The Children of Jacob
Genesis 29:31-30:24
Gen.29.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- שנואה: ADJ,ptc,pass,f,sg,abs
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויפתח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- רחמה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,f
- ורחל: CONJ+PROPN,f,sg
- עקרה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 30:22 (verbal): Same verbal motif—'God remembered/opened her womb'—used later about Rachel (God opens her womb and she conceives Joseph), echoing Gen 29:31's wording and theme.
- Genesis 25:21 (thematic): Isaac prays for Rebekah because she was barren and the LORD answers so she conceives—parallel theme of divine intervention in the case of barrenness.
- 1 Samuel 1:19-20 (thematic): Hannah, long barren, is answered by God and bears Samuel—another instance of the motif of a previously barren woman whom the LORD enables to conceive.
- Judges 13:2-3 (thematic): Manoah’s wife is barren until an angel announces she will bear Samson—similar reversal of barrenness announced/caused by divine action.
- Luke 1:5-25, 57-58 (allusion): Elizabeth's barrenness and subsequent conception of John the Baptist reflects the OT motif of God 'opening the womb' and continues the theme of divine reversal of sterility in the New Testament.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
- And the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
Gen.29.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ראובן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אמרה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- ראה: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בעניי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,+1,sg
- כי: CONJ
- עתה: ADV
- יאהבני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,+obj:1,sg
- אישי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,+1,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 29:33 (verbal): Immediate parallel in Leah's next birth: she again names the son with an explanatory formula beginning 'because...' (שֶׁ... נָתַן) linking childbirth to her relationship with Jacob and to God's response to her situation.
- Genesis 29:34 (thematic): Leah's naming of Levi continues the same pattern—each son's name is given with a stated reason tied to Leah's hopes about Jacob ('now my husband will dwell with me'), showing a cluster of birth-name explanations.
- Genesis 29:35 (thematic): Judah's naming marks the culmination of Leah's series of births; like Reuben, the name is given with an explicit motive (praising Yahweh) and continues the chapter's pattern of name-explanations reflecting circumstances and theology.
- Genesis 21:3–4 (structural): Isaac's naming is another canonical birth-name explanation: Sarah names the child and the narrative gives the reason ('because she laughed'), illustrating the biblical motif of names encoding the parents' interpretation of birth events.
- Genesis 30:22–24 (thematic): Rachel's naming of Joseph ('may He add') ties the child's name to God's intervention in barrenness—paralleling Leah's attribution of her son to God's having 'seen' her affliction and connecting divine action with the rationale for the name.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Because the LORD has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me."
- And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Because the LORD has seen my affliction; now my husband will love me."
Gen.29.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- עוד: ADV
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- שנואה: ADJ,f,sg
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- גם: ADV
- את: PRT,acc
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- שמעון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.29.32 (verbal): Immediate verbal parallel — Leah names her first son (Reuben) for God’s notice of her being unloved; similar phrasing tying the child’s name to God’s response to her situation.
- Gen.29.35 (thematic): Same narrative sequence: Leah continues to bear sons and names them with statements about her relationship to Jacob and God’s action (Judah’s name likewise tied to a divine-human response).
- Gen.30.22-24 (thematic): Rachel’s birth of Joseph: God ‘remembered’ Rachel and gave her a son — parallels the theme of divine intervention in childbearing and naming the child as testimony to God’s action.
- 1 Sam.1.20 (thematic): Hannah names Samuel as the fruit of God’s hearing her prayer — parallel motif of a mother naming a son in explicit recognition that God has heard or acted on her need.
- Ps.116:1 (verbal): Uses the language of God ‘hearing’ the petitioner’s voice/supplication; echoes the theological affirmation in Gen 29:33 that God has heard the woman’s plight and granted a child.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she conceived again and bore a son and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, he has also given me this one." And she called his name Simeon.
- And she conceived again and bore a son and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, he has given me this also." And she called his name Simeon.
Gen.29.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- עוד: ADV
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- עתה: ADV
- הפעם: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ילוה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אישי: NOUN,m,sg,pr1s
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כי: CONJ
- ילדתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- שלשה: NUM,m
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- קרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לוי: PROPN,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 29:32–33 (structural): Immediate parallel within the Rachel/Leah birth cycle: Leah names Reuben and Simeon with situational reasons—Gen 29:34 continues the same naming formula and motive (securing Jacob’s attachment).
