How many children did rachel have

Jacob buries her where she died, in her own tomb Gen ; and not in the ancestral tomb at Machpelah. There is one more twist to the story.

Rachel, who died young, becomes an image of tragic womanhood. Her tomb remained as a landmark see 1 Sam and a testimony to her. After Ephraim and Benjamin were exiled by the Assyrians, Rachel was remembered as the classic mother who mourns and intercedes for her children.

More than a hundred years after the exile of the North, Jeremiah had a vision of Rachel still mourning, still grieving for her lost children. Moreover, he realized that her mourning served as an effective intercession, for God promised to reward her efforts and return her children Jer — Greenberg, Moshe. Niditch, Susan. San Francisco: Pardes, Ilana. Countertraditions in the Bible: A Feminist Approach.

Cambridge, MA: Spanier, Ktziah. Have an update or correction? Let us know. Episode E. Lockhart's New Jewish Superhero. Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Jewish Women's Archive. Learn more. Rachel: Bible by Tikva Frymer-Kensky. In Brief. Efforts to Bear Children. The marriage of Rachel in the Bible was one of the most captivating episodes recorded in the book of Genesis , a story of love triumphing over lies. Isaac , the father of Jacob , wanted his son to marry from among their own people, so he sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to find a wife among the daughters of Laban, Jacob's uncle.

At the well at Haran, Jacob found Rachel, Laban's younger daughter, tending sheep. He kissed her and fell in love with her. Scripture says Rachel was beautiful. Her name means "ewe" in Hebrew. Instead of giving Laban the traditional bride-price, Jacob agreed to work for Laban seven years to earn Rachel's hand in marriage.

But on the night of the marriage, Laban deceived Jacob. Laban substituted Leah , his older daughter, and in the darkness, Jacob thought Leah was Rachel. In the morning, Jacob discovered he had been tricked. Laban's excuse was that it was not their custom to marry off the younger daughter before the older one. Jacob then married Rachel and worked for Laban another seven years for her. Jacob loved Rachel but was indifferent toward Leah.

God took pity on Leah and allowed her to bear children, while Rachel was barren. Jealous of her sister, Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife. By ancient custom, Bilhah's children would be credited to Rachel.

Bilhah bore children to Jacob, causing Leah to give her servant Zilpah to Jacob, who had children with her. Altogether, the four women bore 12 sons and one daughter, Dinah. Those sons became the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Rachel bore Joseph , then the entire clan left Laban's country to return to Isaac. Unbeknownst to Jacob, Rachel stole her father's household gods or teraphim.

When Laban caught up with them, he searched for the idols, but Rachel had hidden the statues under her camel's saddle. She told her father she was having her period, making her ceremonially unclean, so he did not search near her. English Standard Version These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob—fourteen persons in all. King James Bible These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

Amplified Bible These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; [there were] fourteen persons in all [two sons and twelve grandchildren]. American Standard Version These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

Brenton Septuagint Translation These are the sons of Rachel, which she bore to Jacob; all the souls eighteen. English Revised Version These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.