT Rachel. Unless her entire head was covered. I have a sister, and we look nothing alike, and my name is Leah. A man in love as Jacob was, would be able to notice the difference between the two sisters. She had to have been fully covered.
The whole situation was so toxic. Their father set his daughters up for a lifetime of rivalry, jealousy and resentment. Jacob should have had his 7 year agreement upheld, as promised. Married to 2 sisters, gross. I get that God worked it all out to His perfect purpose, but it was an unfair situation to Jacob, Leah and Rachel. Rachel probably wasn't even allowed to attend Leah's wedding to the man who was supposed to be hers. Think of the toxicity at family dinners. Perhaps this is payback for Jacob's trickery toward Esau and his own father; Jacob later, in turn, was betrayed by his father-in-law. There are so many things to unpack in this story.
Imagine if Jacob had obeyed God’s plan for one man/one woman, how different history would be. Yes, what an indescribable disappointment it would have been to give up something so precious as his love for Rachel to obey God.
Yes, it is in some way, like "karma". His trickery toward Esau came back upon him. Just as he cheated his brother out of his birthright by disguising himself, so, too, Leah was covered in a thick veil, so that he couldn't see who he was marrying.
Years ago, God gave me a deep revelation about who Leah really was. Which is much different than the interpretation from most you hear. I have covered this in my blog, podcast and youtube. With me sharing the same name Leah and being a Christian your name means a lot. It carries a lot of weight and meaning and every time I would hear my name being preached it was always…She was weak, ugly and unloved. Then one day I asked God, Is that who Leah really was? Then he answered by giving me a history lesson that blew my mind. First of all, Leah didn't have weak eyes as in she didn't have good vision or was ugly or couldn't see. Back in the Bible days, strong eyes were the common black or dark brown color so weak meant the opposite that she just had light eyes, like blue or grey. So she could've had 20/20 vision and beautiful eyes. Second,yes Jacob preferred Rachel over Leah initially put back in the Bible days the sign that God favored a woman was by opening up her womb and blessing her with children. Leah had many children. Rachel was very frustrated because she could not bear children. She even gave her handmaiden to her husband to bear a child. So God favored Leah. Thirdly. Jacob fell in love with Leah over time. In fact it was a deep love to the point of him requesting that Leah be buried next to him not Rachel. And last but definitely not least, the most mind blowing fact is that Leah is the only woman in the Bible that is the direct lineage to Jesus Christ. It was from Leah and her children all the way down to Jesus Christ, so wow when God reveals who you really are, the enemy can no longer lie to you about your identity. Praise God! 🙌
Don't take this personal, as your name is also Leah, but Laban and Leah did a horrible and dishonest thing to Jacob and especially to Rachel. Leah tricked and stole her sister's husband to be. Also, Rachel died a young woman in childbirth. It wasn't that Jacob chose to be buried next to Leah and rejected Rachel, it's that he wasn't living in the same place as Rachel's grave when he died.
I heard a message about this topic that Leah was tender eyed to mean she has an eye defect, possibly crossed eyed, or one eye ball is not aligned or straight. Tender eye is the tactful way to describe it without being offensive, rude or vulgar.
Thanks for this series. I have always understood that Leah’s eyes were beautiful, and thats the only beautiful thing she had. As the lesser girl in a 5 siblings home I get that perfectly bc I was the only “ ugly” girl in my family. I was not that ugly but everyone makes me think I was. Thank God for His love and mercy, he took care of Leah and she was the ONLY wife to be honored in the macpela tomb. I guess in the end Jacob saw her real beauty.
She also bore Jacob six sons and a daughter. When Joseph told his dream of the sun and moon bowing down to him, Jacob asked, "Will I and your mother bow down to you?" Leah was the only mother that Joseph and Benjamin knew. Joseph was likely a toddler when Benjamin was born.
Same with me. I was always too fat. Even when I lost weight I was still called fat. I could never live it down. Now I’m not, but it took me 45 years to get here.
I feel so sorry for for Leah. The first night with Jacob he thought she was Rachel, and poured over her all the love he had stored up for 7 years. And then, when he realized the truth, he despised her, and she was so unhappy. She had experienced love, and knew what she was missing. But after Rachel’s death, things might have changed.
Ya I was thinking about this recently too in the context of Reuben and the other sons in their hatred of Joseph. We know Leah was anxious about winning Jacob’s love and I imagine she conveyed this anxiety and competitiveness to her sons. It had to be a huge emotional trigger to give Joseph that robe of many colors. There was a lot of drama in this family dynamic!
There's a powerful Rabbinic midrash that Jacob suspected Laban of trickery so he set up "passwords" with Rachel to confirm her identity on the wedding night. But Rachel shared them with her sister in an effort to keep her from shame.
That is exactly the kind of idiom that we misunderstand here! My pastor has always said that she was less attractive than Rachel, and that makes more sense to me. But as in the comments above, the sisters were set up for rivalry. just at this moment, I am considering that Leah was given more honor by God, and is responsible for at least 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel. God made lemonade out of lemons here, and I personally have always identified more with Leah, than the "spoiled" (my opinion) Rachel.
Dude, Leah was almost blind, but not totally. Weak eyes, in an era when coke bottle thick glasses didn't exist... I would have been like Leah... I totally get it. without my glasses on I rely on recognition of colours people like to wear and body language to work out who is coming towards me or performing onstage ... Because I have weak eyes. Myopia.
"It's an arrogant Bible teacher who doesn't care to listen to skillful teachers who aren't himself" (6:08) That is a powerful statement. That quote should be at one of the top positions in every seminary and school of theology. Thank you for your gentle manner in your approach to correcting error. Reminds me of : "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, Thanks again for your ministry and your example.
Thank you for your comments. In the last 6 years I have stepped outside the box of 'evangelical' doctrine and interpretation of scripture to look at other commentators and viewpoints. I have been amazed by it, and my understanding of scripture has grown exponentially. Your discussion of this topic is very helpful.
Great video and explanation! One interpretation I heard from someone I greatly respect (fun fact, he attended rabbinic school in Israel and has a lot of knowledge on Hebrew interpretations of the Old Testament) was that the reference to "weak eyes" possibly meant that she had blue eyes. As someone with blue eyes who has lived in Florida his whole life, It's painful for me to see when there's a lot of sunshine, and as a result I have worn sunglasses outside for most of my life. Imagine living in the desert where there is little to no shade outside of your tent and an overabundance of unadulterated sunshine. The idea being that blue-eyed people are "weaker in the eyes", and thus it may have been a more unattractive quality. Which is a really long speculation to tie into your point: Whatever the author is saying via idiom about Leah, it's meant to be understood in direct contrast to Rachel's attractive appearance. 💁♂
I was taught growing up that Leah had blue eyes. I thought it sounded a little silly, but everyone in my family with blue eyes wears glasses. I have brown eyes and have perfect vision. So maybe eye color could be part of it. 🤷🏻♀️
Weak eyes: although I do not know the ins and outs of the culture of those times, Culture needs to be considered here. Having been a missionary in South America i offer this tidbit that adds nuance. Brown colored eyes are the most common worldwide. Tribal / isolated people generally have brown eyes throughout that tribe. Europeans who encountered these tribal people often had other than brown colored eyes. Blue eyes were often considered 'weak' in power, effectiveness, ability by those who have never been exposed to blue, green , hazel (or other) colored . To this tribe brown eyes are the norm. They would be what is expected. Dark eyes seem impenetrable, Perhaps firm. Light colored eyes appear see-through. They may be considered not totally developed. A culture that sees brown eyes as the norm would most likely also see them as the most beautiful and the most potent and the color to be preferred. Consider culture in this mystery… The answer "is in the eye of the beholder" 😅
When Leah's eyes are referred as "doe eyes", a doe is a deer, and what kind of eyesight does a deer have? A deer's daytime vision is about 3 X's less than that of a humans. While deer have better night vision than humans, they also have poorer color perception. If Leah had poor eyesight she probably did a lot of squinting to see more clearly and that might have contorted her facial features and taken her beauty. Just a thought.
Excuse me! No one is considering here that Jacob had stolen Esau's birth right by deceit! He HAD to go through this to truly understand Esau's feelings. You can appreciate how people suffered by being betrayed by you, only if you get betrayed yourself! And once he realised the extent of his trespass, by being trespassed to, then and only then he felt the need to reconciliate with his brother...
@@Eunice.Aceto75 Wow, this is very insightful of you! It is God's law of what you sow you will reap. I've never considered Jacob in this, only the terrible situation of the sisters. Isn't this how life really is? You've nailed it. Thank you ❤️
I am so grateful for this channel. I love the practical insights for teaching, and the humble, non-combative spirit in which it is delivered. Thank you again for setting such a good example for me as a younger preacher/teacher.
I find it interesting that this video came up on my feed, because I have been wondering why the Bible described Leah's eyes in that way. Thank you for shedding some light.
No one has mentioned that Jacob continued to lie in the tent with Leah. Giving her several children. If he was only in love with Rachel and despised Leah he would have only taken care of her basic needs (food, shelter, etc.) I believe he truly loved her.
