what nationality were bilhah and zilpah

When faced with what he thinks might be a tense confrontation with his brother, Esau, Jacob places the two maids and their children at the front of his household, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph bringing up the (protected) rear (Gen 33:13; compare 32:2223). Leah named the first son Gad and declared. Genesis 29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. Image source Either way it is almost certain that Rachel would have been with Bilhah during the births of her two sons. It only takes a minute to sign up. This is reinforced by the fact that Rachel named both of the sons Bilhah bore. Now, I try to keep Bilhah and Zilpah in mind in my daily life. Humane Imagination, What Does the Bible Say about Anxiety? Zilpah's background is unknown, other than the fact that Zilpah had been one of Laban's servants before Leah's marriage to Jacob. Book of Mormon, Study Guides Dinah, if you are wondering.). When the Israelites enter Egypt at Josephs invitation, the children of Zilpah and Bilhah are listed among the children of Israel with the qualifier that Laban had given Zilpah and Bilhah to his daughters (Gen 46:18, 25). I am looking to do research on the women Bilhah and Zilpah. It makes me wonder what sort of relationship Rachel and Leah had with them. It makes me wonder what sort of relationship Rachel and Leah had with them. Whether or not Zilpah and Bilhah attained wifely status, there seems to have been a change of status for their children into equal sonship and equal inheritance. At the end of the narrative (Gen 49), the children of Zilpah and Bilhah received blessings from their father Jacob at his death, along with Jacobs other sons by Leah and Rachel. Presumably, Hagar raised Ishmael to act so badly when playing with Isaac that Sarah casts them out (Gen 21:9). Bilah is cited a few verses later in verse 25 of the same genealogy. Hetta vru brn Zilpu, sum Laban gav dttur sni Leu; hon tti Jkupi hesi brnini, 16 tali. What a lovely, thoughtful, and inspiring piece. After Leah has birthed four sons to Jacob, her competitive sister Rachel decides to give Bilhah, her shiphchah, to Jacob as an ishah, meaning complicatedly woman or wife (Gen 30:4). more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zilpah. And for whatever reason, she just could not conceive. Turns out that he was also shtupping Bilhah at best, his stepmother, at worst, his stepmother AND aunt. For this reason, some modern Jewish feminists have reclaimed Bilhah and Zilpah as matriarchs. Enjoying this article? With Bilhah and Zilpah, it wasn't a forced issue, it was more of a 'that's what they did in those days' issue. I first became fans of Zilpah and Bilhah when I was assigned them for a presentation in a graduate class on women in the Book of Genesis. Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. So, yes, you remember the part where Jacob married the ugly Leah and the super-hot Rachel, and lived happily ever after in a sanctioned menage a trois. For Kristine Casey, 61, it meant giving the gift of motherhood to her infertile daughter by carrying and giving birth to her own grandson. Amen.13This amended liturgical prayer is based on the traditional, central Jewish liturgical blessing of praise, the Amidah or Standing Prayer, that invokes the blessing of the ancestors, some of which already have added the four matriarchal figures (though most have Rachel before Leah). Particularly moving to hear from a young woman. The only other brothers who are not singled out with specific actions in the narrative are Leahs two sons Issachar and Zebulun.10. Forefathers and consumerism - why they had more that they can eat? Thus, while in Canaan and after Rachels (and probably Leahs) death, Zilpah and Bilhah were possibly able to transition in status to the wives of Jacob. Not exactly. I have no idea of the provenance of this tradition. As time has passed, Ive learned about other people whove successfully integrated feminism into their Judaism, the way I want to. Read the latest from JWA from your inbox. I had never heard of them either only Hagar. Rachel, who was Jacob's favorite wife, had not been blessed with children. Laban pursues them and overtakes them ten days later (Gen 31:23). The only other time Zilpah and Bilhah are termed wife/woman is when their mistresses give them to Jacob to fulfill the procreative, wifely role in their mistresses place. How hard it must have been to be an un-loved wife. Mignon R. Jacobs, Gender, Power and Persuasion: The Genesis Narratives and Contemporary Portrait (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 160.2. Just like Sarai/Sarah gave her handmaid, Hagar, to Abraham to have children on behalf of Sarai/Sarah, These handmaids were basically considered 'surrogates' if you will, for lack of a better word. : Ethel Reynolds Smith, Why Having a December Birthday is NOT