“And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?”
It is only God that maketh barren and fruitful, and therefore I am not in fault.
“And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. have: Heb. be built by her”
Hebrew, I shall be built . I will receive her children on my lap, as though they were mine own.
“And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali. great: Heb. wrestlings of God Naphtali: that is, My wrestling: Gr. Nephthalim”
Hebrew, wrestlings of God . The arrogancy of man’s nature appeareth in that she contemneth her sister, after she hath received this benefit of God to bear children.
“And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad. Gad: that is, A troop, or, company”
That is, God doth increase me with a multitude of children: for so Jacob doth expound this name Gad, Gen. 49:19 .
“And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.”
Which is a kind of herb whose root hath a certain likeness of the figure of a man.
“And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.”
Hebrew, buying I have bought .
“And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar. Issachar: that is, An hire”
Instead of acknowledging her fault, she boasteth as if God had rewarded her therefore.
“And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:”
Because fruitfulness came of God’s blessing, who said Increase and multiply: barrenness was counted as a curse.
“For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? increased: Heb. broken forth since: Heb. at my foot”
Hebrew, at my feet . The order of nature requireth that everyone provide for his own family.
“I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.”
Or, rid. Or, separate thou. That which shall hereafter be thus spotted.
“So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. in time: Heb. to morrow”
God shall testify for my righteous dealing by rewarding my labors. Or, counted theft.
“And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.”
Jacob herein used no deceit: for it was God’s commandment as he declareth in Gen. 31:9 , 11 .
“And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.”
As they which took the ram about September and brought forth about March: so the feebler in March, and lamb in September.