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Genesis 30:3-8

3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”
4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her,
5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son.
6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.[a]
7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.[b]

Genesis 30:3-8 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 11

  • 1. ver 7; S Genesis 29:29
  • 2. S Genesis 24:61
  • 3. Genesis 16:2
  • 4. ver 9,18
  • 5. Genesis 16:3-4
  • 6. Psalms 35:24; Psalms 43:1; Lamentations 3:59
  • 7. ver 23; Genesis 21:2; Ruth 4:13; 1 Samuel 1:20
  • 8. Genesis 46:23; Genesis 49:16-17; Numbers 26:42-43; Joshua 19:40-48; Judges 1:34; Judges 13:2; Judges 18:2; Jeremiah 4:15; Jeremiah 8:16; Ezekiel 48:1
  • 9. S ver 3
  • 10. Genesis 32:28; Hosea 12:3-4
  • 11. Genesis 35:25; Genesis 46:24; Genesis 49:21; Numbers 1:42; Numbers 26:48; Deuteronomy 33:23; Judges 4:6; Judges 5:18; 1 Chronicles 7:13

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. "Dan" here means "he has vindicated."
  • [b]. "Naphtali" means "my struggle."
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