And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which [was] in the rods.
37. poplar ] R.V. marg. storax tree. The Hebrew name is libneh, and is probably connected with the word laban, meaning “white.” By some it is identified with the styrax officinalis.
plane tree ] In the Hebrew ‘armon, i.e. “naked,” a name derived from the annual scaling of the bark of the tree. The platanus orientalis was held in high veneration in the East. Cf. Eze 31:8.
white strakes ] Jacob’s trick turns upon the whiteness of the rods; and this supplies a play upon the name “Laban” (= “white”), who is outwitted by Jacob. The device is said to be well known to shepherds. “Strake” is Old English for “streak”; cf. Lev 14:37.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 37. Rods of green poplar] libneh lach. The libneh is generally understood to mean the white poplar; and the word lach, which is here joined to it, does not so much imply greenness of colour as being fresh, in opposition to witheredness. Had they not been fresh – just cut off, he could not have pilled the bark from them.
And of the hazel] luz, the nut or filbert tree, translated by others the almond tree; which of the two is here intended is not known.
And chestnut tree] armon, the plane tree, from aram, he was naked. The plane tree is properly called by this name, because of the outer bark naturally peeling off, and leaving the tree bare in various places, having smooth places where it has fallen off. A portion of this bark the plane tree loses every year. The Septuagint translate it in the same way, and its name is supposed to be derived from , broad, on account of its broad spreading branches, for which the plane tree is remarkable. So we find the Grecian army in Homer, Il. ii., ver. 307, sacrificing , under a beautiful plane tree.
VIRGIL, Geor. iv. 146, mentions,
– ministrantem platanum potantibus umbras.
The plane tree yielding the convivial shade.
And PETRONIUS ARBITER in Satyr.: –
Nobilis aestivas platanus diffuderat umbras. “The noble plane had spread its summer shade.”
See more in Parkhurst. Such a tree would be peculiarly acceptable in hot countries, because of its shade.
Pilled white streaks in them] Probably cutting the bark through in a spiral line, and taking it off in a certain breadth all round the rods, so that the rods would appear party-coloured, the white of the wood showing itself where the bark was stripped off.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Jacob took rods: this he did by Divine appointment, as will appear in the sequel, which is sufficient for Jacobs justification.
Took rods of green popular, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; either because these trees were next at hand, or because he saw these in the Divine vision afterwards mentioned, and would exactly follow his pattern. He
made the white appear, by pilling off the rind which covered it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
37. Jacob took rods, c.Thereare many varieties of the hazel, some of which are more erect thanthe common hazel, and it was probably one of these varieties Jacobemployed. The styles are of a bright red color, when peeled and alongwith them he took wands of other shrubs, which, when stripped of thebark, had white streaks. These, kept constantly before the eyes ofthe female at the time of gestation, his observation had taught himwould have an influence, through the imagination, on the futureoffspring.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Jacob took him rods of green poplar,…. Of the white poplar tree, called green, not from the colour, but from the moisture, being such as were cut off of the tree:
and of the hazel and chestnut tree; the former some take to be the almond tree, as Saadiah Gaon, and others; and the latter to be the plantain or plane tree, so Ainsworth, and others:
and pilled white strakes in them; took off the bark of them in some places, and left it on in others, which made white strakes:
and made the white appear which [was] in the rods; that part of the rods which was stripped of the bark appeared white; and it appeared the whiter for the bark that was left on in other parts; and both made the rods to appear to have various colours, which was the design of Jacob in pilling them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| Jacob’s Ingenious Policy. | B. C. 1745. |
37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle. 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. 42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
