Genesis 30:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

NIV: Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

NASB: And Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

CSB: Rachel's slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

NLT: Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.

KJV: And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.

NKJV: And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

Rachel was angry that her unloved sister, Leah, was able to bear sons for their mutual husband, Jacob, while she was childless (Genesis 29:31). After foolishly blaming Jacob (Genesis 30:1–2), Rachel then turned to a strategy used previously in the same family. According to custom, a woman could "bear" children through a servant, and those children would be considered hers; this is how Abraham and Sarah attempted to shortcut God's plans many years previous (Genesis 16:1–4). Rachel's scheme is successful, at least in that it results in a child: Dan (Genesis 30:6), the fifth son of Jacob.

Bilhah is still referred to as Rachel's servant (Genesis 29:29), implying that Rachel retains possession of and responsibility for Bilhah in spite of her also being one of Jacob's wives. Bilhah conceives again and gives birth to second son, Jacob's sixth. This child will be named Naphtali, a reflection of Rachel's great struggle to obtain children, as well as her sense that there is a competition afoot between the two wives.

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 5/5/2024 12:29:53 AM