Genesis 30:2-12

2 Then Jacob's anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has 1withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
3 She said, "2Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may 3bear on my knees, that 4through her I too may have children."
4 So 5she 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 6vindicated 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.
10 Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
11 Then Leah said, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad.
12 Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

Genesis 30:2-12 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 6

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

Footnotes 7

  • [a]. Lit "from her I too may be built"
  • [b]. Lit "judged"
  • [c]. I.e. He judged
  • [d]. Lit "wrestlings of God"
  • [e]. Heb "niphtal," related to Naphtali
  • [f]. Lit "With fortune!" Some versions read "Fortune has come"
  • [g]. I.e. Fortune
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