Genesis 30:17-27

17 God listened to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a fifth son.
18 She said, "God rewarded me for giving my maid to my husband." She named him Issachar (Bartered).
19 Leah became pregnant yet again and gave Jacob a sixth son,
20 saying, "God has given me a great gift. This time my husband will honor me with gifts - I've given him six sons!" She named him Zebulun (Honor).
21 Last of all she had a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 And then God remembered Rachel. God listened to her and opened her womb.
23 She became pregnant and had a son. She said, "God has taken away my humiliation."
24 She named him Joseph (Add), praying, "May God add yet another son to me."
25 After Rachel had had Joseph, Jacob spoke to Laban, "Let me go back home.
26 Give me my wives and children for whom I've served you. You know how hard I've worked for you."
27 Laban said, "If you please, I have learned through divine inquiry that God has blessed me because of you."

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.

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.