Genesis 30:18 kjv

And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.

Genesis 30:18 nkjv

Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband." So she called his name Issachar.

Genesis 30:18 niv

Then Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband." So she named him Issachar.

Genesis 30:18 esv

Leah said, "God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband." So she called his name Issachar.

Genesis 30:18 nlt

She named him Issachar, for she said, "God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife."

Genesis 30 verses

Genesis 30 18 Meaning

And Leah said, “God has given me my hire/reward because I have given my servant girl to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar. This verse describes the birth of Leah's fifth son, Issachar, whose name she interprets as a divine recompense or wages from God. She connects this blessing directly to her action of giving her maidservant, Zilpah, to Jacob to bear children on her behalf.

Genesis 30 18 Context

Genesis chapter 30 continues the intense family dynamics and reproductive rivalry between Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives. Both are driven by the cultural imperative of producing heirs, especially sons, for their husband, a source of status, security, and honor in the ancient Near East. Leah, though fruitful initially (Gen 29:31-35), eventually "stopped bearing" (Gen 30:9). In a bid to continue her lineage and gain more leverage in the fertility competition, she follows Rachel's example (Gen 30:1-8) by giving her maidservant, Zilpah, to Jacob. Zilpah bears two sons, Gad and Asher. The narrative then details an episode involving mandrakes (duda'im, often associated with fertility) where Rachel exchanges Jacob's night with Leah for some mandrakes, illustrating the extreme measures the sisters would take. After this, God "listened to Leah" (Gen 30:17), resulting in the birth of Issachar. Leah's statement in Gen 30:18 attributes the pregnancy directly to God's intervention, seeing it as a divine compensation for her selfless act of yielding her servant.

Genesis 30 18 Word analysis

• וַתֹּאמֶר (vaťōmer): "And she said." A common Hebrew connective, showing sequential action. The feminine singular form correctly attributes the speech to Leah.
• לֵאָה (lē'â): "Leah." The elder sister and first wife of Jacob, often characterized by her less favored status by Jacob but blessed with fertility by God. Her name itself may relate to weariness or weakness.
• אֱלֹהִים (ʾĕlōhîm): "God." The plural noun for God, often used in a singular sense. It denotes the supreme, mighty God, emphasizing His power and sovereignty over all things, including human fertility. Leah acknowledges God as the source of her blessing, not chance or other gods.
• נָתַן (nāṯan): "has given" or "has granted." The perfect tense indicates a completed action. Leah's conviction that God has acted definitively on her behalf.
• שְׂכָרִי (śəḵārî): "my hire," "my reward," or "my wages." This is a crucial word derived from the root שכר (śāḵar), meaning "to hire," "to rent," or "to pay wages." Leah views Issachar as her "wage" from God. This is not necessarily a transactional exchange where God owed her, but rather a recognition of God's grace and compensatory justice, often understood as recompense for her humility and offering her servant, as well as her general affliction.
• אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי (ʾǎšer nāṯaṯî): "because I have given." The particle "asher" signifies "which," "that," or "because," linking Leah's action to God's response. The Hebrew perfect verb highlights her specific action of giving.
• שִׁפְחָתִי (šip̄ḥāṯî): "my servant girl" or "my maidservant." This refers to Zilpah, whom Leah gave to Jacob as a surrogate mother according to ancient legal and social customs (e.g., Nuzi tablets). This practice allowed barren women to produce heirs through a surrogate if their mistress' womb was "closed."
• לְאִישִׁי (ləʾîšî): "to my husband." Reinforces Jacob's role in the family structure and the purpose of the servant's childbearing – to provide children for Jacob, the head of the household.
• וַתִּקְרָא (vattíqrá'): "So she called." Feminine singular, past tense, connecting directly to the prior statement.
• שְׁמוֹ (šəmô): "his name." Standard possessive suffix.
• יִשָּׂשׂכָר (Yissâskār): "Issachar." The name means "there is recompense/wages," or "he is hired/bought," clearly reflecting the Hebrew root 'śāḵar' (wages, reward) used in Leah's preceding statement. The 'yiss' part is typically interpreted as "there is" or relates to the hiphil infinitive of the verb 'nasa' meaning to carry or support. Combined with 'sakar,' it strongly connects to "man of hire" or "he will bring reward." It is a phonetic wordplay and theological statement about divine recompense.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "אֱלֹהִים נָתַן שְׂכָרִי" (ʾĔlōhîm nāṯan śəḵārî - God has given my reward): This phrase encapsulates Leah's theological interpretation. Despite the human drama and manipulative actions surrounding childbearing, Leah explicitly credits God (Elohim) as the ultimate giver. It underscores the concept of divine sovereignty over life and fertility. Her 'reward' here signifies divine recompense for her past suffering or a direct blessing in response to her deed, emphasizing God's notice and active involvement in her life. This refutes any polytheistic notions of fertility gods and centers God's power.
• "אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי שִׁפְחָתִי לְאִישִׁי" (ʾǎšer nāṯaṯî šip̄ḥāṯî ləʾîšî - because I have given my servant girl to my husband): This clause clarifies the reason Leah perceives for God's action. While her reasoning connects her "giving" to Jacob with God's "giving" her a child, it's crucial to understand this not as a strict quid pro quo from God, but Leah's perception of divine justice in a patriarchal society. God responded to her proactive step and perhaps to her persistent desire for children and for Jacob's love.
• "וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ יִשָּׂשׂכָר" (vattíqrá' šəmô Yissâskār - So she called his name Issachar): The naming acts as a public declaration of her faith and interpretation. The Hebrew wordplay ("Yissâskār" from "śākār") affirms the significance of the divine 'reward' for Leah. It shows names were not arbitrary but were prophetic declarations and reflections of life's significant events and understandings of God. The name foreshadows the later characteristics of the tribe of Issachar as diligent workers who are 'hired' to bear burdens (Gen 49:14-15), possibly alluding to God's providential placement for this industrious tribe later in Israel's history.

