#Zilpah

[thecrimsonvalley-creates]

~ Just a peek ~ Trying out my own YCH pose and decided to draw Zilpah. She's doing her best with this entire flirtatious invitation... And probably keels over out of embarrassment a few seconds later.

[archangels-bible-annotations]

Chapter 30

30:1 Rachel was envious of Leah and wanted Jacob to bear children with her. Rachel says, "Give me children, or else I die."

30:2-4 Jacob becomes angry and states that he is not God, the one who "withheld from you the fruit of the womb." Rachel then says to bear children through her maidservant, Bilhah.

30:5-6 Bilhah gave birth to a son, and Rachel named him Dan because "God has judged [Rachel]; and He has heard [Rachel's] voice and given [Rachel] a son."

30:7-8 Bilhah gives birth to a second son, named "Naphtali." Rachel states, "God has helped me, and I have wrestled with my sister; and indeed, I have prevailed."

30:9-11 Leah gives her handmaiden to Jacob to bear another son. Gad is born and Leah says, "Good fortune!"

30:12-13 Asher is born through Zilpah, Leah's handmaiden, and Leah says, "I am blessed, for the women will call me blessed."

30:14-15 Reuben finds mandrakes in the field and brings them to his mother Leah. Rachel asks for some but Leah accuses her of taking Leah's husband and now wanting mandrakes. Rachel says for Leah to sleep with Jacob tonight in exchange of the mandrakes.

30:16-18 Jacob sleeps with Leah and they give birth to Issachar stating, "God has given me my wages, because I have given my handmaiden to my husband." In verse 17 it says, "God listened to Leah..."

30:19-20 Leah bares Zebulun and says, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will choose me, because I have borne him six sons."

30:21 Leah bore a daughter named Dinah.

30:22-24 We see the quote "God remembered Rachel." This is when God opened her womb and she bore Joseph

30:25-26 Jacob requests Laban to go home with his wives and kids.

30:27 This is a beautiful verse, "If I could find grace in your eyes, I would seek for it divinely, for God has blessed me by your coming."

30:28-30 Laban asks Joseph what his wages should be for working for so long. Joseph replies that since Joseph came, Laban's cattle/possesions have increased.

30:31-33 Joseph demands no wages and states that if Laban allows Joseph to take all of the gray sheep and the spotted/speckled goats then Joseph promises to "again feed and keep your sheep." He also states that if Laban is missing any pure-colored cattle, it would mean it was stolen.

30:34-36 Laban agreed to Joseph's request, and the cattle were given to Jospeh's sons. Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks as per his word.

30:37-40 Joseph collects green poplar, almond, and chestnut rods (branches?) and makes rods that help the animals conceive.

30:41-43 Joseph essentially repeats the process and gains a massive flock of sheep and goats that make him rich.

Other Remarks:

The name Dan means "Judge." (v.5-6)

The name Naphtali means "my wrestling" or "crafty, cunning one." (v.7-8)

At the birth of Naphtali, Rachel states that she has won victory over her sister. It is hard as the reader to say she has won 'full victory' considering that her sister bore 4 sons and Rachel was only able to conceive through her maidservant. The only view that Rachel has won is if she is looking at who conceived the most recent. She could also try to make a case that Jacob loves her more than Leah, but she never needed to prove that because Jacob went through so many trials and tribulations for her, not Leah. (v.7-8)

Leah gives her handmaiden to Jacob to continue to bear offspring. This could be seen as a dig at Rachel for trying to conceive the youngest son. Leah did not bear Gad herself, implying she became too old or her womb closed. This tied in with the struggle for Jacob's love would give enough motivation for her actions. Leah's acts show that she has not rid of her feelings to 'win' her husband's love and respect. (v.9-11)

The name Gad means "Good Fortune." Gad more accurately is defined as a cut that later reveals treasure. This name was intentionally chosen by Leah rather than the many different names for good fortune probably to symbolize her struggle with Rachel to win her husband's love. (v.9-11)

The name Asher means "happy" or "to go right on." (v.12-13)

Mandrakes are root plants. A quick search tells us that they have various properties such as sedative and hallucinogenic. (v.14-15)

