Texts in Conversation
In Genesis 29, Laban defends giving Leah to Jacob by citing the custom of not marrying the younger before the firstborn, referring to Jacob’s deception of Esau. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos instead uses the term “older,” obscuring the irony.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 29:26
Hebrew Bible
25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me? Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked me?” 26 “It is not our custom here,” Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. 27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. Then we will give you the younger one too, in exchange for seven more years of work.”
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Onkelos Genesis 29:26
Targum
25 And it was in the morning, and, look, she was Leah! And he said to Laban, What is this that you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? and why have you deceived me? 26 And Laban said, It is not our custom, to give the younger before the elder. 27 Complete this week, and I will give you the other daughter also, for the service that you shall serve with me for seven more years.
Date: 50–500 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Genesis 29:26 ... Not “the younger one before the older,” but “the younger one before the firstborn.” The man who has taken away the firstborn privilege of his brother now suffers because of the firstborn privilege of his beloved’s sister! Here, by the way, is a case in which translation makes a difference. The Targum, the Septuagint, and some recent translations all make it “the older,” not “the firstborn,” thus unfortunately missing this point and unwittingly hiding it from their readers. Several scholars have discussed this irony in various terms. Now, is this reference to Leah as the firstborn a chance detail based on a coincidence of language, or is it an essential development in the structure of the story? The evidence that I observed in the rest of the narrative indicates that it is indeed an essential, designed development ..."
Richard Elliott Friedman, The Hidden Book in the Bible (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1998), 45.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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