The Beauty of Sarah, Rachel, Leah and Rebekah
The Fair Women of the Bible
Genesis 12:1111-13) Thou Art a Fair WomanFor the word yephath, rendered “fair,” see Genesis 9:27. Though its general meaning is beautiful, there can be no doubt that the light color of Sarai’s complexion was that which would chiefly commend her to the Egyptians; for she was now past sixty, and though vigorous enough to bear a son at ninety, yet that was by the special favor of God. As she lived to the age of 127 (Genesis 23:1), she was now about middle age, and evidently had retained much of her early beauty; and this, added to the difference of tint, would make her still attractive to the swarthy descendants of Ham, especially as they were not a handsome race, but had flat foreheads, high cheek-bones, large mouths, and thick lips. Abraham Feared His Wife's Beauty
Twenty years later we find Abram still haunted by fears of the effects of her personal appearance (Genesis 20:2), even when living among a better-featured race. From Genesis 20:13 it appears that on leaving Haran Abram and Sarai had agreed upon adopting this expedient, which seems to us so strangely contrary to the faith which the patriarch was at that very time displaying. He abandons his birthplace at the Divine command, and starts upon endless wanderings; and yet, to protect his own life, he makes an arrangement that involves the possible sacrifice of the chastity of his wife; and twice, but for God’s interference, this painful result would actually have happened.
Perhaps Abram may have depended upon Sarai’s cleverness to help herself out of the difficulty; but such a mixture of faith and weakness, of trust in God in abandoning so much and trust in worldly policy for preservation in a foreseen danger, cannot but make us feel how much of infirmity there was even in a character otherwise so noble."
Jacob Slaved Away for Rachel, His Love
Genesis 16: Now Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. 18 Since Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.
Leah Supposedly Was a Plain Jane
That is, Leah had eyes that were not special looking. Unlike her younger sister Rachel, Leah was ordinary-looking, what we might call a “plain Jane.”
“Leah was older than Rachel, but her eyes didn’t sparkle, while Rachel was beautiful and had a good figure.”
The VOICE: “There was no brightness to Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful shape and was lovely to look at.”
Rebekah was Fair to Look Upon
Rebekah“And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.” Gen 24:16
Leah Supposedly Was a Plain Jane
That is, Leah had eyes that were not special looking. Unlike her younger sister Rachel, Leah was ordinary-looking, what we might call a “plain Jane.”
“Leah was older than Rachel, but her eyes didn’t sparkle, while Rachel was beautiful and had a good figure.”
The VOICE: “There was no brightness to Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful shape and was lovely to look at.”
Rebekah was Fair to Look Upon
Rebekah“And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.” Gen 24:16
Sources:
Scriptures.org: Leah Eyes
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