Genesis 30:21-31

21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive.
23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”
24 She named him Joseph,[a] and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”

Jacob’s Flocks Increase

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland.
26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”
27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”
28 He added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care.
30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?”
31 “What shall I give you?” he asked. “Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them:

Genesis 30:21-31 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 19

  • 1. Genesis 34:1; Genesis 46:15
  • 2. S Genesis 8:1; 1 Samuel 1:19-20
  • 3. S Genesis 25:21
  • 4. S Genesis 11:30; Genesis 29:31
  • 5. S ver 6; S Genesis 29:32
  • 6. Isaiah 4:1; Isaiah 25:8; Isaiah 45:17; Isaiah 54:4; Luke 1:25
  • 7. S Genesis 29:6; Genesis 32:22; Genesis 33:2,7; Genesis 35:24; Genesis 37:2; Genesis 39:1; Genesis 49:22-26; Deuteronomy 33:13
  • 8. Genesis 35:17; 1 Samuel 4:20
  • 9. S Genesis 24:54
  • 10. S Genesis 28:15
  • 11. S Genesis 29:18; Genesis 29:20,30; Hosea 12:12
  • 12. Genesis 33:10; Genesis 50:4; Esther 2:15
  • 13. Genesis 44:5,15; Leviticus 19:26; Numbers 22:7; Numbers 23:23; Numbers 24:1; Joshua 13:22; 2 Kings 17:17; Jeremiah 27:9
  • 14. ver 30; S Genesis 26:24; Genesis 31:38; Genesis 39:3,5; Deuteronomy 28:11; 2 Samuel 6:11
  • 15. S Genesis 29:15
  • 16. Genesis 31:6
  • 17. Genesis 31:38-40
  • 18. S ver 27
  • 19. 1 Timothy 5:8

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. "Joseph" means "may he add."
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