Genesis 30:37

37 Then Jacob took new branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees; and he peeled white stripes on them, exposing the branches' white color.

Genesis 30:37 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 30:37

And Jacob took him rods of green poplar
Of the white poplar tree, called green, not from the colour, but from the moisture, being such as were cut off of the tree: and of the hazel and chestnut tree;
the former some take to be the almond tree, as Saadiah Gaon, and others; and the latter to be the plantain or plane tree, so Ainsworth, and others: and pilled white strakes in them;
took off the bark of them in some places, and left it on in others, which made white strakes: and made the white appear which [was] in the rods;
that part of the rods which was stripped of the bark appeared white; and it appeared the whiter for the bark that was left on in other parts; and both made the rods to appear to have various colours, which was the design of Jacob in pilling them.

Genesis 30:37 In-Context

35 However, on that very day Laban took out the striped and spotted male goats and all of the speckled and spotted female goats—any with some white in it—and all of the black male lambs, and gave them to his sons.

36 He put a three-day trip between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was watching the rest of Laban's flock.

37 Then Jacob took new branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees; and he peeled white stripes on them, exposing the branches' white color.

38 He set the branches that he had peeled near the watering troughs so that they were in front of the flock when they drank, because they often mated when they came to drink.

39 When the flock mated in front of the branches, they gave birth to striped, speckled, and spotted young.