Topical Encyclopedia Rachel is a prominent figure in the Hebrew Bible, known for her beauty, her role as one of the matriarchs of Israel, and her enduring love account with Jacob. Her narrative is primarily found in the Book of Genesis, where she is depicted as the favored wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve tribes of Israel.Family Background and Marriage to Jacob Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban, the brother of Rebekah, making her Jacob's cousin. Jacob first encountered Rachel when he fled to Haran to escape his brother Esau's wrath. Upon meeting her at a well, Jacob was immediately smitten by her beauty and grace. Genesis 29:17 describes Rachel as "lovely in form and beautiful." Jacob agreed to work for Laban for seven years to marry Rachel, a testament to his deep love for her. However, Laban deceived Jacob by substituting Leah, Rachel's older sister, as the bride. Jacob confronted Laban, who justified his actions by citing local customs that favored marrying off the elder daughter first. Despite this setback, Jacob's love for Rachel was unwavering, and he agreed to work an additional seven years to marry her (Genesis 29:18-30). Struggles with Barrenness and Motherhood Rachel's life was marked by her struggle with barrenness, a significant source of personal anguish and rivalry with her sister Leah, who bore Jacob several sons. In her desperation, Rachel exclaimed to Jacob, "Give me children, or I shall die!" (Genesis 30:1). Her plea reflects the cultural importance of childbearing and her personal longing for motherhood. To address her barrenness, Rachel gave her maidservant Bilhah to Jacob as a concubine, resulting in the birth of Dan and Naphtali, whom Rachel claimed as her own (Genesis 30:3-8). Eventually, God remembered Rachel, and she conceived and bore Joseph, saying, "God has taken away my disgrace" (Genesis 30:23). Joseph would later become a central figure in the narrative of Israel, known for his rise to power in Egypt. Rachel's second son, Benjamin, was born under tragic circumstances. She died during childbirth, naming him Ben-Oni, meaning "son of my sorrow," but Jacob renamed him Benjamin, meaning "son of the right hand" (Genesis 35:18). Rachel was buried on the way to Ephrath, near Bethlehem, and her tomb became a significant landmark (Genesis 35:19-20). Legacy and Significance Rachel's life and legacy are woven into the fabric of Israel's history. Her account is one of love, struggle, and faith, illustrating the complexities of family dynamics and the fulfillment of God's promises. Rachel's enduring love for Jacob and her role as the mother of Joseph and Benjamin highlight her importance in the lineage of the Israelites. Rachel is also remembered in the prophetic literature. In Jeremiah 31:15, Rachel is depicted as weeping for her children, symbolizing the sorrow of Israel's exile. This imagery is later echoed in the New Testament in Matthew 2:18, in the context of Herod's massacre of the innocents, further cementing her place in biblical history. Rachel's narrative continues to resonate with readers as a testament to the enduring themes of love, faith, and the fulfillment of God's promises amidst human frailty and struggle. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia RACHEL'S TOMB(matstsebheth qebhurath rachel): In Genesis 35:20 we read: "Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: the same is the Pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day," i.e. the time of the writer. Though the pillar, i.e sepulchral monument, has long disappeared, the spot is marked until this day, and Christians, Jews and Mohammedans unite in honoring it. The present tomb, which, apparently, is not older than the 15th century, is built in the style of the small-domed buildings raised by Moslems in honor of their saints. It is a rough structure of four square walls, each about 23 ft. long and 20 ft. high; the dome rising 10 ft. higher is used by Mohammedans for prayer, while on Fridays the Jews make supplication before the empty tomb within. It is doubtful, but probable, that it marks the exact spot where Rachel was buried. There are, apparently, two traditions as to the location of the place. The oldest tradition, based upon Genesis 35:16-20; Genesis 48:7, points to a place one mile North of Bethlehem and 4 miles from Jerusalem. Matthew 2:18 speaks for this place, since the evangelist, reporting the slaughter of the innocents of Bethlehem, represents Rachel as weeping for her children from her neighboring grave. But according to 1 Samuel 10:2;, which apparently represents another tradition, the place of Rachel's grave was on the "border of Benjamin," near Beth-el, about 10 miles North of Jerusalem, at another unknown Ephrath. This location, some believe, is corroborated by Jeremiah 31:15, where the prophet, in relating the leading away of the people of Ramah, which was in Benjamin, into captivity, introduces Rachel the mother of that tribe as bewailing the fate of her descendants. Those that believe this northern location to be the place of Rachel's grave take the words, "the same is Beth-lehem," in Genesis 35:19; Genesis 48:7, to be an incorrect gloss; but that is a mere assumption lacking sufficient proof.o, following J. P. Peters, rearranges the text by transferring the clause "and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council" to the end of the preceding verse (Encyclopaedia Biblica, IV, cols. 4001). There certainly does not seem to be trustworthy external evidence to prove that the terms "the judgment," "the council," "the Gehenna of fire" stand to each other in a relation of gradation, as lower and higher legal courts, or would be so understood by Christ's hearers. What is beyond dispute is that Christ condemns the use of disparaging and insulting epithets as a supreme offense against the law of humanity, which belongs to the same category as murder itself. It should be added, however, that it is the underlying feeling and not the verbal expression as such that constitutes the sin. Hence, our Lord can, without any real inconsistency, address two of His followers as "foolish men" (Luke 24:25, anoetoi, practically equivalent to Raca, as is also James's expression, "O vain man," James 2:20). Strong's Hebrew 1126. Ben-oni -- "son of my sorrow," Rachel's name for Benjamin... 1125, 1126. Ben-oni. 1127 . "son of my sorrow," Rachel's name for Benjamin. Transliteration: Ben-oni Phonetic Spelling: (ben-o-nee') Short Definition: Ben- ... /hebrew/1126.htm - 6k 7354. Rachel -- a wife of Jacob Library Rachel's Refuge Chapter sixteen Chapter ten Chapter seven In Judaea Chapter xxx Chapter eighteen Chapter xxxv The Treasure Cave Chapter fourteen Thesaurus Rachel's (5 Occurrences)... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia RACHEL'S TOMB. ... It is doubtful, but probable, that it marks the exact spot where Rachel was buried. ... /r/rachel's.htm - 11k Bilhah (11 Occurrences) Tomb (70 Occurrences) Zelzah (1 Occurrence) Raddai (1 Occurrence) Maid-servant (49 Occurrences) Maidservant (73 Occurrences) Dan (71 Occurrences) Naphtali (51 Occurrences) Pillar (72 Occurrences) Resources What is the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Leah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org Who was Rachel in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus Concordance Rachel's (5 Occurrences)Genesis 30:7 Genesis 31:33 Genesis 35:20 Genesis 35:25 1 Samuel 10:2 Subtopics Related Terms |