Genesis 30:3 kjv
And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.
Genesis 30:3 nkjv
So she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her."
Genesis 30:3 niv
Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her."
Genesis 30:3 esv
Then she said, "Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her."
Genesis 30:3 nlt
Then Rachel told him, "Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too."
Genesis 30 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 11:30 | "But Sarai was barren; she had no child." | Sarai's barrenness prefigures Rachel's. |
| Gen 16:2 | "So Sarai said to Abram, 'The Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; perhaps I can obtain children through her.'" | Sarah's similar human scheme with Hagar. |
| Gen 16:3 | "So after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her servant..." | Direct precedent for Rachel's action. |
| Gen 21:1-2 | "The Lord visited Sarah as he had said... Sarah bore Abraham a son..." | God's eventual supernatural intervention. |
| Gen 25:21 | "Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived." | Another example of barrenness overcome by God. |
| Gen 29:31 | "When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren." | God's sovereignty over wombs. |
| Gen 30:1 | "When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or I shall die!'" | Rachel's anguish preceding this decision. |
| Gen 30:2 | "Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, 'Am I in the place of God...?'" | Jacob's understanding of divine control. |
| Gen 30:9 | "When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her servant and gave her to Jacob as a wife." | Leah's later imitation of Rachel's scheme. |
| Gen 30:22 | "Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb." | God's eventual, ultimate answer to Rachel. |
| Ex 2:10 | "When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son." | Example of adoption, legal parenting. |
| Num 32:41 | "Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth-Jair." | "Upon the knees" concept related to adoption/legal heir. |
| Judg 8:31 | "And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech." | Concubinage and lineage outside the main wife. |
| Ps 127:3 | "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." | Emphasizes God's ultimate gift of children. |
| 1 Sam 1:5-6 | "But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved Hannah, though the Lord had closed her womb." | Hannah's barrenness and eventual answer from God. |
| 1 Sam 2:6-8 | "The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up... He raises up the poor from the dust." | God's sovereignty over life and fate. |
| Rom 9:7-9 | "Nor is it all Abraham's children who are children of God... 'Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.'" | Lineage determined by God's promise, not human means alone. |
| Heb 11:11 | "By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised." | Faith in God's promise for childbearing. |
| Prov 27:15 | "A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day." | Reflects the tension within Jacob's household. |
| Gal 4:22-23 | "For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh..." | Theological commentary on Hagar's story; parallel to Bilhah. |
| Gal 4:28-29 | "Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit..." | Highlights the contrast between natural birth (human efforts) and birth by promise (God's plan). |
Genesis 30 verses
Genesis 30 3 Meaning
This verse captures Rachel's desperate plea and strategic decision in her struggle with barrenness, mirroring an ancient Near Eastern custom. Unable to conceive, she proposes to her husband, Jacob, that he have sexual relations with her personal maid, Bilhah. The children born from this union would be legally recognized as Rachel's own, effectively "building up" her family line and providing her with offspring, thereby mitigating her social shame and contributing to the growth of Jacob's household.Genesis 30 3 Context
Genesis 30:3 unfolds amidst intense sibling rivalry and marital strife within Jacob's polygamous family. Following seven years of labor for Rachel, Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah first, leading to a decade of tension. Leah was fertile, bearing Jacob four sons, which further intensified Rachel's deep distress over her own barrenness. This context includes Rachel's desperate plea to Jacob ("Give me children, or else I die!" in Gen 30:1), and Jacob's indignant response, emphasizing God's role as the sovereign giver of life (Gen 30:2). Verse 3 is Rachel's proposed human solution to her anguish, drawing from accepted ancient Near Eastern custom where a barren wife could offer her handmaid to her husband as a surrogate, with the children born through the handmaid being legally counted as the primary wife's. This cultural practice, seen previously with Sarah and Hagar, aimed to secure offspring and lineage, which was paramount in that society.Genesis 30 3 Word analysis
- And she said: Refers to Rachel, highlighting her agency in initiating this customary practice.
- Behold: The Hebrew hineh (הִנֵּה), an interjection that commands attention, drawing Jacob's focus to her proposal. It implies a sense of urgency and directness.
- my handmaid: The Hebrew amati (אֲמָתִי). Amah generally denotes a female slave or servant, often one who is a personal possession. Her status is clearly subordinate, yet vital to the scheme.
- Bilhah: Rachel's personal servant given to her by Laban (Gen 29:29). Naming her specifically indicates a formal offering.
- go in unto her: The Hebrew bo eleiha (בֹּא אֵלֶיהָ), a common biblical euphemism for sexual intercourse, signifying the intent to procreate.
- and she shall bear upon my knees: The Hebrew vetêled al birkayi (וְתֵלֶד עַל-בִּרְכָּי). This is a crucial phrase denoting a legal adoption practice. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, a barren wife might have a handmaid deliver a child into her lap or upon her knees, physically signifying that the child, though biologically from the handmaid, was legally recognized as the son/daughter of the primary wife and would receive inheritance rights accordingly. This act establishes legal motherhood and heirship.
- that I may also have children by her: The Hebrew ki-ibaneh gam-anokhi mimena (כִּי-אִבָּנֶה גַּם-אָנֹכִי מִמֶּנָּה). The verb ibaneh (אִבָּנֶה) comes from the root banah (בָּנָה), meaning "to build." This powerfully conveys Rachel's desire to "be built up" through offspring, to have her household or lineage established and continued, a common metaphor in ancient Hebrew thought. It reflects the intense societal pressure and personal longing for a family legacy.