How does Jacob’s request to return home become an agreement to stay and earn flocks for his household?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

After Joseph’s birth, Jacob asks to leave with his family. Laban asks him to name wages, and Jacob agrees to tend the flocks for the specified coloured animals, using the recorded rods and breeding-time practice as his own flocks increase.

Chapter breakdown

Rachel has no children and envies her sister. She tells Jacob to give her children or she will die. Angry, Jacob asks whether he is like God, who has deprived her of children. Rachel offers her servant Bala, asking Jacob to have relations with her so that she may bear upon Rachel’s knees and Rachel may have children through her. She gives Bala to him in marriage. Bala conceives and bears a son, whom Rachel calls Dan because, she says, the Lord has judged for her, heard her voice and given her a son. Bala bears another son. Rachel says God has compared her with her sister and that she has prevailed; she calls him Nephthali.

Lia sees that she has stopped bearing and gives her servant Zelpha to Jacob. Zelpha bears a son, and Lia expresses happiness and calls him Gad. Zelpha bears another son. Lia says this is for her happiness and that women will call her blessed, and names him Aser.

During the wheat harvest, Ruben finds mandrakes in the field and brings them to his mother Lia. Rachel asks for some of them. Lia asks whether taking her husband is not enough, without taking her son’s mandrakes too. Rachel offers to let Jacob sleep with Lia that night in exchange for the mandrakes. When Jacob returns from the field in the evening, Lia meets him and says he must come to her because she has hired him with her son’s mandrakes. He sleeps with her that night.

God hears Lia’s prayers, and she bears a fifth son. She says God has rewarded her because she gave her servant to her husband, and names him Issachar. She bears a sixth son and says God has given her a good dowry; she hopes her husband will now be with her because she has borne him six sons. She calls him Zabulon. Afterwards she bears a daughter, Dina. The Lord also remembers Rachel, hears her and opens her womb. She bears a son and says God has taken away her reproach. She names him Joseph and asks the Lord for another son as well.

After Joseph is born, Jacob asks his father-in-law to send him away so he can return to his country and land. He asks for his wives and children, for whom he has served, and reminds Laban that he knows the work Jacob has done. Laban asks for his favour, saying he has learned by experience that God has blessed him for Jacob’s sake, and asks him to name his wages. Jacob points to his service and the growth of Laban’s possessions: Laban had little before he came and is now rich, with the Lord blessing him at Jacob’s coming. Jacob says he should now provide for his own household too. When Laban asks what to give him, Jacob says he requires nothing, but will tend the sheep again if Laban agrees to his request.

Jacob asks Laban to go through his flocks and separate the sheep of varied colours and those that are speckled. The brown, spotted and varied-coloured animals among sheep and goats will be his wages. He says his justice will answer for him when the bargain is examined: animals among his sheep and goats that do not have the specified varied, spotted and brown colouring will accuse him of theft. Laban agrees. That same day he separates she-goats, sheep, he-goats and rams of varied colours and spots. The admitted text also says he delivers the single-coloured flock of white and black fleece into his sons’ hands. He puts three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, who tends the rest of his flock.

Jacob takes green rods from poplar, almond and plane trees and removes part of their bark. The peeled parts appear white and the unpeeled parts remain green, producing varied colours. He puts the rods in the watering troughs so the animals see them when they come to drink and mate. The account describes sheep looking at the rods during mating and bearing spotted, varied-coloured and speckled young. Jacob separates the flock and places the rods in the troughs before the rams’ eyes. When the flocks are separated, all the white and black animals belong to Laban and the rest to Jacob.

When the ewes first go to the rams, Jacob places the rods in the water troughs before both rams and ewes so they will see them while conceiving. For the later coming and last conceiving he does not put them there. The later animals become Laban’s and those of the first time become Jacob’s. Jacob becomes very rich, with many flocks, female and male servants, camels and asses.

The story inside

The chapter moves from children born within a troubled household to property earned for that household. Rachel and Lia speak about the births through their servants, then bargain over Ruben’s mandrakes. The account attributes Lia’s conception to God hearing her prayers and Rachel’s conception to God remembering and hearing her; it does not explain the mandrakes as a treatment. Joseph’s birth is the point after which Jacob asks to return home. Laban’s wage offer changes that request into continued service. Jacob specifies colours that will identify his wages and expose a theft if the wrong animals are found with him. The remaining account describes separation, rods at the troughs, different mating times and increasing wealth. It records those actions without adding a theory of inheritance, animal strength or Laban’s hidden intentions.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The naming statements belong to the women who make them. Rachel names Dan and Nephthali after Bala’s births; Lia names Gad and Aser after Zelpha’s. Lia’s later sons are her fifth and sixth, followed by Dina, while Rachel names Joseph and asks for another son. Keeping the speakers and mothers clear prevents the family account from losing its relationships.
2
The mandrake exchange records a bargain over one night. Ruben brings them to Lia, Rachel requests a share, and the sisters agree that Jacob will be with Lia. The following verse says God hears Lia’s prayers. The chapter does not state the plants’ medical effect or make the exchange a general rule about fertility.
3
The wage agreement contains an accountability test as well as a reward. Jacob names the animal colours that will be his and says the presence of animals without those colours will accuse him of theft. The later practice distinguishes the first mating group from later animals; the admitted text does not call them stronger and weaker.

Test your recall

Why does Jacob stay after asking to return home, and how are his wages to be recognised?

