1 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.
And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.
And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare 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 the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide; Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me. Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in 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 will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.
For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. Then said Elkanah her husband 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?
And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD 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,