- Genesis 30:22–24 (thematic): Rachel’s naming of Joseph (“May he add”) parallels the common Genesis motif of mothers naming children to express hope, divine action, or fertility-related desires.
- Numbers 3:12–13 (allusion): Later legislation that God ‘has taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn’ points back to Levi’s origin and name (׳joined׳) and explains the tribe’s special custodial role.
- Deuteronomy 33:8–11 (thematic): Moses’ blessing of Levi (priestly charge, purification, teaching Torah) thematically develops the significance of Levi’s birth/name into the tribe’s religious function.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she conceived again and bore a son and said, "Now this time my husband will be joined to me, for I have borne him three sons." Therefore he was called Levi.
- And she conceived again and bore a son and said, "Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi.
Gen.29.35 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- עוד: ADV
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- הפעם: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אודה: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- קראה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ותעמד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מלדת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.29:32 (verbal): Leah names her firstborn Reuben with a reason tied to the LORD's action (‘for the LORD hath looked upon my affliction’). Shares the same naming formula and motive of attributing the birth to God’s intervention.
- Gen.29:34 (thematic): Leah’s earlier naming of Levi (‘this time will my husband be joined to me’) is part of the immediate sequence of births in which each name expresses Leah’s response or hope; Judah’s naming continues this pattern.
- Gen.30:22–24 (verbal): Rachel’s conception and the naming of Joseph (‘and she called his name Joseph…’) follow the same narrative pattern—God enables conception and the mother names the son in relation to God’s action or blessing.
- 1 Sam.1:20 (thematic): Hannah names Samuel after God answers her prayer and then offers praise. Like Leah in Genesis 29:35, the child’s name and the mother’s words express thanksgiving/praise to the LORD for the birth.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she conceived again and bore a son and said, "This time I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah; then she stopped bearing.
- And she conceived again and bore a son and said, "This time I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah; and she ceased from bearing.
Gen.30.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- רחל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- ילדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ליעקב: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ותקנא: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- רחל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- באחתה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אל: NEG
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הבה: PRT
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואם: CONJ
- אין: PART,neg
- מתה: VERB,qal,cohort,1,f,sg
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 29:31-35 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: Leah is repeatedly given children while Rachel remains barren; Rachel’s envy and the sibling rivalry are introduced and developed across these verses.
- Genesis 16:1-2 (thematic): Sarai’s barrenness and the solution of providing a maidservant (Hagar) to bear children parallels the theme of sterile wives, jealousy, and resorting to surrogacy in the household.
- 1 Samuel 1:6-11 (thematic): Hannah’s deep anguish over barrenness and her intense prayer/vow for a son echoes Rachel’s desperate desire for children and the emotional intensity of ‘give me children or I die.’
- Jeremiah 31:15 (allusion): The prophetic image of Rachel weeping for her children alludes back to Rachel’s sorrow and barrenness, using her as a national symbol of maternal grief and loss.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, and Rachel envied her sister, and she said to Jacob, "Give me children; and if not, I am dead."
- And Rachel saw that she had borne Jacob no children, and Rachel envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, "Give me children, and if not, I am dead."
Gen.30.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויחר: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,sg
- אף: ADV
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ברחל: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- התחת: INT+PREP
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מנע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- פרי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- בטן: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Gen.30.22 (structural): Immediate narrative resolution to Jacob’s comment: God remembers Rachel and opens her womb—shows Jacob’s rhetorical question is answered by divine action in the same episode.
- Gen.18:10; Gen.21:1–2 (thematic): God as the giver of children—Abraham and Sarah’s miraculous conception highlights the motif that fertility is ultimately bestowed by God, the point Jacob is making rhetorically.
- 1 Sam.1:5–11, 1 Sam.1:19–20 (thematic): Hannah’s barrenness and prayer for a son parallel Rachel’s desire for children; both narratives contrast human pleading with God’s sovereign grant of offspring.
- Ps.127:3 (thematic): ‘Children are a heritage from the LORD; the fruit of the womb is his reward’ echoes the phrase ‘fruit of the womb’ and the theological claim that children belong to God, underlying Jacob’s retort.
