Genesis 30:22

Gen 30:22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

Ver. 22. And God remembered Rachel.] She began to think that God had forgotten her, because she was so long suspended, and her prayers not answered. This is a common fault. David bewails it in himself. {Psa 77:1-20} Basil grew so weary of the Arian persecution, that once he cried out, An Ecclesias suas prorsus dereliquit Dominus? an novissima hora est? &c. So the Church of old: "Where is thy zeal and thy strength, Lord? the sounding of thy heart and of thy mercies toward us? are they restrained?". {Isa 63:15} Here we must check and chide ourselves, for once questioning God’s kind remembrance of us, whom he cannot forget, and learn and labour not to "waken our well beloved, until he please". {Son 3:5} He "waits to be gracious," {Isa 30:19} and, when it is fit, will come "leaping over the mountains of Bether," {Son 2:17} all lets and impediments.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gen_30:22-24

And God remembered Rachel

Gods favour towards Rachel

I.

IT WAS LONG DELAYER. Discipline.

II. IT WAS GRANTED TO HER AFTER SOME SOLEMN LESSONS HAD BEEN LEARNED.

1. Dependence.

2. Patience.

3. Faith and hope.

III. IT AWAKENED GRATITUDE.

1. Grateful recognition of Gods dealings (verse23).

2. Heartfelt acknowledgment of God (Gen_30:24). (T. H. Leale.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gen 30:22. God remembered Rachel — Whom he seemed to have forgotten, and hearkened to her, whose prayers had been long denied, and then she bare a son. Rachel called her son Joseph, which, in Hebrew, is akin to two words of a contrary signification: Asaph, abstulit, he has taken away my reproach; as if the greatest mercy she had in this son were, that she had saved her credit: and Joseph, addidit; the Lord shall add to me another son: which may be looked upon as the language of her faith: she takes this mercy as an earnest of further mercy: hath God given me this grace? I may call it Joseph, and say, he shall add more grace.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

BIRTH OF JOSEPH, Gen_30:22-24.

22. God remembered Rachel — It would seem from the language of these verses that Rachel’s wrestling with God (comp. Gen_30:8) had acquired a nobler tone; a more devout and humble trust.

God hearkened to her — This implies a prevailing prayer on her part, which had probably softened and subdued her spirit, and begotten in her a forgiving disposition towards her rival — a quality that impressed itself upon her son.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CRITICAL NOTES.—

Gen_30:23. My reproach.] That is, the reproach of my barrenness. (See Luk_1:25; 1Sa_1:6; Is. 4:1.)—

Gen_30:24. Joseph.] “Adding,” or, “he will add.” It may also be rendered in the form of a prayer, “May the Lord add another.” Thus it would be a prophetic declaration of the event which was accomplished in the birth of Benjamin.—

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Gen_30:22-24

GOD’S FAVOUR TOWARDS RACHEL

I. It was long delayed. The blessing which Rachel had long desired was, at length, granted. She had not lost the love of God—for that lives on—she had only been denied His favour for a time. God grants His favours as it pleases Him, and yet always with a view to the blessed designs of our discipline. They are bestowed at the best time for us. So it was with Rachel. For upwards of fourteen years of her married life she had been barren. God, at length, “remembered Rachel,” as if she had been forgotten before; for so we may speak of God’s delayed blessings from our human point of view. When the good we seek comes not, we begin to think that we are forgotten; that prayers are of no use when they are not immediately answered. But if we are faithful we shall be blessed according to the time wherein we have been afflicted.

II. It was granted to her after some solemn lessons had been learned. During the long delay Rachel had time to learn some solemn lessons, and which often have to be learned only through painful discipline.

1. The lesson of dependence. She had to be taught that whatever human means are used to gain our ends, all ultimate success depends upon the will of God. All gifts come from His hand. 2 The lesson of patience. She had to wait long for this blessing; and when it was granted, she would see how good it is to be patient. 3 The lesson of faith and hope. She had now learned not to despair because God did not at once grant her desires. It was good to believe and hope. If we abide faithful our confident trust in God will be justified in the end.

III. It awakened gratitude. This spirit showed itself. 1 In a grateful recognition of God’s dealings. She said, “God hath taken away my reproach” (Gen_30:23). The blessing itself was evident; but she recognised the divine source from whence it came. She did not trace the gift to some irresponsible powers of nature, but to the distinct favour of a personal God. 2 In the heartfelt acknowledgment of God. She called the name of her son, Joseph, saying “The Lord shall add to me another son.” She had previously used the name Elohim, which means the invisible Eternal (Gen_30:6); now she uses the name Jehovah, signifying the manifest self-existant-God as known in His covenant relation. This was an important advance in spiritual knowledge and feeling. The distant God becomes near. The God of nature becomes the God of providence and grace. This is similar to the experience of Job, (Job_42:5-6). Rachel has now hope for the future, for she feels that she has an interest in the covenant of promise. What a blessed contrast to her former state of despair! (Gen_30:1).

SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES

Gen_30:22. She began to think that God had forgotten her, because her prayer was not answered. This is a common fault. David bewails it himself. (Psalms 77) So the church of old. (Psa_63:1-5.)—(Trapp.)

Gen_30:23-24. A sweet and sure way of argumentation. God, that hath thus and thus done me good, will not be wanting to me in anything that may conduce to mine eternal comfort; but “will perfect that which concerneth me.” (Psa_138:8.)—(Trapp.)

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

30:22-24 Rachel finally gave birth to her own son, Joseph. His birth was brought about by God’s intervention, not by superstitious practices (30:14-16) or the social custom of giving servants as wives. • Removed (Hebrew ’asap, “take away”) sounds similar to Joseph (Hebrew yosep, “may he add”). Rachel rejoiced over Joseph’s birth, yet she prayed that the Lord would add yet another son to her family.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, made her fruitful.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 22. And God hearkened to her] After the severe reproof which Rachel had received from her husband, Ge 30:2, it appears that she sought God by prayer, and that he heard her; so that her prayer and faith obtained what her impatience and unbelief had prevented.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

22. And God remembered Rachel. Since with God nothing is either before or after, but all things are present, he is subject to no forgetfulness, so that, in the lapse of time, he should need to be reminded of what is past. But the Scripture describes the presence and memory of God from the effect produced upon ourselves, because we conceive him to be such as he appears to be by his acts. Moreover, whether Rachel’s child was born the last of all, cannot with certainty be gathered from the words of Moses. They who, in this place, affirm that the figure hysteron proteron, which puts the last first, is used, are moved by the consideration, that if Joseph had been born after the last of his brethren, the age which Moses records in Genesis 41:46, would not accord with the fact. But they are deceived in this, that they reckon the nuptials of Rachel from the end of the second seven years; whereas it is certainly proved from the context, that although Jacob agreed to give his service for Rachel, yet he obtained her immediately; because from the beginning, the strife between the two sisters broke forth. Moses clearly intimates, in this place, that the blessing of God was bestowed late, when Rachel had despaired of issue, and had long been subject to reproach because of her barrenness. On account of this prosperous omen she gave the name Joseph to her son, deriving the hope of two sons from the prospect of one

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(22-24) God remembered Rachel.—Rachel’s long barrenness had probably humbled and disciplined her; and, cured of her former petulance, she trusts no longer to “love-apples,” but looks to God for the great blessing of children. He hearkens to her prayer, and remembers her. (Comp. 1Sa_1:19.) In calling his name Joseph, there is again a play upon two words, for it may be formed from the verb used in Gen_30:23, and would then mean he takes away; or it may signify he adds, which is the meaning made prominent by Rachel. And God did add to her another son, but the boon cost her her life. As Joseph was born six or seven years before Jacob left Padan-aram, Rachel had been barren for twenty-six years. We must add that in her joy at Joseph’s birth there is no trace of the ungenerous triumph over Leah so marked in her rejoicing at the birth of the sons of Bilhah; and in her trust that “Jehovah would add to her another son,” she evidently had in mind the covenant promises, which a son of her own womb might now inherit. As a matter of fact, the long struggle for supremacy lay between the houses of Joseph and Judah; and Judah finally prevailed.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph,.... At which time his fourteen years of servitude were ended; for Jacob was in Laban's house twenty years, fourteen were spent in serving for his wives, and the other six for his cattle, which begun from this time, as the context clearly shows; see Gen 31:41; so that, as the Jewish writers (l) truly observe, in seven years' time Jacob had twelve children born to him, eleven sons and one daughter; for he had served seven years before he had either of his wives: they also pretend that a twin was born with each, except with Joseph, but for that there is no foundation:

that Jacob said unto Laban, send me away; give me leave to depart thy house: he had a right to demand his liberty, and to insist upon it, since the time of his servitude was up; but he chose to have leave, and part in a friendly manner:

that I may go unto mine own place, and to my own country; to Beersheba, where his father and mother lived, and whom, no doubt, he longed to see; and to the land of Canaan, in which that place was, which was his native country and was given him by promise, and was to be the inheritance of his seed.

