Genesis 30:41

Gen 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.

Ver. 41. The stronger cattle.] Heb., Bound together, i.e., lusty and well set.

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.

As they which took the ram about September and brought forth about March: so the feebler in March, and lamb in September.

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

Verse 41. Whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive] The word מקשרות mekushsharoth, which we translate stronger, is understood by several of the ancient interpreters as signifying the early, first-born, or early spring cattle; and hence it is opposed to עטפים atuphim, which we translate feeble, and which Symmachus properly renders δευτερογονοι, cattle of the second birth, as he renders the word mekushsharoth by πρωτογονοι, cattle of the first or earliest birth. Now this does not apply merely to two births from the same female in one year, which actually did take place according to the rabbins, the first in Nisan, about our March, and the second in Tisri, about our September; but it more particularly refers to early and late lambs, c., in the same year as those that are born just at the termination of winter, and in the very commencement of spring, are every way more valuable than those which were born later in the same spring. Jacob therefore took good heed not to try his experiments with those late produced cattle, because he knew these would produce a degenerate breed, but with the early cattle, which were strong and vigorous, by which his breed must be improved. Hence the whole flock of Laban must be necessarily injured, while Jacob's flock was preserved in a state of increasing perfection. All this proves a consummate knowledge in Jacob of his pastoral office. If extensive breeders in this country were to attend to the same plan, our breed would be improved in a most eminent degree. What a fund of instruction upon almost every subject is to be found in the sacred writings!

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

(41, 42) The stronger cattle . . . when the cattle were feeble.—The words for “strong” and “feeble” are literally bound and covered, so that evidently we have technical terms, which Onkelos and the Syriac explain of the females at the two breeding seasons. The ewes in the spring, after the cold season, are bound, firmly knit together, and the lambs strong and healthy. The other word, covered, seems to mean seeking concealment, hiding away (Job_23:9); and therefore faint, its meaning in Psa_61:2, Psalms 102, title (Authorised Version, overwhelmed), and Isa_57:16 (Authorised Version, fail). The autumn-born lambs are of no great value, and Jacob left them to the course of nature.

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

41. the stronger] A third device on Jacob’s part. He is careful, at the breeding season, to pick out only the finer animals before which to place the peeled rods. Hence he obtained for his own share the young of the better animals.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

It is known that the cattle in those parts did conceive and bring forth twice in a year, at spring and in autumn; and it is supposed that the

stronger here mentioned, are such as joined in the spring, and the feeble they that joined in autumn.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, literally, in every healing of the cattle, the bound ones, i.e. the firm, compact sheep, "the spring flock" (Luther), which, being conceived in spring and dropped in autumn, are supposed to be stronger than those conceived in autumn and dropped in spring; but this is doubtfulthat Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. Jacob s third artifice aimed at securing for himself a vigorous breed of sheep.

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

He did not adopt the trick with the rods, however, on every occasion of copulation, for the sheep in those countries lamb twice a year, but only at the copulation of the strong sheep (המקשּׁרות the bound ones, i.e., firm and compact), - Luther, "the spring flock;" ליחמנּה inf. Pi. "to conceive it (the young);" - but not "in the weakening of the sheep," i.e., when they were weak, and would produce weak lambs. The meaning is probably this: he only adopted this plan at the summer copulation, not the autumn; for, in the opinion of the ancients (Pliny, Columella), lambs that were conceived in the spring and born in the autumn were stronger than those born in the spring (cf. Bochart l.c. p. 582). Jacob did this, possibly, less to spare Laban, than to avoid exciting suspicion, and so leading to the discovery of his trick. - In Gen 30:43 the account closes with the remark, that the man increased exceedingly, and became rich in cattle (רבּות צאן many head of sheep and goats) and slaves, without expressing approbation of Jacob's conduct, or describing his increasing wealth as a blessing from God. The verdict is contained in what follows.