- Luke 1:5–25, Luke 1:36–37 (thematic): Elizabeth’s late conception (and the angelic promise to Mary) parallels Rachel’s barrenness and subsequent divine intervention, stressing that conception is an act of God and nothing is impossible for him.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
- And Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
Gen.30.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- הנה: PART
- אמתי: ADV
- בלהה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- על: PREP
- ברכי: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ואבנה: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,sg
- גם: ADV
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- ממנה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Gen.16:2 (verbal): Sarai tells Abram to 'go in unto my maid' so that she may obtain children by her — nearly identical language and the same surrogate/handmaid solution to barrenness.
- Gen.30:9 (thematic): Leah responds to her infertility by giving her maid Zilpah to Jacob; parallels Rachel's use of Bilhah and repeats the handmaid-surrogacy pattern within the same narrative framework.
- Gal.4:22-31 (allusion): Paul allegorizes the Hagar/Sarah and slave/free-woman motif drawn from Genesis (including the use of handmaids as surrogate mothers) to make a theological point about two covenants.
- 1 Sam.1:5-20 (thematic): Hannah's barrenness and fervent desire for a son (and God's eventual granting of Samuel) parallels the wider biblical theme in which barren women seek children (by prayer or surrogate means) and then bear children.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she said, "Here is my maidservant Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees, and that I too may be built up through her."
- And she said, "Here is my maidservant Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may be built up through her."
Gen.30.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותתן: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- בלהה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שפחתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- לאשה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.16:1-4 (verbal): Sarai gives her maid Hagar to Abraham so that she may obtain children by her husband—language and institution (giver of a maid as surrogate/concubine) are closely parallel to Rachel giving Bilhah to Jacob.
- Gen.30:9-13 (structural): Leah likewise gives her maid Zilpah to Jacob to bear children; the episode mirrors Rachel’s action, creating a paired structural pattern within the same chapter.
- Gen.21:9-21 (thematic): The later conflict and expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael shows the recurring social and familial consequences when a wife’s maid is used as a surrogate/concubine—an outcome that thematically echoes the Bilhah/Han storyline.
- Gal.4:22-31 (allusion): Paul interprets the stories of Hagar and Sarah allegorically (slave woman vs. free woman); he alludes to the broader practice of giving maids as surrogates (including Bilhah/Zilpah) to make a theological point about law and promise.
Alternative generated candidates
- So she gave him Bilhah her maidservant as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
- And she gave him Bilhah her maidservant as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
Gen.30.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- בלהה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ליעקב: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 30:3-6 (structural): Immediate context: Rachel gives her maid Bilhah to Jacob as a surrogate; Bilhah conceives and the child is named (Dan) — this verse is part of that surrogacy episode.
- Genesis 16:1-4,15-16 (thematic): Precedent of a wife giving her maidservant (Hagar) to her husband because of barrenness; the maid bears a child (Ishmael) — parallels the social practice and motif of surrogate birth.
- Genesis 30:9-13 (verbal): Parallel episode where Leah gives her maid Zilpah to Jacob and Zilpah bears sons (Gad and Asher) — mirrors Bilhah’s role as a surrogate mother producing tribal ancestors.
- Genesis 46:23 (structural): Genealogical summary in Jacob’s family lists the sons of Bilhah (Dan and Naphtali), linking this birth to the later tribal genealogy.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
- And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
Gen.30.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- רחל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- דנני: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וגם: CONJ
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בקלי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- קראה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- דן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 29:33 (verbal): Leah’s naming formula similarly links childbirth to God’s hearing—'Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated...'—paralleling Rachel’s claim that God 'has heard my voice.'
- Genesis 30:22 (verbal): Immediate narrative parallel: 'God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb,' directly echoing the idea that God listened to Rachel and gave a son.
- Genesis 30:8 (structural): Bilhah’s and Rachel’s naming statements (here Naphtali) follow the same structural pattern: birth is interpreted theologically and the child is named to express the mother’s experience or claim.
- 1 Samuel 1:19–20 (thematic): Hannah’s story: God hears a barren woman’s plea, she bears a son and names him (Samuel). The theme of prayer, divine hearing, and naming the child recurs between the accounts.
- Psalm 116:1 (verbal): The psalmist confesses 'I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice'—the same verbal motif of God ‘hearing one’s voice’ appears in Rachel’s declaration.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.
