Genesis 30:30

30 thou haddest little before that I came to thee, and now thou art made rich, and the Lord [hath] blessed thee at mine entering; therefore it is just that I purvey sometime also for mine house (and so it is only right that I provide something for my own household, or my own family).

Genesis 30:30 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 30:30

For [it was] little which thou hadst before I [came]
Perhaps but a single flock, and that not a very large one, since Rachel, his youngest daughter, had the care of it: and it is [now] increased unto a multitude;
or "broke forth" ^F13, spread itself over the fields and plains, hills and mountains adjacent, so that they were covered with his sheep, these bringing forth thousands and ten thousands, ( Psalms 144:13 ) ; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming;
or "at my foot" ^F14; ever since he set foot in his house. Aben Ezra observes it as a proverbial saying, such an one has a good foot, a lucky one, wherever he comes a blessing or success goes with him; or the meaning may be, wherever Jacob went or led his flock, and fed it, it prospered, the blessing of God going with him. Onkelos renders it, "for my sake"; and so it is the same with what Laban had observed and owned, ( Genesis 30:27 ) ; and now, when shall I provide for mine own house?
suggesting it was his duty to do it, and it was high time he did it, since he had a large family to provide for; see ( 1 Timothy 5:8 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 (Urpy) "erupit", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius.
F14 (ylgrl) "ad pedem meum", Montanus, Piscator, Drusius, Schmidt.

Genesis 30:30 In-Context

28 ordain thou the meed which I shall give to thee. (tell me the reward, or the payment, which I should give thee.)

29 And Jacob answered, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how great thy possession was in mine hands (and how great thy possession hath become in my hands);

30 thou haddest little before that I came to thee, and now thou art made rich, and the Lord [hath] blessed thee at mine entering; therefore it is just that I purvey sometime also for mine house (and so it is only right that I provide something for my own household, or my own family).

31 And Laban said, What shall I give to thee? And Jacob said, I will nothing (I desire nothing), that is, of thy gift, but if thou doest that that I ask, again I shall feed and keep thy sheep.

32 Go about all thy flocks, and separate thou all diverse(ly)-coloured sheep, and of spotted fleeces, and whatever thing shall be of dun hue, and spotted, and diverse of colour, as well in sheep as in goats; that shall be my meed. (Go about all thy flocks, and separate out all the diversely-coloured sheep, and those with spotted fleeces, and whichever shall be dunned, or spotted, or diverse in colour, with the sheep as well as with the goats, and those shall be my reward.)