Parallel Verses English Standard Version Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. King James Bible And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. American Standard Version And Bilhah Rachel's handmaid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. Douay-Rheims Bible And again Bala conceived and bore another, English Revised Version And Bilhah Rachel's handmaid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. Webster's Bible Translation And Bilhah, Rachel's maid, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. Genesis 30:7 Parallel Commentary Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old TestamentBilhah's Sons. - When Rachel thought of her own barrenness, she became more and more envious of her sister, who was blessed with sons. But instead of praying, either directly or through her husband, as Rebekah had done, to Jehovah, who had promised His favour to Jacob (Genesis 28:13.), she said to Jacob, in passionate displeasure, "Get me children, or I shall die;" to which he angrily replied, "Am I in God's stead (i.e., equal to God, or God), who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?" i.e., Can I, a powerless man, give thee what the Almighty God has withheld? Almighty like God Jacob certainly was not; but he also wanted the power which he might have possessed, the power of prayer, in firm reliance upon the promise of the Lord. Hence he could neither help nor advise his beloved wife, but only assent to her proposal, that he should beget children for her through her maid Bilhah (cf. Genesis 16:2), through whom two sons were born to her. The first she named Dan, i.e., judge, because God had judged her, i.e., procured her justice, hearkened to her voice (prayer), and removed the reproach of childlessness; the second Naphtali, i.e., my conflict, or my fought one, for "fightings of God, she said, have I fought with my sister, and also prevailed." אלהים נפתּוּלי are neither luctationes quam maximae, nor "a conflict in the cause of God, because Rachel did not wish to leave the founding of the nation of God to Leah alone" (Knobel), but "fightings for God and His mercy" (Hengstenberg), or, what comes to the same thing, "wrestlings of prayer she had wrestled with Leah; in reality, however, with God Himself, who seemed to have restricted His mercy to Leah alone" (Delitzsch). It is to be noticed, that Rachel speaks of Elohim only, whereas Leah regarded her first four sons as the gift of Jehovah. In this variation of the names, the attitude of the two women, not only to one another, but also to the cause they served, is made apparent. It makes no difference whether the historian has given us the very words of the women on the birth of their children, or, what appears more probable, since the name of God is not introduced into the names of the children, merely his own view of the matter as related by him (Genesis 29:31; Genesis 30:17, Genesis 30:22). Leah, who had been forced upon Jacob against his inclination, and was put by him in the background, was not only proved by the four sons, whom she bore to him in the first years of her marriage, to be the wife provided for Jacob by Elohim, the ruler of human destiny; but by the fact that these four sons formed the real stem of the promised numerous seed, she was proved still more to be the wife selected by Jehovah, in realization of His promise, to be the tribe-mother of the greater part of the covenant nation. But this required that Leah herself should be fitted for it in heart and mind, that she should feel herself to be the handmaid of Jehovah, and give glory to the covenant God for the blessing of children, or see in her children actual proofs that Jehovah had accepted her and would bring to her the affection of her husband. It was different with Rachel, the favourite and therefore high-minded wife. Jacob should give her, what God alone could give. The faithfulness and blessing of the covenant God were still hidden from her. Hence she resorted to such earthly means as procuring children through her maid, and regarded the desired result as the answer of God, and a victory in her contest with her sister. For such a state of mind the term Elohim, God the sovereign ruler, was the only fitting expression. Treasury of Scripture Knowledge A.M. 2257. B.C. 1747 Genesis 30:7 And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. Cross References Genesis 30:6 Then Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan. Genesis 30:8 Then Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed." So she called his name Naphtali. Genesis 46:25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob--seven persons in all. Jump to Previous Bare Beareth Bilhah Birth Bore Child Conceived Conceiveth Handmaid Jacob Maid Maidservant Maid-Servant Rachel's Second ServantJump to Next Bare Beareth Bilhah Birth Bore Child Conceived Conceiveth Handmaid Jacob Maid Maidservant Maid-Servant Rachel's Second ServantLinks Genesis 30:7 NIVGenesis 30:7 NLT Genesis 30:7 ESV Genesis 30:7 NASB Genesis 30:7 KJV Genesis 30:7 Bible Apps Genesis 30:7 Biblia Paralela Genesis 30:7 Chinese Bible Genesis 30:7 French Bible Genesis 30:7 German Bible Bible Hub ESV Text Edition: 2016. 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