When I was in middle school, I read this and saw how God contrasts Rachel’s beauty with Leah. Initially, I was surprised, because we teach in our culture that beauty is subjective. But here I realized, beauty is objective. This eventually led me to learning of the transcendentals: truth, beauty, and goodness and how God is all 3 and how as Sovereign, He, not man, declares what is good, true, and beautiful.
Which, as a not-pretty woman, has always been hard to take. When I became a Christian at 18, I went through a short period where I thought maybe in Christianity, my looks won't matter! I soon learned I was wrong. Even Christian men want a beautiful woman. And the Bible often refers to women's looks, like it does here. It's important in this life, and I just have to accept it. One of the things I look forward to the most about heaven/the new creation is that I'll be perfected both inside and out. I will finally be beautiful. Although... at that point it won't matter because there's no marriage in heaven! Oh, well. That's life.
@Yesica1993 I empathize! Truly. I'm a "not pretty woman" too, and it IS hard to take. But thankfully, the Bible gives a much more well -rounded view than just the history of men who wanted pretty women. Read the Proverbs, and be encouraged. Wisdom, industriousness, kindness, cheerfulness, faithfulness, etc. are great beautifiers. And remember that God saw and honored Leah.
@Yesica1993 1 Pet. 3:1-5 shows that the focus (particularly for women) is not to be on your outward appearance, but in being gentle and quiet. The Puritans, who corrected Christian teaching on marriage that had gone so wrong in the medieval period, said that physical attraction between a man and woman is important, but of all of the things to consider, it is the least important. They even considered finances and social class as more important than physical attraction.
Almost every time Rachel’s actions are mentioned in Genesis, she is sinning. Now, the Bible does not narrates not even one sin from Leah. The Messiah came from Leah, and Leah was the only one who was buried with Jacob’s ancestors. Just like God’s providence sent Joseph to Egypt, even though his brothers did an evil act, God’s providence made Jacob marry Leah, she was the one, she was chosen to be the Messiah’s ancestor and the King David’s ancestor. My point is, I understand that Leah had literally tender eyes, meaning also metaphorically that her eyes were the opposite of “evil eyes” as Jesus talked about in Matthew 6.23. She had internal beauty as opposed to Rachel, who has external beauty. As Jacob was married to Leah, and that was the divine providence, more decisive than Laban’s acts, he should have stayed with only her. That’s my view, but it’s always interesting to see another takes.
@@Eunice.Aceto75 YES! Especially when we see how God HONORED Leah’s shifted focus captured in Baby #3’s name. (See the meanings of their children’s names) By Judah’s birth, Leah began to understand that Jacob wasn’t her prize - the LORD is. #samelesson we have to learn here and now
@@valdotc8559 Leah the perfect one who betrayed her sister but that isn’t sin. The Messiah also came from Lot’s daughter through Ruth a Moabite and the Messiah came through Rahab the harlot. And let’s not forget Tamar, she had sex with Judah her father-in-law who thought she was a prostitute. Lovely woman probably without sin also. Rachel lived with a sister who was jealous of her and usurped her identity to have her man.
My study shows that it meant the eyes were a lighter color. Most women had the darker eyes then, and since she had lighter colored eyes, it was considered a blemish.
It's not the first time I hear that. But given that Yeshua is of Leah's discent, he could well have lighter coloured eyes... like some pictures imply... I'm thinking of Akiane's Prince of peace
The different translations attempting to accurately convey what Moses was saying aside, I've always read it as Moses was telling us that Leah was average looking at best, whilst Rachel was drop dead gorgeous.
Thank you for spending time on this topic. One of the things I love about Leah is her journey with the Lord. She actually began to follow the God of Jacob. You can tell where she was in her heart by the names of the first four sons: the first three had to with pain, rejection, and the desire to be loved by Jacob, but the fourth she named Judah (this time I will praise the Lord). Leah had a better walk with God than Rachel. Rachel generally had a darker attitude, and I don't think she ever got over the betrayal of her father. Laban hurt them all. Rachel was angry with Jacob about being barren, but then she prayed (maybe for the first time) to the Lord, and He opened her womb. In the end, she named her last son (while dying): Ben Oni: son of my sorrows. But Jacob intervened and called him Benjamin (son of the south/son of my right hand). Benjamin was the only one Jacob named. He blessed him. I'm so glad that God can take messy situations and uses them for good.
Everett Fox (in The Schocken Bible) uses “delicate” and then sums it up nicely in a footnote: “Others use “weak.” Either the term is meant negatively or else Lea is being praised for one attribute but Rachel for total beauty.”
It must be satisfying to have made such a dramatic subject change in your channel, fully expecting viewership to drop for a while, only to see this video take off! Congrats, Mark, and best wishes for continued growth in your work.
This is exceptionally gracious, Wes. Thank you. As of right now I can only see this as a fluke-but pray that it's not, because I need to provide for my family.
I just want to say I appreciate this video. I had just done a morning Bible reading on Genesis and came across this exact phrase. I was going to look up what "weak eyes" meant later, but your video popped up when i was just scrolling through UA-cam. Haha, that feels God led to me.
I agree with your position that the Scripture here is setting up a contrast, Leah being not as attractive as Rachel. And since God knows our own idolatrous and covetous hearts, He keeps things vague to keep us from using Rachel as some sort of ideal or model of beauty, or a source of pride for some and a source of sadness for others who do not measure up. Definitely a mysterious idiom. Thanks for your analysis. Blessings!🙂🙏📖
I always have regarded myself as having eyes like Leah bc they always look weak/tired/high. I avoid pictures as much as possible. I daydream about plastic surgery to change them. Im thankful my husband looked past this defect and married me anyway.
Don't forget one of the most touching things was the names of Leah's sons were names showing her hopes to show Jacob how she was. Her last song Yudah had changed her view to praising Ha-Shem regardless. Yes he loved Rachel and Joseph but his love for Leah was there.
When we read in Hebrew the passage about Leah, Rahel and Yossef’s dreams ( Genesis:29 and 37) and compare it to the recounting of Pharaoh’s dreams (Genesis 41:15-19) we notice a chiasm which holds the clues for Yossef’s interpretation of theses dreams. In Genesis 37:9, Yossef declares “ CHALAMTI CHALOM” ( I dreamed a dream) In Genesis 41:15, Pharaoh declares “ CHALOM CHALAMTI” ( a dream I dreamed) In Genesis 29:17, we read that Leah’s eyes were “RAKOT” and then that Rahel was “YEFAT TOAR”. In Genesis 41:18 we read first about the beautiful cows as “YAFOT TOAR”(in plural form) and then in Genesis 41:19 we read about the meager cows as “RAKOT”. This narrative allows Yossef to understand that that the number seven in Pharaoh’s dreams refers to years (as his father worked 7 years for each both Leah and Rahel, and the sons of Leah had “swallowed “ him, the son of Rahel). In the case of Leah’s eyes: the hebrew term is רכות “RAKOT”:feminine plural form of רך “RACH” : soft , tender The term used for the lean cows is רקות “RAKOT” which doesn’t bear the same meaning but is pronounced the same, which allows Yossef to make the connection! The Hebrew original text is the one inspired by GOD, the answers are in it!
That immediately brought me back to when my brother and I were taking latin class in high school. We cane home and started calling our little sister pulcra puella. She was fit to be tied think it was something derogatory especially since we would say it in a teasing way. I still don't think she has gotten over it 😂
The Merriam Webster Dictionary states that around the 13th century, 'tender' began to be used to describe people of a weak, fragile, or delicate constitution-specifically, the elderly or sickly. I suspect that's probably where the KJV used 'tender' here when referring to Leah's eyes. I notice that the Dutch Statevertaling has 'tender eyes', with the annotation ("meaning weak or defective). I find the Dutch annotations many times to be very enlightening. I have them in an English translation in PDF format if you'd ever be interested.
In the past I've always followed you because I feel you are a Wordsmith. And you do a very good job of it. Now that you are moving towards something new. I'm glad it is much more interesting what you're doing now. I can learn so much more from what you did in this video. Thank you
In seminary when doing Hebrew translation we did learn that the best translation was soft eyes. Her eyes were very attractive but Rachel was the total knockout. For what it is worth, ny seminary professors were well known experts in Hebrew. Additionally if Leah was so ugly, not matter how drunk Jacob was, he would never have been fooled on his wedding night. And while he was drinking he was not so drunk that he could not consummate the marriage. They had to look enough alike as sisters for the ruse to be pulled off. Even if she were veiled he would have seen her eyes. In this part of the world veiling never involved something like a burqa. Hence it makes sense to comment about her eyes in light of Jacob being successfully tricked.
It's possible that it was a contrast that compared Leah's attractive eyes to Rachel's overall beauty. Like how you will sometimes hear someone emphasize that an overweight woman has a pretty face.
What is super cool and just came to me is that we are once again taken back to the beginning of the book -- to the two trees in the garden. One tree was said to be good for eating and the other was of limits, but had the appearance of being good for eating. Throughout Genesis, and the rest of the Bible, we're given these little insights that man is still lacking in wisdom for judging good and bad in regard to their own lives as well as greater humanity. One woman was very good for Jacob, but he could only see her "hotter" sister as the Hebrew quotes her as being "beautiful in from and beautiful to look at." He chose the one which pleased his flesh instead of the one who could stand beside him as a true partner.
