Rachel was the beloved wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Her story begins in Genesis 29, when Jacob arrives in Haran and meets her by a well. She is described as “beautiful of form and appearance” (Genesis 29:17), and Jacob loved her immediately.
Jacob agreed to work seven years for her hand in marriage, but her father Laban deceived him and gave him her older sister Leah instead. Jacob then worked another seven years to marry Rachel (Genesis 29:25-28). Though dearly loved, Rachel suffered great heartache because she was barren while Leah bore several sons. In her grief, she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!” (Genesis 30:1).
God eventually remembered Rachel and opened her womb. She gave birth to Joseph, declaring, “The Lord shall add to me another son” (Genesis 30:22-24). Later, on the journey to Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel died giving birth to her second son, whom she named Ben-Oni, meaning “son of my sorrow.” Jacob renamed him Benjamin, “son of the right hand” (Genesis 35:18).
Rachel was buried on the way to Bethlehem, and her tomb is mentioned in Genesis 35:19-20. Her sorrow became symbolic in later Scripture. Jeremiah 31:15 and Matthew 2:18 both recall “Rachel weeping for her children” in prophetic reference to Israel’s suffering and the slaughter of the infants in Bethlehem.
Rachel’s life is marked by beauty, deep longing, and painful loss. Though loved deeply, her story reflects the complexity of family, rivalry, and God’s plan. Through her came Joseph, who would preserve Israel during famine, and Benjamin, whose tribe would give rise to King Saul and the apostle Paul.
