Topical Bible: Children: Instance of, Leah and Rachel

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In the biblical narrative, Leah and Rachel are significant figures as the wives of Jacob and the mothers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Their account is primarily found in the Book of Genesis, chapters 29 through 35. Leah and Rachel were sisters, daughters of Laban, and their relationship with Jacob is marked by themes of love, rivalry, and divine providence.

Leah's Children:

Leah, the elder sister, was given to Jacob in marriage through Laban's deception. Despite Jacob's preference for Rachel, Leah became the first to bear children, which was a source of personal validation and divine favor in the cultural context of the time. Leah's children include:

1. Reuben · Leah's firstborn, whose name means "See, a son," reflecting Leah's hope that Jacob would love her (Genesis 29:32).
2. Simeon · His name means "heard," as Leah believed the LORD heard she was unloved and gave her another son (Genesis 29:33).
3. Levi · Meaning "attached," Leah hoped that bearing three sons would bind Jacob to her (Genesis 29:34).
4. Judah · His name means "praise," as Leah chose to praise the LORD for her blessings (Genesis 29:35).
5. Issachar · Born after Leah's prayer and a transaction involving mandrakes, his name means "reward" (Genesis 30:17-18).
6. Zebulun · Meaning "honor," Leah believed God had endowed her with a good gift (Genesis 30:19-20).
7. Dinah · Leah also bore a daughter named Dinah, who plays a significant role in later narratives (Genesis 30:21).

Rachel's Children:

Rachel, whom Jacob loved deeply, initially struggled with barrenness, a source of great distress and rivalry with her sister Leah. However, God eventually remembered Rachel and opened her womb:

1. Joseph · Rachel's firstborn, whose name means "may he add," reflecting Rachel's desire for another son (Genesis 30:22-24). Joseph would later become a central figure in the narrative of Genesis, known for his rise to power in Egypt.
2. Benjamin · Rachel's second son, born during a difficult labor that led to her death. She named him Ben-Oni, meaning "son of my sorrow," but Jacob called him Benjamin, meaning "son of the right hand" (Genesis 35:16-18).

Bilhah and Zilpah's Children:

In the context of their rivalry, both Leah and Rachel gave their maidservants to Jacob as concubines to bear children on their behalf, a practice culturally accepted at the time:

· Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, bore Dan and Naphtali (Genesis 30:3-8).
· Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, bore Gad and Asher (Genesis 30:9-13).

The children of Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah collectively became the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel, each playing a unique role in the unfolding account of God's covenant with His people. The narrative of Leah and Rachel's children highlights themes of divine intervention, the fulfillment of God's promises, and the complexities of human relationships within the framework of God's sovereign plan.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 29:15-30
And Laban said to Jacob, Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? tell me, what shall your wages be?
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Chapter xxx
... would have tolerated no names for his children that were ... so much the same as in the
previous instance that the ... in the field and brought them to Leah, his mother ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxx.htm

Chapter xxix
... goal, and Palestine lay "the land of the children of the ... be that we here have a Biblical
instance of love at ... done right only if he had refused Leah and married ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxix.htm

Chapter xlvi
... These are children of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah, his daughter ... However, in this
instance the name of the sister Serah is counted along with that of ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xlvi.htm

Chapter xxxv
... the "libation was in the first instance an offering ... of Benjamin weeping over her
slain children at Ramah ... wives, though Rachel was the favourite, Leah had borne ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxv.htm

No Sorrow Like Messiah's Sorrow
... I attempted to spiritualize the history of Leah and Rachel ... Thus, for instance, if
the question of Jonadab to ... and access to Him with liberty as children (Romans 5 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xxiii no sorrow like.htm

Chapter xxxvii
... It is commonly to be observed that children of old age ... to venture to tell what in
the first instance he had ... say that "mother" must here refer to Leah, who had ...
/.../leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxvii.htm

Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... of four wives"two full sisters, Rachel and Leah, and their ... or how the first prophet
Hosea got children from a ... We can, however, give an instance of God being ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm

The Dispensation of the Divine Favours Reconciled with the ...
... is laid seems to be the following: "The children being not ... to refer; and in the present
instance he merely ... by saying, Jacob 'loved Rachel more than Leah.' Matt ...
/.../a theodicy or vindication of the divine glory/chapter v the dispensation of.htm

Chapter xxxiv
... the "libation was in the first instance an offering ... of Benjamin weeping over her
slain children at Ramah ... wives, though Rachel was the favourite, Leah had borne ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxiv.htm

Letter cxxiii. To Ageruchia.
... sets before us in his own apostolic example an instance of the ... about thy table,"
and "thou shalt see thy children's children." [3292] But ... [3299] Leah who was ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxxiii to ageruchia.htm