A pastor I heard suggested that Leah may have been near-sighted, which would lead to a squinting, stooped appearance as she struggled to see what was in front of her.
I’ve always thought Leah was maybe more shy and not outgoing. It would be like me and my sister. She’s louder and not shy. I was always quiet. A wallflower and shy. I didn’t realize I was just as beautiful as she was because she got all the attention because of her outgoing personality. I probably could have been called tender eyed. She’s always been a clutter and messy person. I’m always cleaning and organizing and trying to make things look neater. We are still opposites in our 60s. lol!
I see it as she was not as attractive. Not ugly but maybe not the good-looking one. That's also why she was still unmarried and her father was being kind to her.😊
For what it’s worth, the ancient Rabbis thought Leah’s tender eyes meant she cried a lot (both before marriage and after because Jacob did not love her). But, while Leah was rejected, God blessed her with children and Leah ultimately found the acceptance she so desired in God (which can be seen in how she named her children, see Genesis 29:31-35).
“It’s a dull sermon that quibbles and quotes…” Then I must be dull, because I love that kind of teaching. 😆 I want to know all of the major viewpoints and how they got there, so that I can really chew on the text and weigh the viewpoints of more learned brothers/sisters. To me, it’s fascinating!
if it's literal or approaching literal... it's still the case today that large round eyes are subconsciously more attractive than small and/or squinting eyes. If Leah in fact had weak eyes (and there were no coke bottles for corrective lenses), then she would likely have always had a squint that would definitely effect her facial appearance. Sounds like Rachel had the Anime eyes 🙂
So I decided to reread the in a year using the Amplified Version over the "tried and true" KJV I've known over the past 2+ decades. When I read over this verse I was shook over the difference. I to just knew when I came to this part that I would see tender eyed Leah as the "rabbit on the left" from the video. I also just found you as a commentator. Thank you for settling this by sharing the views on both sides.
You’re right, it is an idiom. Actually it’s not about Leah’s looks, it’s about her personality: she has a negative outlook. Matthew 6:23 talks about weak/unhealthy eyes making one full of darkness. This is also evident in Leah’s behavior after being married off by her trickster father to a man who preferred her sister, and in how she speaks. But we can see her development from bitter and unloved in the names she gives her sons. She finally turns to God, and by the time she has Judah (which means Praise God), she’s come to accept and be thankful for her lot in life.
Leah not so good looking and Rachel pretty and nice head to toe. 2 Samuel 14:25kjv of course. Genesis 29:17 “Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.” It is a good biblical story Leah turning focus to God instead of man. Rachel was barren for while so it doesn't look like it was talking that kind of favor
@@gregb6469 if you look at the names of the sons, in their chronological order you will see this: Rueben (He has seen my misery), Simeon (hear my suffering), Levi (He will join - referring to Jacob) and finally Judah (Praise God). The other children (from the maidservant but reckoned to Leah) have names that look like “There is reward”(Issachar), “in sacrifice” (Zebulun), and “vindicated” (Dinah).
@ I did a cursory bible search about eyes: you will find “bountiful eyes” in Proverbs, evil eye, and weak eye. Then Jesus himself clears up the mystery in his teaching about weak eyes being somewhere in between. Like a weak eye is not as bad as an evil eye, but it’s on its way there…
Having attended a messianic conference a few decades ago, I learned that Hebrew not only contrasted, but compared and contrasted items or features, etc... If Leah had weak or delicate eyes, so did Rachel; however, Rachel was an outstanding beauty in form and features. David N. Bivin, in his article "Leah's Tender Eyes" which can be found on the online Jersualem Perspective, directs the reader to use the Hebrew word "rach" in understanding the passage. This was followed-up by Lois Tverberg, who wrote in her on-line En-Gedi Resource Center article "The Gentle Eyes of Leah" and gave samples of verses of the Hebrew word "rach": Genesis 18:7 tender "rach" calf; Isiah 47:1 delicate "rach" daugter of the Babylonians and Proverbs 15:1, a gentle "rach" answer. Lois concluded her article noting, "It is interesting that God's choice was not toward the beauty of Rachel, but of Leah, whose son Judah was the ancestor of the Messiah, Jesus, Perhaps He wanted Jesus to inherit Leah's gentle eyes".
I wonder what God wanted our Lord to inherit from Lot’s daughter through Ruth the Moabite or Rahab the prostitute or Tamar the incestuous daughter-in-law? If not something of their eyes what could it be?
I had always read it as a negative/positive contrast, but lately, I have taken it to be a less positive/positive contrast. I think it is a compliment of Leah's eyes, but is saying that was about all she had, whereas Rachel had a better figure and a generally more attractive face. I think that the entire context is a bit of a rebuke against Jacob, that his choice of wife was less mature and more... obvious. God was angry that Jacob did not love Leah, and closed Rachel's womb because of that. He also blessed Leah with six sons to Rachel's two, and Christ came from Leah, not Rachel, AND it was Leah who was buried in the family tomb... I think we can take all that to say that Jacob did wrong by stubbornly refusing to love Leah. If Leah had some defect, if Jacob was well within his rights to not want her, then I expect God would not have been so angered by Jacob's lack of love for her.
Mark, wonderful job explaining this confusing passage! Years ago when I was teaching a children’s Sunday school class I had to learn the meaning of that phrase so I could accurately teach! Thankfully, with commentaries I was able to come up with the same Interpretation that Leah was less beautiful than Rachel! I appreciate your hard work and look forward to the next teaching! God bless, brother!
The adversative (but) is what caused me to land on this being a contrast, and since Rachel was clearly described as desirable, in some way Leah was less desirable. Looks alone don't define desirability, but Jacob seems to have been motivated more by his eyes than anything else as shown by his immediate reactions toward Rachel before he had time to get to know her at all. This is further amplified by Laban's treachery in order to get Leah hitched combined with Jacob's behavior toward both women in the ensuing years.
I truly appreciate your offering. I have been wondering about the behind the scene process of getting the Bible to press. I love learning all aspects both small and great which gives me more understanding of the Bible. You are appreciated.
If i disassociate from "how this makes me feel" in how this whole story plays out i see God being true to His character. Jacob from the start went after what his "eyes" lusted for and which he should of had that "red flag" feeling since his own brother did the same and got into heaps of trouble. Then he should have remembered his own grandfather Abraham "seeing" he had no son agreed to the Hagar involvement and how that played out. Then he knew it was wrong to have idols and images as Labans household had idols which he "saw" in his father in laws tent and Jacob knew they had been called out to be separated from that idolatry. I think this is all about Gods mercy, grace and reaping and sowing and all of them are guilty of 'being deceiving'! When God " saw" leah being unloved, he taught Jacob a lesson "God-style". Thats just how i "see" it. :)
It would be great to see you do a video using the logos word study tool and showing how to avoid exegetical fallacies with it. I think it's a great tool but it also looks like it could easily get people in trouble. I know I could benefit from it.
This episode reminded me of when I used to read the dictionary as a kid. Maybe I should revive that practice. Endless hours in front of screens is turning my brain to mush. What I would love to learn is how languages came into existence (the actual mechanics of language, especially written) but incorporated within the biblical worldview. I'm not sure what that field of study even would be called. Though, I'm guessing this would be heavy on the science-y side and I don't know if my feeble brain would be up to it.
As someone extremely nearsighted from early childhood, I can only interpret this as saying that her eyes were so bad that she could not recognize faces until they were a couple of feet away, like myself. PS Doesn’t anyone use the Revised Standard Version anymore?
Its very interesting to me how a lot of anti semites go on about Jacob being deceitful because he obeyed his mother in deceiving his father,. but you never hear a bad word about Leah obeying her father in deceiving Jacob...
Jacob was a man, he had the option to respect his father rather than conniving with his mother. Leah was a woman with no option but to obey her father. You simply cannot apply contemporary Western cultural norms to understanding this story. Women were chattels ( property ) of their father until they became property of their husband.
I never thought about it as being her eyes. I thought it meant the person’s eyes who was looking at her. Like “she’s not easy on the eyes.” I don’t know. 🤷
Speiser (Anchor Bible, 1964) takes it as a compliment (p. 225), and Westermann (Continental Commentary, 1981, 1995) takes it to mean "lustreless" (p. 463), whereas Alter (Genesis, 1996) says "there is no way of confidently deciding" between the positive and negative options (p. 153).
Comming from a French background. In my bible it uses fragile and the Pastors always equate this to mean she had exitropia. Either in one eye or both. In contrast to Rachel that was " beautiful in all manners" We the French never were confused about it.
Wow, this video is only a few days old and yet it's already your third most watched video! I'm glad to see interest from people in understanding a difficult biblical passage like this.
I've always taken it as a negative contrast with Rachel, but I happened to think it still could be a contrast that is still positive, saying that Leah had a beauty of her own, but there's was something lacking that Rachel possessed. The reference to "eyes" could refer to the common belief that the eyes are the window to the soul, saying that Leah was attractive, but didn't have that vitality of spirit that attracted Jacob to Rachel.
