Genesis 30:1-9

The Sons of Jacob

1 Now when Rachel saw that 1she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, "2Give me children, or else * I die."
2 Then Jacob's anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has 3withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
3 She said, "4Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may 5bear on my knees, that 6through her I too may have children."
4 So 7she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
6 Then Rachel said, "God has 8vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son." Therefore * she named him Dan.
7 Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 So Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed." And she named him Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

Genesis 30:1-9 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 8

  • 1. Genesis 29:31
  • 2. 1 Samuel 1:5, 6
  • 3. Genesis 20:18; Genesis 29:31
  • 4. Genesis 16:2
  • 5. Genesis 50:23; Job 3:12
  • 6. Genesis 16:2
  • 7. Genesis 16:3, 4
  • 8. Psalms 35:24; Psalms 43:1; Lamentations 3:59

Footnotes 6

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