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Read the Bible

Brenton's Septuagint

Genesis 30:43

And the man became very rich, and he had many cattle, and oxen, and servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Animals;   Camel;   Contracts;   Covetousness;   Craftiness;   Dishonesty;   Jacob;   Laban;   Worldliness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Animals;   Camels;   Poverty-Riches;   Riches, Earthly;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ass, the Domestic;   Camel, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Shepherd;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Animals;   Jacob;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Glory;   Wages;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ass;   Dromedary;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ass;   Black;   Honesty;   Integrity;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Israel;   Tribes of Israel;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Cattle;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Benjamin;   Laban;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Canaan (2);  

Encyclopedias:

- The Jewish Encyclopedia - Cattle;   Hiring and Letting;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and donkeys.
King James Version
And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
Lexham English Bible
And the man became exceedingly rich and had large flocks, female slaves, male slaves, camels, and donkeys.
New Century Version
In this way Jacob became very rich. He had large flocks, many male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
New English Translation
In this way Jacob became extremely prosperous. He owned large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
Amplified Bible
So Jacob became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks [of sheep and goats], and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
New American Standard Bible
So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So the man encreased exceedingly, and had many flockes, and maide seruantes, and men seruants, and camels and asses.
Legacy Standard Bible
So the man spread out exceedingly and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.
Contemporary English Version
Jacob soon became rich and successful. He owned many sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of slaves.
Complete Jewish Bible
In this way the man became very rich and had large flocks, along with male and female slaves, camels and donkeys.
Darby Translation
And the man increased very, very much, and had much cattle, and bondwomen, and bondmen, and camels, and asses.
Easy-to-Read Version
In this way Jacob became very rich. He had large flocks, many servants, camels, and donkeys.
English Standard Version
Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
George Lamsa Translation
And the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, menservants, maidservants, and she asses, camels, and he asses.
Good News Translation
In this way Jacob became very wealthy. He had many flocks, slaves, camels, and donkeys.
Christian Standard Bible®
And the man became very rich. He had many flocks, female and male slaves, and camels and donkeys.
Literal Translation
And the man increased very much, and many flocks were his, and slave-girls, and male slaves, and camels and asses.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thus the man became exceadinge riche, so that he had many shepe, maydens & seruauntes, Camels and Asses.
American Standard Version
And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and asses.
Bible in Basic English
So Jacob's wealth was greatly increased; he had great flocks and women-servants and men-servants and camels and asses.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattell, and mayde seruauntes, and man seruauntes, and camels, and asses.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and asses.
King James Version (1611)
And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattell, and maydseruants, and men seruants, and camels, and asses.
English Revised Version
And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and asses.
Berean Standard Bible
Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he was maad ful riche, and hadde many flockis, handmaydis, and seruauntis, camels, and assis.
Young's Literal Translation
And the man increaseth very exceedingly, and hath many flocks, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.
Update Bible Version
And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and female slaves and male slaves, and camels and donkeys.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the man increased exceedingly, and had many cattle, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.
World English Bible
The man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and donkeys.
New King James Version
Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
New Living Translation
As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.
New Life Bible
Jacob became very rich. He had large flocks and camels and donkeys, and men and women servants.
New Revised Standard
Thus the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, and male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thus did the man break forth, exceedingly, - thus came he to have flocks in abundance, and maid-servants, and men-servants and camels and asses.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the man was enriched exceedingly, and he had many flocks, maidservants and menservants, camels and asses.
Revised Standard Version
Thus the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and asses.
THE MESSAGE
The man got richer and richer, acquiring huge flocks, lots and lots of servants, not to mention camels and donkeys.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.

Contextual Overview

37 And Jacob took to himself green rods of storax tree and walnut and plane-tree; and Jacob peeled in them white stripes; and as he drew off the green, the white stripe which he had made appeared alternate on the rods. 38 And he laid the rods which he had peeled, in the hollows of the watering-troughs, that whensoever the cattle should come to drink, as they should have come to drink before the rods, the cattle might conceive at the rods. 39 So the cattle conceived at the rods, and the cattle brought forth young speckled, and streaked and spotted with ash-coloured spots. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set before the sheep a speckled ram, and every variegated one among the lambs, and he separated flocks for himself alone, and did not mingle them with the sheep of Laban. 41 And it came to pass in the time wherein the cattle became pregnant, conceiving in the belly, Jacob put the rods before the cattle in the troughs, that they might conceive by the rods. 42 But he did not put them in indiscriminately whenever the cattle happened to bring forth, but the unmarked ones were Laban’s, and the marked ones were Jacob’s. 43 And the man became very rich, and he had many cattle, and oxen, and servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Genesis 30:30, Genesis 13:2, Genesis 24:35, Genesis 26:13, Genesis 26:14, Genesis 28:15, Genesis 31:7, Genesis 31:8, Genesis 31:42, Genesis 32:10, Genesis 33:11, Genesis 36:7, Ecclesiastes 2:7, Ezekiel 39:10, The Lord will, in one way or other, honour those who simply trust his providence.