Eyes play a significant role in our perception of beauty. Women with large, well-defined eyes are often considered more attractive. Today, many women enhance their eyes using makeup such as eyeliner, false lashes, and other techniques to make them stand out, which adds to their overall appeal. In contrast, the passage describes Leah as having tender eyes, implying that her eyes were not particularly well-defined or striking in appearance.
I have also studied lots of translations and commentaries about Leahs eyes. To know what the story teller means you need to remember the context: Leah was quite old and should have been married, and wanted to, but no one wanted her. Because of that her eyes could have become shy, humble and sad. With other words, poor Leah was depressed.
The book of Jasher says that Leah had a gentle and quiet spirit and never spoke a bad word or raised her voice and that Jacob mourned deeply for her when she passed away.
I get the sympathy for Leah, but she was deceitful. They consummated and she wasn’t ignorant of the ramifications and the importance of marriage. Any reasonable person knows she couldn’t keep up the deception, and it would be perceived as a betrayal. How could she not know that Jacob would hate her for it. She set herself for a lifetime of rejection. Nothing is worse for a woman than to see their husband completely devoted to another, imagine having to see that up close in your face on a daily based. And worse yet being now committed to Jacob knowing she’ll never experience that kind of devotion from a spouse.
@@moniquegonzalez9276 My question on Leah is did she have any choice in the matter? Laban may have gave her no choice or maybe she felt this was her only chance to be married or maybe Laban told her this was her only chance to be married. I see what you are saying though about betrayal and deception by Leah. Unfortunately, betrayal and deception was a part of Jacob and his family. Leah could have felt in the beginning that she could turn Jacob’s heart toward her. We do know she felt this way later when she started having children. I just wonder if she had a choice in what happened. My thought is the reason why people are sympathetic toward her is the feeling she was forced in to the marriage just as much as Jacob was forced to in to it.
I think it is most likely an idiom. But more needs to be taken into consideration here. Isaac, Jacob's father, had weak eyes. Rachel is described similarly to how Rebecca was described when Isaac first met her. I think that it is clear from the text that Leah was less desirable than Rachel. By desiring Rachel over Leah, I think that language of the text is alluding that Jacob preferred his mother over his father, something we saw earlier in Isaac and Rebecca's respective favoritism of Esau or Jacob.
Here's another possibility: Their father's name Laban (Lavan in Hebrew) means "white". I recently saw someone with Albinism (an "albino"), and they often have "nystagmus" (eyes that move back and forth), or "strabismus" ("lazy eye"). Either of these conditions could have been described as "weak", as they aren't able to be held in place. So given that the father was named "White", is it possible that Leah inherited something from him? Just an idea. Blessings!
I’ve always taken ‘weak eyes’ to mean that her vision was not so good, which is possibly the only way she could have loved Jacob. Perhaps she could not “see” him for what he was, a stingy and conniving man, much like her father.
I was just reading this passage again the other day and and wondering about this phrase, as I do upon every reading. It's one of those places in the Bible where using multiple translations has actually made it more confusing for me, since there's several different interpretations. Thanks for your thoughtful approach and exploration of the options.
Great video. I will mention a verse that I was helped by using multiple versions: 1 Corinthians 15:8. I always took this passage in the KJV to mean simply that Paul was spiritually born later than the other apostles, nothing too grand about it. However, during a Bible study, someone read the passage from the NIV and I realized that “abnormal” doesn’t necessarily mean “out of due time”. It opened a possibility that Paul is indicating multiple things in this metaphor, which I hadn’t previously realized. It’s minor but wanted to mention it.
@ you see it in the personalities of each woman. Rachel is outspoken, she has her own mind. Leah agrees to trick Jacob marrying him as Rachel. Leah is sneaky, she lords fertility over Rachel. She’s one of those conniving scheming women.
I named my daughter Leah because the Lord favors her. ❤
Physical beauty fades, but the blessings of the Lord are everlasting.
Judge Judy would say:👩⚖️ 'Beauty fades, but dumb is forever'. Lol!
❤
@@allenwalker1379 The Danes are from the tribe of Dan. The Goths are from the tribe of Gad. The Jutes are also from the tribe of Judah along with most of the Judeans (Jews), and the name "Saxons" is literally an abbreviation for "Isaac's sons." The French Ribuari are from Rueben, and the Dutch "Sabolingoi" are from the tribe of Zebulon etc. etc.
@@robtrindade9087 please continue. It’s interesting
What's amazing to me is that Leah, not Rachel was buried in the family grave. And that the Lord Jesus comes from Leah, not Rachel.
And that Jesus has been rejected by many, similar to Leah's story.
A beautiful picture of God's love and mercy. Leah may not have been loved my Jacob but she certainly was loved by God. We don't have to be pretty or popular or fill-in-the-blank to be loved by God; we all are.
How comforting right? Getting burried in the family grave. And she never knew Jesus is going to come in her lineage.
That blessing is not going to cancel all the pain she went through her whole life though. Imo She was an unfortunate person born to suffer.
@@joe0633 well, she had many children to love.
That was because the marriage to Leah and not Rachel was the covenant marriage. The marriage to Rachel was an adulterous marriage. God recognizes marriage as a permanent and exclusive covenant. No additional persons are allowed into that covenant.
Just like a relationship with God is exclusive.
Leah was the legitimate wife even though she won that through deliberate and elaborate deception.
WOAH. I am seeing a new pattern in how Jacob acquired blemished animals from Laban and made them multiply and flourish, and God blessed that plan, and how Leah was considered less desirable/even blemished herself-given away freely by her Father while the younger sister was bargained for-and yet God blessed Leah, and made her abundant. Leah is the one who was faithful to the Lord and He, not men, arranges things.
We don't know that Leah was faithful to the Lord and that Rachel wasn't. We do know that God blessed Leah with children because she was not loved.
This tale is a cautionary lesson to all men: make sure your wife is really the woman you are engaged to before you consummate the marriage.
Poor Leah😭 Leban was a jerk!
@@kaymojil7669
God blessed her in spite of her deception, because she was the covenant wife.
And the covenant wife through whom the Messiah would eventually be born.
God can turn things right even though Satan tries to intervene.
But that doesn't mean that he approved or sanctioned her actions, he just honored the covenant.
@@annep.1905 Actually, from scripture, we know that they and their father were pagans who worshiped other gods.
@@gohawks3571
So was she.
She was complicit.
She could have chosen the path of integrity and let Jacob discover who she was before it was too late.
If Leah had not had a defect, I doubt her Father would have had to marry her away in a devious fashion.
That is an interesting point!
Yeah. I figure it was an idiom meaning she was difficult to look at.
Something similar to "hard on the eyes" and "easy on the eyes"
That's what I assumed.
Not quite a defect, but did lack Rachel’s beauty. She had beauty in her eyes, but probably not that much in the rest of her body/ face…
I always took this as "lazy eyed/cross eyed", which would match both being weak eyed and not as appealing in comparison to Rachel.
@@markhumphries6020 I agree and hold to this understanding myself.
I believe in that also 😢
@markhumphries6020 However, if Leah was veiled at the wedding ceremony and Jacob only saw her eyes, then he would have known that Leah was NOT Rachel. Unless her entire head was covered. I have a sister, and we look nothing alike, and my name is Leah. A man in love as Jacob was, would be able to notice the difference between the two sisters. She had to have been fully covered.
Veils at that time were opaque and covered virtually the whole face. It is likely Jacob did not see her eyes at all.
Or near sighted?
The whole situation was so toxic. Their father set his daughters up for a lifetime of rivalry, jealousy and resentment. Jacob should have had his 7 year agreement upheld, as promised. Married to 2 sisters, gross. I get that God worked it all out to His perfect purpose, but it was an unfair situation to Jacob, Leah and Rachel. Rachel probably wasn't even allowed to attend Leah's wedding to the man who was supposed to be hers. Think of the toxicity at family dinners. Perhaps this is payback for Jacob's trickery toward Esau and his own father; Jacob later, in turn, was betrayed by his father-in-law. There are so many things to unpack in this story.
@@lauraarmstrong3168 and Jacob was there because Labans sister married Isaac and had Jacob trick his dad for the blessing. What a family!
Bottom line: God uses flawed men & women to fulfill His plan, why, because were all flawed and it keeps us humble! Romans 11: 32
Imagine if Jacob had obeyed God’s plan for one man/one woman, how different history would be. Yes, what an indescribable disappointment it would have been to give up something so precious as his love for Rachel to obey God.
Well - Jacob put a lot in motion by his deception of his father (whom he is supposed to honor) and his brother. Choices and consequences.
Yes, it is in some way, like "karma". His trickery toward Esau came back upon him. Just as he cheated his brother out of his birthright by disguising himself, so, too, Leah was covered in a thick veil, so that he couldn't see who he was marrying.
