Genesis 30:9

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 30:9 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.
Genesis 30:9 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 30

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
9When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“When Leah saw that she had left bearing, etc.] For a little while, for she afterwards bore again, and observing also what her sister had done; she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife: in this she was less excusable than Rachel, since she had four children of her own, and therefore might have been content without desiring others by her maid; nor had she long left off bearing, and therefore had no reason to give up hope of having any more.”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing children, she countered Rachel’s effort by giving her servant . . . to Jacob as a wife even though she already had four sons.”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification