Genesis 27-29   Listen

Hey! This tastes a lot like goat meat! (Genesis 27:1-26)

1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” ¶ And he answered him, “Here I am.”
2 ¶ Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.
3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”
5 ¶ Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.
6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,
7 “Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.’
8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.
9 Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.
10 Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.”
11 ¶ And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man.
12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.”
13 ¶ But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.”
14 And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.
15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 ¶ So he went to his father and said, “My father.” ¶ And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
19 ¶ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”
20 ¶ But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” ¶ And he said, “Because the LORD your God brought it to me.”
21 ¶ Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.
24 ¶ Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” ¶ He said, “I am.”
25 ¶ He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.”

Before we go any further, here is a very important fact of reality: Esau had already sold his birthright (first-son status) to Jacob for a mere bowl of soup. It rightly belonged to Jacob.

Let's take a look at Genesis 25:31-34 (see notes) to fully understand the gravity of that occurrence:

31 ¶ But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”
32 ¶ And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”
33 ¶ Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” ¶ So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

It is important to note that Esau did willingly sell his first-son status to Jacob. Let's play the what-if game for a moment. What if Jacob had gone to Isaac in advance and told him plainly that Esau had bartered away his birthright to Jacob and had sealed the deal with a sworn oath? I am certain that the outcome would have been the same. Oaths were sacred in that society. That oath would have been honored. However, Jacob and his Mom deem it necessary to enter into a deceitful pact to ensure the success of the birthright transfer. Isaac is 137 years old at this time (see box for details on the calculation of Isaac's age), and blind...really, really blind. It was traditional to gather the sons around when the death-bed blessings were to be given out, but Isaac calls only Esau on this occasion; perhaps he was trying to sneak one by. He wants to bless Esau before his death (he actually lived another 43 years), but first he wants this birthright ceremony to be preceded with a good ol' home-cooked meal by his eldest son. Rebekah has other ideas. When Jacob is hesitant (verse 12), citing the resulting curse that may come upon him if discovered, look what Rebekah says to persuade him to go through with it in verse 13, "Let your curse be on me, my son..." if things go wrong and Isaac discovers the deception.

But wait! There's one other component to this scenario - the word of the Lord to Rebekah while she was still carrying the twins in Genesis 25:23 (see notes) when she was told, "...the older shall serve the younger." Rebekah must have felt that her actions were validated by the Lord himself. While Esau is out shopping for the ingredients to the meal, Rebekah assists Jacob in pulling off the heist; they trick blind Isaac into blessing Jacob with the rights of the firstborn rather than Esau. Keep in mind; they were twins; Esau was just a few seconds older than Jacob. Moreover, they had struggled even in Rebekah's womb (Genesis 25:22), so Jacob probably always felt that he had been unjustly edged out at the finish line. Isn't it interesting that Isaac couldn't tell the difference between goat meat and venison? The Hebrew word used for "venison" there means "hunted game."

One lie didn't do it. Let's analyze Jacob's multi-lie transaction:

• Lie #1 - Genesis 27:19, "Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn."
• Lie #2 - Genesis 27:20 - When Isaac asked Jacob how he found, killed and prepared the game so quickly, he replied, "the LORD your God brought it to me."
• Lie #3 - Genesis 27:24, "Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am."

The first few times I read this story, I always wondered why, when Isaac realized the deception, he did not simply retract the ill-gotten blessing based upon the dishonest measures by which it was obtained. Moreover, Isaac performed a rather involved identity confirmation which concludes in Genesis 27:24, "And he said, Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am." Would not any court of law throw this blessing out and perhaps even lock Jacob up for being an impostor and a scam artist? Not really! The fact is this: The birthright belonged to Jacob with or without the deceit. Esau had sold it to him and sealed the deal with an oath. Like it or not, the blessing of the firstborn belonged to Jacob even before Isaac sent Esau out to bring home his pre-blessing meal. I'm confident that's the real reason the blessing stood. In actuality, it was Esau who was about to receive a blessing to which he had no right. The honorable thing would have been to say to Isaac, "Oh, by the way Dad, I transferred my birthright to Jacob and sealed it with an oath." So, Jacob and Rebekah were not the only deceivers on the premises that day.

Let's recap the deceit:

• Esau: he intended to receive the eldest-son birthright which he had bartered away and sealed with an oath.
• Isaac: he intended to hold a secret ceremony 43 years before his actual death to award the birthright to Esau.
• Rebekah: Conspiracy to commit identity falsification...big time
• Jacob: Identity falsification and outright lying

Let's face it. The whole deal was shady. However, it turned out just as God had told Rebekah it would in Genesis 25:23 (see notes). Nobody fooled God. Incidentally, you may be amused to know that Jacob and Esau are 77 years old when this incident takes place. Read the information in the yellow box above for the information needed to make that determination.