(l) Pirke Eliezer, c. 36. Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 6. 2.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Vers. 22-24. And God remembered Rachel (cf. Gen_8:1; 1Sa_1:19) and God hearkened to her, as to Leah (ver. 17)and opened her womb as he had previously done to Leah. (Gen_29:31) Rachel"s barrenness had not continued so long as either Sarah"s or Rebekah"s. And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach i.e. of sterility. The mandrakes of Leah having proved inefficacious, Rachel at length realizes that children are God"s gift, and this thought sufficiently explains the use of the term Elohim. And she called his name Joseph; psewOy, either, "he takes away," with allusion to the removal of her reproach, or, "he shall add," with reference to her hope of another son. Perhaps the first thought is not obscurely hinted at, though the second appears" from the ensuing clause to have occupied the greater prominence in Rachel"s mind and said, The Lord Jehovah; a trace of the Jehovistic pen (Tuch, Bleek, et alii); rather an outcome of the higher spiritual life of Rachel, who had now got emancipated from all such merely human devices as resorting to mandrakes, and was able to recognize her complete dependence for offspring on the sovereign grace of the covenant God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob (Hengstenberg, Keil)shall add to me another son.

HOMILIES BY R.A. REDFORD Vers. 22-24.

The life of faith and its reward.

The Scripture teaches us to put the facts of common life in the light of God s countenance. The true foundation on which family welfare rests is God"s faithfulness and favor. The intense desire of the Hebrew women for children, especially sons, a testimony to the Divine covenant; the original promise pervading all the national life.

I The birth of Joseph a REWARD OF FAITH AND ANSWER TO PRAYER. God remembers, though we think he forgets. Reproach may lie awhile on the true believer, but is taken away at last. Syrophenician woman; seeming neglect calls out stronger expression of faith. Pray without ceasing.

II BLESSINGS WAITED FOR are the more appreciated and the richer WHEN THEY COME. Joseph" a type of him who, though he was sent after many prophets and long tarrying, was greater than all his brethren. The Rachel, the true beloved, the chosen bride, the Church in whom the true Jacob finds special delight, waits and prays. When God shall show that he has remembered and hearkened, the elect one shall be abundantly satisfied. "God hath taken away my reproach.

III All experience of Divine faithfulness is a great help, in looking forward, to cherish expectation. "The Lord shall add to me another son," We ask for more when we know that our prayer is heard. R.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

God remembered Rachel, whom he seemed to have forgotten, and hearkened to her, whose prayers had been long denied, and then she bare a son. Rachael called her son Joseph, which, in Hebrew, is a-kin to two words of a contrary signification: Asaph, abstulit, he has taken away my reproach, as if the greatest mercy she had in this son were, that she had saved her credit: and Joseph, addidit, the Lord shall add to me another son: which may be looked upon as the language of her faith; she takes this mercy as an earnest of further mercy: hath God given me this grace? I may call it Joseph, and say, he shall add more grace.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Birth of Joseph. - At length God gave Rachel also a son, whom she named Joseph, יוסף, i.e., taking away (= יאסף, cf. Sa1 15:6; Sa2 6:1; Psa 104:29) and adding (from יסף), because his birth not only furnished an actual proof that God had removed the reproach of her childlessness, but also excited the wish, that Jehovah might add another son. The fulfilment of this wish is recorded in Gen 35:16. The double derivation of the name, and the exchange of Elohim for Jehovah, may be explained, without the hypothesis of a double source, on the simple ground, that Rachel first of all looked back at the past, and, thinking of the earthly means that had been applied in vain for the purpose of obtaining a child, regarded the son as a gift of God. At the same time, the good fortune which had now come to her banished from her heart her envy of her sister (Gen 30:1), and aroused belief in that God, who, as she had no doubt heard from her husband, had given Jacob such great promises; so that in giving the name, probably at the circumcision, she remembered Jehovah and prayed for another son from His covenant faithfulness.

