Genesis 30:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Leah said, "Good fortune has come!" so she called his name Gad.

NIV: Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" So she named him Gad.

NASB: Then Leah said, 'How fortunate!' So she named him Gad.

CSB: Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" and she named him Gad.

NLT: Leah named him Gad, for she said, 'How fortunate I am!'

KJV: And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

NKJV: Then Leah said, “A troop comes!” So she called his name Gad.

After bearing four sons for Jacob, Leah stopped getting pregnant (Genesis 29:34-35). This is a problem for Leah, since both she and Rachel see their fertility as part of a competition for Jacob's affection (Genesis 30:8). Rachel responded to her own personal barrenness by using her servant as a mother-by-proxy. Taking this approach, Rachel—through Bilhah—obtained two sons. Leah, not to be outdone, follow suit. In order to continue having children, she followed her sister's example and gave her personal maid servant, Zilpah, to her husband as another wife. As was the case with Rachel, Leah would claim any resulting children as her own.

Now Jacob's seventh son has been born, this time to Zilpah. Previously, Leah had named her sons in recognition of God's provision or in worship of the Lord. This time, though, she names her son Gad because of the good fortune she has had, and "good luck" or "luck has come" is the literal meaning of this word in Hebrew. According to some scholars, Gad may also have been a form of the name of a god worshiped locally around this time, though this is a minority view. Worship of household gods is still a part of the extended family's practice at this time (Genesis 31:32).

Genesis 30:1–24 describes the birth of eight more sons to Jacob, as well as one daughter. While Rachel remains barren, her servant woman bears to Jacob two sons. Then Leah's servant woman does so, as well. Next, Leah herself has three more children. Then, finally, God remembers Rachel. She gives birth to Joseph, giving him a name that is essentially a prayer for another son to follow. As the section ends, Jacob now has 11 sons, at least one daughter, and a plan to return home to his own people.

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.

In the previous chapter, Laban tricked Jacob both into marrying Leah along with Rachel and into working for him as a servant for a total of fourteen years. God blessed unloved Leah by allowing her to bear four sons to Jacob. As this chapter opens, Rachel remains barren while Leah and both of their servant women continue to bear sons. Finally God answers Rachel's prayer, allowing her to bear Joseph. His contract completed, Jacob demands Laban send him away to his own people. Laban refuses, asking Jacob to set new terms for his service. Jacob's deal, along with the Lord's blessing and his unusual breeding practices with the flocks, results in Jacob becoming a wealthy man in his own right. This wealth and power will enable him to finally break free and return home.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.