What's the big deal about this blessing anyway? (Genesis 27:27-40)

27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:
“Surely, the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field
Which the LORD has blessed.
28 Therefore may God give you
Of the dew of heaven,
Of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”
30 ¶ Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.”
32 ¶ And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” ¶ So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
33 ¶ Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.”
34 ¶ When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”
35 ¶ But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”
36 ¶ And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
37 ¶ Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”
38 ¶ And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39 ¶ Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:
“Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth,
And of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live,
And you shall serve your brother;
And it shall come to pass, when you become restless,
That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

The essence of Isaac's blessing over Jacob is found in Genesis 27:29, "Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!" Wow! That clearly declares it for Jacob to "be lord over your brethren" and that "your mother's sons bow down to you." When Esau strolls in with his bless-me-now meal, Isaac has already awarded the contract to Jacob. Esau asks in verse 36, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?" In verse 37 Isaac points out that the terms of his blessing of Jacob do not leave much wiggle room to award anything of major significance to Esau. Nonetheless, he does issue a blessing to Esau in verses 39-40, "Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: 'Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above. By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.'" Whoa! There are some alarming stipulations in verse 40. Jacob should watch his back! That almost sounds like an invitation for Esau to do Jacob bodily harm.

Incidentally, Esau cites a difference without a substantive distinction in verse 36 when he says, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!" The Hebrew word for "birthright" indicates the "right of the firstborn" while the word for "blessing" is more general and can be given to anyone. This blessing pronounced upon Esau was the blessing of the birthright. Esau's complaint of verse 36 had no validity; Jacob did not take away Esau's birthright; it was freely given, and the resulting blessing reflected that. We do see, however, that the covenant blessings originally issued to Abraham (see article entitled, "The Abrahamic Covenant") are passed through Jacob, not Esau, in Genesis 28:4 (see below).

Here's a really interesting aspect of this conflict that may not have occurred to you. We know from scripture that Isaac was 137 years old when this "blessing" controversy took place (see box above on the calculation of Isaac's age). So...if Isaac was 137, and he had his twin boys when he was 60, how old does that make Jacob and Esau at this time? That's right...77 years old. See...I told you that was interesting. Now, Esau had married at 40 (Genesis 26:34, see notes), but Jacob had never married. Hey Jacob! At 77, it's just about time to start thinking about a wife!

Rebekah to Jacob: You need a vacation! (Genesis 27:41-46)

41 ¶ So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42 ¶ And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.
43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.
44 And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away,
45 until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?”
46 ¶ And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

I wonder what Isaac had in mind in verse 40 when he said, "you shall break his yoke from your neck." Whatever he meant, Esau intended to make it sooner than later. We see in verse 41, "So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob." Esau thought his father was about to die, so he decided to wait until after that to dispose of Jacob. Who knew Isaac would live another 43 years! It was a good move on Jacob's part to heed his Mom's advice and take a little vacation back to his mother's home town while Esau cools off some. The pretense of the visit was to keep Jacob from doing what Esau had done - marrying a local woman, a Canaanite. She obviously did not have a good relationship with her Hittite daughters-in-law, as seen in verse 46 when she says, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth." Incidentally, prior to Israel's return to Canaan after the exodus from Egypt, Israel is commanded to drive the local inhabitants from Canaan - the Hittites included. Rebekah did not want Jacob marrying a local Canaanite woman as Esau had done. See the notes on Genesis 24 to gain more insight into the family thinking here regarding marriage to the Canaanites. As a matter of fact, Rebekah says to Isaac, in essence (verse 46), "I'd rather be dead than to see Jacob marry a Canaanite." And she knew what she was talking about too; Esau had been married to two Hittite women for the last 37 years (Genesis 26:34, see notes).

Isaac reconfirms his blessing to Jacob before sending him away (Genesis 28:1-5)

1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.
2 Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.
3 “May God Almighty bless you,
And make you fruitful and multiply you,
That you may be an assembly of peoples;
4 And give you the blessing of Abraham,
To you and your descendants with you,
That you may inherit the land
In which you are a stranger,
Which God gave to Abraham.”
5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Padan Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

Isaac categorically states to Jacob, "You may not marry a Canaanite!" Jacob is instructed to go marry a relative. Isaac then reconfirms that the promises given to Abraham will now pass through to Jacob in Genesis 28:4, "And give you the blessing of Abraham, To you and your descendants with you, That you may inherit the land In which you are a stranger, Which God gave to Abraham." Here we see the first outcome of having received the "blessing" instead of Esau (see above); the "blessing of Abraham" is passed on through the lineage of Jacob.

Incidentally, Padan Aram is the name of the district in Mesopotamia lying around the area of Haran.

Esau attempts to get back on track (Genesis 28:6-9)

6 ¶ Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,”
7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram.
8 Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac.
9 So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.