Genesis 30 18 Bonus section

The Hebrew word śākār (שָׂכָר), "reward" or "wages," appears frequently in the Bible. It often signifies recompense for labor, obedience, or suffering, whether from humans or from God. For Leah, it's a profound spiritual wage, turning her deep sorrow and social disadvantage into a public acknowledgment of God's active, personal involvement. The context of Leah offering Zilpah to Jacob, though culturally accepted for bearing children, also shows the extremes the sisters resorted to in their fertility battle. Yet, God sovereignly worked through these human choices and cultural practices to fulfill His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Leah's repeated naming of her children in acknowledgment of God's involvement marks her as a woman of profound, albeit struggling, faith amidst hardship. Her naming pattern progresses from merely acknowledging affliction (Reuben) and hearing (Simeon) to a deeper sense of divine attachment (Judah) and now, divine recompense, indicating a developing understanding of God's character and His intimate concern for her life.

Genesis 30 18 Commentary

Genesis 30:18 presents a significant theological statement amidst the complex family rivalry of Jacob's household. Leah, despite being "unloved" by Jacob (Gen 29:31) and having endured the reproductive struggle, consistently attributes the births of her children to God. With the birth of Issachar, she names him "there is recompense" or "man of reward," directly stating, "God has given me my hire/reward."

This declaration highlights God's sovereignty over barrenness and fertility, contrasting with the ancient Near Eastern polytheistic belief that fertility depended on pagan deities or rituals. Leah's act of giving Zilpah to Jacob was an ancient custom intended to secure legal heirs for the mistress, yet Leah explicitly sees this human action met by divine grace and compensation. Her focus is not on her efforts but on God's initiative and remembrance. The idea of "reward" here speaks less of a strict earning system and more of God's responsive nature to those in affliction, as well as His providential hand guiding the formation of the tribes of Israel, even through human machinations and rivalries. Issachar becomes a testament to God's gracious "wages" to Leah, moving beyond human understanding of her sorrow and fulfilling His plan for a multitude.