- And Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.
Gen.30.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- עוד: ADV
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בלהה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שפחת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- רחל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שני: NUM,m,pl,construct
- ליעקב: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 30:6 (verbal): Immediate narrative parallel: Bilhah (Rachel's maid) bears Jacob a first son (Dan); 30:7 continues with her bearing a second son (Naphtali).
- Genesis 16:1-4 (thematic): Hagar as Sarah's maidservant conceives for Abram (Ishmael); parallels the use of a maidservant to bear children on behalf of a married matriarch.
- Genesis 46:25 (structural): Genealogical summary that identifies Bilhah as Rachel's maid and lists her sons Dan and Naphtali, confirming the second son named in Gen 30:7.
- Galatians 4:21-31 (allusion): Paul's allegory contrasts the children of the slave (Hagar) and the free woman (Sarah); thematically echoes the significance attached to births by maidservants in the Patriarchal narratives.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
- And Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
Gen.30.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- רחל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נפתולי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נפתלתי: VERB,niphal,perf,1,f,sg
- עם: PREP
- אחתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- גם: ADV
- יכלתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,f,sg
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- נפתלי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.30:1 (thematic): Rachel’s rivalry with Leah over childbearing is established immediately before v.8; both verses reflect the sibling competition that motivates Rachel’s naming of Naphtali.
- Gen.29:31-35 (structural): Leah’s naming of her sons with theological explanations parallels Rachel’s naming of Naphtali — both mothers interpret births in terms of struggle, divine notice, or rivalry.
- Gen.32:24-30 (thematic): Jacob’s nocturnal wrestle with God and his prevailing echoed in the language and idea of wrestling/prevailing in Rachel’s declaration when she names Naphtali (both portray struggle with divine or adversarial force and success).
- Gen.49:21 (allusion): Jacob’s later blessing/prophecy about Naphtali recalls the tribal name introduced in Gen 30:8; it connects the personal naming motive (wrestling) with the tribe’s later characterization.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Rachel said, "With wrestlings of God I have wrestled with my sister; yes, I have prevailed." And she called his name Naphtali.
- And Rachel said, "With wrestlings of God I have wrestled with my sister; indeed, I have prevailed." And she called his name Naphtali.
Gen.30.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- עמדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מלדת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- זלפה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שפחתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- ותתן: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- ליעקב: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- לאשה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 30:3 (verbal): Rachel gives her maid Bilhah to Jacob so that she might bear children in her stead — almost identical action and wording to Leah giving Zilpah in 30:9.
- Genesis 30:10-13 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel showing the outcome of Leah’s act: Zilpah bears Jacob’s sons (Gad and Asher), paralleling the earlier account of Bilhah’s sons.
- Genesis 16:1-3 (thematic): Sarai gives her maid Hagar to Abram because of barrenness — a clear antecedent example of the practice of giving a slave as a surrogate wife/concubine.
- Galatians 4:22-31 (allusion): Paul recalls the story of the slave and free women (Hagar and Sarah) as an allegory about two covenants; he implicitly draws on the practice of using a maidservant to bear children for a barren wife.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Leah saw that she had ceased bearing, and she took Zilpah her maidservant and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
- And Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, and she took her maidservant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
Gen.30.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- זלפה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שפחת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ליעקב: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 30:3 (structural): Rachel gives her maid Bilhah to Jacob as a surrogate wife so Bilhah bears sons for Rachel—directly parallels Leah’s giving of Zilpah and Zilpah’s subsequent childbearing.
- Genesis 16:1-4,15 (thematic): Hagar, Sarah’s maid, bears Ishmael for Abraham—an earlier instance of a maidservant functioning as a surrogate mother and producing a named son who shapes tribal/lineage outcomes.
- Genesis 35:23-26 (structural): Genealogical listing of Jacob’s sons that specifies which sons came from Bilhah and Zilpah (including Gad and Asher), linking Gen 30:10’s birth to the wider family roster.
- Genesis 49:19-20 (allusion): Jacob’s later blessing/prophecy names Gad and Asher (the sons born to Zilpah), connecting the birth reported in Gen 30:10 to the tribes’ future character and destiny.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, bore Jacob a son.
- And Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, bore Jacob a son.
