Essay su Genesi 30:45

The narrative now demonstrates (1) how Yaakov prospers in exile, increasing both in wealth and in progeny, and thus (2) how God fulfills his promise to the Patriarchs to “make them many.” Characteristically for the Bible, this takes place as a result of human emotions: the jealousy of two sisters who are married to the same man. The emotions, interestingly, are portrayed largely through the names given to Yaakov’s sons. In the end Lea seems to be the victor, at least in the terms of a culture that prizes the production of male children; she becomes the mother of fully half of the sons of Israel (Redak).

The long account of how Yaakov outwits Lavan rounds out the portrait of his personality: he is a man at once clever, successful, and harassed. The text goes to great lengths to describe both men in behavior and thought, and we are given enough dialogue to be able to understand their motivations. The repeating words point to major themes: “serve,” “wages,” “face” (which will become central to the whole cycle by Chap. 32), and a whole vocabulary of trickery: “steal” (with the variations “be stealthy” and “steal the wits”), “take away” (see Chap. 27), “snatch,” and “rob.”