Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 29:22 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 22. 22And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Laban gathers the local men and holds a feast. The public celebration prepares the marriage but does not disclose the private substitution that follows.
Read It With
- Genesis 29:15–30
Read verses 21–25. Jacob requests the fulfilled marriage, Laban gathers witnesses and feasts, Leah is brought in the evening, and the deception is discovered in the morning. Verse 22 alone can make public celebration look like proof that every participant understood the same terms.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The public feast gives the appearance of fulfillment while preparing the concealed private substitution.
Read Genesis 29:22–24 together
Why these verses belong together: The feast, evening substitution of Leah, intercourse, and transfer of Zilpah form the concealed wedding sequence.
Verse 22. 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
Verse 23. 23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
Verse 24. 24 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid.
What Remains True
Public ceremony cannot replace truthful disclosure and informed agreement.
How It Can Shape Life
- Do not use witnesses, celebration, family approval, or religious ceremony to hide a material fact from a person entering a marriage or other binding commitment.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 29:15–30 — Laban Reverses Jacob's ExpectationsSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
Where care is needed
Genesis does not describe the feast's duration, rituals, food, alcohol level, or each guest's knowledge.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, unit boundary, agreement, service, daughters, feast, substitution, accusation, custom defense, wedding week, second marriage, later family movement, and canonical comparisons.
Exact location: Genesis 29:15–30 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 27; 29:31–30:24; 31:7, 36–42; Leviticus 18:18; Deuteronomy 24:14–15; and Matthew 1
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Lexical range, literary repetition, agreement wording, deception, chronology, slavery language, and relational comparison.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 29:15–30; wording and morphology for wages, older and younger, rakkot eyes, beautiful form and appearance, love, service, deception, firstborn, fulfil the week, handmaid, and comparative love
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Translation alternatives, lexical uncertainty, agreement and chronology clarity, and restrained handling of historical reconstruction.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 29:15–30 and translator notes, especially notes on Leah's eyes, Jacob's service arrangement, the morning discovery, younger and firstborn, wedding week, and comparative love
Open NET Genesis 29 ↗