Reciprocal: Genesis 32:5 - have oxen Genesis 32:14 - General Genesis 46:8 - the names Job 1:10 - substance Psalms 107:38 - suffereth

Cross-References

Genesis 12:16
And they treated Abram well on her account, and he had sheep, and calves, and asses, and men-servants, and women-servants, and mules, and camels.
Genesis 13:2
And Abram was very rich in cattle, and silver, and gold.
Genesis 24:35
and the Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he is exalted, and he has given him sheep, and calves, and silver, and gold, servants and servant-maids, camels, and asses.
Genesis 28:15
And behold I am with thee to preserve thee continually in all the way wherein thou shalt go; and I will bring thee back to this land; for I will not desert thee, until I have done all that I have said to thee.
Genesis 30:7
And Balla, Rachel’s maid, conceived yet again, and bore a second son to Jacob.
Genesis 30:8
And Rachel said, God has helped me, and I contended with my sister and prevailed; and she called his name, Nephthalim.
Genesis 30:13
And Lea said, I am blessed, for the women will pronounce me blessed; and she called his name, Aser.
Genesis 30:14
And Ruben went in the day of barley-harvest, and found apples of mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Lea; and Rachel said to Lea her sister, Give me of thy son’s mandrakes.
Genesis 30:30
For it was little thou hadst before my time, and it is increased to a multitude, and the Lord God has blessed thee since my coming; now then, when shall I set up also my own house?
Genesis 31:42
Unless I had the God of my father Abraam, and the fear of Isaac, now thou wouldest have sent me away empty; God saw my humiliation, and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the man increased exceedingly,.... Jacob grew very rich:

and had much cattle; the greater part of Laban's flocks brought forth speckled, spotted, and brown cattle, which, according to agreement, were Jacob's:

and maidservants, and menservants; which he got to take care of his household affairs, and to assist him in keeping his flocks:

and camels, and asses; for his flocks increasing so very much, he sold many of his sheep at a good price, as Jarchi observes, and with it bought camels and asses; and these were very fit for his use, when he should be obliged or think fit to remove into his own country, and which he was meditating, and had a direction from the Lord for, as in the following chapter.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

- Jacob’s Family and Wealth

6. דן dān, Dan, “judge, lord.”

8. נפתלי naptālı̂y, Naphtali, “wrestling.”

11. גד gād, Gad, “overcoming, victory.” בגד bāgād, “in victory or” =גד בא bā' gād, “victory cometh.” גוּד gûd, “press down.” גדוּד gedûd, “troop.”

13. אשׁר 'ǎashēr, Asher, “prosperity, happiness.”

18. ישׂשכר yı̂śāskār, Jissakar, “reward.” The second Hebrew letter (ש s) seems to have been merely a full mode of writing the word, instead of the abbreviated form ישׂכר yı̂śākār.

20. זבלוּן zebulûn, Zebulun, “dwelling.” There is here a play upon the two words זבד zābad, “to endow” and זבל zābal, “to dwell,” the latter of which, however, prevails in the name. They occur only here as verbs.

21. דינה dı̂ynâh, Dinah, “judgment.”

24. יסף yôsêph, Joseph, “he shall add.” There is, however, an obvious allusion to the thought. “God hath taken away (אסף 'āsap) my reproach.” Double references, we find, are usual in the giving of names (see Genesis 25:30).

This chapter is the continuation of the former, and completes the history of Jacob in Haran. The event immediately following probably took place after Leah had borne two of her sons, though not admitted into the narrative until she had paused for a short time.

