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Rachel did not have to do this for Jacobs sake, for Jacob already had children to be his heirs by his other wife, Leah; rather, she is said to do this so that Jacob could fulfill her demand to give her children. Bilhah was named so because of her stunning beauty. Zilpah is referenced in the genealogy in Genesis 46:18. Importantly, this agreement prohibits Jacob from elevating Zilpah and Bilhah to the status of full wives, at least for now. In an ancient Nuzi marriage contract it stipulated that a woman whose servant bore the children of her husband "should have full authority over the offspring." When Bilhah conceives two sons, Leah takes up the same idea and presents Zilpah to Jacob so she can have children through her. And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her., 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. 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. 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. The first son Rachel named Dan saying. The PatriarchsAbraham, Isaac, and Jacobare the three ancient forefathers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It must have been hard, really hard. 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. With that I think we can say Zilpah and Bilah are matriarchs. In an ancient Nuzi marriage contract it stipulated that a woman whose servant bore the children of her husband, Alternatively she may have just been referring to the way in which ancient women commonly gave birth. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Mother of Gad . And freakier. And Jacobs anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said. In the Book of Genesis, Zilpah was Leah's handmaid, whom Leah gave to Jacob "to wife" to bear him children. . Only the tribe of Judah are Jews. English Standard Version 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. This was a normal thing for concubines. Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. Bilhah was later briefly mentioned in Genesis 35:22 when Jacobs firstborn son Rueben reportedly slept with her after Rachel had died.