Genesis 30-31    Listen

We got ourselves a child-bearing duel! (Genesis 30:1-24)

1 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!”
2 ¶ And Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”
3 ¶ So she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her.”
4 Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.
5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
6 Then Rachel said, “God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.
7 And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 Then Rachel said, “With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.
9 ¶ When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.
10 And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
11 Then Leah said, “A troop comes!” So she called his name Gad.
12 And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.
13 Then Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher.
14 ¶ Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 ¶ But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” ¶ And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”
16 ¶ When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night.
17 ¶ And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.
18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.
19 Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.
20 And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.
21 Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22 ¶ Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”
24 So she called his name Joseph, and said, “The LORD shall add to me another son.”

Living up in Haran with two wives along with their handmaids, Jacob starts his family. In a culture where multiple wives is prevalent, a woman's retirement fund consisted of having strong sons to provide - especially in her later years when a husband may get distracted with a younger wife. All of the names of the sons came from existing Hebrew words that, in some way, described the circumstances at the time of birth. Some of these circumstantial namings are somewhat comical or even sarcastic. Look at the following list of the 12 sons of Jacob and the meanings of the names. An associated event caused each son to receive the name that he did.

Leah (Genesis 29:32-35)
Reuben - who sees the son; the vision of the son
Simeon - that hears or obeys; that is heard
Levi - associated with him
Judah - the praise of the Lord; confession
Rachel's handmaid, Bilhah (Genesis 30:3-8)
Dan - judgment; he that judges
Naphtali - that struggles or fights
Leah's handmaid, Zilpah (Genesis 30:9-13)
Gad - a band; a troop
Asher - happiness
Leah (Genesis 30:14-20)
Issachar - reward; recompense
Zebulun or Zebulon - dwelling; habitation
Rachel (Genesis 30:21-24)
Joseph - increase; addition
Rachel (Genesis 35:16-18)
Benoni - son of my sorrow, or pain (Rachel died, so Jacob changed to Benjamin)
Benjamin - son of the right hand

There's no dispute; Leah and Rachel are in a child-bearing competition. Jacob's not complaining. The circumstances around Issachar's birth are amusing, and his name reflects the deal made between Rachel and Leah over an afternoon snack (verses 14-18). When Jacob returns from the field that day, he is told the reason he's rooming at a different location this night (with Leah instead of Rachel), but he seems to just take it all in stride and goes where he's told.

It is commonly believed that these mandrakes are the Atropa Mandragora whose leaves are like lettuce, but dark green with purple flowers, a forked root and fruit about the size of an apple. These are reddish in color and have a sweet smell; they are gathered usually in May. We are told that the ancients used this as an aphrodisiac, as seems to be the case in Song of Solomon 7:13 (see notes). It was commonly believed in that region that these mandrakes could cure infertility. Oh...and if you wonder...current-day botanists have managed to create a narcotic substance from these mandrakes. So...maybe Rachel was thinking of these mandrakes as more than just an afternoon snack.

There's another child in the mix of boys here - Dinah (verse 21). She's the only girl in this group of boys, and she's about the same age as Joseph - born to Leah after Zebulon. The births of Joseph and Dinah take place just prior to the beginning of Jacob's voluntary six-year tour of duty under Laban - at the end of the 14 years of obligated duty as compensation for his two wives.

Things you never knew about breeding livestock (Genesis 30:25-43)

25 ¶ And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country.
26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.”
27 ¶ And Laban said to him, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.”
28 Then he said, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.”
29 ¶ So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me.
30 For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the LORD has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?”
31 ¶ So he said, “What shall I give you?” ¶ And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks:
32 Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages.
33 So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.”
34 ¶ And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!”
35 So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
36 Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 ¶ Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods.
38 And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.
39 So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.
40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock.
41 ¶ And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
42 But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.
43 Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Laban wants Jacob to stay on after his 14-year commitment is complete. He even offers to compensate him. Jacob is convinced that Laban's prosperity is as as a result of Jacob's presence as he states in verse 30, "For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the LORD has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?"

All right, here's the deal. Jacob proposes that he'll continue to watch Laban's sheep and goats, but the goats that are born brown or multicolored and the sheep that are born speckled or spotted will become his property as his wages. Since these are more rare, Laban thinks he's made an exceptionally-shrewd deal with Jacob. To make certain he doesn't take a hit on the deal, Laban goes ahead and separates out those existing rare goats and sheep from his flock and puts them under the charge of his sons, moving them a distance of three days' journey away (verse 36). Jacob is left with only white goats and sheep to pull off the deal. Now...understand the up-hill task here: Jacob's wages for serving Laban will be the goats and sheep that are born that look nothing like their progenitors. Practically speaking, that could yield some pretty meager compensation for Jacob.

Look at the unusual breeding techniques that Jacob uses (verses 37-42). Come on! That really can't work, can it? Apparently folklore has it that goats and sheep bear offspring with light or dark colors mixed in depending on what they were viewing at the time of conception, so Jacob provided rooms with a view...for the livestock. Whatever...Jacob tried it. The bottom line is that God blessed Jacob to the point that he ended up with his own huge herd of sheep and goats while Laban's diminished. We'll see in the next chapter that God actually changed the mating habits of the cattle in order to prosper Jacob. We also see in the next chapter (verses 31:7-8) that Laban changes this commission arrangement with Jacob (10 times) over this period, but it didn't help; still Jacob's new offspring far outnumbered that of Laban by the end of the next six years (31:41).

