Kissing God's Word Through A Veil
An old Jewish proverb says, "Reading the Bible in translation is like kissing your bride through a veil." Thus, one of my goals right now is to be able to encounter God through His Word without the veil.
I take my Hebrew Comprehensive Exam in less than and weak, and I'm hard at work translating and studying. In fact, even this blog post represents the sort of commentary I am expected to be able to make, so thanks for the opportunity to practice.
The passages I am working on are selected by the grammar I am using. So, I find it curious that I should be learning what I am through them.
In one particularly famous story from Genesis 29, Jacob works for his uncle Laban for 7 years in order to marry Rachel, the younger of Laban's two daughters, whom he loves. Laban tricks him after those seven years and he ends up married to Leah. However, there is a little word in this story that indicates that Jacob (though very patient) is perhaps not very wise in his choice to begin with.
Genesis 29:17 says, in many English versions:
"Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful." (NIV)
"Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance." (ESV)
"Leah had ordinary eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful." (HCSB)
"Leah looked rather plain, but Rachel was lovely in form and appearance." (ISV)
"There was no sparkle in Leah's eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face." (NLT)
"And Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face." (NASB)
As you can see, the English translation of the Hebrew word rak is not very complementary. Who can blame the young man for choosing Rachel, right? I mean, he's only known these two girls for a month (v.14)! But, do the English translations do justice to the Hebrew word? And, if not, is there something we are missing in the Hebrew author's telling of this story?
The Hebrew word rak is used 15 other times in the Old Testament. In it's most immediate context (Gen 18:7 and Gen 33:13) it refers to the tenderness of youth. In Deuteronomy 20, it is used of a man who is too gentle to fight and in Deut. 28 it is a character compliment applied to both men and women. In 2 Sam, it refers to the wisdom of restraint. In Isaiah and Ezekiel, it is a positive attribute that is lost under God's judgment. In Proverbs 4 and 15, it again refers to gentle wisdom, but also to a mother's special love for an only son. Job and Chronicles follow the same sort of thinking, with a particular focus on innocence or inexperience.
So, where is the negative idea of weakness? The closest we get is the recognition in Deuteronomy 20 that rak is inappropriate for a man who is ready to engage in warfare. Yet, overall, the word seems to reflect a positive aspect, particularly as it might be applied to a women. A good word for the idea might be "tender-heartedness" or "compassion."
Now, there are other English translations that seem to get it closer to correct. That is, they at least don't make a poor interpretation in dealing with rak. However. what they actually mean by what they say is still less than clear:
"Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured." (KVJ)
"Leah had tender eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful." (CSB)
"Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful." (GNT)
To be fair, biblical translation is a difficult task. This is a single verse, and doesn't reflect the accuracy of any of these translation in general. In fact, I find that every English translation has difficulties at some point. However, that is the point, isn't it. Those difficulties (the veil) are found in every translation, and yet most of us rely completely upon translations for reading God's Word!
So, back to our verse. What I saw in this verse as I was studying was that the biblical author is making a character statement about Jacob and foreshadowing many of the difficulties that will come into this family in the future. In fact, he may be addressing the character issue with all three of these people!
My own wooden translation of verse 17 says, "And the eyes of Leah were rak, but as for Rachel, she was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance." If rak is understood in its biblical context, then it means something like tender or gentle rather than 'weak'. In the context of a larger story where Rachel turns out to be an idolater (Gen 31) and Jacob ultimately chooses to be buried with Leah (Gen 49), I'd say the author is warning us not to judge these two women by their outward appearance. The contrast is between inner and outer beauty rather than between beauty and ugliness. See how fun it is to know Hebrew!!
Today, we say, "The eyes are the windows to the soul." It is suggested that the phrase originated with William Shakespeare, but the idea may be even older. In fact, it might even apply to this story! If Leah's eyes being rak is actually a compliment (and I believe it probably is), then this verse is not merely a reflection of physical characteristics, but of personal character. Thus, the biblical author describes Leah as a compassionate (gentle and tender) person, Rachel as merely physically attractive, and Jacob as too shallow and worldly to make the right choice between the two (as reflecting his life thus far)! In the broader context of the Old Testament we might consider Proverb 31:30: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord? she shall be praised!"
I am reminded here of another story form the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel 16, the prophet is sent to anoint a new king for God's people. He believes he has found God's man in Jesse's eldest son Eliab, but God warns him to look with his heart rather than with his eyes.
"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'" (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)
God, if nothing else, is consistent, isn't He? He doesn't change His character!
So, what will we do with what we have learned from Genesis 29:17 as both the word rak and the passage as a whole fit into the biblical story? Will we try to see as the LORD sees? Or, will we, like Jacob, make the shallow choice? Who would you choose?