Genesis 30:1-8

Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, bears two sons. Rachel becomes impatient of her barrenness and jealous of her sister, and unjustly reproaches her husband, who indignantly rebukes her. God, not he, has withheld children from her. She does what Sarah had done before her Genesis 16:2-3, gives her handmaid to her husband. No express law yet forbade this course, though nature and Scripture by implication did Genesis 2:23-25. “Dan.” “God hath judged me.” In this passage Jacob and Rachel use the common noun, God, the Everlasting, and therefore Almighty, who rules in the physical relations of things - a name suitable to the occasion. He had judged her, dealt with her according to his sovereign justice in withholding the fruit of the womb, when she was self-complacent and forgetful of her dependence on a higher power; and also in hearing her voice when she approached him in humble supplication. “Naphtali.” “Wrestlings of God,” with God, in prayer, on the part of both sisters, so that they wrestled with one another in the self-same act. Rachel, though looking first to Jacob and then to her maid, had at length learned to look to her God, and then had prevailed.

Genesis 30:9-13

Leah having stayed from bearing, resorts to the same expedient. Her fourth son was seemingly born in the fourth year of Jacob’s marriage. Bearing her first four sons so rapidly, she would the sooner observe the temporary cessation. After the interval of a year she may have given Zilpah to Jacob. “Gad.” “Victory cometh.” She too claims a victory. “Asher.” Daughters will pronounce her happy who is so rich in sons. Leah is seemingly conscious that she is here pursuing a device of her own heart; and hence there is no explicit reference to the divine name or influence in the naming of the two sons of her maid.

Genesis 30:14-21

“Reuben” was at this time four or five years of age, as it is probable that Leah began to bear again before Zilpah had her second son. “Mandrakes” - the fruit of the “mandragora vernaIis,” which is to this day supposed to promote fruitfulness of the womb. Rachel therefore desires to partake of them, and obtains them by a compact with Leah. Leah betakes herself to prayer, and bears a fifth son. She calls him “Issakar,” with a double allusion. She had hired her husband with the mandrakes, and had received this son as her hire for giving her maid to her husband; which she regards as an act of generosity or self-denial. “Zebulun.” Here Leah confesses, “God hath endowed me with a good dowry.” She speaks now like Rachel of the God of nature. The cherished thought that her husband will dwell with her who is the mother of six sons takes form in the name. “Dinah” is the only daughter of Jacob mentioned Genesis 46:7, and that on account of her subsequent connection with the history of Jacob Genesis 34:0. Issakar appears to have been born in the sixth year after Jacob’s marriage, Zebulun in the seventh, and Dinah in the eighth.

Genesis 30:22-24

“God remembered Rachel,” in the best time for her, after he had taught her the lessons of dependence and patience. “Joseph.” There is a remote allusion to her gratitude for the reproach of barrenness taken away. But there is also hope in the name. The selfish feeling also has died away, and the thankful Rachel rises from Elohim, the invisible Eternal, to Yahweh, the manifest Self-existent. The birth of Joseph was after the fourteen years of service were completed. He and Dinah appear to have been born in the same year.

Genesis 30:25-36

Jacob enters into a new contract of service with Laban. “When Rachel had borne Joseph.” Jacob cannot ask his dismissal until the twice seven years of service were completed. Hence, the birth of Joseph, which is the date of his request, took place at the earliest in the fifteenth year of his sojourn with Laban. Jacob now wishes to return home, from which he had been detained so long by serving for Rachel. He no doubt expects of Laban the means at least of accomplishing his journey. Laban is loath to part with him. “I have divined” - I have been an attentive observer. The result of his observation is expressed in the following words. “Appoint.” Laban offers to leave the fixing of the hire to Jacob. “Thy hire upon me,” which I will take upon me as binding. Jacob touches upon the value of his services, perhaps with the tacit feeling that Laban in equity owed him at least the means of returning to his home. “Brake forth” - increased. “At my foot” - under my guidance and tending of thy flocks.

“Do” - provide. “Thou shalt not give me anything.” This shows that Jacob had no stock from Laban to begin with. “I will pass through all thy flock today” with thee. “Remove thou thence every speckled and spotted sheep, and every brown sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats.” These were the rare colors, as in the East the sheep are usually white, and the goats black or dark brown. “And such shall be my hire.” Such as these uncommon party-colored cattle, when they shall appear among the flock already cleared of them; and not those of this description that are now removed. For in this case Laban would have given Jacob something; whereas Jacob was resolved to be entirely dependent on the divine providence for his hire. “And my righteousness will answer for me.” The color will determine at once whose the animal is. Laban willingly consents to so favorable a proposal, removes the party-colored animals from the flock, gives them into the hands of his sons, and puts an interval of three days’ journey between them and the pure stock which remains in Jacob’s hands. Jacob is now to begin with nothing, and have for his hire any party-colored lambs or kids that appear in those flocks, from which every specimen of this rare class has been carefully removed.

