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. Ver. 1. _Give me children, or elso I die._] She was sick of the fret; and could not live, unless Jacob could cure her. "Envy is the rottenness of the bones," Pro 14:3... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, [Am] I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? Ver. 2. And Jacob's anger was kindled.] He that will be angry, and not sin, must not be angry, but for sin. Reprove thy wife, thou mayest; chide her, thou mayest not,... [ Continue Reading ]
And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. Ver. 3. _Behold my maid Bilhah._] Given her by her father on purpose, it may seem; that in case she proved barren, she might be built up by her. So Stratonice, the wife of Ki... [ Continue Reading ]
And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. Ver. 4. _And Jacob went in unto her._] Merely to please his wife, he yielded to that which he could not but disallow as evil. Heed must be taken that the hen crow not, that the wife rule not. This γυναικοκρατεια was a part of... [ Continue Reading ]
And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. Ver. 5. _And bare Jacob a son._] Whom Rachel might adopt, and dandle "on her knees," as Genesis 30:3 .... [ Continue Reading ]
And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan. Ver. 6. _God hath judged me, &c._] A vile profanation of God's holy name, under an opinion and pretence of piety. So they that, brow-beating their brethren, better than the... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali._ Ver. 8. _With great wrestlings._] Heb., With wrestlings of God; that is, with excellent and most earnest wrestlings and endeavours; by storms of sighs, and showers of tea... [ Continue Reading ]
When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. Ver. 9. _Left bearing,_] viz., Till she began again, Genesis 30:17 .... [ Continue Reading ]
And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son. Ver. 10. _Bare Jacob a son._] Here Jacob was too indulgent both to his wives and to himself.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad. Ver. 11. _A troop cometh._] Or, as some render it, Good luck cometh; compare Isaiah 65:11. Theodoret saith Leah speaks thus, as one that had been profanely bred; and could not so suddenly forget her old language.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher. Ver. 13. _For the daughters will call me blessed._] This phrase the Virgin Mary maketh use of, Luk 1:48 as she doth also of various other Scripture phrases, in that holy song of hers: which showeth tha... [ Continue Reading ]
And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes. Ver. 14. _And found mandrakes._] Some render it, lovely flowers; others, violets; others, lilies; others aga... [ Continue Reading ]
And she said unto her, [Is it] a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes. Ver. 15. _Therefore he shall lie with thee, &c._] Thus he is bought and sold by his... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. Ver. 16. _Thou must come in unto me._] These contentions, saith an interpreter, _a_ were not mere... [ Continue Reading ]
And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. Ver. 17. _God hearkened unto Leah._] She prayed then, and invited God to her marriage bed. This was praiseworthy in her, howsoever.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar. Ver. 18. _God hath given me my hire._] Wherein she was much mistaken, as having not her "senses exercised to discern good and evil." Here she rejoiceth in that for which she sho... [ Continue Reading ]
And Leah said, God hath endued me [with] a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun. Ver. 20. _God hath endued me with a good dowry._] That is, as it proves, though children are _dulcis acerbitas_, saith one; certain cares, but... [ Continue Reading ]
And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah. Ver. 21. _And called her name Dinah._] Philo in his "Antiquities" saith (but we need not believe him) that this Dinah was afterwards married to Job, and brought him many children.... [ Continue Reading ]
And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. Ver. 22. _And God remembered Rachel._] She began to think that God had forgotten her, because she was so long suspended, and her prayers not answered. This is a common fault. David bewails it in himself. Psa 77:1-20 Basil gre... [ Continue Reading ]
And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: Ver. 23. _God hath taken away my reproach._] That is, her barrenness, - with which she was often upbraided, - when now she was sufficiently humbled; besides that her children, as the rest of those women that were long bar... [ Continue Reading ]
And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son. Ver. 24. _The Lord shall add to me another son._] A sweet and sure way of argumentation. God, that hath thus and thus done me good, will not be wanting to me in anything that may be conducive to mine eternal comfort; bu... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 25. _Unto mine own place._] The Promised Land, which he reckoned his own. The promises are good surehold.... [ Continue Reading ]
Give [me] my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee. Ver. 26. _Let me go._] Here Jacob was too hasty; as Moses was, in doing justice before his time, and therefore fled for it. Exo 2:11-14... [ Continue Reading ]
And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. Ver. 27. _I pray thee, if I have found favour, &c._] This miserable muckworm, so he may advance his own ends, abased himself to his serva... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [it]. Ver. 28. _Appoint me thy wages._] Heb., Expressly name, or nominate plainly. _ And I will give it._] _Pollicitis dives quilibet esse potest_ .... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. Ver. 29. _Thou knowest how I have served thee,_] _sc_ ., With all my might, and to thy singular advantage: if therefore I stay longer, reason requireth that there should be some respect had to my benefit also... [ Continue Reading ]
For [it was] little which thou hadst before I [came], and it is [now] increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? Ver. 30. _The Lord hath blessed thee since my coming._] Heb., At my foot. Hence grew that proverb u... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed [and] keep thy flock: Ver. 31. _What shall I give thee?_] _Solent multum quaerere, qui cupiunt parum dare_. But Laban would know his price, that he might be ou... [ Continue Reading ]
I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and [of such] shall be my hire. Ver. 32. _And of such shall be my hire._] As white and black sheep were most se... [ Continue Reading ]
So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that [is] not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. Ver. 33. _So shall my righteousness, &c._] A good conscience fears... [ Continue Reading ]
And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. Ver. 34. _Behold, I would it might be._] He was glad to have him on the hip for a bad bargain, but is fairly deceived himself. God will see to his servants, that they shall not lose all: though the world think it neither sin nor pit... [ Continue Reading ]
And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. Ver. 36. And he set three days' journey.] Hoping so to disappoint Jacob of having anything, and to make his own party good with him. For, naturally, the cattle would bring forth others like themselve... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which [was] in the rods. Ver. 37. _And of the hazel._] Or nut tree, Heb. Luz, which was the ancient name of the city of Bethel; Gen 28:19 so called, as it seemeth,... [ Continue Reading ]
And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. Ver. 38. _And he set the rods which he had pilled._] This was done, partly by the force of the fantasy, which is much af... [ Continue Reading ]
And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. Ver. 39. _Ring-straked._] With a round streak, or ring, about their legs, as if they were gartered.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle. Ver. 40. _And set the faces of the flocks, &c._] That by the sight of the speckled cattle... [ Continue Reading ]
And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. Ver. 41. _The stronger cattle._] Heb., Bound together, i.e., lusty and well set.... [ Continue Reading ]
But when the cattle were feeble, he put [them] not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. Ver. 42. So the feebler were Laban's.] So elsewhere God promiseth that his people "shall rob those that robbed them, and spoil those that spoiled them". Eze 39:10... [ Continue Reading ]
And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses. Ver. 43. _And the man increased exceedingly._] So shall all those do, if it be for their eternal good, that depend upon God for success and blessing upon their hard and honest labours.... [ Continue Reading ]