^29:1So Jacob moved on¹ and came to the land of the eastern people.²^29:2He saw³ in the field a well with⁴ three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now⁵ a large stone covered the mouth of the well. ^29:3When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds⁶ would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.

^29:4Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” ^29:5So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson⁷ of Nahor?” “We know him,”⁸ they said. ^29:6“Is he well?”⁹ Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well.¹⁰ Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” ^29:7Then Jacob¹¹ said, “Since it is still the middle of the day,¹² it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.”¹³^29:8“We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water¹⁴ the sheep.”

^29:9While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them.¹⁵^29:10When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban,¹⁶ and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he¹⁷ went over¹⁸ and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban.¹⁹^29:11Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly.²⁰^29:12When Jacob explained²¹ to Rachel that he was a relative of her father²² and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. ^29:13When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob²³ told Laban how he was related to him.²⁴^29:14Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.”²⁵ So Jacob²⁶ stayed with him for a month.²⁷

^29:15Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work²⁸ for me for nothing because you are my relative?²⁹ Tell me what your wages should be.” ^29:16(Now Laban had two daughters;³⁰ the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. ^29:17Leah’s eyes were tender,³¹ but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.)³²^29:18Since Jacob had fallen in love with³³ Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” ^29:19Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man.³⁴ Stay with me.” ^29:20So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel.³⁵ But they seemed like only a few days to him³⁶ because his love for her was so great.³⁷

^29:21Finally Jacob said³⁸ to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up.³⁹ I want to have marital relations with her.”⁴⁰^29:22So Laban invited all the people⁴¹ of that place and prepared a feast. ^29:23In the evening he brought his daughter Leah⁴² to Jacob,⁴³ and Jacob⁴⁴ had marital relations with her.⁴⁵^29:24(Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)⁴⁶

^29:25In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah!⁴⁷ So Jacob⁴⁸ said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me!⁴⁹ Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked⁵⁰ me?” ^29:26“It is not our custom here,”⁵¹ Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage⁵² before the firstborn. ^29:27Complete my older daughter’s bridal week.⁵³ Then we will give you the younger one⁵⁴ too, in exchange for seven more years of work.”⁵⁵

^29:28Jacob did as Laban said.⁵⁶ When Jacob⁵⁷ completed Leah’s bridal week,⁵⁸ Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.⁵⁹^29:29(Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.)⁶⁰^29:30Jacob⁶¹ had marital relations⁶² with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban⁶³ for seven more years.⁶⁴

The Family of Jacob

^29:31When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved,⁶⁵ he enabled her to become pregnant⁶⁶ while Rachel remained childless. ^29:32So Leah became pregnant⁶⁷ and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,⁶⁸ for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition.⁶⁹ Surely my husband will love me now.”

^29:33She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved,⁷⁰ he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.⁷¹

^29:34She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection,⁷² because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi.⁷³

^29:35She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah.⁷⁴ Then she stopped having children.

^30:1When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she¹ became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children² or I’ll die!” ^30:2Jacob became furious³ with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”⁴^30:3She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with⁵ her so that she can bear⁶ children⁷ for me⁸ and I can have a family through her.”⁹

^30:4So Rachel¹⁰ gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with¹¹ her. ^30:5Bilhah became pregnant¹² and gave Jacob a son.¹³^30:6Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer¹⁴ and given me a son.” That is why¹⁵ she named him Dan.¹⁶

^30:7Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son.¹⁷^30:8Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.”¹⁸ So she named him Naphtali.¹⁹

^30:9When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave²⁰ her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. ^30:10Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son.²¹^30:11Leah said, “How fortunate!”²² So she named him Gad.²³

^30:12Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son.²⁴^30:13Leah said, “How happy I am,²⁵ for women²⁶ will call me happy!” So she named him Asher.²⁷

