Genesis 30:41

41 And whenever any of the stronger of the flocks were in heat, Jacob put the branches {in full view} of the flock in the troughs that they might mate among the branches.

Genesis 30:41 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 30:41

And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did
conceive
Whose limbs were well compact, and were strong and healthy: that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters,
that they might conceive among the rods;
and bring forth party coloured ones, and such as were robust and strong like themselves; and this was another device of Jacob's to get the best of the flock. Aben Ezra thinks this refers to the two seasons of the year, when the flocks conceived; the one was in Nisan, in the spring, and such as were brought on that conception were strong, and therefore Jacob chose to lay the rods in the gutters at that time, that he might have the best cattle; and so the Targum of Jonathan calls these here the forward ones, as it does those in ( Genesis 30:42 ) we render feeble, the latter ones; which, according to Aben Ezra, conceived in Tisri or September, and what they brought were weak and feeble. (Based on the laws of genetics, Jacob's breeding of the best of the flock would produce higher quality offspring. Ed.)

Genesis 30:41 In-Context

39 And the flocks mated by the branches, so the flocks bore streaked, speckled, and spotted.

40 And Jacob separated the lambs and turned the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark-colored in Laban's flocks. And he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with the flocks of Laban.

41 And whenever any of the stronger of the flocks were in heat, Jacob put the branches {in full view} of the flock in the troughs that they might mate among the branches.

42 But with the more feeble of the flock he would not put [them there]. So the feebler were Laban's and the stronger [were] Jacob's.

43 And the man became {exceedingly} rich and had large flocks, female slaves, male slaves, camels, and donkeys.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "before the eyes of"