25 And it cometh to pass, when Rachel hath borne Joseph, that Jacob saith unto Laban, 'Send me away, and I go unto my place, and to my land; 26 give up my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and I go; for thou—thou hast known my service which I have served thee.' 27 And Laban saith unto him, 'If, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes—I have observed diligently that Jehovah doth bless me for thy sake.' 28 He saith also, 'Define thy hire to me, and I give.' 29 And he saith unto him, 'Thou—thou hast known that which I have served thee 'in', and that which thy substance was with me; 30 for 'it is' little which thou hast had at my appearance, and it breaketh forth into a multitude, and Jehovah blesseth thee at my coming; and now, when do I make, I also, for mine own house?' 31 And he saith, 'What do I give to thee?' And Jacob saith, 'Thou dost not give me anything; if thou do for me this thing, I turn back; I have delight; thy flock I watch; 32 I pass through all thy flock to-day to turn aside from thence every sheep speckled and spotted, and every brown sheep among the lambs, and speckled and spotted among the goats—and it hath been my hire; 33 and my righteousness hath answered for me in the day to come, when it cometh in for my hire before thy face;—every one which is not speckled and spotted among 'my' goats, and brown among 'my' lambs—it is stolen with me.' 34 And Laban saith, 'Lo, O that it were according to thy word;' 35 and he turneth aside during that day the ring-straked and the spotted he-goats, and all the speckled and the spotted she-goats, every one that 'hath' white in it, and every brown one among the lambs, and he giveth into the hand of his sons, 36 and setteth a journey of three days between himself and Jacob; and Jacob is feeding the rest of the flock of Laban.
37 And Jacob taketh to himself a rod of fresh poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut, and doth peel in them white peelings, making bare the white that 'is' on the rods, 38 and setteth up the rods which he hath peeled in the gutters in the watering troughs (when the flock cometh in to drink), over-against the flock, that they may conceive in their coming in to drink; 39 and the flocks conceive at the rods, and the flock beareth ring-straked, speckled, and spotted ones. 40 And the lambs hath Jacob parted, and he putteth the face of the flock towards the ring-straked, also all the brown in the flock of Laban, and he setteth his own droves by themselves, and hath not set them near Laban's flock. 41 And it hath come to pass whenever the strong ones of the flock conceive, that Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, to cause them to conceive by the rods, 42 and when the flock is feeble, he doth not set 'them'; and the feeble ones have been Laban's, and the strong ones Jacob's. 43 And the man increaseth very exceedingly, and hath many flocks, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 30:25-43
Commentary on Genesis 30:25-43
(Read Genesis 30:25-43)
The fourteen years being gone, Jacob was willing to depart without any provision, except God's promise. But he had in many ways a just claim on Laban's substance, and it was the will of God that he should be provided for from it. He referred his cause to God, rather than agree for stated wages with Laban, whose selfishness was very great. And it would appear that he acted honestly, when none but those of the colours fixed upon should be found among his cattle. Laban selfishly thought that his cattle would produce few different in colour from their own. Jacob's course after this agreement has been considered an instance of his policy and management. But it was done by intimation from God, and as a token of his power. The Lord will one way or another plead the cause of the oppressed, and honour those who simply trust his providence. Neither could Laban complain of Jacob, for he had nothing more than was freely agreed that he should have; nor was he injured, but greatly benefitted by Jacob's services. May all our mercies be received with thanksgiving and prayer, that coming from his bounty, they may lead to his praise.