The birth of Jacob’s children

The Jacob Cycle - Part 8

Structure

This episode is about the birth of Jacob’s children in Haran: eleven sons and one daughter. The sections describing the circumstances of their births surround an interlude which echoes the sale of the birthright in Genesis 25:29-34.

In Genesis 49, Jacob gives an oracle about the destinies of the tribes that will come from his sons. Here, we have a micro view with the names of his children being connected to the circumstances around their individual births.

The structure is chiastic, with the first and last sons not being born “to Jacob,” highlighting Yahweh being the one who brought about their births, and the central mandrakes scene.1

A. Yahweh sees Leah is unloved; Leah has four sons
   B. Rachel sees Jacob has no children by her; Bilhah bears two sons to Jacob
   B.’ Leah sees she stopped having children; Zilpah bears two sons to Jacob
     C. Jacob is sold for mandrakes
   B.’’ God listens to Leah; Leah bears two sons and a daughter to Jacob
A.’ God remembers and sees Rachel; Rachel has a son and asks Yahweh for another

In contrast to the last two scenes, “The LORD/Yahweh” and “God/Elohim” appear frequently. However, the names are often invoked in a way that demonstrate a lack of true faith by the ones who speak them.

A notable aspect of the story is the tension between Leah and Rachel. Leah wants to become a loved (or favored) wife and Rachel wants to become a mother. Each sister wants what the other has.2

Yahweh sees Leah

31 When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. 35 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.

–Genesis 29:31-35 (ESV)

When God “sees,” he intends to act to correct an injustice. He “saw” the wickedness on the earth before the flood (Genesis 6:5.) He “saw” that Noah was righteous, so he was saved from the flood (Genesis 7:1.) After Hagar was abused by Sarai and fled from her, God promised to increase her descendants, and she said Yahweh was a God that “sees” her (Genesis 16:13.) When there was an outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah, God came down to “see” it (Genesis 18:21.).3 So, God sees Leah being unloved/unfavored (the word translated “hated” takes on the less severe connotation of “unloved” or “loved less” in past participle form; see Malachi 1:3) as an injustice that needs to be addressed.4

It’s again being shown that it’s by God’s power that line of the blessed seed of the woman continues. In contrast to Isaac praying to God to resolve Rebekah’s infertility in Genesis 25:21, Jacob doesn’t have the faith (nor the concern, likely) to pray for Leah. Yahweh takes the initiative to bless Leah with children. The reversal of Jacob’s action in Canaan continues. Jacob tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing intended for Esau. The blessing of fruitfulness and multiplication that Jacob surely wanted for Rachel is first given to Leah by Yahweh.5

It was noted that after Rebekah gave birth to Esau and Jacob in Genesis 25:26, Isaac was de-emphasized by not following the common formula of “Isaac fathered” or “she bore them to Isaac” (see Part 1.) We see the same thing here. In fact, Jacob’s name is missing altogether in these verses, and every other time a son is born, except for Joseph, the mother is said to have born him “to Jacob.” Judah and Joseph are emphasized. (Judah is emphasized because after he’s born, Leah stops bearing children for a time, perhaps signaling the next child of promise has been born.)

Reuben

The first son born to Leah is Reuben (re’uven.) Reuben is a play on the phrase “the Lord has seen my misery” (ra’ah be ‘onyi). Leah hopes that with the birth of Jacob’s first son, she’ll become the favored wife.6 It’s interesting that she uses God’s covenantal name, Yahweh. This suggests at least some knowledge of him. However, she sees God’s gift as a way to achieve her own goals.7

Simeon

The second born is Simeon (shimon.) The name is a wordplay on the phrase “Yahweh heard I am not loved” (shama yahweh ki-senu a anoki).8 She again mentions Yahweh, but it’s still related to what she wants. She sees Simeon as consolation for not getting what she truly desires: Jacob’s favor.9

Levi

The third is Levi (lewi.) It’s a wordplay on “my husband will become attached” (yillaweh ishi.)10 Leah doesn’t mention Yahweh at all, as if she’s forgotten him in her sorrow.

Judah

The fourth, Judah (yehudah), is a play on “I will praise the Lord” (‘odeh et yahweh.)11 The names of her first three children are all connected to the suffering she experiences because of Jacob’s rejection. Somehow, after the birth of her fourth child, she is able to shift her focus away from her desires and onto Yahweh.12

Rachel sees

1 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 2 Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 Then she said, “Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her.” 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan. 7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.

