Genesis 29:19

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 29:19 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. Abide with me.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. Abide with me.
Genesis 29:19 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 29

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
19And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. Abide with me.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Laban said, etc.] Deceitfully, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, pretending great respect for Jacob, and that what he had proposed was very agreeable to him, when he meant to impose upon him: [it is] better that I should give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man; by which he not only intimates that he preferred him, a relation, to another man, a stranger; but as if he did not insist upon the servitude for her, but would give her to him; unless he means upon the terms proposed, and so it should seem by what follows: abide with me: the term of seven years, and serve me; suggesting, that then he agreed Rachel should be his wife; and so Jacob, a plain hearted man, understood…”
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Sources and verification