1 Rachel, in grief for her barrenness, gives Bilhah her maid unto Jacob.
5 Bilhah bears Dan and Naphtali.
9 Leah gives Zilpah her maid, who bears Gad and Asher.
14 Reuben finds mandrakes, with which Leah buys her husband's company of Rachel.
17 Leah bears Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah.
22 Rachel bears Joseph.
25 Jacob desires to depart.
27 Laban detains him on a new agreement.
37 Jacob's policy, whereby he becomes rich.

when Rachel. 29:31

Rachel envied. Envy and jealousy are most tormenting passions to the breast which harbours them, vexatious to all around, and introductory to much impatience and ungodliness. 'Who is able to stand before envy?'

37:11 1Sa 1:4-8 Ps 106:16 Pr 14:30 Ec 4:4 1Co 3:3 Ga 5:21 Tit 3:3 Jas 3:14 4:5

or else I die. 35:16-19 37:11 Nu 11:15,29 1Ki 19:4 Job 3:1-3,11,20-22 5:2 Job 13:19 Jer 20:14-18 Joh 4:3,8 2Co 7:10

2 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?

anger. 31:36 Ex 32:19 Mt 5:22 Mr 3:5 Eph 4:26

Am I. 16:2 25:21 50:19 1Sa 1:5 2:5,6 2Ki 5:7

withheld. De 7:13,14 Ps 113:9 127:3 Lu 1:42

3 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.

Behold. 9 16:2,3

she shall. 50:23 Job 3:12

have children by her. Heb. be built up by her. 16:2 *marg: Ru 4:11

4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

to wife. 16:3 21:10 22:24 25:1,6 33:2 35:22 2Sa 12:11

5 And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.

6 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.

A.M. 2256. B.C. 1748. God. 29:32-35 Ps 35:24 43:1 La 3:59

Dan. that is, Judging. 35:25 46:23 49:16,17 De 33:22 Jer 13:2,24 15:14-20

7 And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.

A.M. 2257. B.C. 1747. 7

8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

great wrestlings. Heb. wrestlings of God. 23:6 32:24 Ex 9:28 1Sa 14:15 *marg:

and she. 35:25 46:24 49:21 De 33:23

Naphtali. that is, My wrestling. 32:24,25 Mt 4:13

Nephthalim.

9 When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.

A.M. 2256. B.C. 1748. left. 17 29:35

gave her. 4 16:3

10 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.

11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

she. 35:26 46:16 49:19 De 33:20,21

Gad. that is, A troop, or company. Isa 65:11

12 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son.

13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

A.M. 2257. B.C. 1747. Happy am I. Heb. In my happiness. will call. Pr 31:28 So 6:9 Lu 1:48

and she. 35:26 46:17 49:20 De 33:24,25

Asher. that is, Happy.

14 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.

A.M. 2256. B.C. 1748. mandrakes. The mandrake may be the Hebrew dudaim: it is so rendered by all the ancient versions, and is a species of melon, of an agreeable odour. Hasselquist, speaking of Nazareth in Galilee, says, 'What I found most remarkable at this village was the great number of mandrakes which grew in a vale below it. I had not the pleasure of seeing this plant in blossom, the fruit now (May 5th, O. S.) hanging ripe on the stem, which lay withered on the ground. From the season in which this mandrake blossoms and ripens fruit, one might form a conjecture that it was Rachel's dudaim. These were brought her in the wheat harvest, which in Galilee is in the month of May, about this time, and the mandrake was now in fruit.' The Abbee Mariti describes it as growing 'low like a lettuce, to which its leaves have a great resemblance, except that they have a dark green colour. The flowers are purple, and the root is for the most part forked. The fruit, when ripe in the beginning of May, is of the size and colour of a small apple, exceedingly ruddy, and of a most agreeable odour. Our guide thought us fools for suspecting it to be unwholesome.'

So 7:13

Give me. 25:30

15 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.

Nu 16:9,10,13 Isa 7:13 Eze 16:47 1Co 4:3

16 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 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.

A.M. 2257. B.C. 1747. 6,22 Ex 3:7 1Sa 1:20,26,27 Lu 1:13

18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.

and she. 35:23 46:13 49:14,15 De 33:18 1Ch 12:32

Issachar. that is, An hire.

19 And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.

20 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.