After the birth of Joseph, Jacob asked Laban to send him away, with the wives and children for whom he had served him (Gen 30:25). According to this, Joseph was born at the end of the 14 years of service that had been agreed upon, or seven years after Jacob had taken Leah and (a week later) Rachel as his wives (Gen 29:21-28). Now if all the children, whose births are given in Gen 29:32-30:24, had been born one after another during the period mentioned, not only would Leah have had seven children in 7, or literally 6 1/4 years, but there would have been a considerable interval also, during which Rachel's maid and her own gave birth to children. But this would have been impossible; and the text does not really state it. When we bear in mind that the imperf. c. ו consec. expresses not only the order of time, but the order of thought as well, it becomes apparent that in the history of the births, the intention to arrange them according to the mothers prevails over the chronological order, so that it by no means follows, that because the passage, "when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children," occurs after Leah is said to have had four sons, therefore it was not till after the birth of Leah's fourth child that Rachel became aware of her own barrenness. There is nothing on the part of the grammar to prevent our arranging the course of events thus. Leah's first four births followed as rapidly as possible one after the other, so that four sons were born in the first four years of the second period of Jacob's service. In the meantime, not necessarily after the birth of Leah's fourth child, Rachel, having discovered her own barrenness, had given her maid to Jacob; so that not only may Dan have been born before Judah, but Naphtali also not long after him. The rapidity and regularity with which Leah had born her first four sons, would make her notice all the more quickly the cessation that took place; and jealousy of Rachel, as well as the success of the means she had adopted, would impel her to attempt in the same way to increase the number of her children. Moreover, Leah herself may have conceived again before the birth of her maid's second son, and may have given birth to her last two sons in the sixth and seventh years of their marriage. And contemporaneously with the birth of Leah's last son, or immediately afterwards, Rachel may have given birth to Joseph. In this way Jacob may easily have had eleven sons within seven years of his marriage. But with regard to the birth of Dinah, the expression "afterwards" (Gen 30:21) seems to indicate, that she was not born during Jacob's years of service, but during the remaining six years of his stay with Laban.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

The Birth of Joseph

v. 22. And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. It seems, then, that when all her schemes and stratagems failed, she turned to God in fervent and patient prayer, and that the Lord, in answer, removed her barrenness.

v. 23. And she conceived, and bare a son, and said, God hath taken away my reproach;

v. 24. and she called his name Joseph (He shall add); and said, The Lord shall add to me another son. In taking away from Rachel the reproach of her unfruitfulness, the Lord had added to her the hope that He would add a second son. This wish was later fulfilled, Gen 35:16-18. It is undoubtedly correct to assume, from the subsequent story, that the eleven children of Jacob, from Reuben to Joseph, were born in the seven years after his marriage, not exactly in a chronological succession as narrated, but so that Leah gave birth to her four sons during the first four years. Dan and Naphtali were probably likewise born during this period, the children of Zilpah immediately after, Leah herself again becoming a mother in the sixth and seventh years, and Joseph being born about the end of the seventh year, when Jacob was ninety-one years old. The entire story shows that the fear of the Lord makes for true happiness in the home, for believers rely upon the Lord for all good gifts and gratefully receive them, at His hands.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

God called Rachel to mind and listened to her

The phrase "call to mind" means to remember. This does not mean God forgot about Rachel. It means he considered her request. AT: "God considered Rachel and granted to her what she wanted" (See: Idiom)

God has taken away my shame

God causing Rachel to no longer feel ashamed is spoken of as if "shame" were an object that person could take away from someone else. The abstract noun "shame" can be stated as "ashamed." AT: "God has caused me to no longer feel ashamed" (See: Metaphor and Abstract Nouns)

She called his name Joseph

Translators may also add a footnote that says: "The name Joseph means 'may he add.'" (See: How to Translate Names)

Yahweh has added to me another son

Rachel's first sons were through her female servant Bilhah.

translationWords

God

Rachel

mind

shame

Joseph (OT)

Yahweh

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

ויזכר אלהים את רחל AND GOD REMEMBERED RACHEL — He remembered it to her as a merit that she had transmitted the secret signs to her sister and that she was greatly troubled lest she should fall to Esau’s lot if Jacob were to divorce her because she was childless. Indeed, this had entered Esau’s mind when he heard that she was childless (Genesis Rabbah 73:4). The poet refers to this in his Composition (for the First Day of the New Year) “When the Ruddy One (Esau) perceived that she did not travail with child, he hoped to take her for himself and she became terrified”.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

Elokim remembered Rochel. He remembered the efforts she made to produce offspring for Yaakov by giving him her maidservant and acquiring the jasmine flowers.

And Elokim perceived (literally, “heard”). After she made the two efforts mentioned above, she then prayed to Him and He heard her prayers.

Sforno on the Tanakh — English translation: “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ויזכר, after she had appeared to have been forgotten, seeing all of the other three women had already each had children for Yaakov, G’d saw her shame and decided to “remember” her.

וישמע, now He heard all her prayers, i.e. the time had come for her prayers to be answered.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.