Inquiry:
Genesis 30:39 reads, “And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.” An odd form of genetic engineering, don’t you think? Is there a contradiction?
Response:
No doubt the questioner considers the use of the rods before the flocks to be some form of “genetic engineering.” There is no indication in the text whether the use of the rods was commanded by God or if it was Jacob’s own idea. Regardless, Genesis 31:7-10 tells us how it happened that the flocks “…brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.” Jacob, speaking to Rachel and Leah, said, “…your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, the ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. Thus God hath taken away the cattle of yourrr father, and given them to me. And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.”
The key to the flocks coming forth ringstraked, speckled and grisled was not the rods placed before the cattle, but the fact that “…God hath taken away the cattle…” of Laban and given them to Jacob. Whether God told Jacob to place the rods before the cattle or not is of no consequence. If he was commanded to do so, it was his obedience to God’s word that brought forth his prosperity. It would be parallel to the destruction of Jericho (Joshua 6). Certainly, we understand that it was not Israel walking about the city, in and of itself, that caused the city to fall. It was their obedience to God’s will.
There is no contradiction.
This article is a response to Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, but original article is no longer listed
Links: YouVersion | GROW magazine
Return to the article archive
