Genesis 29:31

 Genesis 29:31

And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.

a. ASV: And Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And Jehovah seeth that Leah is the hated one, and He openeth her womb, and Rachel is barren; [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 when the Lord saw that Leah was despised, He made her able to bear children, but Rachel was barren. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. NLT: When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive. [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: HASHEM saw that Leah was unloved, so he opened her womb; but rachel remained barren.[The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE CHUMASH Copyright 1998, 2000 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ldt.]

f. Torah, Judaism and Jewish information on the web: www.chabad.org; Online English Translation of the Tanakh (Jewish Bible): And the Lord saw that Leah was hated, so He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. [English Translation, Ⓒ Copyright The Judaica Press All rights reserved.]

1. “And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.”

a. [And when the] LORD [Strong: 3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw' from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

b. saw [Strong: 7200 ra'ah raw-aw' a primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative):--advise self, appear, approve, behold, X certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, X indeed, X joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, X be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), X sight of others, (e-)spy, stare, X surely, X think, view, visions.]

c. that [Strong: 3588 kiy kee a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent or consequent; (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed:--and, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-)as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al- )though, + till, truly, + until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet.]

d. Leah [Strong: 3812 Le'ah lay-aw' from 3811; weary; Leah, a wife of Jacob:--Leah.]

e. [was] hated [Strong: 8130 sane' saw-nay' a primitive root; to hate (personally):--enemy, foe, (be) hate(-ful, -r), odious, X utterly.]

1). Dake: To hate here is an idiom meaning preference, not hatred as we understand it.

2). See Chumash and NLT translations above. They both use the words “unloved”. The NIV uses the phrase “Leah was not loved.” 

f. [he] opened [Strong: 6605 pathach paw-thakh' a primitive root; to open wide (literally or figuratively); specifically, to loosen, begin, plough, carve:--appear, break forth, draw (out), let go free, (en-)grave(-n), loose (self), (be, be set) open(-ing), put off, ungird, unstop, have vent.]

g. [her] womb [Strong: 7358 rechem rekh'-em from 7355; the womb (Compare 7356):--matrix, womb.]

h. [but] Rachel [Strong: 7354 Rachel raw-khale' the same as 7353; Rachel, a wife of Jacob:--Rachel.]

i. [was] barren [Strong: 6135 `aqar aw-kawr' from 6131; sterile (as if extirpated in the generative organs):--(X male or female) barren (woman).]

1). The 13 children by four different women did not begin until after the first seven years. After the marriage to Leah, Laban promised that if Jacob would finish the bridal week with Leah he would give Rachel to Jacob also. So after the bridal week Laban gave Jacob Rachel as his wife and then the children began to be born. 

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

 

(1) 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.

 

(2) 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.

 

(3) 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.

 

b). 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.

 

(1) 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.

 

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

 

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

 

(2) 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.

 

(3) 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.

 

(4) 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.

(5) (5) The Timeline above came from the website written by Mark Morgan https://www.bibletales.online/birth-of-jacobs-sons/