Years ago, God gave me a deep revelation about who Leah really was. Which is much different than the interpretation from most you hear. I have covered this in my blog, podcast and youtube. With me sharing the same name Leah and being a Christian your name means a lot. It carries a lot of weight and meaning and every time I would hear my name being preached it was always…She was weak, ugly and unloved. Then one day I asked God, Is that who Leah really was? Then he answered by giving me a history lesson that blew my mind. First of all, Leah didn't have weak eyes as in she didn't have good vision or was ugly or couldn't see. Back in the Bible days, strong eyes were the common black or dark brown color so weak meant the opposite that she just had light eyes, like blue or grey. So she could've had 20/20 vision and beautiful eyes. Second,yes Jacob preferred Rachel over Leah initially put back in the Bible days the sign that God favored a woman was by opening up her womb and blessing her with children. Leah had many children. Rachel was very frustrated because she could not bear children. She even gave her handmaiden to her husband to bear a child. So God favored Leah. Thirdly. Jacob fell in love with Leah over time. In fact it was a deep love to the point of him requesting that Leah be buried next to him not Rachel. And last but definitely not least, the most mind blowing fact is that Leah is the only woman in the Bible that is the direct lineage to Jesus Christ. It was from Leah and her children all the way down to Jesus Christ, so wow when God reveals who you really are, the enemy can no longer lie to you about your identity. Praise God! 🙌
Pretty sure Rahab from Jericho is also part of jesus' line
Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and of course Mary are all women in Jesus direct lineage, specifically mentioned in his geneology in Matthew.
Don't take this personal, as your name is also Leah, but Laban and Leah did a horrible and dishonest thing to Jacob and especially to Rachel. Leah tricked and stole her sister's husband to be. Also, Rachel died a young woman in childbirth. It wasn't that Jacob chose to be buried next to Leah and rejected Rachel, it's that he wasn't living in the same place as Rachel's grave when he died.
@@lensoffaith I think your name is cool.
@LeahMarieCarson See Gen. 35:26. Leah also gave her servant, Zilpah, to Jacob. Gad and Asher were born from this.
I heard a message about this topic that Leah was tender eyed to mean she has an eye defect, possibly crossed eyed, or one eye ball is not aligned or straight. Tender eye is the tactful way to describe it without being offensive, rude or vulgar.
@@onthego41 I agree. A a lazy cross eye.
Made Laban think she'd never be married off so he tricked Jacob to get her off his hand.
Thanks for this series. I have always understood that Leah’s eyes were beautiful, and thats the only beautiful thing she had. As the lesser girl in a 5 siblings home I get that perfectly bc I was the only “ ugly” girl in my family. I was not that ugly but everyone makes me think I was. Thank God for His love and mercy, he took care of Leah and she was the ONLY wife to be honored in the macpela tomb. I guess in the end Jacob saw her real beauty.
@@Sorana44 And the Bible mentions that Rachel had her idols and she stashed them in her bag.
She also bore Jacob six sons and a daughter. When Joseph told his dream of the sun and moon bowing down to him, Jacob asked, "Will I and your mother bow down to you?" Leah was the only mother that Joseph and Benjamin knew. Joseph was likely a toddler when Benjamin was born.
Same with me. I was always too fat. Even when I lost weight I was still called fat. I could never live it down. Now I’m not, but it took me 45 years to get here.
I feel so sorry for for Leah. The first night with Jacob he thought she was Rachel, and poured over her all the love he had stored up for 7 years. And then, when he realized the truth, he despised her, and she was so unhappy. She had experienced love, and knew what she was missing. But after Rachel’s death, things might have changed.
Ya I was thinking about this recently too in the context of Reuben and the other sons in their hatred of Joseph. We know Leah was anxious about winning Jacob’s love and I imagine she conveyed this anxiety and competitiveness to her sons. It had to be a huge emotional trigger to give Joseph that robe of many colors. There was a lot of drama in this family dynamic!
There's a powerful Rabbinic midrash that Jacob suspected Laban of trickery so he set up "passwords" with Rachel to confirm her identity on the wedding night. But Rachel shared them with her sister in an effort to keep her from shame.
He can't have "loved" Rachel so much if he didn't even know who he was sleeping with.
@Yesica1993 You're making a lot of assumptions about how the sexes interacted prior to marriage.
God felt sorry for her and blessed her with children to help her relationship with Jacob. But yeah a sad situation for sure. Take care
I never looked into it but always just assumed Leah was “hard on the eyes” while Rachel was “easy on the eyes”
I have thought she could have had a squint...
The days of COVID and wearing of masks proved to me the deception of the eyes. Some really uncomely faces had the most beautiful eyes.
So True!
@@JohnJamiesonFamily just make sure if you ever tell them that you don’t tell it to them exactly like that 😂
@@MysteryMan159 😅
We have a word in English that may perfectly describe poor Leah, and that word is "homely." Bless her heart.
That is exactly the kind of idiom that we misunderstand here! My pastor has always said that she was less attractive than Rachel, and that makes more sense to me. But as in the comments above, the sisters were set up for rivalry. just at this moment, I am considering that Leah was given more honor by God, and is responsible for at least 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel. God made lemonade out of lemons here, and I personally have always identified more with Leah, than the "spoiled" (my opinion) Rachel.
@@PatriciaStephens-ou9hfLmao, Rachel's only crime was being attractive.
Dude, Leah was almost blind, but not totally. Weak eyes, in an era when coke bottle thick glasses didn't exist... I would have been like Leah... I totally get it. without my glasses on I rely on recognition of colours people like to wear and body language to work out who is coming towards me or performing onstage ... Because I have weak eyes. Myopia.
"It's an arrogant Bible teacher who doesn't care to listen to skillful teachers who aren't himself" (6:08) That is a powerful statement. That quote should be at one of the top positions in every seminary and school of theology. Thank you for your gentle manner in your approach to correcting error.
Reminds me of : "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,
in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
Thanks again for your ministry and your example.
Well said Jesse
Thank you for your comments. In the last 6 years I have stepped outside the box of 'evangelical' doctrine and interpretation of scripture to look at other commentators and viewpoints. I have been amazed by it, and my understanding of scripture has grown exponentially. Your discussion of this topic is very helpful.
“That’s not what my Bible says”. 😂 I admit I may have laughed a little too hard at that. Love it!!! Thanks, Mark
😁
Great video and explanation! One interpretation I heard from someone I greatly respect (fun fact, he attended rabbinic school in Israel and has a lot of knowledge on Hebrew interpretations of the Old Testament) was that the reference to "weak eyes" possibly meant that she had blue eyes. As someone with blue eyes who has lived in Florida his whole life, It's painful for me to see when there's a lot of sunshine, and as a result I have worn sunglasses outside for most of my life. Imagine living in the desert where there is little to no shade outside of your tent and an overabundance of unadulterated sunshine. The idea being that blue-eyed people are "weaker in the eyes", and thus it may have been a more unattractive quality. Which is a really long speculation to tie into your point: Whatever the author is saying via idiom about Leah, it's meant to be understood in direct contrast to Rachel's attractive appearance. 💁♂
Could be! It seems that the KJV translators were right to say that even the Jews aren't always sure what a given bit of OT Hebrew means!
@@wardonwords 🤣
@@codyheisler COOL!
I think you must have the truth of it, there.
I was taught growing up that Leah had blue eyes. I thought it sounded a little silly, but everyone in my family with blue eyes wears glasses. I have brown eyes and have perfect vision. So maybe eye color could be part of it. 🤷🏻♀️
Weak eyes: although I do not know the ins and outs of the culture of those times, Culture needs to be considered here. Having been a missionary in South America i offer this tidbit that adds nuance. Brown colored eyes are the most common worldwide. Tribal / isolated people generally have brown eyes throughout that tribe. Europeans who encountered these tribal people often had other than brown colored eyes. Blue eyes were often considered 'weak' in power, effectiveness, ability by those who have never been exposed to blue, green , hazel (or other) colored . To this tribe brown eyes are the norm. They would be what is expected. Dark eyes seem impenetrable, Perhaps firm.
Light colored eyes appear see-through. They may be considered not totally developed.
A culture that sees brown eyes as the norm would most likely also see them as the most beautiful and the most potent and the color to be preferred.
Consider culture in this mystery… The answer "is in the eye of the beholder" 😅
When Leah's eyes are referred as "doe eyes", a doe is a deer, and what kind of eyesight does a deer have? A deer's daytime vision is about 3 X's less than that of a humans. While deer have better night vision than humans, they also have poorer color perception. If Leah had poor eyesight she probably did a lot of squinting to see more clearly and that might have contorted her facial features and taken her beauty. Just a thought.
Excuse me! No one is considering here that Jacob had stolen Esau's birth right by deceit! He HAD to go through this to truly understand Esau's feelings. You can appreciate how people suffered by being betrayed by you, only if you get betrayed yourself! And once he realised the extent of his trespass, by being trespassed to, then and only then he felt the need to reconciliate with his brother...
Esau sold his birthright got a mess of stew. The BIBLE says he despised his birthright. Jacob was chosen by God from the womb.
@@janewalker1270it is both, not one or another
Excellent point!
@@Eunice.Aceto75
Wow, this is very insightful of you! It is God's law of what you sow you will reap. I've never considered Jacob in this, only the terrible situation of the sisters. Isn't this how life really is? You've nailed it. Thank you ❤️
Nice!
