CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Genesis 30
Chapter 30 of 50
Chapter Overview
What happens in Genesis 30
The rivalry between Rachel and Leah intensifies as both compete to have children for Jacob. Through their servants and themselves, they bear many sons and one daughter. Jacob also grows wealthy through a clever arrangement with Laban involving the flocks. Jacob's twelve sons are taking shape as the future tribes of Israel.
Scripture
Genesis 30
Rachel and Leah's Rivalry
Study note
Rachel is jealous because she has no children. She gives her servant Bilhah to Jacob, and Bilhah bears two sons: Dan and Naphtali. Not to be outdone, Leah gives her servant Zilpah to Jacob, who bears two sons: Gad and Asher. This rivalry and the use of servants as surrogates follows the cultural patterns of the ancient Near East, similar to what Sarah did with Hagar.
1 Rachel was devastated that she couldn't give Jacob any children. She became jealous of Leah and told Jacob, "Give me children or I'll die!" And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
2 Jacob got frustrated with her and shot back, "Am I God? He's the one who has kept you from having babies, not me!" And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?
3 Rachel said, "Then here — take my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her so she can have a baby on my behalf. That way I can have a family through her." And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.
4 She gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her. And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
5 Bilhah got pregnant and gave Jacob a son. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
6 Rachel declared, "God has stood up for me! He heard my prayer and gave me a son." So she named the baby Dan, meaning 'he stood up for me.' And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.
7 Bilhah got pregnant a second time and gave Jacob another boy. And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.
8 Rachel said, "I have been in an intense struggle with my sister, and I have won!" So she named him Naphtali, meaning 'my struggle.' And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she was not getting pregnant anymore, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.
10 Zilpah gave Jacob a son. And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.
11 Leah exclaimed, "What great luck!" So she named him Gad, meaning 'good fortune.' And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.
12 Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son.
13 Leah said, "I am so happy! Other women will call me blessed." So she named him Asher, meaning 'happy.' And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.
More Children for Leah and Rachel
Study note
An unusual bargain takes place when Reuben finds mandrakes, which were believed to increase fertility. Rachel trades a night with Jacob for the mandrakes. Leah bears two more sons, Issachar and Zebulun, and a daughter named Dinah. Finally, God remembers Rachel and she gives birth to Joseph, whose name means 'may he add,' because Rachel prays for yet another son. With Joseph's birth, eleven of Jacob's twelve sons have now been born.
14 During the wheat harvest season, Reuben found some special mandrake plants out in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, "Would you share some of those mandrakes with me?" And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.
15 Leah snapped back, "Isn't it bad enough that you took my husband? Now you want my son's plants too?" Rachel offered a deal: "Fine — Jacob can sleep with you tonight if you give me the mandrakes." And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes.
16 That evening when Jacob came in from the fields, Leah met him and said, "You're spending the night with me tonight — I paid for you with my son's mandrakes." So Jacob slept with her. And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
17 God answered Leah's prayers, and she got pregnant again. She gave Jacob a fifth son. And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.
18 Leah said, "God is paying me back for giving my servant to my husband." So she named this son Issachar, meaning 'reward.' And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.
19 Leah got pregnant once more and gave Jacob a sixth son. And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.
20 Leah said, "God has given me a wonderful present! Now my husband will finally honor me, because I've given him six sons." She named this son Zebulun, meaning 'honor.' And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.
21 Later on, she also had a daughter and named her Dinah. And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22 Then God finally turned his attention to Rachel. He heard her prayers and allowed her to get pregnant. And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
23 She had a son and said, "God has wiped away my shame." And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:
24 She named him Joseph, meaning 'may he add,' and said, "May the Lord give me another son someday." And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.
Jacob's Flocks Increase
Study note
After Joseph is born, Jacob asks Laban to let him go home. Laban recognizes that God has blessed him because of Jacob and asks him to stay. They strike a deal: Jacob will keep only the speckled, spotted, and dark-colored animals. Laban tries to cheat by removing all such animals, but Jacob uses a breeding strategy with striped branches at the watering troughs. The strongest animals produce spotted and speckled offspring for Jacob while the weak ones go to Laban. Jacob becomes extremely wealthy with large flocks, servants, camels, and donkeys. God is working through Jacob's cleverness to fulfill his promises.
25 After Joseph was born, Jacob told Laban, "It's time for me to go home. Let me leave." And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.
26 "Give me my wives and children — the ones I earned by working for you — and let me be on my way. You know perfectly well how hard I've worked for you." Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.
27 Laban pleaded, "Please don't go! I've figured out that the Lord has been blessing me because of you." And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.
28 He added, "Name your price and I'll pay it." And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
29 Jacob answered, "You know exactly how dedicated I've been. Your livestock has thrived under my care." And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
30 "Before I appeared, you had just a little. Now it's multiplied like crazy because the Lord has blessed you everywhere I went. But when am I going to be able to build something for my own family?" For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
31 Laban asked, "What should I pay you?" Jacob said, "You don't need to pay me anything — agree to this one deal and I'll keep managing your flocks:" And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:
32 "Let me walk through your whole flock today. I'll pull out every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. Those will be my wages." I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.
33 "My honesty will be easy to verify in the future. If you ever check and find any goat of mine that isn't spotted or speckled, or any lamb that isn't dark, you'll know I stole it." So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
34 Laban said, "Deal!" And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
35 But that very day, Laban went behind Jacob's back and pulled out all the striped and spotted male goats, all the speckled and spotted female goats — anything with white markings — plus all the dark lambs. He put his own sons in charge of them. And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
36 Then Laban created a three-day gap between his flocks and Jacob's. Jacob was left taking care of Laban's remaining animals. And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.
37 Jacob came up with a plan. He cut fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled strips of bark off them, showing the white wood underneath. And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
38 He stood these striped branches right in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. The animals mated when they came to drink, And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
39 and the ones that mated near the branches gave birth to striped, speckled, and spotted offspring. And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
40 Jacob separated these young animals and pointed Laban's remaining flock toward the striped and dark animals. He built up his own separate flocks and kept them apart from Laban's. And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle.
41 The stronger, healthier animals were ready to mate. Jacob put his branches right at the water troughs. And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
42 But he didn't bother with the weaker animals. The result? The weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones went to Jacob. But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.
43 Jacob grew exceedingly wealthy this way. He gained huge flocks, plus male and female servants, camels, and donkeys. And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
Key Themes
Themes in Genesis 30
Rivalry and comparisonThe pain of infertilityGod opens the wombThe twelve tribes begin to formGod's blessing despite dysfunction
Apply This Today
Living Genesis 30
Rachel and Leah's rivalry reminds us how destructive comparison can be. God blessed both women in different ways and at different times. Do not measure your worth by someone else's blessings — God has his own plan for you.
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