Genesis 30:31 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Genesis 30:31 kjv
And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock.
Genesis 30:31 nkjv
So he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks:
Genesis 30:31 niv
"What shall I give you?" he asked. "Don't give me anything," Jacob replied. "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them:
Genesis 30:31 esv
He said, "What shall I give you?" Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it:
Genesis 30:31 nlt
"What wages do you want?" Laban asked again. Jacob replied, "Don't give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I'll continue to tend and watch over your flocks.
Genesis 30 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 29:15 | Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing?... Tell me what your wages shall be." | Jacob's initial agreement for Rachel, establishing a wage-based service. |
| Gen 30:27 | But Laban said to him, "Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you." | Laban acknowledges Jacob's divine blessing on his household. |
| Gen 30:30 | "For you had little before I came, and it has increased to a great amount... Now when shall I provide for my own household also?" | Jacob highlights his diligent stewardship and desire for independence. |
| Gen 31:7 | "Your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not permit him to harm me." | Laban's pattern of deception and God's protection of Jacob. |
| Gen 31:42 | "If the God of my father... had not been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed." | Jacob attributes his success and Laban's lack of success to God's presence. |
| Deut 24:14 | "You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners..." | God's law commands fair wages and prohibits exploitation of workers. |
| Lev 19:13 | "You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning." | Commandment to pay workers promptly and fairly. |
| Jer 22:13 | "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages," | Prophetic denunciation of those who exploit workers and withhold wages. |
| Jas 5:4 | "Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you..." | Condemnation of defrauding laborers of their rightful pay. |
| Prov 10:4 | A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. | Principle of diligence leading to prosperity. |
| Prov 14:23 | In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. | Emphasizes the fruitfulness of hard work. |
| Prov 16:3 | Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. | Jacob's actions, though strategic, rely on divine favor for success. |
| Prov 28:20 | A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. | Implies the integrity of the process and avoiding illicit gain. |
| Matt 6:26 | "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." | Trusting God's provision beyond human means. |
| Matt 10:10 | "...for the laborer deserves his food." | The worker is worthy of his hire, often implying fair compensation. |
| 1 Tim 5:18 | For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages." | Supports the principle of fair compensation for labor. |
| 1 Cor 9:9-10 | For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain."... Was it not actually for our sake? | Applies agricultural laws to the principle of workers earning their living. |
| Gal 6:7 | Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. | Relates to the eventual outcome of Jacob's method and Laban's deception. |
| Ps 37:25 | I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. | Assurance of God's faithful provision for His people. |
| Gen 1:11-12 | And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." | Divine order of natural processes, background for "according to their kind". |
| Rom 11:29 | For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. | God's chosen blessings on Jacob despite human imperfections. |
| Heb 11:8 | By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. | Jacob's implicit trust in God's leading, similar to his grandfather. |
| Gen 13:2 | Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. | Sets a precedent for wealth accumulation, often related to livestock. |
| Eccl 9:10 | Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. | Encourages diligent effort in one's work. |
| Gen 28:15 | "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land..." | God's promise to Jacob, underpinning his success despite difficult circumstances. |
Genesis 30 verses
Genesis 30 31 meaning
Genesis 30:31 initiates a pivotal negotiation between Jacob and Laban. Laban, desiring to keep Jacob's profitable labor, asks what he should give Jacob. Jacob responds by explicitly refusing any immediate or conventional material payment. Instead, he proposes a unique and conditional agreement: he will continue to diligently shepherd and guard Laban's flock, but his future compensation will be derived solely from specific, unusual characteristics within the flock's offspring – namely, all the streaked, speckled, and spotted sheep and goats, and all the dark-colored lambs among the sheep. This proposal showcases Jacob's shift from a passive recipient of wages to an active agent in determining his livelihood, trusting in a divine working rather than Laban's direct payment.
Genesis 30 31 Context
Genesis chapter 30 occurs after Jacob has served Laban for 14 years to earn Rachel and Leah as wives. During this time, Jacob's family has grown considerably, and the twelve tribes of Israel begin to emerge through the births of his children. Jacob, now with a large household, feels the need to return to his own land and provide for his family independently. Laban, however, has become very wealthy because of Jacob's diligent and divinely-blessed stewardship (Gen 30:27, 30:30), and does not wish for Jacob to leave. He therefore asks Jacob to name his terms for staying, acknowledging Jacob's value. The cultural context involves a system of indentured servitude where a man without land or immediate means would serve a kinsman or powerful figure, often earning wives and then working further to gain livestock to establish his own household. This verse is Jacob's bold and strategic response to Laban's offer, seeking to secure his prosperity in a way that aligns with his faith in God's ability to supernaturally bless his efforts amidst Laban's inherent trickery, thereby asserting his right to build his own wealth.
