Genesis 30:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country.

NIV: After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, 'Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland.

NASB: Now it came about, when Rachel had given birth to Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, 'Send me away, so that I may go to my own place and to my own country.

CSB: After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland.

NLT: Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, 'Please release me so I can go home to my own country.

KJV: And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

NKJV: And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country.

Jacob has now fathered at least 11 children by four different wives, including the two sisters, Leah and Rachel (Genesis 29:18–30), and their two servants, Bilhah and Zilpah (Genesis 30:1–10). The deal Jacob had made with his father-in-law Laban was to work for him another seven years after marrying Leah and Rachel. That time is now up. In fact, more than seven years may have passed, since Leah has by this time given birth to six sons and at least one daughter (Genesis 30:21).

However long it's been, the birth of Rachel's son Joseph seems to be the moment Jacob has been waiting for to finally declare his intention to leave Laban's household and to return to his own homeland in Canaan. He now has a natural-born son from the woman he so dearly loves. This, in a sense, means that Jacob has entirely fulfilled his father's purpose for sending him to this land (Genesis 28:1–3).

Jacob's tone is demanding: "Send me away." He will continue to take a firm tone in the following verses. In no small part due to prior deception, Jacob is aware that negotiating with Laban is a tricky thing.

Genesis 30:25-43 describes Jacob's struggle to convince Laban to allow him to return to his own people with his wives and children, even though the 14 years of Jacob's contracted service have ended. Laban asks Jacob to name new wages to continue to work for him. Laban knows he has grown wealthy due to the Lord's blessing on Jacob. Jacob asks to own all the new off-color sheep and goats that will be born to Laban's flock. Laban agrees and quickly tries to cheat Jacob. Nevertheless, the Lord blesses Jacob's unusual breeding practices, causing so many off-color animals to be born in the flock that Jacob becomes a wealthy man in his own right. Soon he will leave Laban behind for good.

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.