Genesis 30:3-13

3 She said, "Here's my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her. She can have children for me, and I can build a family for myself through her."
4 So she gave him her slave Bilhah as his wife, and Jacob slept with her.
5 Bilhah became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Jacob.
6 Rachel said, "Now God has judged in my favor. He has heard my prayer and has given me a son." So she named him Dan [He Judges].
7 Rachel's slave Bilhah became pregnant again and gave birth to a second son for Jacob.
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].

Genesis 30:3-13 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.

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