Genesis 30 31 Word analysis
And he said, What shall I give thee?
- And he said: Refers to Laban. The shifting pronoun can initially cause a slight ambiguity but the preceding and subsequent text clarifies that Laban initiates the offer, valuing Jacob's service greatly.
- What shall I give thee?: (מָה אֶתֵּן לָךְ֙ – mah etten lakh?) Laban's offer. He recognizes Jacob's worth to his economic success and is willing to pay. This also implicitly admits Laban’s greed and dependence on Jacob’s prosperity. He's trying to retain his profitable worker.
And he said, Thou shalt not give me any thing:
- And he said: Refers to Jacob.
- Thou shalt not give me any thing: (לֹא תִתֶּן־לִּ֖י מְאֽוּמָ֑ה – lo' titten-li m'umah) Jacob's surprising initial refusal. The Hebrew word m'umah means "anything at all" or "nothing whatsoever." This rejection is a calculated move; Jacob isn't seeking conventional immediate wages, but sets the stage for a unique agreement. It signals his intention to negotiate on terms that supersede a fixed salary, showing his cunning or his faith. It can be seen as a challenge to Laban's usual method of paying set wages.
if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed thy flock, and keep it.
- if thou wilt do this thing for me: (אִם־תַּעֲשֶׂה־לִּ֧י אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּ֛ה – 'im ta'aseh-li 'et-haddavar hazzeh) Jacob introduces his specific, unconventional condition. "This thing" implies something not ordinarily done, suggesting a non-traditional compensation model tied to genetic selection or divine intervention. It shifts the burden of providing Jacob's 'wage' from direct payment to Laban fulfilling a specific operational task.
- I will again feed thy flock: (אָשׁ֗וּב אֶרְעֶ֤ה צֹֽאנְךָ֙ – 'ashuv er'eh tzonkha) Jacob commits to resuming his shepherding duties. The verb ra'ah (רעה) means "to pasture," "to shepherd," "to tend." It denotes a diligent and responsible caring for the livestock, not just letting them graze. The word "again" (אָשׁוּב – 'ashuv, related to "return") emphasizes continuity after a brief pause for negotiation.
- and keep it: (וְאֶשְׁמֹֽר – v'eshmor) And "to guard," "to protect." This indicates Jacob's responsibility for the safety and well-being of the animals from wild animals or robbers. It underlines his commitment to thorough, responsible labor under the new terms, contrasting sharply with Laban’s deceit.
Genesis 30 31 Bonus section
This verse sets the stage for a critical theological and practical lesson on divine provision amidst human contracts. It illustrates a unique blend of human strategy and divine sovereignty. While Jacob uses human wisdom in proposing a challenging (for Laban) but beneficial (for Jacob) condition, the ultimate success of this unconventional "wage" is explicitly attributed to God's intervention, not just Jacob's cleverness. This highlights that God can and often does work through unusual, natural processes or even human ingenuity, guiding circumstances to fulfill His promises and provide for His faithful ones. It underscores the biblical principle that genuine wealth and blessing come from God, not from earthly contracts or schemes alone, particularly when dealing with oppressive or deceitful individuals.
Genesis 30 31 Commentary
Genesis 30:31 marks a significant shift in Jacob's long and often tumultuous relationship with Laban. Previously, Jacob had accepted conventional wages for his service, which Laban notoriously altered (Gen 31:7). Here, Jacob strategically proposes a novel form of payment. His refusal of an immediate monetary or animal wage is striking, indicating he sought compensation directly blessed by God, or at least a scheme where divine intervention could be discerned more clearly than through Laban's deceptive hands. "Thou shalt not give me anything" is not a magnanimous gesture, but a calculated setup for a contractual agreement entirely based on a unique and ultimately challenging genetic outcome.
Jacob's proposition—that his future wages would be defined by the breeding of the flock's uniquely patterned or colored offspring—is audacious. It puts the onus on Laban to agree to a system where the "wage" is tied to a natural (yet in Jacob's case, divinely manipulated) process, rather than a fixed sum. This foreshadows the subsequent events where God actively intervenes in the breeding of the flock to favor Jacob, fulfilling His promise to be with him and make him prosperous. The narrative presents Jacob as acting both shrewdly in setting a conditional agreement and faithfully, trusting that God would honor his labor and the covenant despite Laban’s attempts to manipulate the agreement in his favor (Gen 30:35, 30:36).