"And the eyes of Leah were full of compassion, but as for Rachel, she was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance."
I take my Hebrew Comprehensive Exam in less than and weak, and I'm hard at work translating and studying. In fact, even this blog post represents the sort of commentary I am expected to be able to make, so thanks for the opportunity to practice.
The passages I am working on are selected by the grammar I am using. So, I find it curious that I should be learning what I am through them.
In one particularly famous story from Genesis 29, Jacob works for his uncle Laban for 7 years in order to marry Rachel, the younger of Laban's two daughters, whom he loves. Laban tricks him after those seven years and he ends up married to Leah. However, there is a little word in this story that indicates that Jacob (though very patient) is perhaps not very wise in his choice to begin with.
Genesis 29:17 says, in many English versions:
"Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful." (NIV)
"Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance." (ESV)
"Leah had ordinary eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful." (HCSB)
"Leah looked rather plain, but Rachel was lovely in form and appearance." (ISV)
"There was no sparkle in Leah's eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face." (NLT)
"And Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face." (NASB)
As you can see, the English translation of the Hebrew word rak is not very complementary. Who can blame the young man for choosing Rachel, right? I mean, he's only known these two girls for a month (v.14)! But, do the English translations do justice to the Hebrew word? And, if not, is there something we are missing in the Hebrew author's telling of this story?
The Hebrew word rak is used 15 other times in the Old Testament. In it's most immediate context (Gen 18:7 and Gen 33:13) it refers to the tenderness of youth. In Deuteronomy 20, it is used of a man who is too gentle to fight and in Deut. 28 it is a character compliment applied to both men and women. In 2 Sam, it refers to the wisdom of restraint. In Isaiah and Ezekiel, it is a positive attribute that is lost under God's judgment. In Proverbs 4 and 15, it again refers to gentle wisdom, but also to a mother's special love for an only son. Job and Chronicles follow the same sort of thinking, with a particular focus on innocence or inexperience.
So, where is the negative idea of weakness? The closest we get is the recognition in Deuteronomy 20 that rak is inappropriate for a man who is ready to engage in warfare. Yet, overall, the word seems to reflect a positive aspect, particularly as it might be applied to a women. A good word for the idea might be "tender-heartedness" or "compassion."
Now, there are other English translations that seem to get it closer to correct. That is, they at least don't make a poor interpretation in dealing with rak. However. what they actually mean by what they say is still less than clear:
"Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured." (KVJ)
"Leah had tender eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful." (CSB)
"Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful." (GNT)
To be fair, biblical translation is a difficult task. This is a single verse, and doesn't reflect the accuracy of any of these translation in general. In fact, I find that every English translation has difficulties at some point. However, that is the point, isn't it. Those difficulties (the veil) are found in every translation, and yet most of us rely completely upon translations for reading God's Word!
So, back to our verse. What I saw in this verse as I was studying was that the biblical author is making a character statement about Jacob and foreshadowing many of the difficulties that will come into this family in the future. In fact, he may be addressing the character issue with all three of these people!
My own wooden translation of verse 17 says, "And the eyes of Leah were rak, but as for Rachel, she was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance." If rak is understood in its biblical context, then it means something like tender or gentle rather than 'weak'. In the context of a larger story where Rachel turns out to be an idolater (Gen 31) and Jacob ultimately chooses to be buried with Leah (Gen 49), I'd say the author is warning us not to judge these two women by their outward appearance. The contrast is between inner and outer beauty rather than between beauty and ugliness. See how fun it is to know Hebrew!!
Today, we say, "The eyes are the windows to the soul." It is suggested that the phrase originated with William Shakespeare, but the idea may be even older. In fact, it might even apply to this story! If Leah's eyes being rak is actually a compliment (and I believe it probably is), then this verse is not merely a reflection of physical characteristics, but of personal character. Thus, the biblical author describes Leah as a compassionate (gentle and tender) person, Rachel as merely physically attractive, and Jacob as too shallow and worldly to make the right choice between the two (as reflecting his life thus far)! In the broader context of the Old Testament we might consider Proverb 31:30: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord? she shall be praised!"
I am reminded here of another story form the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel 16, the prophet is sent to anoint a new king for God's people. He believes he has found God's man in Jesse's eldest son Eliab, but God warns him to look with his heart rather than with his eyes.
"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'" (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)
God, if nothing else, is consistent, isn't He? He doesn't change His character!
So, what will we do with what we have learned from Genesis 29:17 as both the word rak and the passage as a whole fit into the biblical story? Will we try to see as the LORD sees? Or, will we, like Jacob, make the shallow choice? Who would you choose?
"And the eyes of Leah were full of compassion, but as for Rachel, she was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance."
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