Jacob sees Rachel for the first time as she draws water from the well and immediately falls in love with her. Without hesitation, he asks her father Laban for her hand in marriage. The request is granted, but Jacob is told that he will have to work as Laban’s servant for seven years in order to deserve Rachel. “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her” (Genesis 29:20).
In Hebrew, the phrase “they seemed to him but a few days” reads וַיִּהְיוּ בְעֵינָיו כְּיָמִים אֲחָדִים which literally means “they were in his eyes as single days”. The mention of Jacob’s eyes in the Hebrew text is significant since eyes are considered to be the window to the soul. Unlike Leah whose “eyes were weak” (Genesis 29:17), Jacob keeps his eyes strong. He is so consumed with love for Rachel that the long period of seven years passes in the blink of an eye.
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