Genesis 30:1-10

1 When Rachel realized that she wasn't having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She told Jacob, "Give me sons or I'll die!"
2 Jacob got angry with Rachel and said, "Am I God? Am I the one who refused you babies?"
3 Rachel said, "Here's my maid Bilhah. Sleep with her. Let her substitute for me so I can have a child through her and build a family."
4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah for a wife and Jacob slept with her.
5 Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.
6 Rachel said, "God took my side and vindicated me. He listened to me and gave me a son." She named him Dan (Vindication).
7 Rachel's maid Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.
8 Rachel said, "I've been in an all-out fight with my sister - and I've won." So she named him Naphtali (Fight).
9 When Leah saw that she wasn't having any more children, she gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob for a wife.
10 Zilpah had a son for Jacob.

Genesis 30:1-10 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.

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.