Genesis 30:1-6

1 When Rachel saw that 1she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I shall die!"
2 Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, 2who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
3 Then she said, "Here is my servant 3Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth 4on my behalf,[a] that even I may have children[b] through her."
4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
6 Then Rachel said, "God has 5judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.[c]

Genesis 30:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 30

This chapter gives an account of Rachel's envy of her sister for her fruitfulness, and of her earnest desire of having children, which she expressed to Jacob in an unbecoming manner, for which he reproved her, Ge 30:1,2, of her giving her maid Bilhah to Jacob, by whom he had two sons, Dan and Naphtali, Ge 30:3-8; and of Leah's giving her maid Zilpah to him, by whom he had two other sons, Gad and Asher, Ge 30:9-13; and of Reuben's mandrakes he found in the field, and the agreement made between Rachel and Leah about them, Ge 30:14-16; and of Leah's bearing Jacob two more sons and one daughter, Ge 30:17-21, and of Rachel's also bearing him a son, whose name was Joseph, Ge 30:22-24; upon which he desires leave of Laban to depart into his own country, his time of servitude being up, Ge 30:25,26; which brought on a new agreement between him and Laban, that for the future he should have all the speckled, spotted, and brown cattle for his service, Ge 30:27-36; and the chapter is concluded with an account of a cunning scheme of Jacob's to increase that sort of cattle, which succeeded, and by which he became rich, Ge 30:37-43.

Cross References 5

  • 1. Genesis 29:31
  • 2. [Genesis 16:2; 1 Samuel 1:5]
  • 3. Genesis 29:29
  • 4. Genesis 50:23
  • 5. [Genesis 49:16]

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Hebrew on my knees
  • [b]. Hebrew be built up, which sounds like the Hebrew for children
  • [c]. Dan sounds like the Hebrew for judged
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.