Genesis 30:16

Later on, while the sun was going down, Jacob finished working outside, and he came back home. Leah went out to meet Jacob, and she said, “You have to sleep with me tonight. You see, my son found some mandrakes, but I gave those mandrakes to Rachel, so that I can sleep with you. It’s like I paid for you with those mandrakes.” So that night, Jacob slept with Leah, like a man sleeps with his wife.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

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.

In Context

15Then Leah got angry with Rachel. She said, “Listen, I married Jacob first, but he loved you and married you. It’s like you took my husband away from me. That’s really bad. And now, you want to take my son’s mandrakes too. No, you can’t have them.” But Rachel still wanted those mandrakes. So she said to Leah, “All right, if you give me your son’s mandrakes, you can sleep with Jacob tonight.” And Leah agreed.

17God was good to Leah. He knew that Leah wanted to have more kids. So after Jacob slept with Leah, God made a baby start growing inside her. Later on, Leah had that baby, and it was a boy. He was another son for Jacob, and he was son number 5 for Leah.

Read all of Genesis 30

Matthew Henry on Genesis 30:15-25

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. 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. 16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 30:16