Here is Jacob’s honest policy to make his bargain more advantageous to himself than it was likely to be. If he had not taken some course to help himself, it would have been a bad bargain indeed, which he knew Laban would never consider, or rather would be well pleased to see him a loser by, so little did Laban consult any one’s interest but his own. Now Jacob’s contrivances were, 1. To set peeled sticks before the cattle where they were watered, that, looking much at those unusual party-coloured sticks, by the power of imagination they might bring forth young ones in like manner party-coloured, v. 37-39. Probably this custom was commonly used by the shepherds of Canaan, who coveted to have their cattle of this motley colour. Note, It becomes a man to be master of his trade, whatever it is, and to be not only industrious, but ingenious in it, and to be versed in all its lawful arts and mysteries; for what is a man but his trade? There is a discretion which God teaches the husbandman (as plain a trade as that is), and which he ought to learn, Isa. xxviii. 26. 2. When he began to have a stock of ringstraked and brown, he contrived to set them first, and to put the faces of the rest towards them, with the same design as in the former contrivance; but would not let his own, that were of one colour, v. 40. Strong impressions, it seems, are made by the eye, with which therefore we have need to make a covenant. 3. When he found that his project succeeded, through the special blessing of God upon it, he contrived, by using it only with the stronger cattle, to secure to himself those that were most valuable, leaving the feebler to Laban, Gen 30:41; Gen 30:42. Thus Jacob increased exceedingly (v. 43), and grew very rich in a little time. This success of his policy, it is true, was not sufficient to justify it, if there had been any thing fraudulent or unjust in it, which we are sure there was not, for he did it by divine direction (ch. xxxi. 12); nor was there any thing in the thing itself but the honest improvement of a fair bargain, which the divine providence wonderfully prospered, both in justice to Jacob whom Laban had wronged and dealt hardly with and in pursuance of the particular promises made to him of the tokens of the divine favour, Note, Those who, while their beginning is small, are humble and honest, contented and industrious, are in a likely way to see their latter end greatly increasing. He that is faithful in a little shall be entrusted with more. He that is faithful in that which is another man’s shall be entrusted with something of his own. Jacob, who had been a just servant, became a rich master.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verse 37-43:
Jacob was as much of a schemer as was Laban. He took rods of poplar, hazel (almond), and chestnut and “pilled” or peeled strips of bark from them, leaving the white under-bark exposed. He then placed these rods in the “gutters” or channels through which the water ran to the watering troughs. When the sheep and goats came to drink, these striped rods were always before their eyes. Jacob then kept the animals there during time of mating. According to a common belief, whatever these animals saw during copulation marked their young. Jacob believed in the efficacy of his procedure.
The offspring of Laban’s flock suddenly became predominantly streaked, spotted, and dark-colored. In addition, these vari-colored animals were the hardiest of the flock. Jacob observed which were the stronger of the sires and dams, and saw that only the strongest mated before the peeled rods. Thus did Jacob’s portion of the offspring of the flock increase not only in number, but they were strong and healthy.
Jacob depended upon his own craftiness to secure his prosperity. However, his increase was not due to his conniving, but to the blessings of Jehovah in accord with His Covenant to Abraham. This prosperity consisted not only of sheep and goats, but also of men and women servants, as well as camels and donkeys. The inspired Record records only the steps leading to Jacob’s prosperity. It does not affirm Divine approval of what he did.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
37. And Jacob took him rods of green poplar. The narration of Moses, at first sight, may seem absurd: for he either intends to censure holy Jacob as guilty of fraud, or to praise his industry. But from the context it will appear that this adroitness was not culpable. Let us then see how it is to be excused. Should any one contend that he was impelled to act as he did, by the numerous injuries of his father-in-law, and that he sought nothing but the reparation of former losses; the defense would perhaps be plausible: yet in the sight of God it is neither firm nor probable; for although we may be unjustly treated, we must not enter the contest with equal injustice. And were it permitted to avenge our own injuries, or to repair our own wrongs, there would be no place for legal judgments, and thence would arise horrible confusion. Therefore Jacob ought not to have resorted to this stratagem, for the purpose of producing degenerate cattle, but rather to have followed the rule which the Lord delivers by the mouth of Paul, that the faithful should study to overcome evil with good, (Rom 12:21.) This simplicity, I confess, ought to have been cultivated by Jacob, unless the Lord from heaven had commanded otherwise. But in this narrative there is a hysteron