20130819 Monday, August 19 2013
Genesis 30: Speckled and Spotted - How Did He Do It?

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

The original purpose of Jacob's journey to his Iraqi family in Syria (see Genesis 12: Abram's Mission; also The LORD's Seed Covenants With The Two Men Of Iraq) was to have been "a few days" of refuge: "27:42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee [see Genesis 27: Esau's Blessing Taken By Jacob]. 27:43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; 27:44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away." (Genesis 27:42-44 KJV). It turned out to be over twenty years, primarily because of marriage contracts made between Jacob and his uncle Laban.

The first children were born to Leah (see Genesis 29: Jacob In Syria), much to Rachel's dismay.

"30:1 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

30:2 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 30:1-2 KJV)

As childless Sarah had done with Hagar (see Genesis 16: The LORD's Seed Promise To Hagar and Genesis 25: The Birth of Jacob and Esau), Rebekah arranged for her handmaid, Bilhah, to become a surrogate wife and mother.

"30:3 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.

30:4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. 30:5 And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. 30:6 And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.

30:7 And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. 30:8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali." (Genesis 30:3-8 KJV)

Leah also arranged for her handmaid, Zilpah, to become a surrogate wife and mother. Leah herself later had two more sons, and Jacob's only daughter, Dinah (see Dinah Of Israel).

"30:9 When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. 30:10 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son. 30:11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

30:12 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son. 30:13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

30:14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.

30:15 And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also?

And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes.

30:16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

30:17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. 30:18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.

30:19 And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. 30:20 And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun. 30:21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah." (Genesis 30:9-21 KJV)

The LORD later enabled Rachel to have a child as she wanted. Her firstborn son was Joseph. Her second-born, Benjamin, was born a few years later - the only son of Jacob not born in Syria, and with the tragic loss of Rachel's life (see The Rachel Prophecies; see also Jacob's Blessing Of Ephraim And Manasseh).

"30:22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 30:23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: 30:24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son." (Genesis 30:22-24 KJV)

When the obligations for the marriage contracts were fulfilled, Jacob told Laban that he wanted to return home to Canaan (see Camped Out In Canaan).

"30:25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. 30:26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee." (Genesis 30:25-28 KJV)

Laban was understandably reluctant to let Jacob leave - with his daughters and grandchildren. Laban then offered to make Jacob, in effect, a partner ("Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it" is hardly an employee any longer). Jacob agreed, with a simple arrangement to divide the flocks and herds between them: "I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire."

"30:27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. 30:28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.

30:29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. 30:30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

30:31 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: 30:32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire. 30:33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me." (Genesis 30:27-33 KJV)

Under normal circumstances, it was a safe investment for Laban. He knew, as already proven, that Jacob's work would increase the stock, and he knew from experience what percentage of his stock had, and would have, the markings that defined their business arrangement.

"30:34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. 30:35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 30:36 And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks." (Genesis 30:34-36 KJV)

Many have debated, even tried to repeat, what Jacob did that caused most of the stock to be born with the sort of markings that made them the property of Jacob.

"30:37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 30:38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. 30:39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. 30:40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle. 30:41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 30:42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. 30:43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses." (Genesis 30:37-43 KJV)

How did Jacob do it? Both men obviously had a good working understanding of genetics - the reason that both men felt safe with their natural markings of ownership deal. But it was not entirely natural. The LORD had made known to Jacob that He would cause the flocks and herds to be born with the sort of markings that would make them the property of Jacob - it didn't matter which man had chosen. Why did the LORD do it? Because "I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee."

"31:10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.

31:11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.

31:12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee." (Genesis 31:10-12 KJV)

Fact Finder: Who was "the LORD God" Who changed Jacob's name to "Israel"?
See Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God; see also The Forerunner Of Man and Of God