Gen.30.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- גד: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- גד: NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 30:6 (verbal): Bilhah’s son Dan is named with the same verb וַתִּקְרָא ('and she called his name') and the name likewise reflects the mother's remark about circumstances of the birth.
- Genesis 30:13 (verbal): Zilpah/Leah names Asher in the same immediate literary context (same chapter), using the same naming formula tying a mother's word to the child's name.
- Genesis 29:35 (structural): Leah’s earlier naming of Judah follows the same pattern—Leah speaks a situational comment and 'calls his name'—showing a recurring naming motif for Leah’s sons.
- Genesis 49:19 (allusion): Jacob’s later blessing of Gad echoes the name’s meaning (troop/attack): 'Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him,' linking the natal name to the tribe’s destiny.
- Numbers 32:1–5 (thematic): The tribe of Gad’s later military/territorial role (requesting land east of the Jordan and furnishing warriors) resonates with the name Gad ('troop'), connecting the birth-name to tribal character.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Leah said, "Good fortune has come!" and she called his name Gad.
- And Leah said, "Good fortune has come!" And she called his name Gad.
Gen.30.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- זלפה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שפחת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שני: NUM,m,pl,construct
- ליעקב: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 30:11 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same chapter: Zilpah (Leah’s maid) previously bore Jacob a son — the same formula and birth-report structure used one verse earlier for her first son.
- Genesis 30:13 (verbal): Continues the same birth narrative by naming and commenting on Zilpah’s second son (Asher); part of the paired reports of Zilpah’s two births.
- Genesis 30:6 (thematic): Bilhah (Rachel’s maid) bears Jacob sons (Dan, Naphtali) using the same surrogate/handmaid pattern — a thematic parallel of concubine-servant childbearing for the wives.
- Genesis 16:15 (thematic): Hagar bears Ishmael to Abram at Sarah’s initiative — an earlier example of a servant/concubine bearing a child on behalf of a primary wife, paralleling the social and reproductive arrangement in Gen 30.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, bore Jacob a second son.
- And Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, bore Jacob a second son.
Gen.30.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- באשרי: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אשרוני: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- בנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
Parallels
- Gen.29:32 (structural): Leah names her firstborn (Reuben) and gives an explanatory declaration about the child's significance—same naming-with-reason pattern as in Gen 30:13.
- Gen.30:6 (structural): Bilhah names her son Dan with an explicit reason ('God has judged me'), paralleling the formula of naming a child and stating the mother's response or status.
- Gen.30:8 (structural): Bilhah names Naphtali and explains the name ('I have wrestled with my sister'), another immediate example in the chapter of naming plus a justificatory remark.
- Gen.30:24 (structural): Rachel names Joseph and announces God's action ('God has taken away my reproach'), a parallel instance of a mother naming her son and expressing joy/relief over divine intervention.
- 1 Sam.1:20 (thematic): Hannah names Samuel after God answers her prayer and expresses joy/thanksgiving—thematically similar as a mother naming a child in response to blessing and deliverance.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Leah said, "Happy am I! For women will call me happy." Therefore she called his name Asher.
- And Leah said, "Happy am I! For the daughters will call me happy." And she called his name Asher.
Gen.30.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ראובן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בימי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- קציר: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- חטים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וימצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דודאים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בשדה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אמו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- רחל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תני: VERB,qal,imperative,2,f,sg
- נא: PART
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- מדודאי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בנך: NOUN,m,sg,cstr+poss,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 30:15-16 (structural): Immediate continuation of the episode: Leah’s son Reuben brings the mandrakes to Leah, Rachel asks for them, and an exchange between the sisters follows (same scene and vocabulary).
- Genesis 29:31-35 (thematic): Earlier account of Leah’s childbearing and Rachel’s barrenness that establishes the rivalry and motive for Rachel’s desire for fertility—background to the mandrake episode.
- Genesis 30:22-24 (thematic): Follows the broader narrative of fertility struggles between Rachel and Leah; God later ‘remembers’ Rachel and she bears Joseph, linking the mandrake dispute to the theme of divine intervention in childbearing.
- Song of Solomon 7:13 (verbal): Uses the same Hebrew word dudaim (mandrakes) and associates them with love/fruitfulness and sensual desire, echoing the mandrake’s symbolic connection to fertility and attraction in Genesis 30:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes."