a Bummer. In the official record given of Jacob's children in Genesis 46 Dan and Naphtali are listed as the children of Bilhah and Asher and Gad are listed as the children of Zilpah. Any children born of the union were considered to be legally the children of the mistress wife. Episode 91: Israel at 75: Voices of Protest. Even at one point, it was obvious that Leah thought she would have no more childrenJacob was staying in Rachel's tent and no where else. Bilhah means "to become alarmed" ( lehibahel ). Not exactly. I will use the term maid-slave to capture their feminine and slavish status. These two handmaidens, Bilhah and Zilpah, made great sacrifices. Neither response is more praiseworthy. In her desperation for children Rachel followed the example of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and married her maid Bilhah to her husband so that she could have children through her. Genesis chapters 29-30 and 35 detail the births of Jacob's many children. The crux of the agreement states that Jacob will not ill-treat Labans daughters or take other wives besides his daughters (Gen 31:50). Previous to joining academia, Heather worked in the IT field as a web developer for ten years, learning the importance of input data to output success. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Matriarchs, New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI, Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition. Thus, they have been forgotten as unworthy or ignored as unremarkable. They were considered concubines, or secondary wives of Jacob. Often times bricks were placed under her to give her more support and the midwife knelt in front of her. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Bible Charts and Maps, PO Box 171053, Austin, TX 78717 The only reason Leah had more children was because she was fertile, while Rachel was barren. How to force Unity Editor/TestRunner to run at full speed when in background? (The poor girl is always forgotten. On the other hand, I know the scriptures don't always give us the whole story and maybe the two servants agreed to this whole thing. In Genesis 31:17, Jacob and his household leave for Canaan without telling Laban. In later texts, Bilhah is remembered as one of the ancestresses of the Israelites. It makes me wonder what sort of relationship Rachel and Leah had with them. Bilhah and Zilpah were slaves, not wives of a patriarch, but their descendants eventually became the Jewish people. One suggestion I've seen is that many or most of these are cenotaphs - memorials to these people, but not their actual burial places. The God of Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah. In Old Testament times this was an acceptable way for a married woman who was barren to gain children. While Leah, Rachel's older sister, had given birth to four sons. Zilpah, Leah's maid, gives birth to Gad and Asher. These women may not have had legal claim to their children but they still played a large part in their upbringing and in their daily lives. And that is the mindset at the core of any matriarch. There is no mention of their status as wives or maid-slaves at all. 7. These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachelseven in all. When I asked Sarah who they were, I didnt know that her answer would be my introduction to the intersection between Judaism and feminism, and would influence how I thought about my role in relation to both. In light of their wifely and motherly contributions to creating the Israelite family of Jacob, regardless of their actual status in the narratives, their status as Matriarchs should be upheld and celebrated. Bilhah and Zilpah, women in the Bible Zilpah, whose name is believed to mean "drooping", was given to Leah as a handmaiden by Laban, Leah's father, when Leah was given to Jacob as a bride. She calls him Naphtali, which means I have prevailed, because she has prevailed (Hebrew niftalti) over her sister in a divine contest (Hebrew naftulei Elohim; NRSV, mighty wrestlings). Jacob hears about what Reuben did and does nothing at the time. Avigayil is certainly possible as King David could have had her buried in Tiberias (though why I don't know). Phone Toll Free: 877-966-7300 or 816-584-3077, [This article continues after a message from the authors], These Articles are Written by the Publishers of, Amazing Bible Timeline with World History 2023. Bilhah sons were dark skinned, both Dan and Naphtali, there is no reason to believe that Zilpah sons Gad and Asher were any different. "Claiming Bilhah and Zilpah." [4] He was taken into captivity but redeemed by Laban, Rachel and Leah's father. