And Leah said, a troop cometh ,.... A troop of children, having bore four herself, and now her maid another, and more she expected; or the commander of a troop cometh, one that shall head an army and overcome his enemies; which agrees with the prophecy of Jacob, Genesis 49:19 , and she called his name Gad : which signifies a "troop", glorying in the multitude of her children, that she had or hoped to have. read more
And Zilpah, Leah's maid, bare Jacob a second son. As well as Bilhah, and no more. read more
And Leah said ,.... Upon the birth of the second son by her maid: happy am I ; or, "in my happiness"; or, "for my happiness" F3 באשרי "in felicitate mea", Montanus; "ob beatitatem meam", Drusius; "hoc pro beatitudine men", V. L. "pro beatitudine mihi est", Schmidt. ; that is, this child is an addition to my happiness, and will serve to increase it: for the daughters will call me blessed; the women of the place where she lived would speak of her as a happy person, that had so many... read more
She called his name Gad - This has been variously translated. גד gad , may signify a troop, an army, a soldier, a false god, supposed to be the same as Jupiter or Mars; for as Laban appears to have been, if not an idolater, yet a dealer in a sort of judicial astrology, (see Genesis 31:19 ;), Leah, in saying בגד bagad , which we translate a troop cometh, might mean, By or with the assistance of Gad - a particular planet or star, Jupiter possibly, I have gotten this son; therefore... read more
And Leah said, Happy am I - באשרי beoshri , in my happiness, therefore she called his name אשר asher , that is, blessedness or happiness. read more
Rachel and Leah, or unholy rivalry. I. RACHEL 'S ENVY OF LEAH . 1. The insufficient cause . "She saw that she bare Jacob no children," while Leah had begun to have a family. Though commonly regarded by Hebrew wives as a peculiarly severe affliction, childlessness was not without its compensations, which Rachel should have reckoned. Then the motherhood of Leah was the good fortune of a sister, in which Rachel should have lovingly rejoiced; and both the barrenness and the... read more
And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son. And Leah said, A troop cometh. בָּגָד , for בְּגָד , in or with good fortune; ἐν τύχη ( LXX .); feliciter , sc. this happens to me (Vulgate), a translation which has the sanction of Gesenius, Furst, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, and other content authorities—the Keri, whith is followed by Onkelos and Syriac, reading בָּא גָד , fortune cometh. The Authorised rendering, supported by the Samaritan, and supposed to accord better with ... read more
And Zilpah, Leah's maid, bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, Happy am I, —literally, in my happiness, so am I ('Speaker's Commentary'); or , for or to my happiness (Keil, Kalisch )— for the daughters will call me blessed (or, happy): and she called his name Asher — i . e . Happy. read more
- Jacob’s Family and Wealth6. 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 the abbreviated form ישׂכר yı̂śākār.20.... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 30:1-13
We have here the bad consequences of that strange marriage which Jacob made with the two sisters. Here is, I. An unhappy disagreement between him and Rachel (Gen. 30:1, 2), occasioned, not so much by her own barrenness as by her sister's fruitfulness. Rebekah, the only wife of Isaac, was long childless, and yet we find no uneasiness between her and Isaac; but here, because Leah bears children, Rachel cannot live peaceably with Jacob. 1. Rachel frets. She envied her sister, Gen. 30:1. Envy is... read more