Bereshis 30:3

3 And she said, Hinei my amah (maidservant) Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my birkayim, that I may also build up through her.

Bereshis 30:3 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 30:3

And she said
in order to pacify Jacob, and explain her meaning to him; which was, not that she thought it was in his power to make her the mother of children, but that he would think of some way or another of obtaining children for her, that might go for hers; so the Arabic version, "obtain a son for me": but, since no method occurred to him, she proposes one: behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her,
take her and use her as thy wife: and she shall bear upon my knees;
either sit on her knees in the time of labour, and so bring forth as if it was she herself; or rather bear a child, which Rachel would take and nurse, and dandle upon her knees as her own, see ( Isaiah 66:12 ) ; that I may also have children by her;
children as well as her sister, though by her maid, and as Sarah proposed to have by Hagar, whose example, in all probability, she had before her, and uses her very words; (See Gill on Genesis 16:2).

Bereshis 30:3 In-Context

1 0 And when Rachel saw that she did not bear [banim] to Ya’akov, Rachel had kina toward her achot; and said unto Ya’akov, Give me banim, or else I die.

2 And af Ya’akov was kindled against Rachel; and he said, Am I in place of Elohim, Who hath withheld from thee p’ri beten?

3 And she said, Hinei my amah (maidservant) Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my birkayim, that I may also build up through her.

4 And she gave him Bilhah her shifchah (slave woman, maidservant) as isha; and Ya’akov went in unto her.

5 And Bilhah conceived, and bore Ya’akov ben.