Genesis 30:8-18

8 Rachel said, "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won!" So she named him Naphtali [My Struggle].

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as his wife.

10 Leah's slave Zilpah gave birth to a son for Jacob.

11 Leah said, "I've been lucky!" So she called him Gad [Luck].

12 Leah's slave Zilpah gave birth to her second son for Jacob.

13 Leah said, "I've been blessed! Women will call me blessed." So she named him Asher [Blessing].

14 During the wheat harvest Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrakes. He brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

15 Leah replied, "Isn't it enough that you took my husband? Are you also going to take my son's mandrakes?" Rachel said, "Very well, Jacob can go to bed with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes."

16 As Jacob was coming in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You are to sleep with me," she said. "You are my reward for my son's mandrakes." So he went to bed with her that night.

17 God answered Leah's prayer. She became pregnant and gave birth to her fifth son for Jacob.

18 Leah said, "God has given me my reward because I gave my slave to my husband." So she named him Issachar [Reward].

Genesis 30:8-18 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.