References (11)
And Laban gave his servant Bilhah (meaning: troubled) as a servant to his daughter Rachel.
Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah; go in to her so that she may bear children in my place (literally: ‘bear on my knees’), so that I too may build my family (literally: ‘I will be built up’) through her.” [There was a custom of placing the newborn child on the knees, first on the father’s (who, by receiving the child, acknowledged it as his own) and then on the mother’s. In this case, Bilhah is to place her child on Jacob’s and Rachel’s knees so that it becomes their child. See also .]
So she gave him Bilhah, her servant, as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
And Bilhah conceived and bore a son to Jacob.
And Bilhah, Rachel's servant, became pregnant again and bore a second son to Jacob.
And it came to pass, when Israel [formerly called Jacob, see ] dwelt in the land, that Reuben went and lay (had sexual relations) with Bilhah, his father's concubine [who belonged to the now deceased Rachel], and Israel [his father] heard of it.
[This verse is thematically related to the rape of Dinah by Shechem, see . Reuben's actions led to his condemnation, see . This was both a forbidden incestuous relationship () and an attempt to gain authority over his father. The reasons were probably other than sexual attraction. Bilhah was Rachel's servant, and by defiling her, Reuben reduced the risk that she would take over Rachel's role as Jacob's favorite. This foolish act was probably an attempt to help his mother Leah. The incident with the mandrakes ("love apples") may also be a contributing factor, see . Reuben is about 5 years old when he gets involved in the quarrel between Rachel and his mother, and Rachel takes his find from the field.]
Jacob had twelve sons:
Rachel's [two] sons by her maid Bilhah:
Dan. and Naphtali.
[Here comes a new "toledot unit" that forms the twelfth and last literary unit in Genesis.]
This is the continuation of Jacob's story (his genealogy/family tree – Hebr. ).
[Now follows a new paragraph, see ; ; ; ; , ; , ; , ; . This is the twelfth and final section of Gen. The theme is Joseph, who is also a prototype of Jesus. This section also follows a chiastic pattern:
A The brothers' hatred of Joseph ()
B Joseph is believed to be dead, Jacob mourns ()
C Interlude: Judah and Tamar ()
D Unexpected reversal of roles – Perez and Zerah ()
E Joseph's wisdom ()
F The brothers go to Egypt ()
X Israel's family tree ()
F´ The move to Egypt ()
E´ Joseph's wisdom ()
D´ Unexpected reversal of roles – Ephraim and Manasseh ()
C´ Interlude: Jacob prophesies over his sons ()
B´ Jacob's death, Joseph buries him ()
A´ Joseph reassures his brothers ()]
Joseph, his son, who was now 17 years old—still a young man—herded the small livestock together with his [older] brothers, the sons of Bilhah [Dan and Naphtali, see ] and the sons of Zilpah [Gad and Asher, see ], his father's wives. Joseph brought back bad reports about them to his father.
[Joseph was Jacob's eleventh son, Rachel's firstborn, see . Jacob was 108 years old. The expression "a young man" can be interpreted as meaning that he was a helper, or it can emphasize that he was young and had responsibility for the flock. It is hinted that there are complicated family relationships, and the mention of Bilhah (Rachel's maid) and Zilpah (Leah's maid) also recalls the rivalry between Leah and Rachel, see , . Some have seen Joseph as a tattletale, but based on how his character is described elsewhere, it seems more likely that he was attentive to detail and faithful in small matters, so that he would eventually be entrusted with much, see . describes how he is ready and willing to be sent out on his father's behalf.]
These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and whom she bore to Jacob—a total of 7 persons (souls, lives).
Bilhah, in Esem and in Tolad,
The sons of Naphtali were Jahaziel, Guni, Isa, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.
