Verses 1-2 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. 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?
This entire chapter deals with the births of the rest of Jacob’s sons, excluding Benjamin, and with the rivalry between Leah and Rachel. Pay attention to the meaning of the names as they are important and will be seen later in the book of Exodus.
Note: The birth order of Jacob’s sons is as follow: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
It would seem that Jacob was tiring of the discord between his wives and, although he loved Rachel the most, he lost his temper and was sarcastic in his words towards her.
Verses 3-6 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. 4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. 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.
Again history was repeating in that, like Sarah who gave her maid to Abraham, Rachel gave her maid to Jacob in order to have children that she could claim as her own. Note that even though Bilhah now had some status as a wife of Jacob and as a mother of his children, Rachel was still her mistress and she chose and gave the name of Dan to this baby. Dan means “to judge”. In many Christian circles the story of the tribe of Hebrews that came from Dan is that the tribe was lost. This is because there is no listing of the tribe of Dan in the book of Revelation. However, when this book is studied, it will be shown that the tribe of Dan is not mentioned by God for a reason. Essentially, all the tribes were lost during Roman occupation of the land of Israel.
Verses 7-8 And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. 8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
The name “Naphtali” means “all are over-comers” or “wrestling”. This son’s name was a permanent reminder of the fighting going on between the two sisters to see who could have the most sons and who would be loved the most by Jacob.
Application: Just like the family discord that occurred because Isaac and Rebekah favored one son over the other son, Jacob created the same family discord by favoring one wife over the other wives. Romans 2:11 states, “For there is no respect of persons with God.” The believer is supposed to be like Christ. Therefore the believer that shows favoritism towards anyone is sinning. Think about this.
Verses 9-11 Then Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. 10 And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.
Not to be outdone by her sister, Leah gave Jacob Zilpah. The name “Gad” means “troop” or “a great company”, and this was Jacob’s seventh son. As with Rachel and her maid, Leah called Zilpah’s baby by a name that she had chosen.
Application: Seven in Scripture is the number of divine perfection or simply put, God’s number. Numerology and Gematria are tools of the occult, and Christian believers are not to put their faith in these systems or to be involved with them. However, God uses numbers of significance in His Word because the different occult groups use them, and they recognize their meaning should they read any portion of the Bible. God uses their very tools to confound them. When this writer presents numbers in this study of God’s word, it is not with the intention of promoting occult practices. So getting back to the number seven in regard to Jacob’s son named Gad, meaning a troop or a great company, this is a foreshadowing of both Israel and the Church which was/is made up of a great company of people which did/does battle with Satan and his evil spirits. In other words, it is a foreshadowing of God’s people in both the Old Testament days and the New Testament days.
Verses 12-13 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.
The name “Asher” means “blessed”.
Verses 14-15 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. 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.
Mandrakes were believed to increase sexual desire and increase procreation. It appears that Rachel, who was barren and had no children of her own, wanted the mandrakes to help her conceive and bare a son. Leah did not want to share them initially, but changed her mind when Rachel offered to have Jacob spend the night with her in payment for the mandrakes. Perhaps Jacob had ceased spending time with her. Not really sure.
Verses 16-18 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. 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.
Often it is taught that women in the days of the Bible were second class citizens with no power or decision making opportunities and that their lives were totally dominated and run by the men in their lives. But it seems that the women in Jacob’s life were making the decisions for him and perhaps also making his life miserable. A careful study of the women presented in the book of Genesis so far appears to reveal these women as being strong minded individuals who were running their households in the manner that they chose and who were making decisions about their family and then informing their husbands of what was to be. You decide.
The name “Issachar” means “there is recompense” or “a price is paid”.
Verses 19-21 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. 21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
Leah’s statement about Jacob dwelling with her seems to indicate that he was primarily living with Rachel. The name “Zebulun” means “dwelling” and he was Jacob’s tenth son.
Verses 22-24 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: 24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.
Rachel waited a very long time for her firstborn son and his name means “fruitfulness” or “adding”. This son was to grow up to be a mighty government official who saved his people and a nation from starvation due to his fruitfulness or adding/stockpiling of food.
Verse 25-26 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. 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.
Jacob had fulfilled his promise of service to Laban in exchange for his wives and it was time to start working for himself and for his family’s future. Remember, he was only going to stay with Laban until his brother Esau calmed down from his anger and threat to kill him.
Verses 27-28 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. 28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
When God’s people are working for a business owner it is very common for that owner to be blessed because the LORD is blessing the Christian employee. This fact was not wasted on Laban. He was getting rich because Jacob was working for him and he did not want this to stop.
Application: It is very embarrassing to hear comments from non believers that they would never hire a Christian to do a job because they perform poorly and/or could not be trusted. This should never happen. Believers should always perform their job as if they were doing it for the LORD Jesus Christ. The boss may be miserable to work for and the hours may be difficult and the pay less than expected, but the believer is representing the LORD and needs to remember that when tempted to sin against the boss, their co-workers or anyone else associated with their job, that Satan would love to have them do so in order to tarnish the name of Jesus. He, not Satan, is your boss. Resist the temptation and the LORD will reward you in time.
Verses 29-34 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. 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? 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: 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. 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. 34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
Jacob handled himself just as his grandfather, Abraham, had done. He did not want to be beholding to Laban or be in a position where Laban could claim that Jacob’s cattle or possessions came from him. He wanted to prove that he had earned his riches and not been given them by his father-in-law. So the deal was that all the livestock that were not perfect would go to Jacob, and all the livestock that were of good conformation and color would go to Laban.
Verses 35-36 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked 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. 36 And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
Ringstraked means that the cattle were streaked or striped. Brown fleece or wool from a sheep would have limited value as it could not be dyed a different color as could a white fleece. After removing the imperfect animals, Jacob wisely moved them away from Laban’s flocks and herds and left his sons to tend them. In that way, Jacob could still perform his job full time for Laban.
Verses 37-43 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 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 ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, 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. 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.
This part of the story has to be a “God thing” or miracle as peeling bark off of branches to make them look striped and then having cattle look as them does not scientifically produce genetically striped and spotted offspring. This writer has experience with livestock who have ringed trees and then stared at them for years and they never produced offspring marked and colored like Jacob’s critters. God promised to bless Jacob, and he did. And Laban’s deception towards his son-in-law/nephew was rewarded by God with a weakening of his livestock and therefore it must be assumed, a weakening of his profits over time.