Genesis 30:37-43

Jacob devises means to provide himself with a flock in these unfavorable circumstances. His first device is to place party-colored rods before the eyes of the cattle at the rutting season, that they might drop lambs and kids varied with speckles, patches, or streaks of white. He had learned from experience that there is a congruence between the colors of the objects contemplated by the dams at that season and those of their young. At all events they bare many straked, speckled, and spotted lambs and kids. He now separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flock toward the young of the rare colors, doubtless to affect them in the same way as the pilled rods. “Put his own folds by themselves.” These are the party-colored cattle that from time to time appeared in the flock of Laban. In order to secure the stronger cattle, Jacob added the second device of employing the party-colored rods only when the strong cattle conceived. The sheep in the East lamb twice a year, and it is supposed that the lambs dropped in autumn are stronger than those dropped in the spring. On this supposition Jacob used his artifice in the spring, and not in the autumn. It is probable, however, that he made his experiments on the healthy and vigorous cattle, without reference to the season of the year. The result is here stated. “The man brake forth exceedingly” - became rapidly rich in hands and cattle.

It is obvious that the preceding and present chapters form one continuous piece of composition; as otherwise we have no account of the whole family of Jacob from one author. But the names אלהים 'ĕlohı̂ym and יהוה yehovâh are both employed in the piece, and, hence, their presence and interchange cannot indicate diversity of authorship.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Genesis 30:43. And the man increased exceedingly — No wonder, when he used such means as the above. And had maid-servants, and men-servants-he was obliged to increase these as his cattle multiplied. And camels and asses, to transport his tents, baggage, and family from place to place, being obliged often to remove for the benefit of pasturage.

We have already seen many difficulties in this chapter, and strange incidents, for which we are not able to account.

1. The vicarious bearing of children;

2. The nature and properties of the mandrakes;

3. The bargain of Jacob and Laban; and

4. The business of the party-coloured flocks produced by means of the females looking at the variegated rods.

These, especially the three last, may be ranked among the most difficult things in this book. Without encumbering the page with quotations and opinions, I have given the best sense I could; and think it much better and safer to confess ignorance, than, under the semblance of wisdom and learning, to multiply conjectures. Jacob certainly manifested much address in the whole of his conduct with Laban; but though nothing can excuse overreaching or insincerity, yet no doubt Jacob supposed himself justified in taking these advantages of a man who had greatly injured and defrauded him. Had Jacob got Rachel at first, for whom he had honestly and faithfully served seven years, there is no evidence whatever that he would have taken a second wife. Laban, by having imposed his eldest daughter upon him, and by obliging him to serve seven years for her who never was an object of his affection, acted a part wholly foreign to every dictate of justice and honesty; (for though it was a custom in that country not to give the younger daughter in marriage before the elder, yet, as he did not mention this to Jacob, it cannot plead in his excuse;) therefore, speaking after the manner of men, he had reason to expect that Jacob should repay him in his own coin, and right himself by whatever means came into his power; and many think that he did not transgress the bounds of justice, even in the business of the party-coloured cattle.

The talent possessed by Jacob was a most dangerous one; he was what may be truly called a scheming man; his wits were still at work, and as he devised so he executed, being as fruitful in expedients as he was in plans. This was the principal and the most prominent characteristic of his life; and whatever was excessive here was owing to his mother's tuition; she was evidently a woman who paid little respect to what is called moral principle, and sanctified all kinds of means by the goodness of the end at which she aimed; which in social, civil, and religious life, is the most dangerous principle on which a person can possibly act. In this art she appears to have instructed her son; and, unfortunately for himself, he was in some instances but too apt a proficient. Early habits are not easily rooted out, especially those of a bad kind. Next to the influence and grace of the Spirit of God is a good and religious education. Parents should teach their children to despise and abhor low cunning, to fear a lie, and tremble at an oath; and in order to be successful, they should illustrate their precepts by their own regular and conscientious example. How far God approved of the whole of Jacob's conduct I shall not inquire; it is certain that he attributes his success to Divine interposition, and God himself censures Laban's conduct towards him; see Genesis 31:7-12. But still he appears to have proceeded farther than this interposition authorized him to go, especially in the means he used to improve his own breed, which necessarily led to the deterioration of Laban's cattle; for, after the transactions referred to above, these cattle could be of but little worth. The whole account, with all its lights and shades, I consider as another proof of the impartiality of the Divine historian, and a strong evidence of the authenticity of the Pentateuch. Neither the spirit of deceit, nor the partiality of friendship, could ever pen such an account.


 
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