Genesis 30:2

Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “◄I am not God!/Am I God?► [RHQ] He is the one who has prevented you from becoming pregnant!”

Translation for Translators

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

1Rachel realized that she was not becoming pregnant and giving birth to any children for Jacob. So she became jealous of her older sister, Leah, because Leah had given birth to four sons. She said to Jacob, “Enable me to become pregnant and give birth to children. If you do not do that, I think I will die!”

3Then she said, “Look, here is my female slave, Bilhah. ◄Sleep with/Have sex with► [EUP] her, so that she may become pregnant and give birth to children for me. In that way it will be as though ◄I have children/her children are mine►.”

Read all of Genesis 30

Cross References

Genesis 20:18This was because Yahweh had caused it to be impossible for any of the women in Abimelech’s household to bear children, because Abimelech had taken Abraham’s wife Sarah.

Genesis 29:31When Yahweh saw that Jacob did not love Leah very much, he enabled her to become pregnant. But Rachel was not able to become pregnant.

Genesis 50:19But Joseph replied to them, “Do not be afraid! God is the one who punishes people; ◄am I God?/I am not God!► [RHQ]

Deuteronomy 7:13He will love you and bless you. He will enable you to have many children [DOU]. He will bless your fields, with the result that you will have plenty of grain and grapes to make wine and plenty of olive oil. You will have many cattle and sheep. He will do all these things for you in the land that he promised to your ancestors that he would give to you.

1 Samuel 2:5Many people who previously had plenty to eat, now have to work for other people to earn money to buy food, but many who were always hungry are not hungry any more. The woman who did not have any children before, now has given birth to many/seven children, and the woman who had many children before, now is very lonely because they have all died.

Psalms 113:9He also enables women who have no children to have a family; he causes them to be happy mothers. Praise Yahweh!

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