Genesis 30:1-8 (ESV)

In contrast to Yahweh’s response to “seeing” Leah as unloved, Rachel “seeing” Yahweh’s kindness to Leah results in jealousy. She follows the way of Sarai in Genesis 16:2 and gives Jacob her servant to have children through her. Her verbal reaction is much stronger than Sarai’s, and is in stark contrast to Isaac and Rebekah’s response to infertility in Genesis 25:21. Furthermore, Sarah and Rebekah waited many more years than Rachel. Rachel places blame on Jacob who responds defensively with at least an undertone that suggests she should be appealing to God, not Jacob.13 Tragically, though she said she would die if she didn’t have children, it’s getting what she wants that kills her. She dies giving birth to Benjamin in Genesis 35:16-19.

Nevertheless, she gives Bilhah to Jacob so that she can have children through her instead of relying on God. She uses the same words as Sarai in Genesis 16:2, “obtain children by her” (‘ibbaneh mim enah.)14 “On my behalf” is literally “to give birth over my knees” and suggests adoption. Any child Bilhah has will be Rachel’s.15

Jacob complies, but whereas in Genesis 16:2 Abram “obeyed” Sarah, Jacob, here, literally “went in to [Bilhah].” This, perhaps, is distancing Jacob from the act.16 He’s becoming a passive figure being acted upon by his wives, as Isaac was acted upon by Jacob and Rebekah. The reversal of Jacob’s past continues.

Until the birth of Joseph, the rest of Jacob’s sons will be born “to” him.

Dan

Dan is a play on dannan, which means “vindicated.” While Rachel says that God heard her, suggesting that she prayed, the narrator doesn’t say that God intervened on Rachel’s behalf until verse 22 right before the birth of Joseph, so doubt is at least cast on God approving of the surrogate marriage.17

Naphtali

Naphtali is a play on naphtulim, “contests.” The adjective translated “mighty” is actually elohim “God/of God,” so a more literal translation is “wrestlings of God” or “divine wrestlings.”18 Rachel perhaps sees the contest with Leah as one for divine favor or blessing. naphtulim isn’t used in the later wrestling match between God and Jacob (ye’abeq is used in Genesis 32:24,) but that story is nevertheless linked to this verse with the keyword “prevailed” (root ykl.) There, God tells Jacob that he has striven with God and men and “prevailed.” Here, Rachel sees herself as having striven with God and Leah and prevailed. In Genesis 29:8, the shepherds of Haran were unable to move the large stone away from the mouth of the well; Jacob was able to move it on his own with the implied help of God.

Leah sees

9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, “Good fortune has come!” so she called his name Gad. 12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher.

–Genesis 30:9-13 (ESV)

Leah’s “seeing” results in resorting to Sarai and Rachel’s responses to infertility. She gives her servant Zilpah to Jacob to have children through her. As with Dan and Naphtali, these children are born “to Jacob.” There’s no mention of Yahweh or God, and there might be pagan deity undertones. This, perhaps, suggests that Leah is straying further from Yahweh.

Gad

Gad means “good luck” or “fortune.” It was also the name of a god of luck in the region, as seen in Isaiah 65:11. Leah probably isn’t explicitly naming Gad after a pagan god here, but there could be a religious connotation.19

Asher

Asher is a play on “happy/enviable am I” (be ’ashri.) The root ’shr is used in Psalm 1 and is behind the word “blessed” in the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. It means commendable or enviable, seeming blessed from the perspective of an observer. It could also be connected to Asherah, a goddess in the Canaanite pantheon: wife of El, the head of the pantheon, and mother of the minor gods.20 Leah literally says “daughters will call be happy,” which points to the birth of Dinah in verse 21.

Jacob is sold for mandrakes

14 In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night.

–Genesis 30:14-16 (ESV)

This scene is a reversal Jacob manipulating Esau into selling him the birthright. Esau, the firstborn, had returned from the field empty-handed from a hunt. Reuben, the firstborn, returns from the field having found mandrakes.21 Rachel wants to trade Leah for the mandrakes because they were believed to be an aphrodisiac and fertility drug, ostensibly so she could use them try to conceive (the Hebrew word for the plant, dudadim, sounds like the word for “love,” dodim, and love and mandrakes are linked together in Song of Solomon 7:12-13.)22 Jacob wanted to trade Esau lentil soup for his birthright.

Leah is incensed at the request because she believes that Rachel already has claim to Jacob and therefore has no right to take anything more from her. So, a bargain is struck: Leah may lie with Jacob in return for the mandrakes. The verb used for lie here, shkv connects this scene with other stories where someone is taken advantage of sexually. Lot’s daughters “lie” with him after they fled Sodom so that they could have children (Genesis 20:33-35.) Later in the Jacob story, the same word is used to describe the rape of Dinah in Genesis 34 (Genesis 34:2.) Jacob is now the one to be taken advantage of.

