The Story of Jacob and his Wives Leah and Rachel

1. The Story of Jacob and his Wives Leah and Rachel The role of women in the Old Testament

2. Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.  4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”    “We’re from Harran,” they replied. 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”    “Yes, we know him,” they answered. 6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”    “Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.” 8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.” So Jacob came upon some shepherds and asked where he could find Laban. He told them to water the sheep and they explained the rock.

3. Then Rachel arrived and when Jacob saw her he moved the stone from the well and kissed her and told her he was her cousin, son of her aunt Rebekah. Rachel ran and told her father, Laban , and Laban took him home and welcomed him. 9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father. 13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

4. Jacob stayed and worked for Laban a month at which time Laban asked how he would like to be paid. Jacob agreed to work for Laban for 7 years in return for the hand in marriage of Rachel. After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak[a] eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”

5. Laban agreed, and Jacob worked for him for seven years. When he was done he asked Laban for Rachel because he was very much in love with her. Laban had a feast to celebrate Jacob and Rachel's union, but when night came he took Jacob his other daughter Leah and Jacob consumated a union with her instead. 19Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.” 22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

6. When Jacob awoke in the morning and discovered what had happened, he went to Laban and asked what the deal was! Laban explained the custom of the eldest daughter marrying first, but offered Leah if Jacob would work an additional 7 years. Jacob agreed. 25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” 26Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.” 28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. 30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

7. When God saw that Rachel was loved, but Leah was not., he gave Leah the gift of being able to have children. She gave birth to: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Each time she thought it would bring her husband closer to her, until after the 4th child she praised the Lord and with that she was done having children. 31 When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,[b] for she said, “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” 33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.[c] 34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.[d] 35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah.[e] Then she stopped having children.

8. Rachel became jealous that she was not having children and demanded Jacob give her a child. When he claimed he could not, she gave him Bilhah, her maid, to have her children. So Bilhah got pregnant and had a son and he was named Dan. Genesis 30 1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” 2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” 3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.” 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.[a]

9. Rachel's servant had another son named Naphtali. When Leah saw she had stopped having children, she gave her maid, Zilpah to Jacob to bear her more children. Zilpah bore Jacob two sons named Gad and Asher. Reuben went in the fields and gathered some mandrakes that Rachel wanted. In exchange for mandrakes, Rachel gave Leah Jacob to sleep with that night. 7Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.[b] 9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[c] So she named him Gad.[d] 12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.[e] 14 During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”    “Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

10. 16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night. 17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.[f] 19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[g] 21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. 22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him Joseph,[h] and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.” Leah hired Jacob with her son's mandrakes and bore him a 5th son, Issachar. Leah then bore him a 6th child, Zebulun. And then God gave her a daughter, Dinah. Then God finally restored Rachel's ability to bear children and gave her 2 sons, Joseph and Benjamin.

11. The Twelve Tribes of Israel

12. Reuben (Heb., "behold a son"), in the Old Testament, firstborn son of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob and Leah, who defended his half brother Joseph from the rest of their brothers. Reuben's birthright was taken from him by Jacob because he had relations with one of Jacob's concubines (see Gen. 35:22). He was the direct ancestor of the tribe of the Reubenites, which settled in the Mishor, the northern part of the land of Moab lying east of the Jordan River and bounded by the Arnon River on the south and by Gilead (now part of Jordan) on the north. They were shepherds who engaged in border warfare to protect their holdings. Along with the Gadites, they were carried off as captives by the Assyrian King Tiglath-pileser III (r. 745-727 bc). The fate of Reuben in Genesis is held to represent the early decline of the tribe bearing his name. Simeon Simeon was the second-born son of Jacob/Israel, after Reubenand before Levi His mother was Leah. Simeon was fierce toward his enemies e.g. he and his full-brother Levi (Jacob's twelve sons were born by his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and two Concumbines, Bilhah and Zilpah) slaughtered Hamor and the Shechemites after the violation of Simeon and Levi's sister Dinah. His loyalty to his family was at times opportunistic e.g. he joined with his brothers in selling their brother to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt (Genesis 37:12-28). For that, he was later, after Joseph's rise to power in Egypt, temporarily held as a hostage (Genesis 42:24). After the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, the offspring of Simeon, the tribe of Simeon, were allotted the territory in the south of the land promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which included the cities of Beersheba and Arad Levi In the Old Testament, third son of Jacob and Leah (see Gen. 29:34). He took part with his brother Simeon in the slaughter of the Canaanites of Shechem (see Gen. 34), for which act Jacob pronounced a curse on them both (see Gen. 49:7). While in Egyptian bondage, the house of Levi divided itself into three families--Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi's descendants were called Levites.

