Who Was Rachel in the Bible? Jacob's Beloved Wife and Mother of Joseph

Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban and the wife Jacob loved most. Jacob worked fourteen years for her after Laban tricked him into marrying her older sister Leah first (Genesis 29:16-30). After years without children, Rachel gave birth to Joseph, and she later died giving birth to Benjamin near Bethlehem (Genesis 30:22-24; 35:16-19). Her story is told in Genesis 29-35.

Rachel is one of the four mothers of the twelve tribes of Israel, along with Leah and the two servants Bilhah and Zilpah (Genesis 35:23-26). The prophet Jeremiah and the Gospel of Matthew both mention her centuries after her death (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:18).

Quick Facts About Rachel

Fact	Details
Name meaning	Often understood as "ewe" (a female sheep); the Bible does not explain the name
Testament	Old Testament
Key books	Genesis 29-35; also Ruth 4:11, Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:18
Time period	Patriarchal period, about 1900 BC (traditional dating)
Family	Daughter of Laban; sister of Leah; wife of Jacob; mother of Joseph and Benjamin
Known for	Jacob's fourteen years of work for her, her rivalry with Leah, and her death near Bethlehem

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Who Was Rachel in the Bible? Her Family

Rachel's father, Laban, was the brother of Rebekah, the wife of Isaac (Genesis 24:29; 25:20). That made Rachel a cousin of Jacob. Laban lived in Harran, in the region called Paddan Aram (Genesis 28:2; 29:4).

Isaac sent Jacob there to take a wife from Laban's daughters rather than from the Canaanite women (Genesis 28:1-2). Jacob was also leaving home because his brother Esau planned to kill him (Genesis 27:41-43).

Jacob Meets Rachel at the Well

When Jacob arrived near Harran, he found shepherds waiting at a well. Rachel came with her father's sheep, because she was a shepherd (Genesis 29:9). When Jacob saw her, he rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered Laban's flock. Then he kissed Rachel and wept aloud, and told her he was a relative of her father (Genesis 29:10-12).

Laban welcomed Jacob, and after a month he asked what wages Jacob wanted (Genesis 29:13-15). Genesis describes the two sisters this way: Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful (Genesis 29:17). Jacob offered to work seven years for Rachel, and Laban agreed (Genesis 29:18-19).

"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 29:20)

Laban's Deception

When the seven years were finished, Laban held a wedding feast. That evening he brought Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel (Genesis 29:21-23). In the morning Jacob discovered the switch and asked Laban why he had deceived him (Genesis 29:25).

Laban answered that it was not their custom to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older (Genesis 29:26). He offered Rachel in return for another seven years of work. Jacob finished the bridal week with Leah, married Rachel, and served Laban seven more years (Genesis 29:27-30). Jacob, who had once deceived his own father, was now deceived by his father-in-law (Genesis 27:18-24).

Laban gave his servant Bilhah to Rachel as her attendant (Genesis 29:29). Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah (Genesis 29:30).

Years Without Children

When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, He enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless (Genesis 29:31). Leah gave birth to four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah (Genesis 29:32-35).

Rachel became jealous of her sister and told Jacob to give her children or she would die. Jacob became angry and asked if he was in the place of God, who had kept her from having children (Genesis 30:1-2).

Bilhah's Sons

Rachel gave her servant Bilhah to Jacob so that she could have children through her (Genesis 30:3-4). Sarah had done something similar with Hagar a generation earlier (Genesis 16:1-2). Bilhah bore two sons:

• Dan: Rachel said God had vindicated her and heard her plea (Genesis 30:5-6).
• Naphtali: Rachel said she had had a great struggle with her sister and had won (Genesis 30:7-8).

The Mandrakes

During the wheat harvest, Leah's son Reuben found mandrake plants and brought them to his mother. Rachel asked for some. Leah answered sharply that Rachel had already taken her husband (Genesis 30:14-15). Rachel agreed that Jacob would sleep with Leah that night in exchange for the mandrakes (Genesis 30:15-16). Leah then had two more sons, Issachar and Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah (Genesis 30:17-21).