- And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes."
Gen.30.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- המעט: NOUN,m,sg,def
- קחתך: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אישי: NOUN,m,pl,poss1s
- ולקחת: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- גם: ADV
- את: PRT,acc
- דודאי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- רחל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לכן: ADV
- ישכב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
- הלילה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- תחת: PREP
- דודאי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- בנך: NOUN,m,sg,cstr+poss,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.30.14 (structural): Immediate context: introduces the mandrakes (דודאים) Rachel finds and Leah's interaction that sets up the bargaining in v.15.
- Gen.30.16 (verbal): Direct continuation: Jacob complies and 'lies with' Rachel that night—fulfillment of the bargain over the mandrakes.
- Gen.29.31-35 (thematic): Leah's earlier bearing of children and the rivalry with Rachel over Jacob's favor establish the ongoing theme of competition for fertility and spousal affection.
- 1 Sam.1:6-8 (thematic): Hannah–Peninnah rivalry: a barren wife provoked by a rival who has borne children, paralleling Rachel's barrenness and contention with Leah.
- Song of Solomon 7:13 (verbal): Uses the same word for mandrakes (דודאים) in an erotic/amoristic context, linking mandrakes with love and sexual longing.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she said to her, "Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband? And would you take also my son’s mandrakes?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he shall lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes."
- And she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken my husband? And would you take also my son’s mandrakes?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he shall lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes."
Gen.30.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מן: PREP
- השדה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בערב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לקראתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- תבוא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- שכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שכרתיך: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg+OBJ,2,m,sg
- בדודאי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- וישכב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עמה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- בלילה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.29:23-25 (verbal): Same marriage scene earlier in the narrative: Laban switches Leah for Rachel and Jacob consummates the marriage overnight — the deception and nocturnal intercourse motif parallels 30:16’s report that Jacob lay with Leah that night.
- Gen.29:26-28 (thematic): Laban’s condition that Jacob complete the bridal week with Leah before marrying Rachel highlights the contractual/transactional treatment of the marriages, a theme echoed in 30:16 where Leah invokes a hired-service motif (’I have hired you’).
- Gen.30:14-15 (verbal): Immediate literary context: the episode of the mandrakes (dudaim) and the bargaining between Rachel and Leah directly leads into Leah’s claim in 30:16 that she has ‘hired’ Jacob with her son’s mandrakes.
- Gen.31:38-41 (thematic): Jacob’s later complaint about Laban’s continual deception and changing of wages resonates with the motifs of bargaining, service, and deceit found in the marriage-exchange episodes that include 30:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes." And he lay with her that night.
- And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, "To me you shall come, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes." And he lay with her that night.
Gen.30.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישמע: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ליעקב: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חמישי: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 29:31 (verbal): Same narrative cluster about Leah: God acts to enable Leah to bear (language of God 'opening' the womb) — a close verbal/narrative parallel within the Jacob wives narrative.
- Genesis 30:22 (verbal): Immediate chapter parallel: 'God remembered Rachel and opened her womb' — mirrors 30:17’s report that God heard Leah and she bore a son (matching the motif and wording of divine intervention in childbearing).
- Genesis 21:1–2 (thematic): God intervenes to give a promised child to a previously barren/aged woman (Sarah conceives Isaac) — same theme of divine granting of offspring.
- 1 Samuel 1:19–20 (thematic): Hannah’s barrenness is ended when God hears her and she bears Samuel — parallels the motif of God hearing a distressed woman and granting a son.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.
- And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.
Gen.30.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שכרי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- שפחתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,1cs
- לאישי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- יששכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.29.35 (verbal): Leah's earlier naming of her firstborn Reuben uses the same naming formula (וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ) and links the name to her situation and husband's response.
- Gen.30.6 (structural): Bilhah names her son Dan in the same chapter with an explanatory remark tying the birth to divine action—parallel structure of childbirth, naming, and interpretive comment.
- Gen.30.13 (structural): Bilhah's naming of Naphtali likewise follows the pattern of naming a son with an explanatory remark about the circumstances (competition between sisters), showing a recurring naming motif in the episode.
- Gen.30.24 (thematic): Rachel names Joseph in response to God’s action ('God has taken away my reproach'), paralleling Leah’s attribution of the birth to God and the use of the child's name to express that reality.
