Genesis 30:27-37

27 But Laban said to him, "If now it pleases * you, stay with me; I have divined ¹that the LORD has blessed me on your account."

28 He continued, "²Name me your wages, and I will give it."

29 But he said to him, "³You yourself know how * I have served you and how * your cattle have fared with me.

30 "For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?"

31 So he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock:

32 let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every ⁴speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.

33 "So my honesty will answer for me later *, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen."

34 Laban said, "Good, let it be according to your word."

35 So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons.

36 And he put a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

37 Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods.

Genesis 30:27-37 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

• 1. Genesis 26:24; Genesis 39:3, 5; Isaiah 61:9
• 2. Genesis 29:15; Genesis 31:7, 41
• 3. Genesis 31:6
• 4. Genesis 31:8

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "I have found favor in your eyes"
• [b] Lit "said"
• [c] Lit "been"
• [d] Lit "me"
• [e] Lit "broken forth"
• [f] Lit "at my foot"
• [g] Lit "sheep"
• [h] Lit "righteousness"
• [i] Lit "wages which are before you"
• [j] Lit "Behold, would that it might be"
• [k] Lit "hand"
• [l] Lit "took to himself"
• [m] Lit "on"