Genesis 30:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son 's mandrakes." So he lay with her that night.

NIV: So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me," she said. "I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes." So he slept with her that night.

NASB: When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, 'You must have relations with me, for I have indeed hired you with my son’s mandrakes.' So he slept with her that night.

CSB: When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes." So Jacob slept with her that night.

NLT: So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. 'You must come and sleep with me tonight!' she said. 'I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.' So that night he slept with Leah.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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.

The motive for this odd arrangement is a "birth race" between these two sisters. Leah has conceived four children of her own (Genesis 29:31–35), plus two more through her servant, Zilpah (Genesis 30:9–13). Rachel, on her part, has been infertile, but has obtained two children through her servant, Bilhah (Genesis 30:1–3). Rachel clearly holds the power in this growing and unusual family, and might very well have convinced Jacob to stop sleeping with Leah (Genesis 29:35; 30:15). Now, in exchange for some of Leah's mandrake plants, thought to be beneficial to infertile women, Rachel has agreed to allow their mutual husband, Jacob, to spend one night with Leah (Genesis 30:14).

Now Leah claims what she has purchased. She tells Jacob that he belongs to her for the night. She has hired him. He must come with her. We're not told any details of Jacob's response, but he does agree to come home with Leah and sleep with her. As he often does, Jacob appears to be a passive bystander in the story of his own life, submitting to the will of the stronger personalities around him.

Still, God uses all the personalities in this complicated and messy family to continue to accomplish His plan for Jacob and for Israel. God's blessings were not dependent on the apparent worthiness of those to whom He was giving them. He graciously keeps His promises in all circumstances.

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.