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Nonetheless Bilhah and Zilpah would have been able to see their sons every day and their sons would have know that they were their birth mothers. Matriarchs: A Liturgical and Theological Category, Biblical Women in World and Hebrew Literature, Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. Adding EV Charger (100A) in secondary panel (100A) fed off main (200A). One afternoon when I was in the 7th grade, my Hebrew tutor, Sarah, was wearing a shirt that read: Sarah & Rebecca & Rachel & Leah & Bilhah & Zilpah. The first four names, the names of the matriarchs, were familiar to me. Thank you for sharing it with us. 35, Dan and Naphtali are presented as the sons of Bilhah, Rachels maid (v. 25). Genesis 35:22 expressly calls Bilhah Jacob's concubine, a pilegesh. This name proved to be prophetic, as when Zilpah was toldas a young girlthat she was destined to join Leah in her marriage to the evil Esau, 9 tears would flow down her face. Bilhah was first introduced in the Bible in Genesis 29:29. Wow,what an interesting post. Image Source. Though there is some indication that Zilpah and Bilhah were elevated to a matriarchal status as the wives of Jacob, they were still not on par with Leah and Rachel, whose death or burial place is mentioned (Gen 35:19, 49:31). Probably the greatest sacrifice that any mother could ever make. It really does amaze me how the Lord has different experiences planed for each of us. Genesis 30 records that, "when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; Leah started popping out kids left and right, four boys to be exact. Your email address will not be published. ( , ): , . The only other brothers who are not singled out with specific actions in the narrative are Leahs two sons Issachar and Zebulun. While Leah, Rachel's older sister, had given birth to four sons. Zilpah also figures in the competition between Jacob's wives to bear him sons. Identify blue/translucent jelly-like animal on beach. The promises of God endure from generation to generation. This image of a woman being supported in a squat by other women is the most common image of women giving birth throughout history and around the world. While Leah, Rachel's older sister, had given birth to four sons. If Rachel had not been barren, she would have most likely had the most children. Nevertheless, just as consistently, Zilpah and Bilhah are not traditionally listed among the Matriarchs that include Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachelthe mothers of the higher social class of privilege who speak and act. In contrast, in Hagars case, Sarah does not view the son of the shiphchah Hagar as her own son after conception and soured relations (Gen 16, 21). Women in labor were surrounded by female companions who encouraged them to labor upright and dance and sway during contractions, . The first son Rachel named Dan saying, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son. The second son Bilhah bore she named Naphtali and said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed.After Bilhah bore Rachel two sons Leah found that even though she already had four sons she was no longer able to have children. New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI, Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition. Can you direct me to anything about their lineage? . New Testament By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. In general it's a big question what it means when various places in the north of Eretz Yisrael are identified as the kevarim of famous tzaddikim or tzidkaniyos - especially when those seem to contradict information given elsewhere. Bilhah and Zilpah's Birth Stories: The Old Testament's Form of Adoption Share Bilhah and Zilpah were the handmaidens (servants) of the patriarch Jacob's wives, Leah and Rachel. As long as Rachel was alive, say these commentators, Jacob kept his bed in her tent and visited the other wives in theirs. She was the first wife, but it seems that history has made her a litte shrewish, maybe less attractive. And it gets weirder. Boolean algebra of the lattice of subspaces of a vector space? If nothing else, we can surmise that the institution of marriage and the status and roles of women in such relationships in the ancient Near East were complex and often-changing, depending on circumstances. Jacobs, Gender, Power and Persuasion, 159160, 168.4. Some pictures, and directions, are here. The Rabbis brought it from here: "If you afflict my daughters" (Bereishit 31:50) gives two. Folder's list view has different sized fonts in different folders. (What makes the menage a cinq even freakier is that some commentators believe that Bilhah and Zilpah were Leah and Rachel's sisters. This being the case, it is likely the sons of Jacob from Bilhah and Zilpah were darker than the rest of their brothers. The entire tribe of Israel as we have established were akin to the Egyptian in color and looks. They fade into the background so easily. Each takes ownership of the maid-slave, much like Sarah owned Hagar (Gen 16:1) and Rebekah owned her nurse Deborah (Gen 24:61). Required fields are marked *. Click here to find out more about this unique and fun Bible study tool! The wife of Moses came from the Sudan area of Africa, yet still dont know here color. Bilhah is also considered a minor Bible character but was also used to bring two of the twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel onto the earth. Often times bricks were placed under her to give her more support and the midwife knelt in front of her. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. Could a subterranean river or aquifer generate enough continuous momentum to power a waterwheel for the purpose of producing electricity? While Leah and Rachel, who are also often named together, competed against each other for Jacobs attention and to accumulate sons, Zilpah and Bilhah were always accommodating, respectful, and supportive of each other and authority figures. Genesis 30 records that, Oh, you know this one! This amended liturgical prayer is based on the traditional, central Jewish liturgical blessing of praise, the Amidah or Standing Prayer, that invokes the blessing of the ancestors, some of which already have added the four matriarchal figures (though most have Rachel before Leah). Do you think it would be harder or easier? Leah names the two sons of Zilpah and is directly involved in their upbringing. Through the wombs of Rachel, Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah, Israel's people were birthed by choice and by force. Some Bible scholars believe that Zilpah was younger than Bilhah and was given as the maidservant of Leah to contribute to the deception that surrounded the two brides. While the forefathers were very cautious in choosing their spouses from Avraham's family, the Torah says nothing about Bilhah and Zilpah's ancestry. Once again we can see Zilpah and Bilhahs worth in this scene. Laban gave Rotheus a wife named Euna, who was the girl's mother. During the final stage of labor a woman would squat and be supported under the arms by one or two other women. Bilhah and Zilpah most likely died in Israel (Genesis 46 sounds like they didn't come down to Egypt), but hadn't they been living in the South part of the country, not anywhere near Tiberias? Louis Katzoff, Nuzi Tablets, Bible and Spade vol 1:2 (Spring 1988): 27.5. During the final stage of labor a woman would squat and be supported under the arms by one or two other women. Just you wait. What Are The Names of the Thieves Crucified With Christ? We can read the little that we know about them in Genesis 30. Their children did not become jews. Zilpah and Bilhahs deaths are never mentioned. Anyway, Rachel said that Jacob would go to Leah if Rachel could have the mandrakes that Reuben brought back. Leah was the oldest daughter in lieu of an elder brother. The apocryphal Testament of Naftali says that Bilhah and Zilpah's father was named Rotheus. avot-patriarch-fathers. sign up now For me, this was a revelation. The point is that these women acted prudently in each given situation with the best interests of their children in mind. Is "I didn't think it was serious" usually a good defence against "duty to rescue"? Something that sounds weird and wrong to me now might have made perfect sense in their day. Is a downhill scooter lighter than a downhill MTB with same performance? This may have been what Rachel meant when she said that Bilhah "shall bear upon my knees.". She is on the Biblical Timeline Poster between 1754-1704 BC. Tzipporah ("the missing matriarch") did she outlive Moshe and make it into Israel? In all, Bilhah and Zilpah are given to Jacob by their mistresses to act in their place twice each to overcome barrenness, resulting in two sons each (Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher). They are called nashim without any qualifier functionan identification never given to Hagar. Bilhah must have been very young when she bore her children, because Jacobs eldest son Reuben (by Leah) has sex with her (Gen 35:22). "And if you take other wives in addition to my daughters" gives [another two equaling] four. Zilpah and Bilhah are instead each introduced as a shiphchah (meaning maid-servant, slave-girl, or handmaid2For maid-servant or female servant see such translations as JPS, ESV, and YLT; for slave-girl see CJB, EXB, GNT, ICB, and NRSV; for handmaid see ASV and KJV. Their children were considered Leah's and Rachel's. When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob like a wife to bear him children as well. In Jewish tradition, Zilpah is believed to be buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs in Tiberias. In the Book of Genesis, Zilpah was Leah's handmaid, whom Leah gave to Jacob "to wife" to bear him children. I recently taught this to my seminary students. Canadian of Polish descent travel to Poland with Canadian passport. Zilpah is first introduced in the Bible in Genesis 29:24. At first, it almost seemed wrong for feminists to make their own assertions about thousand-year-old practices, but then I thought more about the fact that the Torah was written by men, which meant our most important text was biased from inception. It does not negate the previous identification of them as possible wives in Josephs story. They repeatedly chose to be willing, humble, and respectful, possibly knowing that this is what would get them what they desiredchildren of their own who would have a future. Amazing Bible Timeline with World History, http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/bilhah-bible, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helladic_period, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Georgian_brides_in_church.jpg. