Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 29:15-30

"And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall thy wages be? And Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Leah`s eyes were tender. But Rachel was beautiful and well favored. And Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. Abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel. And they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. And he went in unto her. And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid. And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born. Fulfil the week of this one, and we will give thee the other also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. And he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife. And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her handmaid. And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years." — Genesis 29:15-30 (ASV)

During the month that Jacob spent as a guest, he was not idle. Wherever we are, it is good to engage in some useful work.

Laban desired that Jacob should continue with him. We should not take advantage of lesser relatives; it is our duty to reward them. Jacob told Laban about the affection he had for his daughter Rachel.

And having no worldly goods with which to endow her, he promised seven years of service.

Love makes long and hard services short and easy; thus we read of the labour of love (Hebrews 6:10). If we know how to value the happiness of heaven, the sufferings of this present time will be as nothing to us. An age of work will seem like only a few days to those who love God and long for Christ's appearing.

Jacob, who had deceived his father, was then deceived by Laban, his father-in-law, by a similar deception.

In this, however unrighteous Laban was, the Lord was righteous . Even the righteous, if they take a false step, are sometimes repaid in this way on earth.

And many who, unlike Jacob, are not disappointed in the person they marry, soon find themselves, much to their grief, disappointed in the character. The choice of a spouse ought to be made with good advice and careful thought on both sides. There is reason to believe that Laban's excuse was not true.

His way of settling the matter made things worse. Jacob was drawn into the unsettling situation of having multiple wives. He could not refuse Rachel, for he had pledged himself to her; still less could he refuse Leah.

At that time, there was no explicit command against marrying more than one wife. For the patriarchs, it was a sin of ignorance; but it does not justify the same practice now, when God's will has been plainly made known by the divine law (Leviticus 18:18), and more fully since by our Savior, who taught that only one man and one woman are to be joined together (1 Corinthians 7:2).