Genesis 29:17

Summary

The verse contrasts the physical description of the two sisters: Leah's eyes are qualified with the adjective rakkot ("weak/tender", H7390), while Rachel is described through two paired construct expressions denoting beauty of form and beauty of appearance.

Key words

• 'einei ("eyes of", H5869A) — feminine dual construct noun, grammatically linking "eyes" to Leah as the possessor; the dual form marks a natural pair.
• rakkot ("weak/tender/soft", H7390) — feminine plural adjective agreeing with the dual/plural noun "eyes," describing their quality.
• yefat ("beautiful of", H3303) — feminine singular adjective in construct state, meaning it cannot stand alone but must be followed by a noun ("form"), producing the sense "beautiful of form."
• to'ar ("form/shape", H8389) — masculine singular noun, the term completing the construct phrase begun by yefat.
• mar'eh ("appearance/sight", H4758) — masculine singular noun, second noun completing a second construct phrase with a repeated yefat, referring to visual appearance.

What the text says

The verse is built as two parallel clauses joined by ve ("and", H9002). The first clause states that 'einei Le'ah ("the eyes of Leah") were rakkot ("weak", H7390), a plural adjective agreeing with the dual noun "eyes." The second clause uses the verb hayetah ("she was", H1961, qal perfect) to introduce Rachel's description, followed by two construct chains: yefat-to'ar ("beautiful of form") and vi-yefat mar'eh ("and beautiful of appearance"). Each construct chain pairs the adjective yefat (H3303) with a different noun — to'ar (H8389, "form/shape") and mar'eh (H4758, "appearance/sight") — producing two distinct qualifiers rather than a single description repeated.

The Hebrew syntax places Leah's description in a simple nominal clause without a stated verb ("and-eyes-of-Leah weak"), while Rachel's description explicitly uses the verb hayetah ("she was"). This creates a structural asymmetry in the Hebrew: Leah's clause is verbless, Rachel's is verbal.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders rakkot (H7390) as astheneis ("weak/feeble"), consistent with the Hebrew sense of weakness. The Vulgate, however, translates the same word with lippis ("bleary/rheumy-eyed"), a more specific physical condition not explicitly indicated by the Hebrew adjective rakkot, which denotes softness or tenderness rather than a specific ailment. For Rachel, the Hebrew's two separate construct phrases (yefat-to'ar and yefat mar'eh) are rendered in the LXX as kalē tō eidei ("beautiful in form") and hōraia tē opsei ("lovely in appearance"), preserving the two-part structure, and similarly in the Vulgate as decora facie and venusto aspectu.