- 1 Sam.1.20 (thematic): Hannah names Samuel because God granted her prayer; thematically similar in that a child's name publicly acknowledges divine intervention as the reason for the birth.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I gave my maidservant to my husband." And she called his name Issachar.
- And Leah said, "God has given me my wages because I gave my maidservant to my husband." And she called his name Issachar.
Gen.30.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- עוד: ADV
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ששי: ADJ,m,sg
- ליעקב: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.29:31-35 (thematic): Narrates Leah's earlier childbearing (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah); 30:19 continues the theme of Leah bearing multiple sons amid the rivalry between Jacob's wives.
- Gen.30:20-21 (structural): Immediate literary context in chapter 30 — these verses record the subsequent births (Rachel's Joseph and Leah's daughter Dinah), showing the alternating pattern of births among Jacob's wives.
- Gen.35:23-26 (structural): Genealogical summary listing Jacob's sons by Leah (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun) — confirms the sequence and identifies Leah's sixth son named in 30:19.
- Num.26:23-26 (structural): Census/genealogical listing of the tribes tracing back to Leah's sons (including Zebulun as the sixth), echoing the birth order found in Genesis.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.
- And Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.
Gen.30.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- זבדני: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אתי: PRON,1,sg
- זבד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- הפעם: NOUN,f,sg,def
- יזבלני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אישי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- ילדתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- ששה: NUM,card,m,pl
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- זבלון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.29:32 (verbal): Leah's first son Reuben is named with the explicit hope that Jacob will 'love' or 'dwell with' her now that she has borne a son—language and motif echoed in 30:20's claim that Jacob will 'dwell' with her because she has borne sons.
- Gen.30:18 (structural): Immediately adjacent birth narrative (Issachar) shows the same structural pattern: Leah bears a son, gives a name, and offers a brief interpretive remark about God/husband—part of the repeated naming formula in this section.
- Gen.29:35 (thematic): Leah's naming of Judah follows the same pattern of naming a son and making a theologically framed comment about God’s action in her life (here, praise), paralleling the combination of birth, name, and interpretive statement in 30:20.
- 1 Sam.1:20 (thematic): Hannah names Samuel after attributing his birth to the LORD's intervention—similar theme of a child as a divine gift and the mother naming the child with a remark that interprets God's role in the birth.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will honor me, for I have borne him six sons." And she called his name Zebulun.
- And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; this time my husband will honor me, for I have borne him six sons." And she called his name Zebulun.
Gen.30.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואחר: CONJ
- ילדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמה: ADV
- דינה: NOUN,f,sg,abs,prop
Parallels
- Gen.29:31-35 (thematic): Leah’s sequential births and the naming of her children immediately before this verse—same narrative motif of childbirth and giving names within Jacob’s household.
- Gen.30:24 (verbal): Rachel’s naming of Joseph uses the same verbal pattern (וַתִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ…), paralleling the simple formula used here for naming Dinah.
- Gen.35:16-19 (thematic): Rachel’s later childbirth and naming of Benjamin illustrates the recurring motif of mothers naming children at birth in Jacob’s family and the theological/lineal significance of those names.
- Gen.34 (structural): This verse introduces Dinah by name; Genesis 34 later develops her story (the Shechem episode), so Gen.30:21 functions as the narrative introduction for that later section.
- Gen.49:5-7 (allusion): Jacob’s blessing (and condemnation) of Simeon and Levi alludes to the consequences of the incident involving Dinah (their violent response to Shechem), linking back to her introduction here.
Alternative generated candidates
- And afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.
- And afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.
Gen.30.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויזכר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- רחל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וישמע: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויפתח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- רחמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Gen.21.1 (verbal): Same wording and theme: 'God remembered' Sarah and acted so she bore Isaac — a direct verbal/narrative parallel of divine remembrance resulting in a previously barren woman conceiving.
- 1 Sam.1.19-20 (verbal): Hannah: 'the LORD remembered her' and in due season she conceived and bore Samuel — a close verbal and thematic echo of God hearing a barren woman and opening her womb.
- Exod.2.24 (thematic): 'God heard their groaning and God remembered his covenant' — shares the motif of divine remembrance prompting decisive rescue or blessing (here, deliverance of Israel; in Gen 30:22, gift of a child).