The Birth of Joseph

After all this, the text turns to God's action:

"Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive." (Genesis 30:22)

Rachel gave birth to a son and said God had taken away her disgrace. She named him Joseph and asked that the LORD add another son (Genesis 30:23-24). Soon afterward Jacob asked Laban to let him return home (Genesis 30:25).

Leaving Laban and the Household Gods

When Jacob told his wives that God had directed him to go back to his homeland, Rachel and Leah agreed. They said their father treated them like foreigners and had used up what was paid for them (Genesis 31:3-4, 31:14-16).

While Laban was away shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods (Genesis 31:19). Laban pursued the family and accused Jacob of stealing them. Jacob, not knowing what Rachel had done, said that anyone found with them would not live (Genesis 31:30-32).

Laban searched the tents. Rachel had put the household gods inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. She told her father she could not stand up because she was having her period, and he did not find them (Genesis 31:33-35). The Bible does not explain why she took them. Later, at God's command to go to Bethel, Jacob told his household to get rid of their foreign gods, and he buried them at Shechem (Genesis 35:1-4).

When Jacob went to meet Esau, he placed Rachel and Joseph at the rear of his family (Genesis 33:1-2).

Rachel's Death Near Bethlehem

As the family traveled from Bethel toward Ephrath, Rachel went into hard labor. The midwife told her not to despair, because she had another son (Genesis 35:16-17). As she was dying, Rachel named him Ben-Oni, but Jacob named him Benjamin (Genesis 35:18).

Rachel was buried on the way to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem, and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb (Genesis 35:19-20). Years later, when blessing Joseph's sons in Egypt, Jacob still recalled her death on the journey from Paddan (Genesis 48:7).

Rachel's tomb is mentioned again when the prophet Samuel anointed Saul and told him he would meet two men near Rachel's tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin (1 Samuel 10:1-2).

Rachel in the Rest of Scripture

When Boaz married Ruth, the elders of Bethlehem prayed that the LORD would make her like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel (Ruth 4:11).

The prophet Jeremiah described Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they were no more (Jeremiah 31:15). In context, God follows this with a promise that the children will return (Jeremiah 31:16-17). Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15 after Herod's killing of the boys in and around Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18).

Key Lessons From Rachel's Life

• God opens the womb. Both Jacob's answer and the birth of Joseph point to God as the giver of children (Genesis 30:2, 30:22).
• Favoritism damages families. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, and later loved Rachel's son Joseph more than his other sons, who hated Joseph for it (Genesis 29:30; 37:3-4).
• Deception repeats itself. Laban deceived Jacob, and Rachel deceived Laban (Genesis 29:25; 31:35).
• God hears prayer. Genesis says God listened to Rachel (Genesis 30:22).

Where Rachel Appears in the Bible

• Genesis 29-31 and 33:1-7
• Genesis 35:16-26; 46:19-25; 48:7
• Ruth 4:11
• 1 Samuel 10:2
• Jeremiah 31:15
• Matthew 2:18

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Rachel in the Bible?

Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban and the wife whom Jacob loved more than her sister Leah (Genesis 29:16, 29:30). She was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 35:24).

How long did Jacob work for Rachel?

Jacob worked fourteen years for Rachel. After the first seven years Laban gave him Leah instead, and Jacob agreed to work seven more years for Rachel (Genesis 29:20-30).

Why did Rachel steal her father's household gods?

The Bible does not say why Rachel stole them. It records only that she took them while Laban was shearing sheep and hid them in her camel's saddle (Genesis 31:19, 31:34).

How did Rachel die?

Rachel died in childbirth while giving birth to Benjamin on the way to Ephrath, also called Bethlehem (Genesis 35:16-19).

Why is Rachel weeping for her children in Matthew?

Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15, which pictures Rachel weeping for her children, after Herod killed the boys of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18). Rachel was a mother of Israel and was buried near Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19).