Show answer

Laban asks him to name wages, and Jacob agrees to tend the sheep again for the specified coloured animals. Jacob says animals without the required colouring would accuse him of theft. The account then describes the separated flocks, rods and different mating times before recording his wealth.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 3306–3334
Genesis Chapter 30 Rachel, being barren, delivereth her handmaid to Jacob; she beareth two sons. Lia ceasing to bear, giveth also her handmaid, and she beareth two more. Then Lia beareth other two sons and one daughter. Rachel beareth Joseph. Jacob, desirous to return home, is hired to stay for a certain part of the flock’s increase, whereby he becometh exceeding rich. 30:1. And Rachel seeing herself without children, envied her sister, and said to her husband: Give me children, otherwise I shall die. 30:2. And Jacob being angry with her, answered: Am I as God, who hath deprived thee of the fruit of thy womb? 30:3. But she said: I have here my servant Bala: go in unto her, that she may bear upon my knees, and I may have children by her. 30:4. And she gave him Bala in marriage: who, 30:5. When her husband had gone in unto her, conceived and bore a son. 30:6. And Rachel said: The Lord hath judged for me, and hath heard my voice, giving me a son; and therefore she called his name Dan. 30:7. And again Bala conceived, and bore another, 30:8. For whom Rachel said: God hath compared me with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called him Nephthali.
Lines 3335–3346
30:9. Lia perceiving that she had left of bearing, gave Zelpha, her handmaid, to her husband. 30:10. And when she had conceived, and brought forth a son, 30:11. She said: Happily. And therefore called his name Gad. 30:12. Zelpha also bore another. 30:13. And Lia said: This is for my happiness: for women will call me blessed. Therefore she called him Aser.
Lines 3347–3359
30:14. And Ruben going out in the time of the wheat harvest into the field, found mandrakes: which he brought to his mother Lia. And Rachel said: Give me part of thy son’s mandrakes. 30:15. She answered: Dost thou think it a small matter, that thou hast taken my husband from me, unless thou take also my son’s mandrakes? Rachel said: He shall sleep with thee this night, for thy son’s mandrakes. 30:16. And when Jacob returned at even from the field, Lia went out to meet him, and said: Thou shalt come in unto me, because I have hired thee for my son’s mandrakes. And he slept with her that night.
Lines 3360–3382
30:17. And God heard her prayers; and she conceived: and bore a fifth son: 30:18. And said: God hath given me a reward, because I gave my handmaid to my husband. And she called his name Issachar. 30:19. And Lia conceived again, and bore the sixth son, 30:20. And said: God hath endowed me with a good dowry; this turn also my husband will be with me, because I have borne him six sons: and therefore she called his name Zabulon. 30:21. After whom she bore a daughter, named Dina. 30:22. The Lord also remembering Rachel, heard her, and opened her womb. 30:23. And she conceived, and bore a son, saying: God hath taken away my reproach. 30:24. And she called his name Joseph: saying: The Lord give me also another son.
Lines 3383–3404
30:25. And when Joseph was born, Jacob said to his father-in-law: Send me away, that I may return into my country, and to my land. 30:26. Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served thee, that I may depart: thou knowest the service that I have rendered thee. 30:27. Laban said to him: Let me find favour in thy sight: I have learned, by experience, that God hath blessed me for thy sake. 30:28. Appoint thy wages which I shall give thee. 30:29. But he answered: Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how great thy possession hath been in my hands. 30:30. Thou hadst but little before I came to thee, and now thou art become rich: and the Lord hath blessed thee at my coming. It is reasonable, therefore, that I should now provide also for my own house. 30:31. And Laban said: What shall I give thee? But he said: I require nothing; but if thou wilt do what I demand, I will feed and keep thy sheep again.
Lines 3405–3424
30:32. Go round through all thy flocks, and separate all the sheep of divers colours, and speckled; and all that is brown and spotted, and of divers colours, as well among the sheep as among the goats, shall be my wages. 30:33. And my justice shall answer for me tomorrow before thee, when the time of the bargain shall come; and all that is not of divers colours, and spotted, and brown, as well among the sheep as among the goats, shall accuse me of theft. 30:34. And Laban said: I like well what thou demandest. 30:35. And he separated the same day the she-goats, and the sheep, and the he-goats, and the rams of divers colours, and spotted; and all the flock of one colour, that is, of white and black fleece, he delivered into the hands of his sons. 30:36. And he set the space of three days journey betwixt himself and his son-in-law, who fed the rest of his flock.
Lines 3425–3443
30:37. And Jacob took green rods of poplar, and of almond, and of plane-trees, and pilled them in part: so when the bark was taken off, in the parts that were pilled, there appeared whiteness: but the parts that were whole, remained green: and by this means the colour was divers. 30:38. And he put them in the troughs, where the water was poured out; that when the flocks should come to drink, they might have the rods before their eyes, and in the sight of them might conceive. 30:39. And it came to pass, that in the very heat of coition, the sheep beheld the rods, and brought forth spotted, and of divers colours, and speckled. 30:40. And Jacob separated the flock, and put the rods in the troughs before the eyes of the rams; and all the white and the black were Laban’s, and the rest were Jacob’s, when the flocks were separated one from the other.
Lines 3444–3456
30:41. So when the ewes went first to ram, Jacob put the rods in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams, and of the ewes, that they might conceive while they were looking upon them. 30:42. But when the later coming was, and the last conceiving, he did not put them. And those that were lateward, became Laban’s; and they of the first time, Jacob’s. 30:43. And the man was enriched exceedingly, and he had many flocks, maid-servants and men-servants, camels and asses.