What does Genesis 30:28 mean?
Jacob has fulfilled his contract with Laban. He has worked fourteen years in exchange for his two wives, Laban's daughters (Genesis 29:18–30), even though half of this time was agreed to in the aftermath of a terrible betrayal. Now Jacob has demanded that Laban send him away so he can return to his own people (Genesis 30:25).Laban has not agreed. It may be that Laban still has some legal right to detain Jacob, but he does not present his refusal in that way. Instead, Laban has openly revealed that he knows he has prospered because of the Lord's blessing of Jacob. He doesn't want to lose that. In this verse, he presents his refusal to let Jacob go as an opportunity for Jacob: "Name your price." In other words, Laban is proposing that he and Jacob strike a new deal now that Jacob has fulfilled the terms of the old one.
This is dangerous territory for Jacob: so far, every time he has negotiated a price for service with Laban, those deals have either ended in treachery (Genesis 29:22–23), or a request for more service, as in this verse.
Genesis 30:25-43 describes Jacob's struggle to convince Laban to allow him to return to his own people with his wives and children, even though the 14 years of Jacob's contracted service have ended. Laban asks Jacob to name new wages to continue to work for him. Laban knows he has grown wealthy due to the Lord's blessing on Jacob. Jacob asks to own all the new off-color sheep and goats that will be born to Laban's flock. Laban agrees and quickly tries to cheat Jacob. Nevertheless, the Lord blesses Jacob's unusual breeding practices, causing so many off-color animals to be born in the flock that Jacob becomes a wealthy man in his own right. Soon he will leave Laban behind for good.
God alone gives children. He causes babies to be born. He even determines what color baby sheep and goats will be. Genesis 30 describes the urgent desire of Rachel and Leah to have sons for Jacob and how God hears and grants their prayers in His own time. In addition, God blesses Jacob's unusual breeding practices with Laban's flocks to finally allow Jacob to overcome his father-in-law's schemes to keep Jacob under his service.
