Genesischapter 30
43 verses · BSBGenesis book hub →
A.Rival Sisters, Rival Sonsvv. 1-13
1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob. 2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?” 3 Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for me, so that through her I too can build a family.” 4 So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her, 5 and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan. 7 And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali. 9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 10 And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad. 12 When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, 13 Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
B.Mandrakes, and Rachel Rememberedvv. 14-24
14 Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night. 17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19 Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 “God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun. 21 After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. 22 Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, 23 and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said. 24 She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”
C.Wages Set in Speckled Flocksvv. 25-36
25 Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland. 26 Give me my wives and children for whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard I have worked for you.” 27 But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.” 28 And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.” 29 Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care. 30 Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?” 31 “What can I give you?” Laban asked. “You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flocks. 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. These will be my wages. 33 So my honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.” 34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons. 36 Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks.
D.Peeled Rods at the Watering Troughsvv. 37-43
37 Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38 Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40 Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches. 42 But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. 43 Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.
Chapter summary
The family of Jacob filled out.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
Chapter summary
The family of Jacob filled out.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
The family of Jacob filled out. Rachel gives Bilhah; Leah gives Zilpah; mandrakes are traded; six more sons are born and the daughter Dinah. Joseph closes the chapter as Rachel's first and long-awaited son. Jacob then bargains with Laban over wages. The speckled and spotted and brown among the flock. By means Calvin calls weak but by God's providence, Jacob's flocks increase greatly. The chapter is a study in domestic pain made to serve a larger purpose: twelve sons, from four mothers, forming the tribes of Israel. Jealousy and faithlessness braid together with covenant continuation under a patient providence.
Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.
Context
Law · Moses — Genesis overview
- A. 1–13 Rival Sisters, Rival Sons
- B. 14–24 Mandrakes, and Rachel Remembered
- C. 25–36 Wages Set in Speckled Flocks
- D. 37–43 Peeled Rods at the Watering Troughs
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
Genesis 318 verses
- Genesis 31:6You know that I have served your father with all my strength.
- Genesis 31:8If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring.
- Genesis 31:9Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
- Genesis 31:10When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females.
- Genesis 31:13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”
- Genesis 31:31“I was afraid,” Jacob answered, “for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.
- Read Genesis 31: 2 more there →
Genesis 295 verses
- Genesis 29:15Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
- Genesis 29:19Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to another. Stay here with me.”
- Genesis 29:30Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years.
- Genesis 29:31When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
- Genesis 29:35And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.
- Read Genesis 29 →
Genesis 305 verses
- Genesis 30:4So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her,
- Genesis 30:17And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob.
- Genesis 30:22Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,
- Genesis 30:30Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?”
- Genesis 30:35That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons.
- Read Genesis 30 →
Genesis 354 verses
- Genesis 35:22While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:
- Genesis 35:23The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
- Genesis 35:24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
- Genesis 35:26And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
- Read Genesis 35 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
Genesis 494 verses
- Genesis 49:13Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.
- Genesis 49:19Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.
- Genesis 49:20Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.
- Genesis 49:22Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.
- Read Genesis 49 →
Luke 13 verses
- Luke 1:25“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
- Luke 1:27to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
- Luke 1:48For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.
- Read Luke 1 →
1 Samuel 13 verses
- 1 Samuel 1:19The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.
- 1 Samuel 1:20So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”
- 1 Samuel 1:26“Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.
- Read 1 Samuel 1 →
Genesis 243 verses
- Genesis 24:35“The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.
- Genesis 24:54Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”
- Genesis 24:56But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”
- Read Genesis 24 →
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.