^30:14At the time²⁸ of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants²⁹ in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” ^30:15But Leah replied,³⁰ “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,”³¹ Rachel said, “he may sleep³² with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” ^30:16When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep³³ with me because I have paid for your services³⁴ with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations³⁵ with her that night. ^30:17God paid attention³⁶ to Leah; she became pregnant³⁷ and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time.³⁸^30:18Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward³⁹ because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.”⁴⁰ So she named him Issachar.⁴¹

^30:19Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time.⁴²^30:20Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.⁴³

^30:21After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

^30:22Then God took note of⁴⁴ Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant.⁴⁵^30:23She became pregnant⁴⁶ and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.”⁴⁷^30:24She named him Joseph,⁴⁸ saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”

The Flocks of Jacob

^30:25After Rachel had given birth⁴⁹ to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send⁵⁰ me on my way so that I can go⁵¹ home to my own country.⁵²^30:26Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you.⁵³ Then I’ll depart,⁵⁴ because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.”⁵⁵

^30:27But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here,⁵⁶ for I have learned by divination⁵⁷ that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.” ^30:28He added, “Just name your wages—I’ll pay whatever you want.”⁵⁸

^30:29“You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied,⁵⁹ “and how well your livestock have fared under my care.⁶⁰^30:30Indeed,⁶¹ you had little before I arrived,⁶² but now your possessions have increased many times over.⁶³ The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked.⁶⁴ But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?”⁶⁵

^30:31So Laban asked,⁶⁶ “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,”⁶⁷ Jacob replied,⁶⁸ “but if you agree to this one condition,⁶⁹ I will continue to care for⁷⁰ your flocks and protect them: ^30:32Let me walk among⁷¹ all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb,⁷² and the spotted or speckled goats.⁷³ These animals will be my wages.⁷⁴^30:33My integrity will testify for me⁷⁵ later on.⁷⁶ When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on,⁷⁷ if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.”⁷⁸^30:34“Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.”⁷⁹

^30:35So that day Laban⁸⁰ removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care⁸¹ of his sons. ^30:36Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey,⁸² while⁸³ Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

^30:37But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. ^30:38Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink.⁸⁴^30:39When the sheep mated⁸⁵ in front of the branches, they⁸⁶ gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. ^30:40Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face⁸⁷ the streaked…

