1 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
And when Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying.
Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?
but if ye have bitter emulation and strife in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revels, and things like these; as to which I tell you beforehand, even as I also have said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit God's kingdom.
For grief according to God works repentance to salvation, never to be regretted; but the grief of the world works death.
(for his disciples had gone away into the city that they might buy provisions).
Cursed be the day wherein I was born; let not the day wherein my mother bore me be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad! And let that man be as the cities which Jehovah overthrew, and repented not; and let him hear a cry in the morning, and a shouting at noonday, because he slew me not from the womb. Or would that my mother had been my grave, and her womb always great [with me]! Wherefore came I forth from the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed in shame?
And they journeyed from Bethel. And there was yet a certain distance to come to Ephrath, when Rachel travailed in childbirth; and it went hard with her in her childbearing. And it came to pass when it went hard with her in her childbearing, that the midwife said to her, Fear not; for this also is a son for thee. And it came to pass as her soul was departing -- for she died -- that she called his name Benoni; but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath, which [is] Bethlehem.
A sound heart is the life of the flesh; but envy the rottenness of the bones.
Who is he that contendeth with me? For if I were silent now, I should expire.
For vexation killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the simple.
Wherefore did I not die from the womb, -- come forth from the belly and expire?
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. And Job answered and said, Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, There is a man child conceived.
And it came to pass on the day that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters portions; but to Hannah he used to give a double portion, for he loved Hannah; but Jehovah had shut up her womb. And her adversary provoked her much also, to make her fret, because Jehovah had shut up her womb. And [as] he did so year by year, as often as she went up to the house of Jehovah, she provoked her thus; and she wept and did not eat. And Elkanah her husband said to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten sons?
But Moses said to him, Enviest thou for my sake? would that all Jehovah's people were prophets, [and] that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them!
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 30
Commentary on Genesis 30 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 30
In this chapter we have an account of the increase,
Gen 30:1-13
We have here the bad consequences of that strange marriage which Jacob made with the two sisters. Here is,
Gen 30:14-24
Here is,
Gen 30:25-36
We have here,
Gen 30:37-43
Here is Jacob's honest policy to make his bargain more advantageous to himself than it was likely to be. If he had not taken some course to help himself, it would have been a bad bargain indeed, which he knew Laban would never consider, or rather would be well pleased to see him a loser by, so little did Laban consult any one's interest but his own. Now Jacob's contrivances were,