- Book: [[Genesis]] - Next chapter: [[Genesis 31]] # Overview ## v. 1-24: Sleeping with the servants ### v. 1-8: [[Rachel]]'s jeolousy - [[Rachel]] is jealous of her sister's ability to bear children - "Give me children of I'll die!", she says to [[Jacob]] - [[Jacob]] is angry and states that he is not [[God]] who has kept her from having children - [[Rachel]] offers her maidservant [[Bilhah]], similarly with [[Sarah]] and [[Abraham]] - [[Dan]] and [[Naphtali]] are born ### v. 9-13: [[Leah]] wants in - [[Leah]] is now no longer having children - As such, she offers her maidservant [[Zilpah]] to [[Jacob]] - [[Gad]] and [[Asher]] are born ## v. 14-24: Children of the mandrakes - [[Reuben]] brings mandrakes to his mother [[Leah]] - [[Rachel]] demands the mandrakes, and offers nights with [[Jacob]] to [[Leah]] in exchange - [[Issachar]], [[Zebulun]], and [[Dinah]] were born to [[Leah]] as a result ("[[God]] paid attention to [[Leah]]") - [[Rachel]] gave birth to [[Joseph]] ("Then, [[God]] took note of [[Rachel]]") ## v. 25 to end: [[Jacob]]'s departure ### v. 25-36: [[Jacob]]'s proposition and [[Laban]]'s deception - [[Jacob]] asks to leave [[Laban]] - [[Laban]] begs him to stay, admitting that [[Jacob]]’s presence brought divine blessing - [[Jacob]] proposes that he keep only the speckled, spotted, and dark-colored sheep - [[Laban]] hides the specified animals three days away ### v. 37-43: [[Jacob]]'s breeding method - [[Jacob]] installs peeled poplar, almond, and plane trees in the watering troughs - The sheep who mated in front of those branches gave birth to streaked/speckled/spotted lamb - [[Jacob]] separated those lambs and ensured they did not mix with [[Laban]]'s original - [[Jacob]] only installed the branches in front of the stronger animals # Details ## Naming of the children - The children are ostensibly given [[God]]-honouring names - But it's really about oneupmanship with the other sister - The names are designed to insult the other sister - These are the names of the [[Tribes of Israel]], yet their names are really about conflict with one another! - Therefore, amazing to see that [[Israel]] came about not because of the best efforts of the founders, but despite them! ## More servant-wife children! - Much like [[Abraham]] and [[Sarah]] with [[Hagar]], but on a bigger scale - [[God]] is the one who opens and closes womb, as [[Jacob]] points out in verse 2, but [[Rachel]] takes independent action anyway - [[Leah]] responds in kind ## Progress on [[God's promises]] - [[Jacob]] has many children who become nations here -- way more than [[Isaac]] or [[Abraham]] - He leaves with a bunch of goats -- his promised wealth ## [[Jacob]]'s sticks - [[Jacob]] already has assurance that all breeding sheep will produce streaked/spotted/striped goat (see [[Genesis 31]]:12), though we don't know it yet - Hence, the sticks aren't really correlated to the colour outcome - So probably, they are a method for controlling which goats are breeding, so he can select the stronger ones - Similar to [[Abraham]] and the grave of [[Sarah]], perhaps this is about distinguishing himself from other people for [[God's promises]]? ## State of [[Jacob]]'s household - He has gone from being a fugitive to having an enormous family in 14 years - This would not have been possible if [[Jacob]] had only one wife - [[God's promises]] are coming to fruition *via* [[Laban]]'s trickery > [!NOTE] Takeaway > [[God]] will use less-than-ideal circumstances to fulfill his promises anyway ## Children born to [[Jacob]] in this chapter | Mother | Children | Etymology given in text | | | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------- | --- | | [[Bilhah]] (for [[Rachel]]) | [[Dan]], [[Naphtali]] | “God has judged me”; “wrestlings of God” | | | [[Zilpah]] (for [[Leah]]) | [[Gad]], [[Asher]] | “good fortune”; “happy” | | | [[Leah]] | [[Issachar]], [[Zebulun]], [[Dinah]] | “reward”; “honor”; (no explanation) | | | [[Rachel]]<br> | [[Joseph]] | “May the LORD add another son” | | # Questions - What is the purpose of the mandrake trade between [[Rachel]] and [[Leah]]? - What's with [[Jacob]]’s striped-stick breeding method? - Does the accumulation of wealth by [[Jacob]] foreshadow conflict with [[Laban]] in [[Genesis 31]] and reconciliation with [[Esau]] in later chapters? - Why does [[God]] withhold conception from [[Rachel]] until the birth of [[Joseph]]—is there narrative importance to [[Joseph]]’s favored status? - Is [[Jacob]]'s breeding method a metaphor for shepherding, [[Jesus]], predestination, etc?