Even in the dark, he didn’t realize she wasn’t Rachel. I guess in the dark, her and Rachel had the same curves, etc. or Jacob was really drunk.
@@josmelser9869 The adult male reproductive organs don’t really care who is in the tent
Likely he was really drunk.
Yep! It's so gross. You "love" someone so much and then don't even know it's not them when you're... let's just say, that close? Ugh.
I am so grateful for this channel. I love the practical insights for teaching, and the humble, non-combative spirit in which it is delivered. Thank you again for setting such a good example for me as a younger preacher/teacher.
I find it interesting that this video came up on my feed, because I have been wondering why the Bible described Leah's eyes in that way. Thank you for shedding some light.
This looks like it’s going to be a great series! This video was excellent! I look forward to many more just like it!! Thank you!!
I think you uncovered the meaning of the idiom at 8:35 when you said "Leah was not a looker". Thanks for recovering something lost in translation.
No one has mentioned that Jacob continued to lie in the tent with Leah. Giving her several children. If he was only in love with Rachel and despised Leah he would have only taken care of her basic needs (food, shelter, etc.) I believe he truly loved her.
Maybe he was just doing what he thought was the right thing to do because he cared enough not to want to hurt her.
When I was in middle school, I read this and saw how God contrasts Rachel’s beauty with Leah. Initially, I was surprised, because we teach in our culture that beauty is subjective. But here I realized, beauty is objective. This eventually led me to learning of the transcendentals: truth, beauty, and goodness and how God is all 3 and how as Sovereign, He, not man, declares what is good, true, and beautiful.
Yes! So important!
Which, as a not-pretty woman, has always been hard to take. When I became a Christian at 18, I went through a short period where I thought maybe in Christianity, my looks won't matter! I soon learned I was wrong. Even Christian men want a beautiful woman. And the Bible often refers to women's looks, like it does here. It's important in this life, and I just have to accept it. One of the things I look forward to the most about heaven/the new creation is that I'll be perfected both inside and out. I will finally be beautiful. Although... at that point it won't matter because there's no marriage in heaven! Oh, well. That's life.
@Yesica1993 I empathize! Truly. I'm a "not pretty woman" too, and it IS hard to take. But thankfully, the Bible gives a much more well -rounded view than just the history of men who wanted pretty women. Read the Proverbs, and be encouraged. Wisdom, industriousness, kindness, cheerfulness, faithfulness, etc. are great beautifiers. And remember that God saw and honored Leah.
@Yesica1993 1 Pet. 3:1-5 shows that the focus (particularly for women) is not to be on your outward appearance, but in being gentle and quiet.
The Puritans, who corrected Christian teaching on marriage that had gone so wrong in the medieval period, said that physical attraction between a man and woman is important, but of all of the things to consider, it is the least important. They even considered finances and social class as more important than physical attraction.
@Yesica1993 , I can relate
Almost every time Rachel’s actions are mentioned in Genesis, she is sinning. Now, the Bible does not narrates not even one sin from Leah. The Messiah came from Leah, and Leah was the only one who was buried with Jacob’s ancestors. Just like God’s providence sent Joseph to Egypt, even though his brothers did an evil act, God’s providence made Jacob marry Leah, she was the one, she was chosen to be the Messiah’s ancestor and the King David’s ancestor. My point is, I understand that Leah had literally tender eyes, meaning also metaphorically that her eyes were the opposite of “evil eyes” as Jesus talked about in Matthew 6.23. She had internal beauty as opposed to Rachel, who has external beauty. As Jacob was married to Leah, and that was the divine providence, more decisive than Laban’s acts, he should have stayed with only her. That’s my view, but it’s always interesting to see another takes.
I like this take about the tender eyes opposed to the evil eyes - internal beauty opposed to external beauty...
@@Eunice.Aceto75 YES! Especially when we see how God HONORED Leah’s shifted focus captured in Baby #3’s name. (See the meanings of their children’s names) By Judah’s birth, Leah began to understand that Jacob wasn’t her prize - the LORD is. #samelesson we have to learn here and now
@@valdotc8559 Leah the perfect one who betrayed her sister but that isn’t sin.
The Messiah also came from Lot’s daughter through Ruth a Moabite and the Messiah came through Rahab the harlot. And let’s not forget Tamar, she had sex with Judah her father-in-law who thought she was a prostitute. Lovely woman probably without sin also.
Rachel lived with a sister who was jealous of her and usurped her identity to have her man.
@Rachel-vx8se there is no one sinless but Jesus… we ALL have need for the Savior … unless you just don’t.
They all had flaws.
My study shows that it meant the eyes were a lighter color. Most women had the darker eyes then, and since she had lighter colored eyes, it was considered a blemish.
@@OklaBoondocks wow didn't know that. Thanks
Is blond hair is a blemish?
@@tdranger6888 I haven’t studied that part of it so I don’t know.
It's not the first time I hear that. But given that Yeshua is of Leah's discent, he could well have lighter coloured eyes... like some pictures imply... I'm thinking of Akiane's
Prince of peace
The different translations attempting to accurately convey what Moses was saying aside, I've always read it as Moses was telling us that Leah was average looking at best, whilst Rachel was drop dead gorgeous.
Thank you for spending time on this topic. One of the things I love about Leah is her journey with the Lord. She actually began to follow the God of Jacob. You can tell where she was in her heart by the names of the first four sons: the first three had to with pain, rejection, and the desire to be loved by Jacob, but the fourth she named Judah (this time I will praise the Lord).
Leah had a better walk with God than Rachel. Rachel generally had a darker attitude, and I don't think she ever got over the betrayal of her father. Laban hurt them all. Rachel was angry with Jacob about being barren, but then she prayed (maybe for the first time) to the Lord, and He opened her womb. In the end, she named her last son (while dying): Ben Oni: son of my sorrows. But Jacob intervened and called him Benjamin (son of the south/son of my right hand). Benjamin was the only one Jacob named. He blessed him. I'm so glad that God can take messy situations and uses them for good.
Everett Fox (in The Schocken Bible) uses “delicate” and then sums it up nicely in a footnote: “Others use “weak.” Either the term is meant negatively or else Lea is being praised for one attribute but Rachel for total beauty.”
Like, Leah was ok, but Rachel was beautiful.
It must be satisfying to have made such a dramatic subject change in your channel, fully expecting viewership to drop for a while, only to see this video take off! Congrats, Mark, and best wishes for continued growth in your work.
This is exceptionally gracious, Wes. Thank you. As of right now I can only see this as a fluke-but pray that it's not, because I need to provide for my family.
I just want to say I appreciate this video. I had just done a morning Bible reading on Genesis and came across this exact phrase. I was going to look up what "weak eyes" meant later, but your video popped up when i was just scrolling through UA-cam. Haha, that feels God led to me.
Omgoodness what a neat channel! I love the Bible so I’m very grateful for your videos
Thank you!
You are so welcome!
I agree with your position that the Scripture here is setting up a contrast, Leah being not as attractive as Rachel. And since God knows our own idolatrous and covetous hearts, He keeps things vague to keep us from using Rachel as some sort of ideal or model of beauty, or a source of pride for some and a source of sadness for others who do not measure up. Definitely a mysterious idiom. Thanks for your analysis. Blessings!🙂🙏📖
Great vid. Mark, I like how you took an obvious verse to make a complex point. Headcoverings is a whole different thing though.
I always have regarded myself as having eyes like Leah bc they always look weak/tired/high. I avoid pictures as much as possible. I daydream about plastic surgery to change them. Im thankful my husband looked past this defect and married me anyway.
Don't forget one of the most touching things was the names of Leah's sons were names showing her hopes to show Jacob how she was. Her last song Yudah had changed her view to praising Ha-Shem regardless. Yes he loved Rachel and Joseph but his love for Leah was there.
When we read in Hebrew the passage about Leah, Rahel and Yossef’s dreams ( Genesis:29 and 37) and compare it to the recounting of Pharaoh’s dreams (Genesis 41:15-19) we notice a chiasm which holds the clues for Yossef’s interpretation of theses dreams.
In Genesis 37:9, Yossef declares “ CHALAMTI CHALOM” ( I dreamed a dream)
In Genesis 41:15, Pharaoh declares “ CHALOM CHALAMTI” ( a dream I dreamed)
In Genesis 29:17, we read that Leah’s eyes were “RAKOT” and then that Rahel was “YEFAT TOAR”.
In Genesis 41:18 we read first about the beautiful cows as “YAFOT TOAR”(in plural form) and then in Genesis 41:19 we read about the meager cows as “RAKOT”. This narrative allows Yossef to understand that that the number seven in Pharaoh’s dreams refers to years (as his father worked 7 years for each both Leah and Rahel, and the sons of Leah had “swallowed “ him, the son of Rahel).
In the case of Leah’s eyes: the hebrew term is רכות “RAKOT”:feminine plural form of רך “RACH” : soft , tender
The term used for the lean cows is רקות “RAKOT” which doesn’t bear the same meaning but is pronounced the same, which allows Yossef to make the connection!
