Genesis 30:16

And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Jacob	יַעֲקֹ֣ב ya.'a.Ko	H3290	Jaakob · proper noun, a man's name
came	וַיָּבֹ֨א vai.ya.Vo'	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
field	הַשָּׂדֶה֮ ha.sa.Deh	H7704	a field (as flat) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
evening	בָּעֶרֶב֒ ba.'e.Rev	H6153	dusk · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Leah	לֵאָ֜ה le.'Ah	H3812	Leah · proper noun, a woman's name
out	וַתֵּצֵ֨א va.te.Tze'	H3318	to go (causatively · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
meet	קִרְאָה qirʼâh	H7125	an encountering
said	וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ va.To.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
in	תָּב֔וֹא ta.Vo'	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
surely	שָׂכֹ֣ר sa.Khor	H7936	to hire · verb, qal infinitive absolute
hired	שְׂכַרְתִּ֔יךָ se.khar.Ti.kha	H7936	to hire · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
son’s	בְּנִ֑י be.Ni	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
mandrakes	בְּדוּדָאֵ֖י be.du.da.'Ei	H1736	a boiler or basket · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
lay	וַיִּשְׁכַּ֥ב vai.yish.Kav	H7901	to lie down (for rest · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
night	בַּלַּ֥יְלָה ba.Lay.lah	H3915	properly · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 30:14-24

Here is, I. Leah fruitful again, after she had, for some time, left off bearing. Jacob, it should seem, associated more with Rachel than with Leah. The law of Moses supposes it a common case that, if a man had two wives, one would be beloved and the other hated, Deu 21:15. But at length Rachel's strong passions betrayed her into a bargain with Leah that Jacob should return to her apartment. Reuben, a little lad, five or six years old, playing in the field, found mandrakes, dudaim. It is uncertain what they were, the critics are not agreed about them; we are sure they were some rarities, either fruits or flowers that were very pleasant to the smell, Sol 7:13. Note, The God of nature has provi…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 30:3

Bilhah . . . Zilpah--Following the example of Sarah with regard to Hagar, an example which is not seldom imitated still, she adopted the children of her maid. Leah took the same course. A bitter and intense rivalry existed between them, all the more from their close relationship as sisters; and although they occupied separate apartments, with their families, as is the uniform custom where a plurality of wives obtains, and the husband and father spends a day with each in regular succession, that did not allay their mutual jealousies. The evil lies in the system, which being a violation of God's original ordinance, cannot yield happiness.

Adam Clarke on Genesis 30:16

I have hired thee - We may remark among the Jewish women an intense desire of having children; and it seems to have been produced, not from any peculiar affection for children, but through the hope of having a share in the blessing of Abraham, by bringing forth Him in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed.

John Gill on Genesis 30:16

And Jacob came out of the field in the evening,.... From feeding his flocks: and Leah went out to meet him; knowing full well the time he used to come home: and said, thou must come in unto me; into her tent, for the women had separate tents from the men; as Sarah from Abraham; and so these wives of Jacob had not only tents separate from his, but from one another: for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes: that is, she had hired that night's lodging with him of Rachel, with the mandrakes her son Reuben had brought out of the field. Jacob made no objection to it; but consented, being willing to please both his wives, who he perceived had made this agreement between themselves:…

Dictionary and topics

Barren — For a woman to be barren was accounted a severe punishment among the Jews (Gen. 16:2; 30:1-23; 1 Sam. 1:6, 27; Isa. 47:9; 49:21; Luke 1:25). Instances of barrenness are noticed (Gen. 11:30; 25:21;…
Concubine — In the Bible denotes a female conjugally united to a man, but in a relation inferior to that of a wife. Among the early Jews, from various causes, the difference between a wife and a concubine was…
Mandrakes — Hebrew dudaim; i.e., “love-plants”, occurs only in Gen. 30:14-16 and Cant. 7:13. Many interpretations have been given of this word dudaim. It has been rendered “violets,” “Lilies,” “jasmines,”…
Emulation · .In Jacob’s household — .In Jacob’s household
Mandrake · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Polygamy · .In Jacob’ s family — .In Jacob’ s family

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Genesis 30:16

Word by word — the Hebrew

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 30:14-24

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 30:3

Adam Clarke on Genesis 30:16

John Gill on Genesis 30:16

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 30:16

Word by word — the Hebrew

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 30:14-24

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 30:3

Adam Clarke on Genesis 30:16

John Gill on Genesis 30:16

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 30:15-16

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 30:14-21

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 30:14-17

Rashi on Genesis 30:16