Genesis 30:37
WEB
Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, and plane tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
BSB
Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches.
KJV
¶ 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.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H3947
v — take
Derivation: a primitive root;
to take (in the widest variety of applications)
KJV: accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, × many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.
vb — take
לָקַח 965 vb. take
Qal
1. take, take in hand
2. take and carry along with oneself
3.
a. take from, or out of
b. take, carry away
c. take away from, so as to deprive of
d. esp. take away life
4. take to or for a person
5. take up, upon = put upon
6. = fetch
7. take = lead, conduct (with or without contact)
8. take = capture, seize
9. take = carry off
10. in phr. take vengeance
Niph.
1. be captured, of ark
2. be taken away, removed
3. be taken, brought unto
Pu.
1. be taken from, out of
2. = be stolen from
3. be taken captive
4. be taken away, removed
Hoph.
1. be taken, brought unto
2. be taken out of
3. be taken away from
Hithp. lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning
H3290
n-pr-m — Jaakob
Derivation: from 6117; heel-catcher (i.e. supplanter);
Jaakob, the Israelitish patriarch
KJV: Jacob.
n.pr.m — Jacob
יַעֲקֹב 344, יַעֲקוֹב 6 n.pr.m. et gent. Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, father of tribes of Isr.
1. as n.pr.m.
2. as n.pr.gent.
H4731
n-m — shoot, stick
Derivation: or (feminine) מַקְּלָה; from an unused root meaning apparently to germinate;
a shoot, i.e. stick (with leaves on, or for walking, striking, guiding, divining)
KJV: rod, (hand-)staff.
n.m — rod
מַקֵּל n.m. rod, staff
1. branch of tree as rod, stick, used by Jacob in breeding his flocks
2. staff, used in journeying
3. wand of diviner
H3839
n-m — storax
Derivation: from 3835;
some sort of whitish tree, perhaps the storax
KJV: poplar.
n.[m.] — poplar
לִבְנֶה n.[m.] poplar
H3892
a — fresh, unused, undried
Derivation: from an unused root meaning to be new;
fresh, i.e. unused or undried
KJV: green, moist.
adj — moist
לַח adj. moist, fresh, new
H3869
n-m — almond
Derivation: probably of foreign origin;
some kind of nut-tree, perhaps the almond
KJV: hazel.
H6196
n-m — plane tree
Derivation: probably from 6191;
the plane tree (from its smooth and shed bark)
KJV: chestnut tree.
n.[m.] — plane-tree
עַרְמוֹן n.[m.] plane-tree (as stripped of bark)
H6478
v — peel
Derivation: a primitive root;
to peel
KJV: pill.
vb — peel
[פָּצַל] vb. Pi. peel
H6479
n-f — peeling
Derivation: from 6478;
a peeling
KJV: strake.
H3836
a — white
Derivation: or (Genesis 49:12) לָבֵן; from 3835;
white
KJV: white.
adj — white
לָבָן adj. white
H4286
n-m — peeling
Derivation: from 2834;
a peeling
KJV: made appear.
H834
r — who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that
Derivation: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
KJV: × after, × alike, as (soon as), because, × every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), × if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), × though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.
part. of relation — who
אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.
adv — in which
בַאֲשֶׁר
a. in (that) which
b. adv. in (the place) where
c. conj. in that, inasmuch as
d. on account of whom?
conj — according as
כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when
1. according to that which, according as, as
2. with a causal force, in so far as, since
3. with a temporal force, when
adv — who
מֵאֲשֶׁר
a. from (or than) that which
b. adv. from (the place) where
c. conj. from (the fact) that …, since
H5921
prep — above, over, upon, against
Derivation: properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following);
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
KJV: above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.
forasmuch as
כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as
subst — above
עַל, עָ֑ל
I. subst. height
II. As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against
1. Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed
a. —
(a). of clothing, etc., which any one wears
(b). With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it
b. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him
c. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him
d. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him
e. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)
f. Of the ground or basis, on which a thing is done
2. It expresses excess
3. It denotes elevation or pre-eminence
4. It expresses addition
5. It expresses the idea of being extended, or suspended over anything, without however being in contact with it, above, over
6. From the sense of inclining or impending over, על comes to denote contiguity or proximity, Engl. by (or sts. on)
7. In connection with verbs of motion (actual or fig.)
8. By writers of the silver age, על is sts. used with the force of a dative
9. With other particles:
III. As conj.
a. עַל אֲשֶׁר because that
b. עַל כִּי similar in meaning, but less frequent
c. עַל alone:
(a). because
(b). notwithstanding that, although
IV. Compounds:
1. with כְּ (rare and late)
a. as concerning, as upon
b. the like of their deeds is the like of (that which) he will repay
2. מֵעַל from upon, from over, from by
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Verses 37–43
Genesis 30:37–43
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, Gen 30:37-39. 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 28:26. 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, Gen 30:40. 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 (Gen 30:43), 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 (Gen 31:12); 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.
Cross-references: Gen 30:37 · Isa 28:26 · Gen 30:40 · Gen 30:41 · Gen 30:42 · Gen 30:43 · Gen 31:12