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. The text says nothing to suggest that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of Bilhah and Zilpah. Subscribe now to receive periodic updates from the Center for Hebraic Thought. To me, they are emblematic of all the women who have been left out of and left behind by history. Come into her and she will bear on my knees so that I too can build [a family] through her5 This is my own translation of the Hebrew text found in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Bilhah means "to become alarmed" ( lehibahel ). Bilhah and Zilpah are considered lower-status individuals. I have issued a standing challenge for all my readers The Women in the Scripture Challenge are you super brave and daring enough to take the challenge? They are often presented as slave-like objects in the narrative with no voice, who only act at the behest of others. (Bereishit 31:43) gives [another two equaling] four.'. Episode 91: Israel at 75: Voices of Protest. How to force Unity Editor/TestRunner to run at full speed when in background? some modern Jewish feminists have reclaimed Bilhah and Zilpah as matriarchs, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. He also rips off an arm to use as a sword. How did Zilpah and Bilhahs attitude and possible wifely status affect their childrens status? The apocryphal Testament of Naftali says that Bilhah and Zilpah's father was named Rotheus. I learned that there werent always the more progressive Jewish sects that allow women to wear tallises or kippas or to become rabbis. However, Laban gave Leah as the veiled bride to Jacob instead. I have often wondered the nationality (color) of the wives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but can not find any concrete evidence. How Long Was Joseph In Potiphars House? Back in the 1980s/90s, officers didnt seem to, By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it, Its Tuesday morning. This is reinforced by the fact that Rachel named both of the sons Bilhah bore. (Did they time her ovulation cycle? As the listing of the tribes and children has always been by the identified biological mother, this lack of motherly identification and categorization is thought-provoking. Thus, Zilpah and Bilhah stand in the shadows of their mistresses Leah and Rachel and have been undeservedly unremembered. Mi Yodeya is a question and answer site for those who base their lives on Jewish law and tradition and anyone interested in learning more. Leah named the first son Gad and declared, A troop cometh. The second son Zilpah bore Leah named Asher and said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed. Like Rachel, the sons that Zilpah bore would have been considered to be Leahs and she would have raised them as her own sons. rev2023.5.1.43405. Many scholars, including Steinberg and Speiser, interpret this event as just thata change of status to secondary wives or full wives of Jacob.8Schneider, Mothers of Promise, 128. Is there a minhag or halacha that states that men and women should be buried in separate cemetery plot areas? Bilhah and Zilpah's Birth Stories: The Old Testament's Form of Adoption Share Bilhah and Zilpah were the handmaidens (servants) of the patriarch Jacob's wives, Leah and Rachel. The blessings of Dan and Naphtali as tribes of Israel can be found in Genesis 49:16-17, and 21. . So when Rachel meant that Bilhah would bear upon her knees she may have been referring to the actual position in which she would give birth. Either way it is almost certain that Rachel would have been with Bilhah during the births of her two sons. Often times bricks were placed under her to give her more support and the midwife knelt in front of her. Yocheved was born and presumably died in Egypt. This is really an interesting conflict in the bible. After birthing two children each for their mistresses, the maid-slaves wifely, procreative role ended and presumably Jacobs sexual access to them. A boy can regenerate, so demons eat him for years. Zilpah and Bilhah, who are usually named together, had each other, while Hagar was alone.

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