A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Genesis · Chapter 30
CHAP. XXX.
Verſ. 1. GIve me children or elſe I die.]
That is, either let me have children by thee, as well as my ſiſter, or I am but a dead woman, I ſhall never be able to endure it, & it will be my death, and indeed, I had rather die then live in this condition; and this Rachel ſaith to Jacob, not as ſeriouſly thinking that Jacob was able to give her this bleſſing, which God had hitherto denyed her; but as thoſe that are in a paſſion do many times ſpeak they ſcarce know what, ſo ſhe in a womaniſh heat and paſſion crieth out to her husband to give her children, never conſidering to whom ſhe ſpake, or why ſhe ſhould crave this of him, or by what means he ſhould be able to ſatisfie her deſire.
Verſ. 3. She ſhall bear upon my knees.]
That is, children, that might be brought up and nurſed on her knees as her own. Gen. 50. 23. The children alſo of Machir the ſonne of Manaſſeh were brought up upon Joſephs knees: and it ſeems moſt probable that this was done about the third year after her marriage.
Verſ. 4. And ſhe gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife.]
A ſecondary wife or concubine; for ſo alſo ſhe is called, Gen. 35. 22. And it came to paſſe when Iſrael dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his fathers concubine.
Verſ. 5. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a fonne.]
Happely the ſame year wherein Levi was born of Leah.
Verſ. 9. When Leah ſaw ſhe had left bearing, &c.]
Conſidering that Leah had her ſix ſonnes and one daughter (beſides theſe two by her handmaid) within the compaſſe of the laſt ſeven years ſervice of Jacob with Laban, it muſt needs be that it was not above half a year that ſhe ſtayed ere ſhe conceived again; yet ſo inordinate was their deſire of children, and emulation one againſt another, that ſhe alſo gives her maid to her husband, and ſo her maid bringing her a ſonne, and her ſelf being alſo at that time with child, that might be one inducement to name the child G…d, that is, a Troop, &c.
Verſ. 14. And Reuben went in the dayes of wheat-harveſt, and found mandrakes.]
A kind of flovver or fruit very pleaſant to the eye (which may ſeem the ground of their name, for the Hebrew word ſignifieth lovely, or amiable) and very odoriferous, Cant. 7. 13. the mandrakes give a ſmell: whether they were the ſame we now call mandrakes, or no, it is uncertain; theſe Reuben, being a child then about foure or five years of age, gathers in the field, as children are wont to do, and brings them home to his mother.
Give me I pray thee of thy ſonnes mandrakes.]
It ſeems that mandrakes were in great eſteem amongſt them, though the child onelyonly caſually lighted on them, and plucked them becauſe of their glorious ſhow; and hence ſo great ado was made about theſe mandrakes which Reuben found.
Verſ. 15. Is it a ſmall matter that thou haſt taken my husband, &c.]
For the full underſtanding of this pa…ſage, we muſt know, 1. that theſe contentions were not merely carnall, but partly alſo for deſire of Gods ordinary bleſſing in propagation, and chiefly for the encreaſe of the Church, and obtaining the promiſed ſeed for ſalvation; 2. that Jacob did moſt frequently converſe with Rachel, whom he did moſt affect, and did comparatively neglect Leah, for which being highly offended with Rachel, ſhe thus ſnaps her up, and denies this ſmall requeſt ſhe makes to her.
Verſ. 16. And Leah went out to meet him.]
This ſhe doth, to make ſure he ſhould not go in to Rachel (as for the moſt part he was wont to do) and tells him what had paſſed betwixt Rachel and her, and ſo prevails with him to go in to her.
Verſ. 17. And ſhe conceived.]
The ſame year that Gad was born of Zilpah, ver. 10.
Verſ. 25. Jacob ſaid unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place.]
That is, the land promiſed to him, Gen. 28. 13. The land whereon thou li…ſt, to thee w…ll I give it, and to thy ſeed; and the land where his father lived, and where himſelf was born. No doubt the reſpect he had to the promiſe made him earneſt that he might return thither.
Verſ. 26. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have ſerved thee, &c.]
That is, let me by thy good leave depart now home with my wives and children; for thou knoweſt that the years of my ſervice are expired, and that I have therein done thee faithfull and good ſervice.
Verſ. 29. Thou knoweſt how I have ſerved thee, &c.]
Though Jacob did before really intend to return home, yet now conſidering with himſelf that it would be better to get ſomewhat for him and his before he went, then to go away with a great family having nothing to ſuſtain them, and being vvithall ſo earneſtly preſſed by the importunitie of Laban, and not knovving hovv to get from him vvhether he vvould or no, in this reply he labours to make it appear vvhat good reaſon there vvas that if he did ſtay it ſhould not be altogether vvithout reſpect of ſom… benefit to himſelf.
Verſ. 31. Th…u ſhalt not give me any thing, &c.]
He did not intend to ſerve him without ſome juſt recompenſe and reward; but the meaning is this, that he would not require any thing out of Labans preſent eſtate, and that which he had gotten already, but that he would receive his hire out of the future increaſe of his flocks, and that in a way, as afterward he tells him, which was likely to be moſt advantagious to Laban, and wherein he for his part was content to reſt upon the providence of God, to wit, that having under his charge onelyonly thoſe ſheep and goats that were all of one colour, whether black or white, none ſpotted, he would have for his hire onelyonly ſuch kids and lambes as were ſpeckled and ſpotted, bred of the old ones under his charge, that had neither ſpeck nor ſpot in them. A condition which Laban, verſ. 34. imbraceth very greedily, I would it might be according to thy word; both becauſe ſuch covetous churls do more hardly part with that which they have in their preſent poſſeſſion, then that which may come in hereafter, and becauſe according to the ordinary courſe of nature cattel are wont to bring forth ſuch as themſelves are, and therefore in this way Jacob was like to have a poore bargain of it. But in all this doubtleſſe the Lord directed Jacob what he ſhould do, who by this means adjudged a good reward to Jacob, which otherwiſe Laban would have kept from him, chap. 31. 9, 10, 11, 12.
Verſ. 38. And he ſet the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters, &c.]
His end in this was, that the ews being in the heat or ſtrength of a double deſire, whileſt they vvere both drinking greedily, and vvithall coupled with the males (for he did this onelyonly in ramming time) they might conceive ſuch young ones as they ſaw ſhadows of in the vvater; for the colour of the roddes made alſo the ſhadows of the rammes, that vvere leaped upon them, to appear particoloured.
Verſ. 40. And Jacob did ſeparate the lambs, and ſet the faces of the flocks toward the ring-ſtraked, &c.]
This vvas another courſe he takes to encreaſe his flock, becauſe all the flock vvould not conceive juſt at vvatering time, having gotten ſome ſpotted lambes by his firſt deviſe of the pilled rods, theſe he ſets before the faces of Labans flock, that by the ſight of the ſpeckled cattel they might bring forth lambes like them that vvere in their eye.
And he put his own flocks by themſelves.]
This vvas a third device he uſed for his greater advantage: his own flocks that vvere ring-ſtraked, ſpeckled, and ſpotted, vvhen they vvere likely to conceive, he vvould not let them be amongſt Labans flocks, leſt they looking upon them that vvere all of one colour, ſhould bring forth young ones that were all of one colour, vvhichwhich then it ſeems ſhould have been Labans.