proteron, (a putting of the last first,) for Moses first relates the fact, and then subjoins that Jacob had attempted nothing but by the command of God. Wherefore, it is not for those persons to claim him as their advocate, who oppose malignant and fraudulent men with fallacies like their own; because Jacob did not, of his own will, take license craftily to circumvent his father-in-law, by whom he had been unworthily deceived; but, pursuing the course prescribed to him by the Lord, kept himself within due bounds. In vain, also, according to my judgment, do some dispute whence Jacob learnt this; whether by long practice or by the teaching of his fathers; for it is possible, that he had been suddenly instructed respecting a matter previously unknown. If any one object, the absurdity of supposing, that this act of deceit was suggested by God; the answer is easy, that God is the author of no fraud, when he stretches out his hand to protect his servant. Nothing is more appropriate to him, and more in accordance with his justice, than that he should interpose as an avenger, when any injury is inflicted. But it is not our part to prescribe to him his method of acting. He suffered Laban to retain what he unjustly possessed; but in six years he withdrew his blessing from Laban, and transferred it to his servant Jacob. If an earthly judge condemns a thief to restore twofold or fourfold, no one complains: and why should we concede less to God, than to a mortal and perishing man? He had other methods in his power; but he purposed to connect his grace with the labor and diligence of Jacob, that he might openly repay to him those wages of which he had been long defrauded. For Laban was constrained to open his eyes, which being before shut, he had been accustomed to consume the sweat and even the blood of another. Moreover, as it respects physical causes, it is well known, that the sight of objects by the female has great effect on the form of the foetus. (90) When this happens with women, takes it at least place with animals, where is no reason, but where reigns an enormous rush of carnal lusts. Now Jacob did three things. For first, he stripped the bark from twigs that he might make bare some white places by the incisions in the bark, and thus a varying and manifold color was produced. Secondly, he chose the times when the males and females were assembled. Thirdly, he put the twigs in the waters, (91) for like the drinking feeds the animal parts, it also urges on the sexual drive. By the stronger cattle Moses may be understood to speak of those who bore in spring — by the feeble, those who bore in autumn.
(90) The whole passage is this: — Porro quantum ad physicam rationem spectat, satis notum est, aspectum in coitu ad formam foetus multum valere. Id quum mulieribus accidat, praecipue in brutis pecudibus locum habet, ubi nulla viget ratio, sed violentus libidinis impetus grassatur.
(91) Tertio, posuit in aquis virgas: quia sicut potus animalia vegetat, sic incitat etiam ad coitum. Hoc modo accidit ut virgae in conspectu essent, quum incalescebant. Quod de robustis ac debilibus dicit Moses, sic intellige, in priore admissura, quae sit sub initium veris, Jacob posuisse virgas in canalibus, ut sibi vernos foetus acquireret, qui meliores erant: in serotina vero admissura circa autumnum, tali artificio usum non esse.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(37) And Jacob took him rods . . . Jacobs plan was to place before the ewes and she-goats at breeding time objects of a speckled colour, and as he put them at their watering-place, where everything was familiar to them, they would, with the usual curiosity of these animals, gaze upon them intently, with the result, physically certain to follow, that many of them would bear speckled young.
Poplar.Really, the storax-tree (styrax officinalis). This, says Canon Tristram, is a very beautiful perfumed shrub, which grows abundantly on the lower hills of Palestine. The word occurs elsewhere only in Hos. 4:13, and the idea that it was the poplar arises solely from the name signifying white; but this epithet is even more deserved by the storax, which in March is covered with a sheet of white blossom, and is the predominant shrub through the dells of Carmel and Galilee (Natural History of the Bible, pp. 395, 396).
Hazel.Heb., luz (Gen. 28:19), the almond-tree (amygdalus communis). Dr. Tristram (Natural History of the Bible, p. 358) says that he never observed the true hazel wild in Southern or Central Palestine, nor was it likely to occur in Mesopotamia. The almond is one of the most common trees in Palestine.
Chesnut tree.Heb., armon, the plane-tree (platanus orientalis). We never, says Dr. Tristram (p. 345), saw the chesnut in Palestine, excepting planted in orchards in Lebanon; while the plane-tree, though local, is frequent by the sides of streams and in plains. The tree is mentioned again in Eze. 31:8.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
JACOB’S ARTIFICE, Gen 30:37-43.