Jacob seems to intentionally avoid Leah, which is evident by Leah's statement to Rachel for stealing her husband. It is also evident that Rachel controls Jacob, in at least the emotional aspect because she says that Jacob will sleep with Leah tonight for exchange of the mandrakes. (v.14-15)

Leah's wordage is interesting as she uses "wages" when she describes the blessing of another son. She is trying to say that her time has finally come as a mother because after birthing 4 sons, her womb was closed, which is why she gave over her maidservant to bare children in her steed. I still see this as one wife trying to one-up the other. It also seems that to get pregnant was Leah's intention from the exchange of the mandrakes rather than "love and affection" from her husband. I think it is a little funny how when Leah says she hired Jacob for the night, Jacob is not seen to complain and just goes with it. (v.16-18)

Issachar means "Man of Hire," which immortalizes the struggle for attention and the circumstances in which Issachar was conceived. (v.16-18)

Leah still has not learned her lesson to stop proving the need to fight for love and attention because she says that after the 6th son, now Jacob should give her attention. If giving sons was the factor, wouldn't the first few been more than enough? Especially considering Rachel was unable to conceive for a long time. (v.18-20)

Zebulun means "Glorious Dwelling Place." (v.18-20)

Since Dinah is explicitly mentioned, it can be assumed that she is the only daughter in the string of births between Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. (v.21)

Dinah means "Judgement" and is the female version of Dan. (v.21)

The phrase of "God remembering" appears again. Another instance we see this is when Noah leaves the ark. This is not to say that God forgot and then remembered; rather, it is time to fulfill a promise. In this case, it would be to make Jacob multiply among nations. (v.22-24)

Joesph means "Increaser" as Rachel says "The Lord shall add another son to me." (v.24)

If we interpret the gray and speckled cattle to be 'imperfect,' then it might not be a stretch to consider this small portion of the story a premonition of Christ. Christ takes care of those who are lost or are 'imperfect' by sin. (v.31-33)

Questions

Rachel says that she would die if she does not bear children with Jacob. Is this a suicide threat? (v.1)

What does it mean that "God has judged [Rachel]"? Usually "judge" implies a negative connotation and we see punishment follow. However, this time it seems that this 'judgment' is a blessing. (v.5-6)

Dinah's name means judgment, but why. Is this implying that negative judgment has come across Leah because of a birth of a daughter rather than a son? Another aspect to consider is that Leah does not bear anymore children after Dinah. (v.21)

Why does Joseph want the speckled and gray cattle? Are they considered inferior, or was it just cosmetic differences? (v.31-33)

What does "[Laban] put three days' journey between himself and Jacob" mean? Originally I would have thought it meant there was 3-days worth of travel between the two people but this is followed up by Joseph feeding the rest of Laban's flocks, which couldn't be 3-days away from Laban. (v.36)

How do the different rods make the animals conceive? (v.37-43)

Things to Add to Prayer:

Reference this quote when talking about guests: "If I could find grace in your eyes, I would seek for it divinely, for God has blessed me by your coming."

-Mikhael

[littleladylav]

Alright, I'm up... What'd I miss, how's Phoenix doing?

| @tismphoenix

"Oh, there you are! It has been a while, hasn't it?"

[Zilpahs smiles and waves to him, but her expression seemed.. off]

"How much.. have you missed exactly?"

[yhebrew]

POLYGAMY: LAW-LESS SOLOMON? yes!

Was Ya’cov Deceived into Two Wives? YES! Whose Mandrakes were used? Cursed REUBEN Did Abraham or Isaac have many wives? NO! Did David have many wives at one time? NO! Did Solomon align with many nations? YES! Anti-Torah? Solomon, Reuben Concubines are male or female slaves. Wives are queens. Ya’cov’s wife Leah told him that he was to sleep with her because THEIR firstborn son, Reuben, had…

[whencyclopedia]

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

The Twelve Tribes of Israel refer to the sons of the Jewish Patriarch Jacob and are important for the tribal lineages of those who constituted the nation of Israel. In the ancient world, all ethnic groups developed stories of their ancestors in what are known as foundation myths as bloodlines were important in maintaining ancestral lineage and provided status as identity markers.