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.)

before the eyes of the flock

Here the flock's "eyes" represent the sheep and emphasize what they see. AT: "so that the flock could see them" (See: Synecdoche)

among the sticks

"in front of the sticks"

the feebler animals

"the weaker animals"

So the feebler animals were Laban's, and the stronger were Jacob's

"So the weaker offspring belonged to Laban, while the stronger offspring belonged to Jacob." You can make this even more explicit. AT: "So the weaker offspring did not have stripes or spots and so belonged to Laban, while the stronger offspring did have stripes or spots and so belonged to Jacob" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

Jacob

conceive

Laban

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

המקשרות THE STRONGER—Explain it as the Targum renders it: הבכירות the early-bearing sheep; but I have no evidence in the Scripture (i.e. I have no other example of the use of this word) to prove that this is its meaning. Menachem classifies it under the same root as (2 Samuel 15:31) “Ahitophel is among the conspirators (בקשרים)”, and as (2 Samuel 15:12) “And the conspiracy (הקשר) was strong” — so that the meaning would be those sheep that banded themselves together (mated) in order to accelerate their pregnancy (i.e. in order that they might become בכירות, early-bearing sheep).

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.

THE FLOCKS ‘HAMEKUSHAROTH.’ The correct interpretation of this expression appears to me to be that they are the flocks in which the males follow the females at all times, never leaving them due to their abundant desire, as in the expression, Seeing that his soul is ‘keshurah’ (bound up) with the lad’s soul. This is also found in the language of our Sages: “a swine karuch (clinging) to a ewe;” “clinging to her.” And the offspring born at that time are called hakeshurim after the name of their father.But many authorities say that keshurim are “the strong ones” whose limbs are firmly attached to each other with a strong tie, as this is the basis of health, while atuphim are “the weak ones” whose soul ‘tithataph’ (fainted) in them, and who have no desire, as in the expression, ‘ha’atuphim’ (that faint) for hunger. Onkelos translated hamekusharoth as the early-bearing sheep, and atuphim as the late-bearing ones, for such is the fact: [the early-bearing sheep are the stronger ones, and the late-bearing ones are weaker].

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

והיה בכל יחם, during all the periods when the animals were in heat, i.e. at the time when they mated; this is in accordance with Onkelos’ rendering of these words. This is the standard translation every time the word occurs.

ויחם, the reason the infinitive mode is used for the word is in order for it to be connected to the preceding word בכל, which is used in lieu of the word שם, “there, wherever.” When the word does not signify any specific time, i.e. either past, present of future, which would limit its application, then the word בכל is appropriate as it also is a totally inclusive word, not allowing for exceptions. The infinitive is therefore absolutely in place. The sheep give birth twice a year, and the Torah now tells us before which of the cycle of births Yaakov positioned the sticks by the troughs. Yaakov positioned the sticks before the first cycle of births which was numerically much smaller, because Lavan did not bother to check on what was going on during that period. Before the second birthing during that year Yaakov did not position the sticks in order to arouse the imagination of the animals because at that time Lavan would come to inspect his sheep and if he had discovered that Yaakov was using these sticks this would have resulted in a quarrel between them, and Lavan would have stolen from him whatever he thought should be his. Even though Yaakov had never positioned the sticks in front of any animals that were Lavan’s, as I explained on verse 37, in the name of my late father, Lavan would have argued that just as Yaakov placed this sticks before his own animals so he would presumably do also when watering Lavan’s flocks.

The meaning of the words המקושרות, הקשורים and העטופים, as well as the word ובהעטיף, is in accordance with the way Onkelos translates them, descriptions of the time cycle during which certain animals would give birth. My late father of blessed memory, explained that the agreement for the first year called for the result of the first birthing to be Yaakov’s, whereas the result of the second birthing would be Lavan’s.

ליחמנה במקלות, to bring them to heat through their viewing the sticks, as I already explained. The letter ה at the end of the word ליחמנה is appended just as we find this letter appended in such words as אותנה (Exodus 35,26), where we do not know any reason for this addition. The word really should have been ליחמן without the letter ה at the end but with a dagesh in the final ן. Still we do have a similar construction to ours here in Micah 7,7 עיני תיראנה בה as well as in Ezekiel 4,12 תעגנה לעיניהם where the letter נ in תעגנה is “weak,” i.e. without the dagesh we would have expected. Even though, as we explained, the places where these constructions occur are not quite analogous to one another, the fact remains that the entire story is told by the Torah in such detail in order to show the reader to what extent G’d’s providence intervened in order to make sure that Yaakov did not lose out to the crooked Lavan. This once again confirms what we read in Psalms 37,12 and 33 that זומם רשע לצדיק....ה' לא יעזבנו בידו, “when the wicked tries to set a trap the righteous G’d will not abandon the righteous to the devices of the wicked.”

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.