GENESIS CHAPTER 30
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Verse 1, In the previous chapter we saw that her sister, Leah,
  who was also married to Jacob had already had four sons. Gill
  says that this took place in 3 or 4 years of marriage. Rachel
  had no children as yet and therefore she envied Leah.
  She told Jacob to give her children, lest she die, which must
  have been an emotional statement, since she knew that it was
  not in Jacob's power to make her conceive.

Verse 2, Jacob asks her if she thinks that he is in the place of
  God, or is God, who has withheld her from conceiving. That is,
  it is the LORD who has withheld her from conceiving a child.

    Ps 127:3  Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and]
      the fruit of the womb [is his] reward.

  Jacob believed that the LORD was in sovereign control of the
  events and circumstances that who cause Rachel to conceive a
  child.

Verse 3, She proposed a method that she could be in control of,
  since conceiving a child herself was not in her control.
  She proposed that Jacob go in unto her handmaid, Bilhah, who
  was given to her by her father, Laban, when he gave her to be
  Jacob's wife (29:29).

  "she shall bear upon my knees" which probably means that the
  child Bilhah would bear, would be bounced or played with on
  Rachel's knees, as her own child, or "have children by her."
    Compare:
      Isa 66:12  For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend
        peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles
        like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be
        borne upon [her] sides, and be dandled upon [her] knees.

Verse 4-5, Jacob did as Rachel had suggested and Bilhah bare
  Jacob a son.

Verse 6, Rachel named her son, by Bilhah, Dan.
  She said, "God hath judged me," therefore she named him Dan.
    {Dan: that is, Judging}

Verse 7-8, Bilhah, Rachel's maid, conceived again, and Rachel
  named this second son, Naphtali, which means, "My wrestling."
  She named his this because of her wrestlings with her sister.

Verse 9-13, Leah had quit bearing Jacob children, and she
  observed what her sister, Rachel, had done, so she too did the
  same thing. She took her handmaid, Zilpah, and gave her to
  Jacob, to wife, and conceive children for her.
  Zilpah bore Jacob two sons and Leah named the first one, Gad,
  which means, "A troop, or, company."
  She named the second son Asher, which means "happy."

Verse 14, Reuben, Leah's eldest son (29:32), brings his mother
  some mandrakes from the field, during the time of the wheat
  harvest, which corresponds to our May.
  When Rachel observes this she asks Leah for some of her son's
  mandrakes.
    mandrake = duwday {doo-dah'-ee}
      1) mandrake, love-apple
         1a) as exciting sexual desire, and favouring procreation
    Compare:
      So 7:13 The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates [are]
        all manner of pleasant [fruits], new and old, [which] I
        have laid up for thee, O my beloved.
  Gill thinks that they were a flower with a pleasant smell, and
  not the plant that goes by that name now.

Verse 15, We see that Leah has envious feelings toward Rachel,
  because Jacob loved Rachel and probably spent most of his time
  with her as we can determine from this and the following
  verses.
  This was probably mostly the reason Leah had left off child
  bearing, and was the reason Reuben had brought his mother
  mandrakes, which he had happened upon, from the field.

  Here we see that Rachel sells time with her husband, who is
  also Leah's husband, for some mandrakes.

  As we see, more than one wife, only leads to jealousy and envy.

Verse 16-18, Jacob did as was requested of him by Leah, telling
  him what had transpired. Perhaps he may have felt that Rachel
  did not value her time with him any more than a few mandrakes.

  God harkened unto Leah, that is her desire for more children,
  and Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a fifth son by her and
  the ninth son in all.
  She named him Issachar, which means, "An hire."

Verse 19-20, Leah conceived again, and bore Jacob a sixth son by
  her and the 10th son in all.
  She thought that six sons would cause Jacob to dwell with her,
  spend his time with her rather than Rachel, so she called her
  sixth son, Zebulun, which means "dwelling."

Verse 21, Leah then bore Jacob a daughter, which she called her
  name Dinah, which means "judgement."

Verse 22-24, Rachel still had a great desire and prayer to God
  that she would bare a child herself.
  God remembered her and harkened to her prayer, and she
  conceived and bore Jacob a son, which was Rachel's first child,
  and Jacob's 11th son.
  She called him Joseph, which means "adding" because she had
  said, "The LORD shall add to me another son."

  All the sons of Jacob were twelve. Benjamin was born to Rachel
  in chapter 35:18. She died as she gave birth to Benjamin.
  His sons are all listed in 35:22-26.

Verse 25, According to Gill, Jacob had served Laban for some 20
  years, 14 for his wives and another 6 for his cattle.

Verse 26-43, Jacob and Laban agree to Jacob's hire. Laban would
  remove all the speckled, spotted and ringstraked from his sheep
  and goats. After which he moved three days journey away from
  Jacob.
  Then Jacob would care for the remainder of the flock and all
  ringstraked, speckled and spotted sheep and goats born would be
  Jacobs and all plain would be Laban's.
  Jacob's method was unusual and totally unscientific, but one
  that God blessed.