Read in Logos

This passage has been shortened. Keep reading Genesis 29–30 in Logos

Footnotes

1 Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.
2 Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”
3 Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12–15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.
4 Heb “and look, there.”
5 The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
6 Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 Heb “son.”
8 Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’ ” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.
9 Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’ ”
10 Heb “peace.”
11 Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 Heb “the day is great.”
13 Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.
14 The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.
15 Heb “was a shepherdess.”
16 Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).
17 Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
18 Heb “drew near, approached.”
19 Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [], 2:).
20 Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.
21 Heb “declared.”
22 Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”
23 Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).
25 Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16–17).
26 Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 Heb “a month of days.”
28 The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.
29 Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.
30 Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16–17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.
31 Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. , , ), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.
32 Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”
33 Heb “Jacob loved.”
34 Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”
35 Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
36 But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.
37 Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
38 Heb “and Jacob said.”
39 Heb “my days are fulfilled.”
40 Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).
41 Heb “men.”
42 Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.” His daughter Leah. Laban’s deception of Jacob by giving him the older daughter instead of the younger was God’s way of disciplining the deceiver who tricked his older brother. D. Kidner says this account is “the very embodiment of anti-climax, and this moment a miniature of man’s disillusion, experienced from Eden onwards” (Genesis [], ). G. von Rad notes, “That Laban secretly gave the unloved Leah to the man in love was, to be sure, a monstrous blow, a masterpiece of shameless treachery … It was certainly a move by which he won for himself far and wide the coarsest laughter” (Genesis [], 291).
43 Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
44 Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
45 Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
46 Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
47 Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
48 Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
49 Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”
50 The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” 34 (1984): 211–13.
51 Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’ ” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
52 Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
53 Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity. Bridal week. An ancient Hebrew marriage ceremony included an entire week of festivities (cf. Judg 14:12).
54 Heb “this other one.”
55 Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.” In exchange for seven more years of work. See C. H. Gordon, “The Story of Jacob and Laban in the Light of the Nuzi Tablets,” 66 (1937): 25–27; and J. Van Seters, “Jacob’s Marriages and Ancient Near Eastern Customs: A Reassessment,” 62 (1969): 377–95.
56 Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
57 Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
58 Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.
59 Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
60 Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”
61 Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
62 Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
63 Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
64 Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”
65 Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.
66 Heb “he opened up her womb.”
67 Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
68 The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, ré’uven) means “look, a son.”
69 Heb “looked on my affliction.” Leah’s explanation of the name Reuben reflects a popular etymology, not an exact one. The name means literally “look, a son.” Playing on the Hebrew verb “look,” she observes that the Lord has “looked” with pity on her oppressed condition. See further S. R. Driver, Genesis, 273.
70 Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. .
71 The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the Lord “heard” about Leah’s unloved condition and responded with pity.
72 Heb “will be joined to me.”
73 The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.
74 The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yéhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” 46 (1927): 151–85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” 86 (1974): 216–18.
1 Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2 Heb “sons.”
3 Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”
4 Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”
5 Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
6 After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.
7 The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
8 Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.
9 Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and 125 בָנָה).
10 Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
12 Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).
13 Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”
14 Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.
15 Or “therefore.”
16 The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.
17 Heb “and she became pregnant again and Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, bore a second son for Jacob.”
18 Heb “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister, also I have prevailed.” The phrase “mighty struggle” reads literally “struggles of God.” The plural participle “struggles” reflects the ongoing nature of the struggle, while the divine name is used here idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the struggle. See J. Skinner, Genesis (), .
19 The name Naphtali (נַפְתָּלִי, naftali) must mean something like “my struggle” in view of the statement Rachel made in the preceding clause. The name plays on this earlier statement, “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister.”
20 Heb “she took her servant Zilpah and gave her.” The verbs “took” and “gave” are treated as a hendiadys in the translation: “she gave.”
21 Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore for Jacob a son.”