37. Took him rods At sight of such imperious attempt at overreaching him, Jacob is not slow to devise means to counteract the wrong . The artifice he adopted was in well-known accord with the fact that any impressive colours fixed in the attention of a female at the time of conception are almost sure to mark the offspring .
Poplar hazel chestnut Some render storax, almond, and plane-tree; others render maple instead of hazel, and walnut instead of chestnut . The wood was doubtless such as had a white wood under a dark bark .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jacob’s Great Wealth
v. 37. And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel-and chestnut-tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. v. 38. And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. v. 39. And the flocks conceived before the rods, v. 40. And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ring-straked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle. v. 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, v. 42. But when the cattle were feeble, v. 43. And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Compare with, Gen 31:9-12 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 30:37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which [was] in the rods.
Ver. 37. And of the hazel. ] Or nut tree, Heb. Luz, which was the ancient name of the city of Bethel; Gen 28:19 so called, as it seemeth, of nut trees growing there.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 30:37-43
37Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods. 38He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink. 39So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. 40Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by the rods; 42but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. 43So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.
Gen 30:37-43 This again looks like the patriarchal family trying to help YHWH fulfill His promises! Whether this method worked (i.e., some chemical in the plant) or not is not the theological issue! Jacob, the trickster, is still at work. Are YHWH’s promises dependant on Jacob’s actions?
Gen 30:43 Jacob’s flocks and herds grew for several years (possibly six more after the mandated fourteen, cf. Gen 31:41).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTERS 29-30
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. Why did God allow a trickster like Laban to manipulate His chosen vessel, Jacob?
2. Did Jacob want to be a polygamist?
3. List the names of each of these sons and give their popular etymology.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jacob: Gen 31:9-13
green poplar: Livneh is the white poplar, so called from the whiteness of its leaves, bark, and wood, from lavan to be white., hasel, Jerome, Hiller, Celsius, Dr. Shaw, Bochart, and other learned men, say, that luz is not the “hazel” but the almond-tree, as the word denotes both in Arabic and Syriac.
chestnut tree: The Heb. word armon, signifies “the plane-tree,” so called from the bark naturally peeling off, and leaving the trunk naked, as its root aram, signifies. Eze 31:8
Reciprocal: Gen 31:12 – Lift up Exo 4:2 – a rod
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 30:37-38. And pilled white streaks in them Pilled off the bark from the rods, at certain distances, till the white appeared between the bark. He set the rods in the gutters Or channels of water, at the time when the cattle were wont to couple, that their fancies might be painted with such divers colours as they saw in the rods. As it appears from Gen 31:10, that God, to reward Jacobs fidelity, and punish Labans injustice, determined that the cattle should generally be speckled and spotted; so it is probable he directed him to take this method to attain that end; not as though it were sufficient of itself to produce such an effect, which any person that will make the trial will find it is not; but as a means which God would bless in order to it, and which Jacob was required to use in testimony of his dependance on God, as Naaman was required to wash in the river Jordan, in order to his being cured of his leprosy. Much being said by authors concerning the surprising effects which impressions made upon the imaginations of pregnant animals will have upon the form, shape, and colour of the young, Dr. Shuckford observes, 1st, That it cannot be proved that the method which Jacob used is a natural and effectual way to produce variegated cattle; the ancient naturalists having carried their thoughts upon these subjects much further than they will bear; that the effect of impressions upon the imagination must be very accidental, because the objects that should cause them may or may not be taken notice of. But, 2d, Granting that they might naturally produce the effect here mentioned; yet if, as is probable, Jacob used the rods in obedience to a special divine direction, without knowing any thing of their natural virtue, the effect must still be ascribed immediately to God himself; just as in the case of Hezekiah, though the figs which were applied for his recovery might be a natural remedy for his distemper; yet, since the application of them was not made by any rules of physic then known, but by a divine direction, the cure is justly ascribed to the immediate hand of God.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
30:37 And Jacob {l} took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which [was] in the rods.
(l) Jacob used no deceit in this for it was God’s commandment as he declares in Gen 31:9; Gen 31:11.