Christian Standard Bible
Genesis 30:4
4So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.
Genesis 30:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
- New International Version (NIV)So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her,
- English Standard Version (ESV)So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.
Context of Genesis 30:4
2Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God? He has withheld offspring from you!” 3Then she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me so that through her I too can build a family.” So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; yes, he has heard me and given me a son,” so she named him Dan.
Read all of Genesis 30Genesis 30:4 word by word
וַתִּתֶּן־ל֛וֹ אֶת־בִּלְהָ֥ה שִׁפְחָתָ֖הּ לְאִשָּׁ֑ה וַיָּבֹ֥א אֵלֶ֖יהָ יַעֲקֹֽב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 30:4
- Genesis 16:3So Abram’s wife, Sarai, took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband, Abram, as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years.
- Genesis 21:10So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!”
- Genesis 22:24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
- Genesis 25:1Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah,
- Genesis 33:2He put the slaves and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.
- Genesis 35:22While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:
- 2 Samuel 12:11“This is what the Lord says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in broad daylight.
Commentaries on Genesis 30:4
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-43Verses 1-43 - 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…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4Rachel decided to have children through her servant, and Jacob agreed. This is similar to Sarai using Hagar (16:1–4).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-93-9. Bilhah ... Zilpah--Following the example of Sarah with regard to Hagar, an example which is not seldom imitated still, she adopted the children of her maid. Leah took the same course. A bitter and intense rivalry existed between them, all the more from their close relationship as sisters; and although they occupied separate apartments, with their families, as is the uniform custom where a plurality of wives obtains, and the husband and father spends…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 30:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 30
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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