Genesis 30:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher.

NIV: Then Leah said, 'How happy I am! The women will call me happy.' So she named him Asher.

NASB: Then Leah said, 'Happy am I! For women will call me happy.' So she named him Asher.

CSB: Leah said, "I am happy that the women call me happy," so she named him Asher.

NLT: And Leah named him Asher, for she said, 'What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.'

KJV: And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

NKJV: Then Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher.

Leah names her sixth son, the second born to her servant woman Zilpah (Genesis 30:9–12). Leah declares herself happy at the birth of this boy. In part, her happiness stems from the fact that other women will recognize that she is happy or blessed. In no small part, this happiness is fueled by a sense of competition. Rachel and Leah are engaged in something of a "birth war," competing against each other through the bearing of children.

Again, Leah names her son in response to her emotional state at the time and her recognition that God, or perhaps a lesser local god, has provided for her. The name Asher means "blessing" or "happiness," and could be related to a word that sounds like "God has filled with joy." However, well known gods of that era also had names similar to Asher. We will learn later that some of the house gods of Rachel's and Leah's youth continued to be part of Jacob's household (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.

Accessed 5/3/2024 12:48:13 AM