29'"'* Jacob proceeds on his journey, reaches ^aran, and quickly meets with his relations. In his uncle, Laban, Jacob finds, at least for a time, his match Ln the art of overreaching ; and the narrative recounts first the engagement concluded by him with Laban, and then the ruse by which the latter succeeded in marrying first his elder daugliter Leah, and so in securing Jacob's services as a shepherd, for 7 years more, in return for his younger daughter Racliel.t The section 29*'-30" narrates the birth of 11 of Jacob's 12 sons, and of a daughter Dinah, alluding at the same time incidentally to the family jealousies which arose in consequence between his two wives. It is un- necessary to dwell here upon details : it will be sufficient to state that first Leah bears, in succes- sion, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah : then Racliel's handmaid, Bilhah, bears two sons, Dan and Naphtali, in her mistress' name ; next Zilpah, Leah's nandmaid, bears Gad and Asher j after this, Issachar and Zebulun, as also a daughter Dinah, are born to Leah ; lastly, Rachel bears Joseph. A collateral aim of the narrative, to whicli evidently no small importance is attached, is to explain the names borne afterwards by the corresponding tribes : the explanations (as is con- stantly the case in similar cases in the OT), though apparently etymological, are, however, in reality based, not upon etymologies (in our sense of the word), but upon assonances, and must not, there- fore, be understood as necessarily expressing the real meaning of the names. In the case of several of the names, a double explanation is given (or alluded to), — an indication of the composite
• See, further, Tylor, Primilive Culture', ii. 16&-167.
t It is observable that in v. 22 the title, ' boose of God,' is applied to the monolith itself, not to the place marked by it. Some have seen in the passage (esp. v.H) an allusion to the custom of 'incubation ' : cf. Smend, AT Theol. 39 ; Holzinger, ad loc,
t V.27 'fulfil the week of this one,' i.e. the week of festinties usually accompanying a marriage (Jg 1412, To 1119) ; do not break off the usual round of wedding festivities. When they were ended, Jacob received Rachel on the understandiug that he was to serve Laban for 7 years more.
character of the narrative (v." and v." ; v.*** and v.-""> ; v.'-^" and v.-*).*
Jacob, having been in Laban's service for 14 j-ears, was now anxious to return liome to hia father. He accordingly begs his uncle to let hira go, together with his wives and children. Laban, however, is reluctant to part with a servant who, he is obliged to own (30-''''), has served him well ; and with feigned magnanimity invites him to name the terms on wliich he will remain with him. Jacob, in reply, iirofessing to be very generous, declares his willingness to serve him for nothing, if he will agree to tlie following arrangement : Jacob will remove from the Hocks all the parti-coloured animals, and having done this will take nothing but the animals so marked, wliich are bom afterwards, as his wages. Laban, supposing that these would be few or none, closes eagerly with the offer ; and in order to make the arrangement doubly secure, removes the spotted animals from the flock himself, gives them into the hands of his sons, and places three days' journey between himself and the flocks left with Jacob (3(j3i-3<i) Jacob, however, is equal to the occasion ; and by means of various ingenious devices, suc- ceeds in outwitting liis not too generous uncle. (1) Jacob placed parti-coloured rods in front of the ewes at the time when they conceived, so that the latter in conseqiience bore parti-coloured young (vv. *'-*"). t (2) He arranged that the spotted lambs and kids thus produced should be in view of the rest of the Hock, so that, when the ewes conceived, there should be a further tendency to bear spotted young (v.*). J (3) Jacob further put up the peeled rods only when the stronger sheep were about to conceive : he thus secured all the strongest animaU for himself (v.*-). The result was (v.'"') that Jacob'i pos.sessions increased immensely.
Jacob's increasing prosperity soon arouses the envy of Laban ; and he no longer views him with the same friendliness as before. Encouraged by J" (31'), Jacob resolves accordingly, without again consulting his father-in-law, to return home : he explains his position to his wives, pointing out to them Laban's arbitrary and ungrateful treatment of him ; and they agree to accompany him (31*-'*). Here it is to be ob.served that the description of Laban's arrani,'ement with Jacob, and of the manner in which its consequences were evaded by Jacob, dilfers from that given in ch. 30 : in 31'"'* Jacob says that Laban had been in the habit of arbitrarily changing his wages (so 31'"), as seemed most likely to benefit himself, of which there is nothing in ch. 30 ; and further, that the efl'ect of the change had each time§ been frustrated, not by his own ingenious contrivance (as in 30''"''^), but by the intervention of Providence (31*"') : ||
• See, further, the articles on the several names. 29W ' be Joined'; the name 'Levi' is played on similarly in Nu 182- < Itdwdh, to join). 303 'be builded up from her': so 162 of Hagar, the fig. being that of a house (cf. Ku 4U, Dt 250). 301*^16 • mandrakes,' or better love-apples, were supposed to possess aphrodisiac properties, and to ensure conception : hence the reason why Rachel asks for them. In v. is Leah •hires' Jacob with the love-apples she had given to Rachel; in V.18 Leah says that Issachar is the ' hire,' or payment, which she has received for having given Zilpah to Jacob, — manifestly two explanations of the name Issachar [sdchdr, ' hire ' or ' wa^'es ').