But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.
But when the animals were weak, he didn't put the branches in front of them. So the weaker animals belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones belonged to Jacob.
This verse shows how Jacob's breeding strategy resulted in him getting the stronger animals while Laban got the weaker ones.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes from the story of Jacob working for his father-in-law Laban, who had repeatedly cheated Jacob out of fair wages. Jacob had agreed to take only the speckled and spotted animals as payment, and he used selective breeding techniques with striped branches to influence which animals would be his. This was part of God's plan to bless Jacob and help him build wealth despite Laban's unfair treatment.
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