Genesis 30:2

Then Jacob got angry with Rachel. Jacob said, “God is the one that stopped you from having kids. I can’t change that. I’m not God.”

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

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?

In Context

1Leah already had 4 kids with Jacob, but her sister Rachel didn’t have any kids. So Rachel got jealous of Leah. Then Rachel said to Jacob, “Give me kids. If you don’t, I will be so sad that I will die.”

3So Rachel said, “All right, this is what you can do. Look, here is Bilhah, the woman that works for me. I want you to sleep with her, so that she will have babies. Bilhah belongs to me, so if she has babies, those babies will belong to me too. They will be just like my own kids.”

Read all of Genesis 30

Cross References

Genesis 29:31Jacob didn’t love his wife Leah. He only loved his wife Rachel. And God saw that Jacob didn’t love Leah. So God felt sorry for Leah, and he let her have kids. But Rachel couldn’t have any kids.

Genesis 50:19But Joseph said to his brothers, “Don’t be frightened. God is the only true judge. I’m not God, so I will not judge you mob.”

Matthew Henry on Genesis 30:2-14

Increase of Jacob's Family. ( b. c. 1745.) 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. 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? 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. 4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. 5 And… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 30:2