A.M. cir. 2258. B.C. cir. 1746. now will. 15 29:34

and she. 35:23 46:14 49:13 Jud 4:10 5:14 Ps 68:27

Zebulun. that is, Dwelling. Mt 4:13

Zabulon.

21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

A.M. cir. 2259. B.C. 1745. and called. 34:1-3,26 46:15

Dinah. that is, Judgment.

22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

remembered. 8:1 21:1 29:31 1Sa 1:19,20 Ps 105:42

opened. 2 21:1,2 25:21 29:31 Ps 113:9 127:3

23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:

'Be fruitful and multiply,' was the blessing of God: barrenness therefore was reckoned a reproach. The intense desire of having children, observable among the Jewish women, arose not only from this reproach of barrenness, but from the hope of being the mother of the promised seed, and Him in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed.

29:31 1Sa 1:5,6 Isa 4:1 Lu 1:21,25,27

24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.

And she. 35:24 37:2,4 39:1-23 42:6 48:1 *etc: 49:22-26 De 33:13-17 Eze 37:16 Ac 7:9-15 Heb 11:21,22 Re 7:8

Joseph. that is, Adding. 35:17,18

25 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.

Send me away. 24:54,56

mine. 18:33 31:55

and to. 24:6,7 26:3 27:44,45 28:13,15 31:13 Ac 7:4,5 Heb 11:9,15,16

26 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.

my wives. 29:19,20,30 31:26,31,41 Ho 12:12

for thou. 29,30 31:6,38-40

27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

favour. 18:3 33:15 34:11 39:3-5,21 47:25 Ex 3:21 Nu 11:11,15 Ru 2:13 1Sa 16:22 1Ki 11:19 Ne 1:11 2:5 Da 1:9 Ac 7:10

the Lord. 30 12:3 26:24 39:2-5,21-23 Ps 1:3 Isa 6:13 61:9 65:8

28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.

29:15,19

29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.

See on ver. 5 31:6,38-40 Mt 24:45 Eph 6:5-8 Col 3:22-25 Tit 2:9,10 1Pe 2:15,18

30 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?

increased. Heb. broken forth. 43

and the. 27

since my coming. Heb. at my foot. De 11:10

when. 2Co 12:14 1Ti 5:8

31 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.

2Sa 21:4-6 Ps 118:8 Heb 13:5

32 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.

of such. 35 31:8,10

33 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.

righteousness. 31:37 1Sa 26:23 2Sa 22:21 Ps 37:6

answer. Isa 59:12

in time to come. Heb. to-morrow. Ex 13:14

that shall be. Supply the ellipsis by inserting 'if found,' after 'stolen,' and the sense will be clear.

34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.

Nu 22:29 1Co 7:7 14:5 Ga 5:12

35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ring-streaked 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.

he removed. From this it appears, that, as Jacob had agreed to take all the parti-coloured for his wages, and was now only beginning to act upon this agreement, and consequently had as yet no right to any of the cattle, therefore Laban separated from the flock all such cattle as Jacob might afterwards claim in consequence of his bargain, leaving only the black and white with Jacob.

the hand. 31:9

36 And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

Jacob. 31:9-13

green poplar. Livneh is the white poplar, so called from the whiteness of its leaves, bark, and wood, from lavan to be white.

hasel. Jerome, Hiller, Celsius, Dr. Shaw, Bochart, and other learned men, say, that luz is not the 'hazel' but the almond-tree, as the word denotes both in Arabic and Syriac.

chestnut tree. The Heb. word armon, signifies 'the plane-tree,' so called from the bark naturally peeling off, and leaving the trunk naked, as its root aram, signifies.

Eze 31:8

38 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 flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ring-streaked, speckled, and spotted.

brought forth. 31:9-12,38,40,42 Ex 12:35,36

40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ring-streaked, 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 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.

whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive. As the means which Jacob used would not in general produce similar effects, nay, probably the experiment was never in any other instance tried with effect, it is more in harmony with Divine truth to suppose that he was directed by some Divine intimation; and rendered successful, if not by a direct miracle, yet at least by the Lord's giving a new and uncommon bias to the tendency of natural causes.

41

42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

30 13:2 24:35 26:13,14 28:15 31:7,8,42 32:10 33:11 36:7 Ec 2:7 Eze 39:10 The Lord will, in one way or other, honour those who simply trust his providence.