Genesis 30:6

Gen 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.

Ver. 6. God hath judged me, &c.] A vile profanation of God’s holy name, under an opinion and pretence of piety. So they that, brow-beating their brethren, better than themselves, said, "Let the Lord be glorified"; {Isa 66:5} and it grew to a proverb, In nomine Domini incipit omne malum . The conspirators in Edward VI’s time endorsed their letters with "Glory be to God on high, on earth peace," &c. {a} A fair glove drawn upon a foul hand.

{a} Act. and Mon.

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.

Verse 6. Called she his name Dan.] Because she found God had judged for her, and decided she should have a son by her handmaid; hence she called his name דן dan, judging.

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

(6) God hath judged me.—Rachel has no misgivings herself as to the rectitude of her conduct, and by the name she gives the child, she affirms that God also had given a decision in her favour; for “Dan” means judging. While, too, Leah had spoken of Jehovah, Rachel speaks of Elohim, not merely because she could not expect a child of Bilhah to be the ancestor of the Messiah, but because she was herself half an idolater (Gen_31:19). When, however, she has a child of her own, she, too, taught by long trial, speaks of Jehovah (Gen_30:24).

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

6. judged] Heb. dan, “he judged.” When Rachel says “he has judged me,” she means “God has decided in my favour.” For this use of “judge” in the sense of “vindicate,” cf. Psa_43:1, “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause”; Psa_54:1, “Save me, O God, … and judge me.” The name “Dan” is possibly an abbreviation of a longer form, such as Daniel, and Abidan (Num_1:11).

Dan and Naphtali, as Bilhah’s children, are associated with the Rachel children in tribal history; cf. Judges 5.

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.

And Bilhah, Rachel's maid, conceived again,.... Soon after the birth of her first child:

and bare Jacob a second son; this was his sixth son, but the second by Bilhah.

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

Dan, means judgment. From the same root as Adonis; Adoni, my lord or judge, &c. Rachel’s whole solicitude was for children. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

God hath judged me, pleaded my cause, or given sentence for me, as this phrase is oft taken.

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

6. Dan — Which means a judge, for, as she puts it, God had judged her cause, and vindicated her in this procedure. Observe that Rachel here speaks of God, Elohim, whereas Leah acknowledged Jehovah.

Gen_30:32-33; Gen_30:35. In Gen_30:20, however, Leah uses the name Elohim, and in Gen_30:24, Rachel acknowledges Jehovah.

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

And Rachel said, God hath judged me, chastened me," as in Gen_15:14; (Ainsworth, Wordsworth) better, "hath procured for me justice," as if reckoning her sterility an injustice by the side of Leah"s fecundity (Keil, Lange); or, hath carried through my cause like a patron, i.e. hath vindicated me from the reproach of barrenness (Munster, Rosenm or, hath dealt with me according to his sovereign justice, withholding" from me the fruit of the womb while I was forgetful of my dependence on him, and granting me posterity when I approached him in humble supplication (Murphy), which it is obvious from the next clause that Rachel didand hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son. With undue severity older interpreters regard Rachel as using the Divine name more hypocritarum, who, when their schemes prosper, think that God favors them (Vatablus, Calvin). The employment of Elohim by Jacob and Rachel, supposed to mark the first thirteen verses as belonging to the primitive document (Tuch, Bleek, Kalisch), though by others (Davidson, Colenso) they are ascribed to the Jehovist, is sufficiently explained by Rachers consciousness that in a large measure her handmaid"s son was rather the fruit of her own impious device than the gift of Jehovah (Hengstenberg). Therefore called she his name Dan i.e. "Judge," one decreeing justice, vindex, from WD, to judge (Gesenius, Keil, Lange, et alii), though, as in other proper names, e.g. Joseph, Zebulun, in which two verbs are alluded to, Michaelis thinks non ajudicando solum, sed et ab audiendo nomen accepisse Danem, and connects it with another verb, a denominative from an Arabic root, signifying to hear (vide "Suppl.," p. 425).

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

דנני אלהים GOD HATH PRONOUNCED JUDGMENT UPON ME — He judged me and found me guilty; he judged me again and found me guiltless (Genesis Rabbah 71:7).

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.

ותאמר...דנני אלוקים, He compared my legal status with that of my sister and found me also as deserving to have children, just as she is deserving. Seeing she spoke about the legal aspect of G’d’s judgment, as opposed to the favours granted by G’d’s attribute of Mercy, i.e. ה', she used His attribute of Justice when referring to Him, i.e. אלוקים.

וגם שמע בקולי, to the prayer I offered to Him concerning this child. Even if I had not been worthy, He accepted my prayer.

ויתן לי בן, seeing that I intend to relate to him as if he were the fruit of my own womb. He is part of my family. [according to tradition both Zilpah and Bilhah were sisters to Rachel and Leah paternally, though they did not have the same mother. Ed.]

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.