Genesis 30:22-24

22 Then God 1remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and 2opened her womb.
23 She conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away 3my reproach."
24 And she called his name Joseph,[a] saying, 4"May the LORD add to me another son!"

Genesis 30:22-24 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 4

  • 1. See Genesis 8:1
  • 2. Genesis 29:31; [Psalms 127:3]
  • 3. Luke 1:25; [1 Samuel 1:6; Isaiah 4:1]
  • 4. Genesis 35:17

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Joseph means May he add, and sounds like the Hebrew for taken away
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.