Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 30
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 30
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 30
"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. 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? And she said, Behold, my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may obtain children by her. And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. 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. And Bilhah Rachel`s handmaid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah`s handmaid bare Jacob a son. And Leah said, Fortunate! and she called his name Gad. And Zilpah Leah`s handmaid bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, Happy am I! for the daughters will call me happy: and she called his name Asher." — Genesis 30:1-13 (ASV)
Rachel envied her sister: envy is grieving at the good of another—a sin than which none is more hateful to God, or more hurtful to our neighbors and ourselves. She did not consider that God made the difference, and that in other things she had the advantage. Let us carefully watch against all the stirrings and workings of this passion in our minds. Let not our eye be evil toward any of our fellow servants, because our Master is good.
Jacob loved Rachel, and therefore reproved her for what she said that was wrong. Faithful reproofs show true affection. God can be to us all that any creature is; but it is sin and folly to put any creature in God's place, and to place that confidence in any creature which should be placed in God alone. At Rachel's persuasion, Jacob took Bilhah, her handmaid, as his wife, so that, according to the custom of those times, her children might be recognized as her mistress's children.
If Rachel's heart had not been influenced by evil passions, she would have thought her sister's children closer to her, and more entitled to her care, than Bilhah's. But children whom she had a right to rule were more desirable to her than children she had more reason to love. As an early instance of her power over these children, she takes pleasure in giving them names that bear marks of her rivalry with her sister.
See what roots of bitterness envy and strife are, and what mischief they cause among relatives. At Leah's persuasion, Jacob also took Zilpah, her handmaid, as his wife. See the power of jealousy and rivalry, and admire the wisdom of the divine appointment, which joins together one man and one woman only; for God has called us to peace and purity.
"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. And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away 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. And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for I have surely hired thee with my son`s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob a fifth son. And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband: and she called his name Issachar. And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob. And Leah said, God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun. And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah. And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son: and said, God hath taken away my reproach: and she called his name Joseph, saying, Jehovah add to me another son." — Genesis 30:14-24 (ASV)
The desire, good in itself, but often too great and irregular, of being the mother of the promised Seed, with the honour of having many children, and the reproach of being barren, were causes of this unbecoming contest between the sisters. The truth appears to be that they were influenced by the promises of God to Abraham, whose posterity were promised the richest blessings and from whom the Messiah was to descend.
"And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service wherewith I have served thee. And Laban said unto him, If now I have found favor in thine eyes, [tarry]: [for] I have divined that Jehovah hath blessed me for thy sake. And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle have fared with me. For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it hath increased unto a multitude; and Jehovah hath blessed thee whithersoever I turned: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me aught: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed thy flock and keep it. I will pass through all thy flock to-day, removing from thence every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and [of such] shall be my hire. So shall my righteousness answer for me hereafter, when thou shalt come concerning my hire that is before thee: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that [if found] with me, shall be counted stolen. And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. And he removed that day the he-goats that were ringstreaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons; and he set three days` journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban`s flocks. And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane-tree. And peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink; and they conceived when they came to drink. And the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked and all the black in the flock of Laban: and he put his own droves apart, and put them not unto Laban`s flock. And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger of the flock did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods; but when the flock were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban`s, and the stronger Jacob`s. And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and asses." — Genesis 30:25-43 (ASV)
The fourteen years having passed, Jacob was willing to depart without any provision, except God's promise. But he had in many ways a just claim on Laban's substance, and it was the will of God that he should be provided for from it. He referred his cause to God, rather than agree to stated wages with Laban, whose selfishness was very great.
And it would appear that he acted honestly, as only animals of the colors agreed upon were to be found among his cattle. Laban selfishly thought that his cattle would produce few that were different in color from their own. Jacob's course after this agreement has been considered an instance of his strategy and management.
But it was done by prompting from God, and as a sign of his power. The Lord will one way or another plead the cause of the oppressed, and honor those who simply trust his providence. Neither could Laban complain of Jacob, for Jacob had nothing more than what was freely agreed he should have; nor was Laban injured, but greatly benefited by Jacob's services.
May all our mercies be received with thanksgiving and prayer, so that, coming from his bounty, they may lead to his praise.
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