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60 | Genesis 29:35
to a son she said , “ Now at last my hus band will be come at tached to me , be cause I have borne him three sons .” So he was named Levi . a
35
She con ceived again , and when she gave birth to a son she said , “ This time I will praise the Lord .” So she named him Ju dah . b Then she stopped having chil dren .

30

When Ra chel saw that she was not bear ing
Ja cob any chil dren , she be came jeal ous of her sis ter . So she said to Ja cob , “ Give me chil dren , or I ’ ll die !”
2
Ja cob be came an gry with her and said , “ Am I in the place of God , who has kept you from having chil dren ?”
3
Then she said , “ Here is Bil hah , my ser vant . Sleep with her so that she can bear chil dren for me and I too can build a fam i ly through her .”
4
So she gave him her ser vant Bil hah as a wife . Ja cob slept with her , 5 and she be came preg nant and bore him a son . 6 Then Ra chel said , “ God has vin di cat ed me ; he has lis tened to my plea and given me a son .” Be cause of this she named him Dan . c
7
Ra chel ’ s ser vant Bil hah con ceived again and bore Ja cob a sec ond son . 8 Then Ra chel said , “ I have had a great strug gle with my sis ter , and I have won .” So she named him Naph ta li . d
9
When Leah saw that she had stopped hav ing chil dren , she took her ser vant Zil pah and gave her to Ja cob as a wife . 10 Le ah ’ s ser vant Zil pah bore Jacob a son . 11 Then Leah said , “ What good for tune !” e So she named him Gad . f
12
Le ah ’ s ser vant Zil pah bore Ja cob a sec ond son .
13
Then Leah said , “ How hap py I am ! The wom en will call me hap py .” So she named him Ash er . g
14
Dur ing wheat har vest , Reu ben went out into the fields and found some man drake plants , which he brought to his moth er Leah . Ra chel said to Leah , “ Please give me some of your son ’ s man drakes .”
15
But she said to her , “ Wasn ’ t it enough that you took away my hus band ? Will you take my son ’ s man drakes too ?”
“ Very well ,” Ra chel said , “ he can sleep with you to night in re turn for your son ’ s man drakes .”
16
So when Ja cob came in from the fields that eve ning , Leah went out to meet him . “ You must sleep with me ,” she said . “ I have hired you with my son ’ s man drakes .” So he slept with her that night .
17
God lis tened to Leah , and she be came pregnant and bore Ja cob a fifth son . 18 Then Leah said , “ God has re ward ed me for giv ing my ser vant to my hus band .” So she named him Is sa char . h
19
Leah con ceived again and bore Ja cob a sixth son . 20 Then Leah said , “ God has pre sent ed me with a pre cious gift . This time my hus band will treat me with hon or , be cause I have borne him six sons .” So she named him Zeb u lun . i
21
Some time lat er she gave birth to a daugh ter and named her Di nah .
22
Then God re mem bered Ra chel ; he lis tened to her and en abled her to con ceive . 23 She be came preg nant and gave birth to a son and said , “ God has tak en away my dis grace .” 24 She named him Jo seph , j and said , “ May the Lord add to me an oth er son .”
Jacob ’ s Flocks Increase
25
Af ter Ra chel gave birth to Jo seph , Ja cob said to La ban , “ Send me on my way so I can go back to my own home land . 26 Give me my wives and chil dren ,
a
34 Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for attached . b
35 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise . c
6 Dan here means he has vindicated . d
8 Naphtali means my struggle . e
11 Or “ A troop is coming !” f
11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop . g
13 Asher means happy . h
18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward . i
20 Zebulun probably means honor . j
24 Joseph means may he add .
29:35 Judah As Leah hints , this name derives from the Hebrew word yadah , meaning “ to praise .” 30:2 Am I in the place of God Jacob considers Rachel ’ s plea irrational since he views conception as the province of God . His response to Rachel ’ s barrenness differs sharply from his father ’ s response to Rebekah ’ s barrenness . Both men consider their wives ’ ability to conceive to be within God ’ s purview , but Isaac petitions God for help , whereas Jacob deflects blame away from himself ( compare 25:21 ). 30:6 Dan As Rachel indicates , this name is derived from the Hebrew word meaning “ to judge ,” “ to vindicate ” or “ to contend .” In the Hebrew text , Jacob later makes a similar wordplay as Rachel , but does so when speaking of Dan in unflattering terms ( 49:16 – 17 ). This negative reputation continues in later texts ( see Jdg 17:1 – 18:31 ; note on Rev 7:4 ). 30:8 Naphtali Rachel is making a wordplay in naming Naphtali ; his name sounds like the Hebrew word niphtalti she uses in this verse to refer to her wrestling or struggling with Leah . 30:11 Gad The Hebrew word gad can mean “ troop ,” but it is also the word for luck or good fortune , as Leah uses it here . Though there was a god of good fortune in the ancient Near East ( mentioned in Isa 65:11 with “ Destiny ”), Leah refers here to her good fortune , not the deity . 30:13 Asher Asher is also the Hebrew word for happiness — ​hence Leah ’ s remark in this verse . 30:14 During wheat harvest This corresponds roughly to the month of May . mandrake plants Mandrakes ( duda ’ im in Hebrew ) were believed in the ancient Near East to have magical fertility powers . 30:16 I have hired you The Hebrew verb used here , sakhar , is a sound play on the name Issachar ( yissakhar in Hebrew ) — ​the son who results from the rendezvous between Leah and Jacob ( Ge 30:18 ). 30:18 Issachar See note on 30:16 . 30:20 Zebulun The Hebrew name zevulun sounds similar to the Hebrew verb zaval , meaning “ to honor ” — ​hence Leah ’ s remark in this verse . 30:24 Joseph The name Joseph has two possible Hebrew derivations : the Hebrew word asaph ( meaning “ to take away ”) and the Hebrew word yasaph ( meaning “ to add ”). Rachel uses the word yasaph in this verse , suggesting that she viewed it as related to that word . However , both possible derivations are pertinent to the story in chs . 37 – 50 . If Joseph ’ s name comes from the Hebrew word asaph , it alludes to the loss of Joseph via the treachery