Genesis 30:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

NIV: When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

NASB: When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

CSB: When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

NLT: Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

KJV: When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.

NKJV: When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.

Previously in this passage, Rachel has responded to her older sister's success in childbearing (Genesis 30:1) by using her servant as a proxy to produce two more sons for Jacob (Genesis 30:3–8). This followed a strategy used by her own grandparents many years before (Genesis 16:1–4). Clearly, according to the language used, Rachel sees the situation as a high-stakes competition for sons and for Jacob's affection.

Any doubt about whether Leah agreed about the competitive nature of their family is answered here. Prior verses indicated that Leah had stopped bearing children, for then-unstated reasons (Genesis 29:35). Seeing that Rachel has "caught up" somewhat, Leah takes the same approach as Rachel and gives Jacob her servant girl Zilpah (Genesis 29:24) as his fourth wife. Soon Zilpah, and by proxy, Leah, will bear to Jacob his seventh son. Leah, just as much as Rachel, participates in something of a "birth race" which results in explosive growth for the family.

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.

Accessed 11/23/2024 12:03:26 PM