Genesis 29:31-35 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Genesis 29:31 to Genesis 30:24. The Birth of Jacob's Children. This section is from JE, with slight touches from P. Roughly Genesis 29:31-35; Genesis 30:9-13 is from J, Genesis 30:1-6; Genesis 30:8 is from E, Genesis 30:14-24 mainly from JE, the two strands here being hard to unravel. It records the origin of the tribes of Israel. It reflects conditions a good deal earlier than those known to us in the history of Israel. In the later period Reuben dwindled into insignificance, Simeon and Levi were largely exterminated, Judah was detached from the other Leah tribes, Joseph closely associated with them. The rivalry between the sisters plays an important part. The less favoured wife is compensated by the blessing of children, barrenness redresses the superiority of the more fondly loved (1 Samuel 1). It drives her to the device, chosen by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-3), of yielding her maid to her husband, and, by receiving the child on her knees as it was born, of making it her own. Apparently by this means Rachel secured two sons, while her sister had only one, for when Naphtali is born she gives him a name claiming to have beaten her sister in her mighty wrestlings with her. The names play an important part in the story, reflecting for the most part the struggle between the wives. The etymologies are not scientific, they are based on similarities of sound (see mg., which, however, does not bring out all the assonances); in several cases, two etymologies are suggested, one by E, the other by J. Some of the names in the story are those of animals; Rachel means ewe, Leah perhaps antelope, Reuben possibly lion or wolf, Simeon the mongrel of wolf and hyæ na; they may point to an earlier prevalence of totemism. In its original form the story of the mandrakes (Ca. Genesis 7:13 *) presumably explained the fruitfulness of Rachel. They were a plum-like fruit ripening at wheat harvest in May. They are regarded as aphrodisiacs (cf. mg.) and as promoting conception. Rachel does not require the former; she has all her husband's love, but she longs for children, and offers to surrender her husband (for one night!) to the neglected Leah, in return for some of the mandrakes. Opportunity is thus given for the hired (Genesis 29:16) husband to become the father of Issachar. The mandrakes, the earlier form of the story probably went on to say, removed the disability from which Rachel, like Sarah (Genesis 16:1 f.) and Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), suffered, so that Joseph was born. It is to be noted that the chronology does not permit more than about three years between Judah and Joseph, so that Joseph and Issachar may well have been about the same age. This is not the general impression left by the narrative, but the whole of Genesis 29:32 to Genesis 30:24 has been crowded into the first seven years of Jacob's married life, too short an interval for the events, it is true, Leah having six sons in the period (unless Zebulun is put later), not to speak of Dinah, who seems to be interpolated to prepare for Genesis 29:34, and an interval of barrenness (Genesis 29:35), during which Zilpah has two sons.