22 The statement in the Kethib (consonantal text) appears to mean literally “with good fortune,” if one takes the initial בְּ (bet) as a preposition indicating accompaniment. The Qere (marginal reading) means “good fortune has arrived.”
23 The name Gad (גָּד, gad) means “good fortune.” The name reflects Leah’s feeling that good fortune has come her way, as expressed in her statement recorded earlier in the verse.
24 Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore a second son for Jacob.”
25 The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”
26 Heb “daughters.”
27 The name Asher (אָשֶׁר, ’asher) apparently means “happy one.” The name plays on the words used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. Both the Hebrew noun and verb translated “happy” and “call me happy,” respectively, are derived from the same root as the name Asher.
28 Heb “during the days.”
29 Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.
30 Heb “and she said to her”; the referent of the pronoun “she” (Leah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31 Heb “therefore.”
32 Heb “lie down.” The expression “lie down with” in this context (here and in the following verse) refers to sexual intercourse. The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
33 Heb “must come in to me.” The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. She has acquired him for the night and feels he is obligated to have sexual relations with her.
34 Heb “I have surely hired.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form for emphasis. The name Issachar (see v. 18) seems to be related to this expression.
35 This is the same Hebrew verb (שָׁכַב, shakhav) translated “sleep with” in v. 15. In direct discourse the more euphemistic “sleep with” was used, but here in the narrative “marital relations” reflects more clearly the emphasis on sexual intercourse.
36 Heb “listened to.”
37 Or “she conceived” (also in v. 19).
38 Heb “and she bore for Jacob a fifth son,” i.e., this was the fifth son that Leah had given Jacob.
39 Heb “God has given my reward.”
40 The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9). Leah seems to regard the act of giving her servant Zilpah to her husband as a sacrifice, for which (she believes) God is now rewarding her with the birth of a son.
41 The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.
42 Heb “and she bore a sixth son for Jacob,” i.e., this was the sixth son that Leah had given Jacob.
43 The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.
44 Heb “remembered.”
45 Heb “and God listened to her and opened up her womb.” Since “God” is the subject of the previous clause, the noun has been replaced by the pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons
46 Or “conceived.”
47 Heb “my reproach.” A “reproach” is a cutting taunt or painful ridicule, but here it probably refers by metonymy to Rachel’s barren condition, which was considered shameful in this culture and was the reason why she was the object of taunting and ridicule.
48 The name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yoseph) means “may he add.” The name expresses Rachel’s desire to have an additional son. In Hebrew the name sounds like the verb (אָסַף, ’asasf) translated “taken away” in the earlier statement made in v. 23. So the name, while reflecting Rachel’s hope, was also a reminder that God had removed her shame.
49 The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.
50 The imperatival form here expresses a request. For Jacob to ask to leave would mean that seven more years had passed. Thus all Jacob’s children were born within the range of seven years of each other, with Joseph coming right at the end of the seven years.
51 Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
52 Heb “to my place and to my land.”
53 Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.
54 Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
55 Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”
56 The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
57 Or perhaps “I have grown rich and the Lord has blessed me” (cf. ). See J. Finkelstein, “An Old Babylonian Herding Contract and Genesis 31:38f.,” 88 (1968): 34, n. 19.
58 Heb “set your wage for me so I may give [it].”
59 Heb “and he said to him, ‘You know how I have served you.’ ” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons, and the referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
60 Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”
61 Or “for.”
62 Heb “before me.”
63 Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”
64 Heb “at my foot.”
65 Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”
66 Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
67 The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.
68 The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
69 Heb “If you do for me this thing.”
70 Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”
71 Heb “pass through.”
72 Or “every black lamb”; Heb “and every dark sheep among the lambs.”
73 Heb “and the spotted and speckled among the goats.”
74 Heb “and it will be my wage.” The referent collective singular pronoun (“it) has been specified as “these animals” in the translation for clarity.
75 Heb “will answer on my behalf.”
76 Heb “on the following day,” or “tomorrow.”
77 Heb “when you come concerning my wage before you.” Only the wage we agreed on. Jacob would have to be considered completely honest here, for he would have no control over the kind of animals born; and there could be no disagreement over which animals were his wages.
78 Heb “every one which is not speckled and spotted among the lambs and dark among the goats, stolen it is with me.”
79 Heb “and Laban said, ‘Good, let it be according to your word.’ ” On the asseverative use of the particle לוּ (lu) here, see לוּ.
80 Heb “he”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
81 Heb “and he gave [them] into the hand.”
82 Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.” Three days’ traveling distance from Jacob. E. A. Speiser observes, “Laban is delighted with the terms, and promptly proceeds to violate the spirit of the bargain by removing to a safe distance all the grown animals that would be likely to produce the specified spots” (Genesis [], ). Laban apparently thought that by separating out the spotted, striped, and dark colored animals he could minimize the production of spotted, striped, or dark offspring that would then belong to Jacob.
83 The disjunctive clause (introduced by the vav with subject) is circumstantial/temporal; Laban removed the animals while Jacob was taking care of the rest.
84 He put the branches in front of the flocks … when they came to drink. It was generally believed that placing such “visual aids” before the animals as they were mating, it was possible to influence the appearance of their offspring. E. A. Speiser notes that “Jacob finds a way to outwit his father-in-law, through prenatal conditioning of the flock by visual aids—in conformance with universal folk beliefs” (Genesis [], ). Nevertheless, in spite of Jacob’s efforts at animal husbandry, he still attributes the resulting success to God (see 31:5).
85 The Hebrew verb used here can mean “to be in heat” (see v. 38) or “to mate; to conceive; to become pregnant.” The latter nuance makes better sense in this verse, for the next clause describes them giving birth.
86 Heb “the sheep.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
87 Heb “and he set the faces of.”