Genesis 30:2

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 30:2 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Jacob`s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God`s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Jacob`s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God`s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?
Genesis 30:2 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 30

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
2And Jacob`s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God`s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, etc.] Whom yet he dearly loved, hearing her talk in such an extravagant manner, as her words seemed to be, and were not: only expressive of great uneasiness and impatience, but implied what was not in the power of man to do: and he said, [am] I in God’s stead: do you take me to be God, or one that has a dispensing power from him to do what otherwise no creature can do; and which also he never gives to any? for, as the Targum of Jerusalem on (<013022>Genesis 30:22) says, this is one of the four keys which God delivers not to an angel or a seraph; even the key of barrenness. Children are the gift of God, and his only, and therefore he is to be…”
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Sources and verification