What is meant by fullfill the week with Leah? Commentary on Genesis 29:27-30
At first, a person who is familiar with Daniel 9:24-27 "sevens" might assume that "fulfilling the week" in Genesis 29 is referring to the Hebrew grouping of 7 years. A "seven" = 7 years. That is what I instantly assumed. I assumed incorrectly. Fulfilling the week referred to in Genesis 29:27-30 refers to the Hebrew marriage week. In Hebrew tradition of the time, the marriage was consummated on the first night of the marriage week of festivities, a 7-day week.
Here are a couple examples of this wedding week still practiced later in the book of Judges...
Judges 14:12 "Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.
Judges 14:17 She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day, he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She explained the riddle to her people.
Jacob had been tricked by Laban; however, if Jacob had abandoned Leah after the first night of marriage, her brothers would have sought out to avenge her. So, Jacob being tricked and fully committed to following through with his marriage to Leah only had 2 choices:
1) Leave with Leah as his wife or 2) Work another 7 years for Rachel
Abandoning Leah was not a reasonable option for Jacob to even consider because of the covenant with God and the threat of her honor being avenged by her brothers.
We can see from the verse in Judges that it was customary to celebrate marriage for a week. This week started with fest likely with drinking. The bride was veiled during the wedding. Laban and Leah both worked to conceal her identity. Late in the evening after the wedding, the groom was escorted to the bride's tent. By this time, it was very late, likely dark and Jacob had likely had quite a bit to drink. He only realized the next morning that he had been tricked after already consummating the marriage. He was committed to this marriage. He could have dishonored her and possibly experienced retribution from her brothers so in Genesis 29:27 Laban negotiates to keep him in the marriage. He states that if Jacob completes the marriage week and stays married to Leah, he will give Rachel to Jacob for another 7-year dowry of work. In Genesis 29:28-30 states that Jacob agreed and served Laban another 7 years for Rachel. So Jacob worked a total of 14 years to eventually marry Rachel.
So from this scripture, we see that this could easily be mistaken for a Daniel chapter 9 "seven" but it is not. The week mentioned in Genesis chapter 29 is a literal 7-day week.
Here are a couple examples of this wedding week still practiced later in the book of Judges...
Judges 14:12 "Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.
Judges 14:17 She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day, he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She explained the riddle to her people.
Jacob had been tricked by Laban; however, if Jacob had abandoned Leah after the first night of marriage, her brothers would have sought out to avenge her. So, Jacob being tricked and fully committed to following through with his marriage to Leah only had 2 choices:
1) Leave with Leah as his wife or 2) Work another 7 years for Rachel
Abandoning Leah was not a reasonable option for Jacob to even consider because of the covenant with God and the threat of her honor being avenged by her brothers.
We can see from the verse in Judges that it was customary to celebrate marriage for a week. This week started with fest likely with drinking. The bride was veiled during the wedding. Laban and Leah both worked to conceal her identity. Late in the evening after the wedding, the groom was escorted to the bride's tent. By this time, it was very late, likely dark and Jacob had likely had quite a bit to drink. He only realized the next morning that he had been tricked after already consummating the marriage. He was committed to this marriage. He could have dishonored her and possibly experienced retribution from her brothers so in Genesis 29:27 Laban negotiates to keep him in the marriage. He states that if Jacob completes the marriage week and stays married to Leah, he will give Rachel to Jacob for another 7-year dowry of work. In Genesis 29:28-30 states that Jacob agreed and served Laban another 7 years for Rachel. So Jacob worked a total of 14 years to eventually marry Rachel.
So from this scripture, we see that this could easily be mistaken for a Daniel chapter 9 "seven" but it is not. The week mentioned in Genesis chapter 29 is a literal 7-day week.
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