- Ps.113.9 (thematic): 'He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children' — a poetic parallel celebrating Yahweh as the one who opens the womb.
- Luke 1.5-25 (thematic): The announcement and birth of John the Baptist to the previously barren Elizabeth (and Zechariah's prophecy) echo the theme of God intervening to enable conception and fulfill his purposes, paralleling the 'God remembered' motif in Genesis.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
- And God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
Gen.30.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותהר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- ותלד: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אסף: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- חרפתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:1,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 30:22 (structural): Immediate context: God 'remembered' Rachel and 'opened her womb,' directly setting up her declaration that God has removed her reproach.
- Genesis 29:31 (thematic): Earlier contrast within the Jacob narrative: Rachel is previously described as barren while Leah bears children, highlighting the reversal when Rachel's reproach is ended.
- 1 Samuel 1:20 (verbal): Hannah likewise 'conceived and bore a son' after God intervenes; both narratives link divine action in childbirth with the end of a woman's reproach or sorrow.
- Luke 1:24–25 (verbal): Elizabeth conceives and explicitly says God 'has taken away my reproach among men,' a near-echo of Rachel's language and theme of removed reproach through conception.
- Psalm 113:9 (thematic): Summarizes the recurring theological motif: God 'gives the barren woman a home' and makes her 'a joyful mother,' paralleling the positive reversal in Rachel's case.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach."
- And she conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach."
Gen.30.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- יסף: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחר: PREP
Parallels
- Gen.30.23 (verbal): Immediate context: God remembers Rachel and enables her to conceive, which leads directly to the naming of Joseph and the statement that God will add another son.
- Gen.29.32 (verbal): Leah names her first son Reuben with an explanatory formula linking the birth to the LORD's action ('the LORD has looked on my affliction'), paralleling Rachel's naming of Joseph as testimony to God's intervention.
- Gen.35.18-20 (thematic): Later narrative fulfillment/irony: Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin (initially named Ben‑oni), showing the outcome of Rachel's earlier hope for 'another son' and the cost associated with it.
- 1 Sam.1.20 (thematic): Hannah names Samuel after God grants her request for a son ('Because I asked the LORD for him'), paralleling Rachel's naming of Joseph as a declaration that God added a son.
- Isa.54.1 (thematic): Prophetic promise to the barren woman who will have children ('Sing, O barren...for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife'), thematically echoing Rachel's reversal of barrenness and hope that God will add children.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she called his name Joseph, saying, "May the LORD add to me another son."
- And she called his name Joseph, saying, "May the LORD add to me another son."
And the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, "Surely the LORD has seen my affliction; for now my husband will love me." And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, he has also given me this one"; and she called his name Simeon. And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, "Now this time my husband will be joined to me, for I have borne him three sons"; therefore he called his name Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, "This time I will praise the LORD"; therefore she called his name Judah; then she ceased bearing. And Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, and Rachel envied her sister, and she said to Jacob, "Give me children, and if not, I die." And Jacobs anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?" And she said, "Here is my maidservant Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees, and I too may have children by her." And she gave him Bilhah her maidservant as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. And Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son"; therefore she called his name Dan. And Bilhah Rachels maidservant conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, "With wrestlings of God I have wrestled with my sister; I have also prevailed"; and she called his name Naphtali. And Leah saw that she had ceased bearing, and she took Zilpah her maidservant and gave her to Jacob as a wife. And Zilpah, Leahs maidservant, bore Jacob a son. And Leah said, "Good fortune has come"; and she called his name Gad. And Zilpah, Leahs maidservant, bore Jacob a second son. And Leah said, "Happy am I! For women will call me happy"; and she called his name Asher. And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and he brought them to Leah his mother; and Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your sons mandrakes." And she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken my husband? And would you take also my sons mandrakes?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he shall lie with you tonight in exchange for your sons mandrakes." And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, "To me you shall come, for I have surely hired you with my sons mandrakes"; and he lay with her that night. And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. And Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I gave my maidservant to my husband"; and she called his name Issachar. And Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now this time my husband will honor me, for I have borne him six sons"; and she called his name Zebulun. And afterward she bore a daughter, and she called her name Dinah. And God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach." And she called his name Joseph, saying, "May the LORD add to me another son."