Genesis 30:13

13 Leah said, "A happy day! The women will congratulate me in my happiness." So she named him Asher (Happy).

Genesis 30:13 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 30:13

And Leah said
Upon the birth of the second son by her maid: happy am I;
or, "in my happiness"; or, "for my happiness" F3; that is, this child is an addition to my happiness, and will serve to increase it: for the daughters will call me blessed; the women of the place where she lived would speak of her as a happy person, that had so many children of her own, and others by her maid; see ( Psalms 127:5 ) : and she called his name Asher,
which signifies "happy" or "blessed". These two sons of Zilpah, according to the Jewish writers F4, were born, Gad on the tenth day of Marchesvan or October, and lived one hundred and twenty five years; and Asher on the twenty second day of Shebet or January, and lived one hundred and twenty three years.


FOOTNOTES:

F3 (yrvab) "in felicitate mea", Montanus; "ob beatitatem meam", Drusius; "hoc pro beatitudine men", V. L. "pro beatitudine mihi est", Schmidt.
F4 Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 4. 1.

Genesis 30:13 In-Context

11 Leah said, "How fortunate!" and she named him Gad (Lucky).
12 When Leah's maid Zilpah had a second son for Jacob,
13 Leah said, "A happy day! The women will congratulate me in my happiness." So she named him Asher (Happy).
14 One day during the wheat harvest Reuben found some mandrakes in the field and brought them home to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, "Could I please have some of your son's mandrakes?"
15 Leah said, "Wasn't it enough that you got my husband away from me? And now you also want my son's mandrakes?" Rachel said, "All right. I'll let him sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's love-apples."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.