13. 4th-born overall. Perhaps the most famous of Jacob's sons, it was from Judah that the Jews are descended. Jesus Christ and most Christians in the earliest days of the church, were descended from Judah. A vital element for understanding Bible prophecy is that while all Jews are Israelites, not all Israelites are Jews (just the same as all Belgians are Europeans, but not all Europeans are Belgians). There are many millions of people around the world today who are Israelites, but are not Jews. Judah Son of Jacob and Bilhah and father of the tribe of Dan and one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Dan was one of the brothers involved in the plot to sell his brother Joseph into slavery. Later, Dan's father Jacob sent him to Egypt to buy corn during the severe famine in Canaan. Dan receives a blessing from Jacob that "Dan shall judge his people" (Genesis 49:16). Similarly, one explanation of the name Dan is that when Rachel was convinced that she was unable to have children, she cried "HaShem has judged me" (Genesis 30:5). The region of Dan in the Book of Judges is located in the far north of Canaan and referred to early in Genesis during Abraham's chasing of Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14:14). The tribe of Dan also settled in the southern part of the country and since the tribal territory covered both northern and southern parts of the country the expression "from Dan to Beer-sheba" indicates the entire span of the Israelite land. Dan Naphtali Naphtali, from the Hebrew pronounced naf-taw-lee, meaning wrestling, or struggle, was the sixth son of Jacob/Israel the second son of his concubine Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel. Very little is recorded of Naphtali himself, however his descendants, the Israelite tribe of Naphtali, were well-known in Bible history.

14. Gad was the seventh son of Jacob and father of the tribe of Gad, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. His mother was Zilpah, Jacob's concubine. Gad's name comes from the Hebrew word troop. Leah named him Gad, saying "A troop is coming."He was part of the plot to sell Joseph to Egypt and later sent to Egypt to buy corn during the famine in Canaan. Gad later moved to Egypt and lived there with his seven sons. Jacob blessed Gad on his deathbed, saying: "Raiders will raid Gad, but he will raid at their heel" (Genesis 49:19). Gad Asher was the eighth son of Jacob and the father of the tribe of Asher, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. His mother was Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. Leah named him Asher, saying  "Happy am I" (Genesis 30:13). Asher played a role in the plot to sell his brother Joseph into slavery. Asher and his four sons and daughter later settled in Egypt. Jacob blessed Asher on his deathbed, saying: "From Asher will come the richest food; he will provide the king's delights" (Genesis 49:20) Asher Ninth son of Leah and father of Issachar, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. One interpretation of his name is  "man of reward" (Hebrew: shcar). Issachar was the product of the mandrake incident (Genesis 30:9-18) and was involved in the plot to sell his brother Joseph into slavery. Issachar settled in Egypt after the famine in Canaan and had four sons: Tolah, Puvvah, Yov and Shimron. He receives a blessing from his father Jacob that he  "bends his back to the load, working like a slave" (Genesis 49:14-15). The descendants of Issachar are men of learning according to Jewish tradition. Issachar

15. Tenth son of Jacob and sixth of Leah and father of the tribe of Zebulun, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. When he was born Leah said "HaShem has provided me with a good dowry" (Hebrew: zvad). He was part of the plot to sell Joseph into slavery, and later one of the group sent to Egypt to buy corn. He later lived in Egypt with his three sons Sered, Elon and Jahleel. Zebulun received the blessing from Jacob of: "Zebulun shall settle the seashores; he will be a harbour for ships; his border shall reach Sidon." (Genesis 49:13). The tribe of Zebulun inhabited the northern land of Canaan. Both the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun are mentioned as brave soldiers in the Song of Deborah during the battle against Sisera (Judges 5:18). Zebulun Joseph Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob. He was born to Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel, in Paddan-Aram after she had been barren for seven years. Joseph fathered two tribes of Israel: Ephraim and Manasseh, these later became independent tribes. Ephraim was the brother of Manasseh, and the son of Joseph and Asenath, Pharoah's daughter. Jacob adopted the two sons as part of the tribe of Simeon and Reuben. Ephraim received the blessing of the firstborn, although Manasseh was the eldest, because Jacob foresaw that Ephraim's ancestors would be greater than his brother's (Genesis 48:13-20). Manasseh was the son of Joseph and Asnat (Pharoah's daughter) and brother of Ephraim. Jacob adopts both Manasseh and his brother Ephraim as part of the tribe of Simeon and Reuben. Although Manasseh was technically the eldest son, he does not receive the greater blessing. Ephraim does, as Jacob foresaw that his descendants were more worthy of the blessing than Manasseh's (Genesis 48:13-20). Joseph Benjamin was the son of Jacob and Rachel and father of the tribe of Benjamin, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Originally named Ben-oni, or "son of my affliction" by his mother as she lay dying in labor, his name was later changed to Benjamin, meaning "son of my right hand" (Genesis 48:14). Next to Joseph, he was his favorite son. Benjamin the twelfth son of Jacob and born after Joseph was sold into slavery. After the family was invited to Egypt, Joseph sabotaged Benjamin's sack by putting a silver cup in it and accusing the brothers of stealing. Joseph thought Benjamin would remain in Egypt but Judah offered to take his place, saying that his father would be devastated if Benjamin did not return. Jacob later blesses Benjamin while on his deathbed, calling Benjamin "a vicious wolf, devouring the prey in the morning, and dividing the spoil at night" (Genesis 49:27). Benjamin