Genesis 30:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!”

NIV: When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or I'll die!'

NASB: Now when Rachel saw that she had not borne Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or else I am going to die.'

CSB: When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. "Give me sons, or I will die! " she said to Jacob.

NLT: When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, 'Give me children, or I’ll die!'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!”

As described in chapter 29, Leah wound up married to Jacob only because of an act of treachery by her father, Laban (Genesis 29:18–30). It's no surprise, then, that Jacob expressed no love for her, and greatly favored her younger sister, Rachel (Genesis 29:31). In the previous chapter, the Lord noticed that Leah was "hated" and expressed His compassion for her by allowing her to begin bearing children. Four sons followed.

Now Rachel, the wife Jacob truly loves, responds to her sister's blessing with great envy. She still is not able to bear any children, and she apparently holds Jacob responsible. Of course, since Jacob has been fathering children with Leah, there is presumably nothing he could do differently for Rachel. Dramatically, Rachel demands Jacob give her children or she will die.

Rachel becomes the third wife in three generations unable to have children when they wanted to. Abraham's wife Sarah famously became pregnant for the first time at age 90 (Genesis 17:17; 21:1–5). Jacob's own mother Rebekah waited 20 years to become pregnant with her twins (Genesis 25:20–26). Now, another family of God's people is learning that it is ultimately God, not men, who decides conception and birth.

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.