The Hebrew original text is the one inspired by GOD, the answers are in it!
You had me at revivifying (pulchritude and desultory were a bonus).
That immediately brought me back to when my brother and I were taking latin class in high school. We cane home and started calling our little sister pulcra puella. She was fit to be tied think it was something derogatory especially since we would say it in a teasing way. I still don't think she has gotten over it 😂
@ When word nerds go crazy. 😂
The Merriam Webster Dictionary states that around the 13th century, 'tender' began to be used to describe people of a weak, fragile, or delicate constitution-specifically, the elderly or sickly. I suspect that's probably where the KJV used 'tender' here when referring to Leah's eyes. I notice that the Dutch Statevertaling has 'tender eyes', with the annotation ("meaning weak or defective). I find the Dutch annotations many times to be very enlightening. I have them in an English translation in PDF format if you'd ever be interested.
In the past I've always followed you because I feel you are a Wordsmith. And you do a very good job of it. Now that you are moving towards something new. I'm glad it is much more interesting what you're doing now. I can learn so much more from what you did in this video. Thank you
Many thanks! I need this kind of comment right now as I change tacks.
Yes. This will do nicely. I just read this passage yesterday in my Bible in a year plan, so this series is already helping!
me too! and I listen to DAvid Suchet's bible readings, so I'm sure that's why this video showed up among my feeds
Mark, I'm amazed that this video is suddenly popping off! What a blessing to have a sudden upturn just as you enter this new phase!
I know! I'm not sure what to make of this!
In seminary when doing Hebrew translation we did learn that the best translation was soft eyes. Her eyes were very attractive but Rachel was the total knockout.
For what it is worth, ny seminary professors were well known experts in Hebrew.
Additionally if Leah was so ugly, not matter how drunk Jacob was, he would never have been fooled on his wedding night. And while he was drinking he was not so drunk that he could not consummate the marriage. They had to look enough alike as sisters for the ruse to be pulled off.
Even if she were veiled he would have seen her eyes. In this part of the world veiling never involved something like a burqa.
Hence it makes sense to comment about her eyes in light of Jacob being successfully tricked.
It was dark, he was drunk, he was looking elsewhere (ahem) than at her eyes.
I think I will definitely like this series
More to come!
It's possible that it was a contrast that compared Leah's attractive eyes to Rachel's overall beauty. Like how you will sometimes hear someone emphasize that an overweight woman has a pretty face.
Absolutely, some of the translations and commentaries do support this idea.
What is super cool and just came to me is that we are once again taken back to the beginning of the book -- to the two trees in the garden. One tree was said to be good for eating and the other was of limits, but had the appearance of being good for eating. Throughout Genesis, and the rest of the Bible, we're given these little insights that man is still lacking in wisdom for judging good and bad in regard to their own lives as well as greater humanity. One woman was very good for Jacob, but he could only see her "hotter" sister as the Hebrew quotes her as being "beautiful in from and beautiful to look at." He chose the one which pleased his flesh instead of the one who could stand beside him as a true partner.
A pastor I heard suggested that Leah may have been near-sighted, which would lead to a squinting, stooped appearance as she struggled to see what was in front of her.
This was very good and glad I found this channel. I’ll keep watching and put in some of your methods into my own study. Thank you!
Welcome aboard!
I’ve always thought Leah was maybe more shy and not outgoing. It would be like me and my sister. She’s louder and not shy. I was always quiet. A wallflower and shy. I didn’t realize I was just as beautiful as she was because she got all the attention because of her outgoing personality. I probably could have been called tender eyed. She’s always been a clutter and messy person. I’m always cleaning and organizing and trying to make things look neater. We are still opposites in our 60s. lol!
I see it as she was not as attractive. Not ugly but maybe not the good-looking one.
That's also why she was still unmarried and her father was being kind to her.😊
That's basically my perspective, yes!
That and at the time ; if a female wasn't married by a youthful age her chance fell off quickly .
Thank you Mark for making us dig deeper into our Bible studies.
Wow, what excellent wisdom, especially at the end of the video! I'll take that to heart! Thank you!
For what it’s worth, the ancient Rabbis thought Leah’s tender eyes meant she cried a lot (both before marriage and after because Jacob did not love her). But, while Leah was rejected, God blessed her with children and Leah ultimately found the acceptance she so desired in God (which can be seen in how she named her children, see Genesis 29:31-35).
“It’s a dull sermon that quibbles and quotes…” Then I must be dull, because I love that kind of teaching. 😆 I want to know all of the major viewpoints and how they got there, so that I can really chew on the text and weigh the viewpoints of more learned brothers/sisters. To me, it’s fascinating!
if it's literal or approaching literal... it's still the case today that large round eyes are subconsciously more attractive than small and/or squinting eyes. If Leah in fact had weak eyes (and there were no coke bottles for corrective lenses), then she would likely have always had a squint that would definitely effect her facial appearance. Sounds like Rachel had the Anime eyes 🙂
So I decided to reread the in a year using the Amplified Version over the "tried and true" KJV I've known over the past 2+ decades. When I read over this verse I was shook over the difference. I to just knew when I came to this part that I would see tender eyed Leah as the "rabbit on the left" from the video. I also just found you as a commentator. Thank you for settling this by sharing the views on both sides.
You’re right, it is an idiom.
Actually it’s not about Leah’s looks, it’s about her personality: she has a negative outlook.
Matthew 6:23 talks about weak/unhealthy eyes making one full of darkness. This is also evident in Leah’s behavior after being married off by her trickster father to a man who preferred her sister, and in how she speaks. But we can see her development from bitter and unloved in the names she gives her sons. She finally turns to God, and by the time she has Judah (which means Praise God), she’s come to accept and be thankful for her lot in life.
Leah not so good looking and Rachel pretty and nice head to toe. 2 Samuel 14:25kjv of course.
Genesis 29:17 “Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.”
It is a good biblical story Leah turning focus to God instead of man. Rachel was barren for while so it doesn't look like it was talking that kind of favor
So she didn't look at life through the eyes of faith, until later in her life.
Wow
@@gregb6469 if you look at the names of the sons, in their chronological order you will see this: Rueben (He has seen my misery), Simeon (hear my suffering), Levi (He will join - referring to Jacob) and finally Judah (Praise God). The other children (from the maidservant but reckoned to Leah) have names that look like “There is reward”(Issachar), “in sacrifice” (Zebulun), and “vindicated” (Dinah).
@ I did a cursory bible search about eyes: you will find “bountiful eyes” in Proverbs, evil eye, and weak eye. Then Jesus himself clears up the mystery in his teaching about weak eyes being somewhere in between. Like a weak eye is not as bad as an evil eye, but it’s on its way there…
Man looks at the outward appearance, but Hod looks at the heart.❤
Good stuff, thank you.
Yet another great video! I appreciate your thoughtful and considered carefulness.
Having attended a messianic conference a few decades ago, I learned that Hebrew not only contrasted, but compared and contrasted items or features, etc... If Leah had weak or delicate eyes, so did Rachel; however, Rachel was an outstanding beauty in form and features.
David N. Bivin, in his article "Leah's Tender Eyes" which can be found on the online Jersualem Perspective, directs the reader to use the Hebrew word "rach" in understanding the passage.
This was followed-up by Lois Tverberg, who wrote in her on-line En-Gedi Resource Center article "The Gentle Eyes of Leah" and gave samples of verses of the Hebrew word "rach": Genesis 18:7 tender "rach" calf; Isiah 47:1 delicate "rach" daugter of the Babylonians and Proverbs 15:1, a gentle "rach" answer.
Lois concluded her article noting, "It is interesting that God's choice was not toward the beauty of Rachel, but of Leah, whose son Judah was the ancestor of the Messiah, Jesus, Perhaps He wanted Jesus to inherit Leah's gentle eyes".
I wonder what God wanted our Lord to inherit from Lot’s daughter through Ruth the Moabite or Rahab the prostitute or Tamar the incestuous daughter-in-law? If not something of their eyes what could it be?
Top video of all time. This change looks to be the right and fruitful choice!
I had always read it as a negative/positive contrast, but lately, I have taken it to be a less positive/positive contrast.
I think it is a compliment of Leah's eyes, but is saying that was about all she had, whereas Rachel had a better figure and a generally more attractive face.
I think that the entire context is a bit of a rebuke against Jacob, that his choice of wife was less mature and more... obvious.
God was angry that Jacob did not love Leah, and closed Rachel's womb because of that. He also blessed Leah with six sons to Rachel's two, and Christ came from Leah, not Rachel, AND it was Leah who was buried in the family tomb...
I think we can take all that to say that Jacob did wrong by stubbornly refusing to love Leah.
If Leah had some defect, if Jacob was well within his rights to not want her, then I expect God would not have been so angered by Jacob's lack of love for her.
Mark, wonderful job explaining this confusing passage! Years ago when I was teaching a children’s Sunday school class I had to learn the meaning of that phrase so I could accurately teach! Thankfully, with commentaries I was able to come up with the same Interpretation that Leah was less beautiful than Rachel! I appreciate your hard work and look forward to the next teaching! God bless, brother!
