Rachel as described in the Bible is a prophet and the
favorite wife of Jacob, one of the three Biblical Patriarchs, and mother of
Joseph and Benjamin. She was the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of
Leah, Jacob's first wife. Jacob was her first cousin, and she was the youngest
niece of Rebekah.
Marriage to Jacob: Rachel is first mentioned in the Bible in
Genesis 29 when Jacob happens upon her as she is watering her lamb. He had
traveled a great distance to find his mother's brother, Laban. Rebekah had sent
him there to be safe from his furious twin brother, Esau.
During Jacob's stay, he fell in love with Rachel and agreed
to work seven years for Laban in return for her hand in marriage. On the night
of the wedding, the bride was veiled and Jacob did not notice that Leah,
Rachel's older sister, had been substituted for Rachel. Whereas "Rachel
was lovely in form and beautiful," "Leah had tender eyes".Later
Jacob confronted Laban, who excused his own deception by insisting that the
older sister should marry first. He assured Jacob that after his wedding week
was finished; he could take Rachel as a wife as well, and works another seven
years as payment for her.
After Leah had given birth to four sons, Rachel remained
unable to conceive. She became jealous of Leah and gave Jacob her maidservant,
Bilhah, to be a surrogate mother for her. Bilhah gave birth to two sons that
Rachel named and raised (Dan and Naphtali). Leah responds by offering her
handmaid Zilpah to Jacob and names and raises the two sons (Gad and Asher) that
Zilpah bears. According to some commentaries, Bilhah and Zilpah, are actually
half-sisters of Leah and Rachel.
After Leah conceived again, Rachel was finally blessed with a
son, Joseph, who would become Jacob's favorite child.
