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Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

Genesis 30

Genesis 30:1

GENESIS CHAPTER 30 Rachel being barren, envies her sister, impatiently desires children of Jacob, GENESIS 30:1. He is angry, and reproves her, GENESIS 30:2. She gives him her handmaid Bilhah, who bears him Dan and Naphtali, GENESIS 30:3. Leah ceasing to bear, gives Zilpah her maid to Jacob, GENESIS... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:2

JACOB'S ANGER WAS KINDLED AGAINST RACHEL for the injury done to himself, and especially for the sin against God, in which case anger is not only lawful, but necessary. AM I IN GOD'S STEAD? It is God's prerogative to give children. See GENESIS 16:2 1 SAMUEL 2:5,6 PSA 113:9 127:3.... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:3

SHE SHALL BEAR UPON MY KNEES; an ellipsis or short speech; She shall bear a child which may be laid _upon my knees, _ or in my lap, which I may adopt and bring up as if it were my own. See GENESIS 50:23 ISAIAH 66:12. THAT I MAY ALSO HAVE CHILDREN BY HER; for as servants, so their work and fruit, wer... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:8

WITH GREAT WRESTLINGS, Heb. _With wrestlings of God; _ either with great and hard wrestlings or strivings, or by wrestling with God in fervent prayer, and by God's grace and strength. _Cir. 1747_ I HAVE PREVAILED; which was not true; for her sister exceeded her both in the number of her children, an... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:11

A TROOP COMETH, or, _good luck cometh; _ my design hath well succeeded; a happy star hath shone upon me; and such a star in the opinion of astrologers is that of Jupiter, which by the Arabians is called Gad. This may well agree to Leah and her heathenish education, and the manners of the Chaldeans,... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:14

_ CIR. 1748_ MANDRAKES: the word is only found here and SONG OF SOLOMON 7:13, whence it appears that it is a plant or fruit of pleasant smell, such as the mandrake is said to be by Dioscorides and Levinus Lemnius, and by St. Austin upon his own experience. If it be said this was too early for mandra... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:15

Jacob either did equally divide the times between his two wives; or rather, had more estranged himself from Leah, and cohabited principally with Rachel, which occasioned the foregoing expostulation.... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:17

GOD HEARKENED UNTO LEAH, notwithstanding her many infirmities. Hence it appears that she was moved herein not by any inordinate lust, but by a desire of children. _cir. 1747_... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:23

Barrenness was then accounted a great reproach, especially in that race, because it was a kind of curse, whereby such persons were excluded both from the first and general blessing of fructification given to all mankind, GENESIS 1:28; and from the special blessing given to Abraham for the multiplica... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:25

Canaan, which he calleth _his country, _ in regard both of his former and long habitation in it, and of the right which he had to it by God's promise: see GENESIS 28:13.... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:30

FOR IT WAS LITTLE comparatively to what now it is. _Since my coming; _ Heb. _at my foot, _ i.e. upon my coming; since my feet entered into thy house: or, _by my foot, _ i.e. by my ministry and labour, as this phrase is used, DEUTERONOMY 11:10. WHEN SHALL I PROVIDE FOR MINE OWN HOUSE ALSO, according... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:32

SPECKLED AND SPOTTED CATTLE, which may seem to be thus distinguished; _speckled_ with little spots, and _spotted_ with greater spots or stains, both of diverse colours from the rest of the body. Or, the _speckled_ may be the same with the _ring-straked, _ by comparing this with GENESIS 30:35. ALL TH... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:33

When the cattle shall, contrary to their natural and usual course, bring forth young ones of a contrary colour to their own, it will hereby be evident that this is the work of God, who hereby pleads my righteous cause against a cruel and unjust master. Or thus, When thou shall accuse me of doing the... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:34

LABAN trusted to the course of nature, whereby cattle usually bring forth their young of their own colour; and Jacob relied upon the providence of an Almighty God, and his gracious Father.... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:35

THE HE-GOATS THAT WERE RING-STRAKED, which had lines or strakes like bands about them of diverse colours from the rest of their body. EVERY ONE THAT HAD SOME WHITE: this word _some_ is oft understood in other texts of Scripture, and here it is so necessarily; as appears both from the thing itself, a... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:36

THREE DAYS JOURNEY; understand it of the journeying or travelling of sheep, not of men. He did this lest either Jacob should mingle and exchange the sheep, or the sheep, by the contemplation of the diverse coloured ones, should bring forth others like to them.... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:37

JACOB TOOK RODS: this he did by Divine appointment, as will appear in the sequel, which is sufficient for Jacob's justification. TOOK RODS OF GREEN POPULAR, AND OF THE HAZEL AND CHESNUT TREE; either because these trees were next at hand, or because he saw these in the Divine vision afterwards mentio... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:39

THE FLOCKS CONCEIVED; Heb. _were heated, _ i.e. inflamed or excited, and disposed to conceive, and this in a more than ordinary manner by the Divine disposal. The event hath some foundation in nature, because of the great power of imagination; and there are divers instances in many authors, both of... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:40

JACOB DID SEPARATE THE LAMBS, such as were ring-straked and brown from the white, as it here follows. He caused THE RING-STRAKED AND ALL THE BROWN to go foremost, and the white to follow them, that by the continued beholding of them in the time of their conjunction, they might have their colour more... [ Continue Reading ]

Genesis 30:41

It is known that the cattle in those parts did conceive and bring forth twice in a year, at spring and in autumn; and it is supposed that the STRONGER here mentioned, are such as joined in the spring, and the _feeble_ they that joined in autumn.... [ Continue Reading ]

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