The adversative (but) is what caused me to land on this being a contrast, and since Rachel was clearly described as desirable, in some way Leah was less desirable. Looks alone don't define desirability, but Jacob seems to have been motivated more by his eyes than anything else as shown by his immediate reactions toward Rachel before he had time to get to know her at all. This is further amplified by Laban's treachery in order to get Leah hitched combined with Jacob's behavior toward both women in the ensuing years.
I truly appreciate your offering. I have been wondering about the behind the scene process of getting the Bible to press.
I love learning all aspects both small and great which gives me more understanding of the Bible. You are appreciated.
If i disassociate from "how this makes me feel" in how this whole story plays out i see God being true to His character. Jacob from the start went after what his "eyes" lusted for and which he should of had that "red flag" feeling since his own brother did the same and got into heaps of trouble. Then he should have remembered his own grandfather Abraham "seeing" he had no son agreed to the Hagar involvement and how that played out. Then he knew it was wrong to have idols and images as Labans household had idols which he "saw" in his father in laws tent and Jacob knew they had been called out to be separated from that idolatry. I think this is all about Gods mercy, grace and reaping and sowing and all of them are guilty of 'being deceiving'! When God " saw" leah being unloved, he taught Jacob a lesson "God-style". Thats just how i "see" it. :)
I am just a reader, not a scholar. I always thought weak meant she needed glasses, but being that era, there were none.
It would be great to see you do a video using the logos word study tool and showing how to avoid exegetical fallacies with it. I think it's a great tool but it also looks like it could easily get people in trouble. I know I could benefit from it.
Praise God.
I was meditating on this scripture just yesterday
This episode reminded me of when I used to read the dictionary as a kid. Maybe I should revive that practice. Endless hours in front of screens is turning my brain to mush.
What I would love to learn is how languages came into existence (the actual mechanics of language, especially written) but incorporated within the biblical worldview. I'm not sure what that field of study even would be called. Though, I'm guessing this would be heavy on the science-y side and I don't know if my feeble brain would be up to it.
As someone extremely nearsighted from early childhood, I can only interpret this as saying that her eyes were so bad that she could not recognize faces until they were a couple of feet away, like myself.
PS Doesn’t anyone use the Revised Standard Version anymore?
Its very interesting to me how a lot of anti semites go on about Jacob being deceitful because he obeyed his mother in deceiving his father,. but you never hear a bad word about Leah obeying her father in deceiving Jacob...
She is presented as a victim with no moral compass or empathy. But we are to feel bad for her.
Jacob was a man, he had the option to respect his father rather than conniving with his mother.
Leah was a woman with no option but to obey her father.
You simply cannot apply contemporary Western cultural norms to understanding this story. Women were chattels ( property ) of their father until they became property of their husband.
@@jeremymead8546
So by your logic Rebecca would not have the power to contrive thia scheme against Jacob. Helpless woman🤷🏻
Jacob's mother was already aware that Jacob was to fulfill a prophecy.
I heard a sermon decades ago where a pastor stated he thought tender eyed meant "cross eyed".🤷♀️
I never thought about it as being her eyes. I thought it meant the person’s eyes who was looking at her. Like “she’s not easy on the eyes.” I don’t know. 🤷
Speiser (Anchor Bible, 1964) takes it as a compliment (p. 225), and Westermann (Continental Commentary, 1981, 1995) takes it to mean "lustreless" (p. 463), whereas Alter (Genesis, 1996) says "there is no way of confidently deciding" between the positive and negative options (p. 153).
I really wish I had Alter in Logos. He's in a box in my garage until I can get an office. =|
This is fantastic, Mark! I'm excited for this new direction.
Comming from a French background. In my bible it uses fragile and the Pastors always equate this to mean she had exitropia. Either in one eye or both. In contrast to Rachel that was " beautiful in all manners"
We the French never were confused about it.
Wow, this video is only a few days old and yet it's already your third most watched video! I'm glad to see interest from people in understanding a difficult biblical passage like this.
It’s bizarre to me! I’m at the mercy of algorithms I can’t see or understand!
@@wardonwords True. 🤣
I've always taken it as a negative contrast with Rachel, but I happened to think it still could be a contrast that is still positive, saying that Leah had a beauty of her own, but there's was something lacking that Rachel possessed. The reference to "eyes" could refer to the common belief that the eyes are the window to the soul, saying that Leah was attractive, but didn't have that vitality of spirit that attracted Jacob to Rachel.
Eyes play a significant role in our perception of beauty. Women with large, well-defined eyes are often considered more attractive. Today, many women enhance their eyes using makeup such as eyeliner, false lashes, and other techniques to make them stand out, which adds to their overall appeal. In contrast, the passage describes Leah as having tender eyes, implying that her eyes were not particularly well-defined or striking in appearance.
So, basically, Rachel was a 10, and Leah had a great personality. 😆😆
I know the feeling. lol
Jesus Christ of Nazareth namaste
@@Brody.W namaste? Please leave hinduism out of it. They are enemies
Yep....now that's honesty to the point lol
I have also studied lots of translations and commentaries about Leahs eyes. To know what the story teller means you need to remember the context: Leah was quite old and should have been married, and wanted to, but no one wanted her. Because of that her eyes could have become shy, humble and sad. With other words, poor Leah was depressed.
The book of Jasher says that Leah had a gentle and quiet spirit and never spoke a bad word or raised her voice and that Jacob mourned deeply for her when she passed away.
Is UA-cam now reading my mind? Today I was thinking about exactly this subject and didn't say anything to anyone. 😮
Wow! Cool!
I get the sympathy for Leah, but she was deceitful. They consummated and she wasn’t ignorant of the ramifications and the importance of marriage. Any reasonable person knows she couldn’t keep up the deception, and it would be perceived as a betrayal. How could she not know that Jacob would hate her for it. She set herself for a lifetime of rejection. Nothing is worse for a woman than to see their husband completely devoted to another, imagine having to see that up close in your face on a daily based. And worse yet being now committed to Jacob knowing she’ll never experience that kind of devotion from a spouse.
@@moniquegonzalez9276 maybe she never knew of Issac favoring Rachel . Could it be Laban never mentioned it to her
@@moniquegonzalez9276 My question on Leah is did she have any choice in the matter? Laban may have gave her no choice or maybe she felt this was her only chance to be married or maybe Laban told her this was her only chance to be married. I see what you are saying though about betrayal and deception by Leah. Unfortunately, betrayal and deception was a part of Jacob and his family. Leah could have felt in the beginning that she could turn Jacob’s heart toward her. We do know she felt this way later when she started having children. I just wonder if she had a choice in what happened. My thought is the reason why people are sympathetic toward her is the feeling she was forced in to the marriage just as much as Jacob was forced to in to it.
That was very enjoyable! Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I think it is most likely an idiom. But more needs to be taken into consideration here. Isaac, Jacob's father, had weak eyes. Rachel is described similarly to how Rebecca was described when Isaac first met her. I think that it is clear from the text that Leah was less desirable than Rachel. By desiring Rachel over Leah, I think that language of the text is alluding that Jacob preferred his mother over his father, something we saw earlier in Isaac and Rebecca's respective favoritism of Esau or Jacob.
Here's another possibility: Their father's name Laban (Lavan in Hebrew) means "white". I recently saw someone with Albinism (an "albino"), and they often have "nystagmus" (eyes that move back and forth), or "strabismus" ("lazy eye"). Either of these conditions could have been described as "weak", as they aren't able to be held in place. So given that the father was named "White", is it possible that Leah inherited something from him? Just an idea. Blessings!
Interesting thought! Very possible!
I’ve always taken ‘weak eyes’ to mean that her vision was not so good, which is possibly the only way she could have loved Jacob. Perhaps she could not “see” him for what he was, a stingy and conniving man, much like her father.
50,000 views and counting! Congrats on the success of your new focus!
🎉
I was just reading this passage again the other day and and wondering about this phrase, as I do upon every reading. It's one of those places in the Bible where using multiple translations has actually made it more confusing for me, since there's several different interpretations. Thanks for your thoughtful approach and exploration of the options.
Great video. I will mention a verse that I was helped by using multiple versions: 1 Corinthians 15:8. I always took this passage in the KJV to mean simply that Paul was spiritually born later than the other apostles, nothing too grand about it. However, during a Bible study, someone read the passage from the NIV and I realized that “abnormal” doesn’t necessarily mean “out of due time”. It opened a possibility that Paul is indicating multiple things in this metaphor, which I hadn’t previously realized.
It’s minor but wanted to mention it.
This is interesting, but contextually obvious. More interesting is the word "mandrakes" in the next chapter.
Yes, that's always what I thought it meant. Leah wasn't ugly, she just didn't have the alluring beauty, or maybe the strong features that Rachel had.
I think the meaning clarifies as we get to know Leah and Rachel in the rest of the story.
Elaborate! This is a worthy idea.
@ you see it in the personalities of each woman. Rachel is outspoken, she has her own mind. Leah agrees to trick Jacob marrying him as Rachel. Leah is sneaky, she lords fertility over Rachel. She’s one of those conniving scheming women.