Genesis 29:24
New International Version
And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

New Living Translation
(Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)

English Standard Version
(Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)

Berean Standard Bible
And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.

King James Bible
And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid.

New King James Version
And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.

New American Standard Bible
Laban also gave his female slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a slave.

NASB 1995
Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.

NASB 1977
Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.

Legacy Standard Bible
Laban also gave his servant-woman Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a servant-woman.

Amplified Bible
Laban also gave Zilpah his maid to his daughter Leah as a maid.

Christian Standard Bible
And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.

American Standard Version
And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

Contemporary English Version
Laban also gave Zilpah to Leah as her servant woman.

English Revised Version
And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for an handmaid.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
(Laban had given his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.)

Good News Translation
Laban gave his slave woman Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maid.)

International Standard Version
Laban also gave his servant woman Zilpah to Leah to be her maidservant.

Majority Standard Bible
And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.

NET Bible
(Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)

New Heart English Bible
Laban gave Zilpah his female servant to his daughter Leah as a servant.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Laban gave to his daughter Leah, Zilpah his maid for a handmaid.

World English Bible
Laban gave Zilpah his servant to his daughter Leah for a servant.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and Laban gives his maidservant Zilpah to her, to his daughter Leah, [for] a maidservant.

Young's Literal Translation
and Laban giveth to her Zilpah, his maid-servant, to Leah his daughter, a maid-servant.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Laban will give to her, Zilpah his maid, to Leah his daughter a maid.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Giving his daughter a handmaid, named Zalpha. Now when Jacob had gone in to her according to custom when morning was come he saw it was Lia:

Catholic Public Domain Version
giving his daughter a handmaid named Zilpah. After Jacob had gone in to her, according to custom, when morning had arrived, he saw Leah.

New American Bible
Laban assigned his maidservant Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.

New Revised Standard Version
(Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.)
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Laban gave Zilpah his maid to his daughter Leah for a servant.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Laban gave Zelpha, his Handmaid, to Leah his daughter as a Handmaid.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Laban gave to his daughter Lea, Zelpha his handmaid, as a handmaid for her.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
23But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant. 25When morning came, there was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob said to Laban. “Wasn’t it for Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?”…

Cross References
Genesis 24:59-61
So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. / And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.” / Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

Genesis 31:15
Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us.

Genesis 24:61
Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

Genesis 30:9
When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

Genesis 16:1-3
Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. / So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. / So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.

Genesis 21:10
and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!”

Genesis 24:35
“The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.

Genesis 25:6
But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

Genesis 30:3-4
Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for me, so that through her I too can build a family.” / So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her,

Genesis 31:50
If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

Genesis 16:5
Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

Genesis 21:14
Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

Genesis 30:18
Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

Genesis 31:7
And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me.

Genesis 31:41
Thus for twenty years I have served in your household—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times!


Treasury of Scripture

And Laban gave to his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid.

Zilpah.

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 24:59
And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.

Genesis 30:9-12
When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife…

Jump to Previous
Daughter Girl Handmaid Laban Maid Maidservant Maid-Servant Servant Servant-Girl Waiting-Woman Zilpah
Jump to Next
Daughter Girl Handmaid Laban Maid Maidservant Maid-Servant Servant Servant-Girl Waiting-Woman Zilpah
Genesis 29
1. Jacob comes to the well of Haran.
9. He becomes acquainted with Rachel.
13. Laban entertains him.
18. Jacob covenants for Rachel.
23. He is deceived by Laban with Leah.
28. He marries also Rachel, and serves for her seven years more.
32. Leah bears Reuben;
33. Simeon;
34. Levi;
35. and Judah.














And Laban
Laban, whose name in Hebrew (לָבָן) means "white," is a significant figure in the patriarchal narratives of Genesis. He is the brother of Rebekah and the father of Leah and Rachel. Laban's actions throughout the Genesis account reveal a man who is shrewd and often self-serving. His giving of Zilpah to Leah is part of the cultural practices of the time, where a father would provide a dowry or gifts to accompany his daughter into marriage. This act also foreshadows Laban's later interactions with Jacob, where his cunning nature becomes more evident.

gave his servant girl Zilpah
The giving of Zilpah, whose name in Hebrew (זִלְפָּה) may mean "dropping" or "trickling," is significant in the context of ancient Near Eastern customs. Servant girls or maidservants were often given as part of a dowry, serving as attendants to the bride. Zilpah's role would later become more prominent as she becomes one of the mothers of the tribes of Israel, bearing children for Jacob. This practice reflects the social and familial structures of the time, where maidservants could bear children on behalf of their mistresses, a practice seen also with Hagar and Sarah.

to his daughter Leah
Leah, whose name in Hebrew (לֵאָה) is often associated with meanings such as "weary" or "wild cow," is the elder daughter of Laban. Her marriage to Jacob, which was orchestrated by Laban's deception, sets the stage for much of the familial tension and drama that follows. Leah's position as the less favored wife of Jacob highlights themes of God's providence and blessing, as she becomes the mother of several of Jacob's sons, including Judah, from whom the line of David and ultimately Jesus Christ descends.

as her maidservant
The term "maidservant" in Hebrew (שִׁפְחָה) refers to a female servant or slave. In the patriarchal society of the ancient Near East, maidservants held a dual role of servitude and familial integration. They were often integral to the household, participating in both domestic duties and, at times, in the continuation of family lineage. Zilpah's role as Leah's maidservant underscores the complex social dynamics and the importance of lineage and inheritance in the biblical narrative. Her presence in Leah's life is a testament to the intricate weaving of God's plan through human relationships and societal norms.

(24) Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah . . . --Bethuel had given Rebekah not only Deborah her nurse, but also damsels (Genesis 24:61); but then she had been obtained by presents of unusual costliness. Still, Laban does not seem to have acted very liberally by his daughters, and they resented his treatment of them (Genesis 31:15).

Verse 24. - And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah - "the Dropping"? (Gesenius), "Myrrh-juice" (Furst) - his maid (according to Gesenius the word is closely connected with an unused root signifying to spread out, hence a maid-servant) for an handmaid. This was in accordance with Oriental custom (vide Genesis 14:61). That Leah obtained only one damsel need not be ascribed to Laban's parsimonious character, but to his already-formed intention to bestow a second on Rachel.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And Laban
לָבָן֙ (lā·ḇān)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3837: Laban -- father-in-law of Jacob

gave
וַיִּתֵּ֤ן (way·yit·tên)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

his servant girl
שִׁפְחָת֑וֹ (šip̄·ḥā·ṯōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8198: Maid, maidservant

Zilpah
זִלְפָּ֖ה (zil·pāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 2153: Zilpah -- one of Jacob's wives

to his daughter
בִתּ֖וֹ (ḇit·tōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1323: A daughter

Leah
לְלֵאָ֥ה (lə·lê·’āh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3812: Leah -- 'weary', a wife of Jacob

as her maidservant.
שִׁפְחָֽה׃ (šip̄·ḥāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8198: Maid, maidservant


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OT Law: Genesis 29:24 Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 29:23
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