Jacob returns from the field with the same phrase as Esau at the beginning of the birthright story.

And came Esau from the field Genesis 25:29
And came Jacob from the field Genesis 30:16

Jacob, reduced to a passive object with no agency, seems to have no choice because Leah has “hired” him. The root wood for “hire” is skr, the same root for “wages,” a keyword in narrative arc where Jacob stays with Laban. Laban’s relationship with Jacob is based on what he can gain from him, and now Jacob’s relationship with his wives has been reduced to the same.23 Jacob is being treated as he treated Esau and Isaac.

God listens to Leah

17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

–Genesis 30:17-21 (ESV)

Leah, who gave up the mandrakes, is the one who next has children. The narrative again shows us that it’s not by human effort that the fledgling nation of Israel will be fruitful and multiply, but by God’s power. Rachel, who now possesses the mandrakes, is barren for apparently three more years.24

Two more sons are born “to Jacob” by Leah.

Issachar

Issachar is a play on “my husband” (ishi) and “rewarded me” (shekari.) She sees giving up a servant to be a concubine to her husband as a great sacrifice that has been rewarded.25 Maybe, it further shows her descent away from God after praising him after the birth of Judah. Her focus has returned to gaining Jacob’s favor.

Zebulun

Zebulun is a play on “presented/give” (zebada) and “honor” (yizbele.) She expresses that she sees the six children she’s born as a means to the end of getting Jacob’s attention.26

Dinah

She also has a daughter, Dinah. The root word behind Dinah means “judgment/vindication,” so the recording of the birth of a daughter, which is rare in the Bible, acts partially to punctuate Leah’s feeling for triumph. It also looks ahead to the story surrounding her about judgment and vindication in Genesis 34.27 That Dinah isn’t born “to Jacob” perhaps foreshadows the lack of concern he shows for her in that sitution.

God remembers and listens to Rachel

22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add to me another son!”

–Genesis 30:22-24 (ESV)

The episode ends with the birth of Joseph. Rachel apparently did eventually pray because “God listened to her,” but God listening is preceding by God remembering. God “remembering” doesn’t mean that God had forgotten Rachel and now recalls it; he’s focusing in on a situation and taking action.28 God’s grace is emphasized as the reason for Rachel having Joseph.29 Like with Leah’s first four sons, Joseph isn’t born “to Jacob.”

Joseph

Joseph is a play on “taken away” (asaph) and “add” (yoseph.) Rachel does invoke Yahweh’s name, but only to get more of what she wants. As previously noted, her prayer is answered, but at the cost of her life.

Bibliography

Olszewska, Karolina. “The Biblical Narrative about Leah, Jacob’s Wife (Genesis 29:16–30:21; 31:4–16; 33:1–3),” Biblica et Patristica Thoruniensia 11, no. 3 (2018): 347-358.

Sailhamer, John H. Genesis. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. E-book ed. Zondervan Academic, 2017.

Walton, John H. Genesis. The NIV Application Commentary. E-book ed. Zondervan, 2014.

Wenham, Gordon John. Genesis 16-50, Volume 2. World Biblical Commentary. E-book ed. Zondervan Academic, 2017.

Wyatt, N. “Asherah,” Dictionary of Demons and Deities in the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brill, 1999.

  1. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 241. ↩

  2. Olszewska, “Leah, Jacob’s Wife,” 347. ↩

  3. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 242. ↩

  4. Ibid and Sarna, Genesis, 206. ↩

  5. Olszewska, “Leah, Jacob’s Wife,” 352. ↩

  6. Sarna, Genesis, 206. ↩

  7. Olszewska, “Leah, Jacob’s Wife,” 355. ↩

  8. Sailhamer, Genesis, 464. ↩

  9. Olszewska, “Leah, Jacob’s Wife,” 355. ↩

  10. Sailhamer, Genesis, 464. ↩

  11. Ibid. ↩

  12. Olszewska, “Leah, Jacob’s Wife,” 355. ↩

  13. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 242. ↩

  14. Ibid, 243. ↩

  15. Ibid. ↩

  16. Ibid. ↩

  17. Ibid, 244. ↩

  18. Ibid, 246. ↩

  19. Ibid. ↩

  20. Wyatt, Asherah”, 99 and Wenham, *Genesis 16-50, 245. ↩

  21. Walton, Genesis, 593. ↩

  22. Sarna, Genesis, 209. ↩

  23. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 247. ↩

  24. Sarna, Genesis, 209. ↩

  25. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 247. ↩

  26. Olszewska, “Leah, Jacob’s Wife,” 356. ↩

  27. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 247. ↩

  28. Sarna, Genesis, 56. ↩

  29. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 247. ↩

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