Jacob says it's time to pack up and go (Genesis 31:1-16)

1 Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.”
2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before.
3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”
4 ¶ So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock,
5 and said to them, “I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.
6 And you know that with all my might I have served your father.
7 Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.
8 If he said thus: “The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked.
9 So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.
10 ¶ “And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted.
11 Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, “Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’
12 And He said, “Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ ”
14 ¶ Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?
15 Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money.
16 For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”

Well, Jacob is not as popular in Laban's family as he once was, as Laban's sons watch their inheritance diminish. In verse 3 Jacob gets the call from the Lord that it's time to go home. He calls for a family meeting with Leah and Rachel. As I mentioned, it would appear from this passage that the sheep and goat breeding techniques used by Jacob had resulted in a significantly diminished flock for Laban and an extremely large flock for Jacob, even though Laban had not honored the original deal (verses 7-8). According to Jacob, the original deal outlining which cattle born would go to Jacob had been modified ten times to make it more palatable for Laban. However, each new specification backfired on Laban; Jacob's number of cattle grew while Laban's diminished. The technical specification for how that had happened is given to Jacob by an "angel of God" (verse 11) that only the male cattle meeting the new specification seemed to show any interest in mating (verse 12). Let's face it: Definitely a God-orchestrated thing.

Leah and Rachel quickly decide that their father had not dealt honorably with them either (verses 14-16) and tell Jacob that whatever he sees fit to do, they're in. Jacob and the family pack up and go while Laban is out on a sheep-shearing mission.

Jacob and his family make their escape (Genesis 31:17-43)

17 ¶ Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels.
18 And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s.
20 And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee.
21 So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead.
22 ¶ And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.
23 Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.
24 But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”
25 ¶ So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead.
26 ¶ And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword?
27 Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp?
28 And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing.
29 It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’
30 And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?”
31 ¶ Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.’
32 With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 ¶ And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maids’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.
34 Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them.
35 And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the household idols.
36 ¶ Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me?
37 Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both!
38 These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.
39 That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
40 There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes.
41 Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”
43 ¶ And Laban answered and said to Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?

Knowing Laban's tendency to renege on deals, Jacob and his wives (along with their possessions) get a three-day head start before Laban even knows they're missing. Oh, by the way, Rachel lifts Laban's idols before she leaves. You see, Laban was still a polytheist, and why do you suppose Rachel wanted them? It took seven days for Laban and his men to catch up with them, but God had spoken to Laban (verse 24) and given him a warning regarding his treatment of Jacob before they arrive.

When Laban confronts Jacob, he obviously has a different view regarding what has just taken place - even accuses Jacob of kidnapping his daughters (verse 26). All I can say about verse 27 is, "Yeah! Right!" A going-away party? Who really believes that? We see in verse 29 another indication that Laban was still a polytheist when he says, "...but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight..." Then Laban queries, "Oh! Yeah! And where are my gods?" Jacob doesn't know that Rachel took them, but makes an offer that has the potential to turn out very, very bad in verse 32 - the death penalty to the thief! But that Rachel is a little sneak. Look how she manages to flimflam her Dad as he looks (and does not find) the idols in verse 35. She declines to get up from the camel's saddle because she says she is experiencing her menstrual cycle; the idols are hidden underneath her in the saddle. Laban falls for that ploy and leaves without his idols.

Incidentally, Jacob is now 97 years old after his 20-year stay with Laban; Joseph is six years old. (See "Calculating Isaac's Age in Genesis 27.) Since Jacob worked for seven years before he was married to Leah and Rachel, the ages Jacob's children are between 6 and 13. At this point, Benjamin has not yet been born; his birth takes place in Genesis 35:16-18 (see notes).

Jacob goes into an outraged monologue in verse 36 down through verse 42. He points out that Laban would have provided nothing for Jacob. Had it not been for God's provisions to Jacob, he would have no possessions to take back to Canaan. We notice in verse 41 that Jacob accumulated his wealth from the cattle over the last six years. Jacob points out that he is rich now because of God's blessings and NO thanks to Laban. Laban replies in verse 43 and indicates that he sees it differently; everything Jacob has really belongs to Laban instead.

Laban and Jacob make a covenant between them (Genesis 31:44-55)

44 Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.”
45 ¶ So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.
46 Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.
47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed,
49 also Mizpah, because he said, “May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another.
50 If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God is witness between you and me!”
51 ¶ Then Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me.
52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
53 The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain.
55 And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.

Jacob prevails in the negotiations with Laban. Then Laban proposes a covenant between himself and Jacob. They seal the covenant with a sacrifice followed by a covenant meal and a heap of stones. In verse 52 they each pledge not to pass over the stones toward the other for the purpose of harm. Laban also places a condition on Jacob in verse 50 not to take any new wives. By the way, Nahor in verse 53 was Abraham's grandfather. The covenant stipulations were that neither would ever harm the other, and Jacob could go in peace. God had prepared Laban for that outcome when he appeared to him in the dream in verse 24. Well, that's one obstacle down and one to go - facing Esau.