Genesis 30:37

37 Ya'akov took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white streaks on them by peeling off the bark.

Genesis 30:37 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 30:37

And Jacob took him rods of green poplar
Of the white poplar tree, called green, not from the colour, but from the moisture, being such as were cut off of the tree: and of the hazel and chestnut tree;
the former some take to be the almond tree, as Saadiah Gaon, and others; and the latter to be the plantain or plane tree, so Ainsworth, and others: and pilled white strakes in them;
took off the bark of them in some places, and left it on in others, which made white strakes: and made the white appear which [was] in the rods;
that part of the rods which was stripped of the bark appeared white; and it appeared the whiter for the bark that was left on in other parts; and both made the rods to appear to have various colours, which was the design of Jacob in pilling them.

Genesis 30:37 In-Context

35 That day Lavan removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted and all the female goats that were speckled or spotted, every one with white on it, and all the brown sheep; turned them over to his sons;

36 and put three days' distance between himself and Ya'akov. Ya'akov fed the rest of Lavan's flocks.

37 Ya'akov took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white streaks on them by peeling off the bark.

38 Then he set the rods he had peeled upright in the watering troughs, so that the animals would see them when they came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink,

39 the animals mated in sight of the rods and gave birth to streaked, speckled and spotted young.