Genesis 30:17-27

17 And God hearkened to Lea, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.
18 And Lea said, God has given me my reward, because I gave my maid to my husband; and she called his name Issachar, which is, Reward.
19 And Lea conceived again, and bore Jacob a sixth son.
20 And Lea said, God has given me a good gift in this time; my husband will choose me, for I have born him six sons: and she called his name, Zabulon.
21 And after this she bore a daughter; and she called her name, Dina.
22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and he opened her womb.
23 And she conceived, and bore Jacob a son; and Rachel said, God has taken away my reproach.
24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, Let God add to me another son.
25 And it came to pass when Rachel had born Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my land.
26 Restore my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, that I may depart, for thou knowest the service wherewith I have served thee.
27 And Laban said to him, If I have found grace in thy sight, I would augur , for the Lord has blessed me at thy coming in.

Genesis 30:17-27 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.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Stay thou, perhaps understood. Heb. I have argued that, etc.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.