Now, realizing that Isaac did not appreciate the fact that Esau married local women, Esau takes more wives from among kin folk, Ishmael's descendants. You will recall from Genesis 21:21 (see notes) that Ishmael's first wife was an Egyptian woman.

God confirms his promises through Jacob (Genesis 28:10-22)

10 ¶ Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.
11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.
12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13 ¶ And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
16 ¶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”
17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
18 ¶ Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.
19 And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,
21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God.
22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Jacob leaves his parents (and brother) behind in Beersheba and has a vision on his way to Padanaram, the area up in Mesopotamia where Haran is located (500 miles or so). It's the Jacob's-ladder vision where God passes the blessings given to Abraham on to Jacob. Even though Abraham had already been there, we see in 28:13 that Bethel was named on this occasion by Jacob. The name "Bethel" comes from a compound Hebrew word meaning "house of God." Jacob's blessing comes in the form of a dream where he sees a ladder stretched to Heaven. During the dream comes the following blessing:

13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Take notice of verses 20-21:

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God.

Does it seem as though Jacob's commitment to the Lord had been a little lacking prior to this vision? Jacob then pledges a tenth unto God.

The well is a great place to meet prospective wives (Genesis 29:1-12)

1 So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East.
2 And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth.
3 Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth.
4 ¶ And Jacob said to them, “My brethren, where are you from?” ¶ And they said, “We are from Haran.”
5 ¶ Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” ¶ And they said, “We know him.”
6 ¶ So he said to them, “Is he well?” ¶ And they said, “He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.”
7 ¶ Then he said, “Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.”
8 ¶ But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.”
9 ¶ Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.
12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s relative and that he was Rebekah’s son. So she ran and told her father.

Didn't the servant of Abraham pick up Isaac's wife, Rebekah, at the well? Maybe Rebekah told Jacob before he left home where all the hot spots were up in Haran. Anyway, that's where Jacob meets Rachel - helps her water her flock; he kisses her; she runs home to ask Dad if she can keep him. Rachel's father was Laban, the brother of Jacob's mother, Rebekah. The Hebrew word translated "brother" in verse 12 in KJV also means "relative." Jacob and Rachel were actually first cousins.

Rachel's Dad is thrilled (Genesis 29:13-20)

13 ¶ Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things.
14 And Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him for a month.
15 ¶ Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?|”
16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance.
18 ¶ Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”
19 ¶ And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.”
20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.

By the way, there's also Rachel's older sister, Leah. Notice the distinction between the two girls in verse 17, "Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance." The Hebrew word for "delicate" means that she was soft and gentle. So, one soft and gentle sister and another who is...well...beautiful. Soft and gentle would be nice. Yeah, but who cares; Rachel is beautiful! They immediately make the deal on Rachel - 7 years of labor for Laban, and the girl's his.

Laban does the ol' bait and switch (Genesis 29:21-30)

21 ¶ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”
22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast.
23 Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.
24 And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.
25 So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?”
26 ¶ And Laban said, “It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
27 Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.”
28 ¶ Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.
29 And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid.
30 Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.

Who says you can't con a con? Jacob had done the identity falsification on his father, and Laban does it on Jacob. After seven years of labor, he wakes up the morning after his marriage to discover that he has married the wrong woman - Rachel's not-as-beautiful sister, Leah. Marriages were done differently then. The actual marriage consisted only of the consummation of the relationship. How could something like this happen? I think back to Lot. He drank too much and had sexual relations with his daughters in his semi-conscious state. Here in verse 22, Laban threw a wedding-night feast. I'm certain wine was a big part of the feast. The next morning he's married to Leah. The lesson: Don't drink and marry! Jacob gets Rachel, but subsequently works seven more years for her. So...in the space of a few days, Jacob goes from no wife to two wives. After the Law of Moses was given, it became a violation of the Law to marry the sister of your wife (Leviticus 18, see notes).

It should be noted here that the girls (Leah and Rachel) were given (from Laban) handmaids after their marriages - Zilpah to Leah and Bilhah to Rachel. These handmaids each end up bearing two sons to Jacob to round out the twelve tribes from Jacob.

Let's get the timing correct here. After Jacob spends his first night with the not-as-beautiful Leah, he is told by Laban that he needs to "fulfill her week" before he can then be awarded Rachel as well. The bridal week was full of fun and festivities...at least for everyone except Jacob. At the end of the week, Jacob is given Rachel as well. The chronology of the births of Jacob's children dictates that Leah and Rachel were married to Jacob within the space of a week.

Let the childbearing begin! (Genesis 29:31-35)

31 ¶ When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
32 So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.”
33 Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon.
34 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.
35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

Let's face it; Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. As a matter of fact, verse 31 says, "...the LORD saw that Leah was unloved." Remedy: allow Leah to have all the kids - four of them while Rachel appears to be barren. Incidentally, when you have a promise from God that your seed will prosper, kids are very important. Click here to see a complete list of the sons born to Jacob from the summary of Genesis 30.