And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I will die.”
- BSB When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.
- NKJV Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!”
- NASB Now when Rachel saw that she had not borne Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I am going to die.”
- NLT When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Rachel, envious of Leah's children, desperately demands that Jacob give her children or she will die.
Overview
Rachel's barrenness drives her to bitter envy and a despairing ultimatum to her husband. Her cry misdirects her demand to Jacob rather than to God, who alone gives the fruit of the womb. The verse honestly portrays the anguish of childlessness and the destructive rivalry within this divided household.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 24
- Job 5:2For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
- Gen 29:31And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.
- Gen 37:11And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
- Prov 14:30A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
- 1 Cor 3:3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
- 2 Cor 7:10For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
- Jas 4:5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
- Jas 3:14But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
- Job 3:11Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
- 1 Kgs 19:4But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
- Num 11:29And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’s people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!
- Job 3:1–3After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
- John 4:3He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
- Titus 3:3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
- John 4:8(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
- Num 11:15And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.
- Jer 20:14–18Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.
- 1 Sam 1:4–8And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
- Job 13:19Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.
- Ps 106:16They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.
- Job 3:20–22Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
- Eccl 4:4Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
- Gal 5:21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
- Gen 35:16–19And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 30:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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