Genesis 30:4

 Genesis 30:4

And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

a. ASV:  And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.  [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And she giveth to him Bilhah her maid-servant for a wife, and Jacob goeth in unto her;  [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: And she gave him Bilhah her maid as a [secondary] wife, and Jacob had intercourse with her.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. NLT: So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.

[Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

e. Stone Edition THE CHUMASH, Rabbinic Commentary: So she gave him Bilhah her maidservant as a wife, and jacob consorted with her. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE CHUMASH Copyright 1998, 2000 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ldt.]

1. “And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.”

a. [And she] gave [him [Strong: 5414 nâthan, naw-than'; a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.):—add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, × avenge, × be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, × doubtless, × without fail, fasten, frame, × get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), × have, × indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), lie, lift up, make, O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, × pull, put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), sing, slander, strike, (sub-) mit, suffer, × surely, × take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, weep, willingly, withdraw, would (to) God, yield.]

b. Bilhah [Strong: 1090 Bilhâh, bil-haw'; from H1089; timid; Bilhah, the name of one of Jacob's concubines; also of a place in Palestine:—Bilhah.]

c. [her] handmaid [Strong: 8198 shiphchâh, shif-khaw'; feminine from an unused root meaning to spread out (as a family; see H4940); a female slave (as a member of the household):—(bond-, hand-) maid(-en, -servant), wench, bondwoman, womanservant.]

d. [to] wife [Strong: 802 ʼishshâh, ish-shaw'; feminine of H376 or H582; irregular plural, נָשִׁים nâshîym;(used in the same wide sense as H582) a woman:—(adulter) ess, each, every, female, × many, none, one, together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.]

e. [and] Jacob [Strong: 3290 Yaʻăqôb, yah-ak-obe'; from H6117; heel-catcher (i.e. supplanter); Jaakob, the Israelitish patriarch:—Jacob.]

f. went in [Strong: 935 bôwʼ, bo; a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):—abide, apply, attain, × be, befall, besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, × certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, × doubtless again, eat, employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, have, × indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, × (well) stricken (in age), × surely, take (in), way.]

g. unto [her] [Strong: 413 ʼêl, ale; (but only used in the shortened constructive form אֶל ʼel ); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:—about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, × hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).]

1). How do we know that the first 11 sons were born in just seven years? 

a). Genesis 31:41 tells us that Jacob had been with Laban in Paddan-aram for 20 years.  He had served 14 years to pay for his two wives and 6 years to take over the best of Laban’s flocks.

b). The first seven years paid for his first wife, Leah, then one week later he was given her sister Rachel as well.  This was based on an agreement that he would work another seven years for her. During those seven extra years of work, the first 11 sons were born.  We know this because Genesis 30:25-28 tells us that Jacob began to be paid after the birth of Joseph, who was the 11th son.

c). So the twenty years were split in three: Seven years of work for Leah before marrying both Leah and Rachel (one week apart). Seven years of work to pay for Rachel, during which 11 sons were born, concluding with Joseph. Six years of working for payment in the form of flocks and herds. From this we conclude that Joseph was born at the end of Jacob’s initial 14 years of service, probably just before he asked Laban for permission to return home.  At Laban’s request, Jacob subsequently stayed another 6 years, during which he acquired much of Laban’s livestock.  Thus, Joseph was 6 years old and his 10 older brothers were between 6 and 13 years old when they left.

2). 11 sons? From time to time I am asked how the birth of Jacob’s first 11 sons could fit into seven years.  Here is my answer.

a). For a start, we must acknowledge that these 11 sons came from four women: Laban’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel, and their two servant girls, Bilhah and Zilpah.  Sadly, both sisters believed that having children was essential to winning or keeping Jacob’s love.  The description of their machinations begins in Genesis 29:31 and continues through to Genesis 30:24.

3). Here is one way in which the birth of the 11 sons could fit in those 7 years (84 months):

a). Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah were all born consecutively from Leah.  They came in a hurry: probably within 36 to 40 months of marriage.

b). At some stage, Rachel decided that she was not able to have children.  This probably happened within a year of marriage, since there seems to have been a general expectation that women would become pregnant immediately after marriage.  She gave her servant girl Bilhah to Jacob as a wife/concubine, and I guess that Bilhah bore Dan and Naphtali at around the same times as Levi and Judah were born.

c). Leah understood that she was not having any more children.  This probably happened within a few months of the birth of Judah.  She gave her servant girl Zilpah to Jacob as a wife/concubine and I guess that Zilpah bore Gad about 9 months later.

d). Zilpah then had another son, Asher, so I assume that Leah was still not becoming pregnant when Asher was conceived.  The two servant girls appear to have been wives to Jacob solely for the purpose of producing children in the competition between Rachel and Leah.

e). Leah then has Issachar and Zebulun.  I would guess that Issachar was not much younger than Asher.

f). Rachel finally became pregnant after a little more than 6 years of marriage. I would guess that Joseph was very little younger than Zebulun.

https://www.bibletales.online/birth-of-jacobs-sons/