Rachel
The Beloved WifeJacob's beloved wife, mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who died giving birth to her second son
Rachel was Jacob's true love, for whom he worked fourteen years. Though beautiful and beloved, she struggled with barrenness while her sister Leah bore many sons. Her cry 'Give me children or I'll die' shows her desperate longing. God eventually opened her womb, giving her Joseph, whose descendants (Ephraim and Manasseh) became powerful tribes. She died giving birth to Benjamin, naming him 'Ben-Oni' (son of my sorrow), though Jacob renamed him 'Benjamin' (son of my right hand). Jeremiah prophesied Rachel 'weeping for her children' - fulfilled when Herod slaughtered Bethlehem's infants. Rachel represents the heartache of unfulfilled longing, the blessings that come through waiting, and maternal love that transcends death.
Original Name
רָחֵל (Rachel)
Meaning
Ewe, Female sheep
Etymology
Rachel's name means 'ewe' or 'female sheep,' fitting for a shepherdess whom Jacob first met while she was tending her father's flock. The imagery of sheep connects to the later pastoral metaphors of Scripture.
Linguistic Insights
Rachel's name (Rachel) meaning 'ewe' is appropriate as Jacob met her shepherding sheep. Her statement 'Give me children or I'll die' (havah li vanim ve'im ayin metah anokhi) proved tragically prophetic - she died giving children (in childbirth). Her naming of Benjamin as 'Ben-Oni' (son of my sorrow/strength) was changed by Jacob to 'Benjamin' (son of the right hand) - transforming grief into honor. Jacob later declared Benjamin as the 'son of his old age,' echoing the phrase used of Joseph. Jeremiah's prophecy of Rachel weeping 'in Ramah' places her symbolically near Bethlehem, making the Matthean fulfillment at the slaughter of innocents geographically and spiritually poignant. The stolen 'teraphim' (household gods) represent lingering attachment to paganism.
Translation Notes
- •Rachel = 'ewe' - she was a shepherdess
- •Ben-Oni = 'son of my sorrow' - her dying words
- •Benjamin = 'son of right hand' - Jacob's renaming
- •Rachel weeping in Ramah - prophetic imagery
Related Terms
Met Jacob at the well
Genesis 29:9-12Jacob worked 7 years for her
Genesis 29:18-20Leah substituted on wedding night
Genesis 29:21-25Jacob worked another 7 years for her
Genesis 29:27-30Barren while Leah had children
Genesis 29:31; 30:1Gave servant Bilhah to Jacob
Genesis 30:3-8God opened her womb; Joseph born
Genesis 30:22-24Stole father's household idols
Genesis 31:19, 34-35Died giving birth to Benjamin
Genesis 35:16-19Buried on the road to Bethlehem
Genesis 35:19-20Genesis 29:20
"So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her."
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!'"
Genesis 35:18
"As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin."
Jeremiah 31:15
"This is what the LORD says: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.'"
Matthew 2:18
"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."