The twelve sons of Jacob, in order of their birth, are:

Reuben

Simeon

Levi

Judah

Dan

Naphtali

Gad

Asher

Issachar

Zebulun

Joseph (Manasseh, Ephraim)

Benjamin

Birth order was important in the practice of primogeniture, or the eldest son inheriting most of his father’s resources, and then distribution following the rank of the others. In the biblical narrative, after the death of Joseph in Egypt, his portion was given to his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Each son’s status was later coordinated in the tribal territories they received in Canaan. Jacob undoubtedly had other daughters, but only one is mentioned, Dinah (see below).

Jacob

Jacob was the younger son of Isaac and Rebecca. Isaac was the child of the promise given by the God of Israel, to Abraham, the traditional founder of the nation. Jacob stole his brother’s birthright (as the eldest) and had to flee East to Haran (Northern Iraq), where some of Abraham’s relatives still lived. There he met Rachel at the well and asked her father Laban for her hand. Laban required that Jacob work for him for seven years first. He did so, but the night of the wedding revealed that it was the older sister, Leah, who was given. Jacob protested, but Laban told him to work another seven years and he could have Rachel as well.

The narrative then goes into quite elaborate detail concerning Jacob’s children. At first, Leah gave birth to some sons, while Rachel was barren. Rachel then offered Jacob her servant (an ancient form of surrogate motherhood in the case of infertility). Leah then became barren for a while and offered her servant as well. All this activity reflected the later traditions as to where and why the sons inherited certain tribal areas in the land of Canaan. It was tied to the identity of their mothers, Leah and Rachel, and the two servant women, Bilhah and Zilpah.

Leah Rachel Bilhah Zilpah Reuben Joseph Dan Gad Simeon Benjamin Naphtali Asher Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun

Wanting to go home and reconcile himself with his brother, on the way back Jacob was accosted at night by a being with whom he wrestled. Various retellings describe a man, God, or an angel. Jacob demanded a blessing, and he now received a new name: "Israel" or "one that struggled with the divine angel or with God and lived". Hence, all his descendants became Israelites.

Continue reading...

[seygay]

Anita Diamant, The Red Tent, Zilpah daughter of Mer-Nefat

Happy Mother's Day to those who celebrate 🎉

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jacob Meets Rachel

1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the people of the east. 2 As he looked, he saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying there beside it; for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well’s mouth was large, 3 and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well, and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.

4 Jacob said to them, ‘My brothers, where do you come from?’ They said, ‘We are from Haran.’ 5 He said to them, ‘Do you know Laban son of Nahor?’ They said, ‘We do.’ 6 He said to them, ‘Is it well with him?’ ‘Yes,’ they replied, ‘and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with the sheep.’ 7 He said, ‘Look, it is still broad daylight; it is not time for the animals to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.’ 8 But they said, ‘We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.’

9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep; for she kept them. 10 Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother’s brother Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of his mother’s brother Laban. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father.

13 When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him; he embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, 14 and Laban said to him, ‘Surely you are my bone and my flesh!’ And he stayed with him for a month.

Jacob Marries Laban’s Daughters

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?’ 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.’ 19 Laban said, ‘It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.’ 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.’ 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) 25 When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?’ 26 Laban said, ‘This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me for another seven years.’ 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 29 (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.) 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. He served Laban for another seven years.

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Reuben; for she said, ‘Because the Lord has looked on my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.’ 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also’; and she named him Simeon. 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, ‘Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons’; therefore he was named Levi. 35 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘This time I will praise the Lord’; therefore she named him Judah; then she ceased bearing. — Genesis 29 | New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 4:1; Genesis 12:11; Genesis 12:18; Genesis 16:11; Genesis 24:10; Genesis 24:24; Genesis 24:28-29; Genesis 24:67; Genesis 28:10; Genesis 29:31; Genesis 30:26; Genesis 30:28; Genesis 31:15; Genesis 31:41; Genesis 33:4; Genesis 46:25; Exodus 2:16-17; Numbers 34:20; Deuteronomy 22:13; Judges 6:3; 1 Samuel 9:11; Matthew 1:2; Acts 7:8; Romans 11:14

Jacob Falls in Love

[toadlessgirl]

20 Names More Common in the Regency Era than any of the Bridgerton Girls' Names

Araminta

Asenath

Brittania

Cherry

Christmas

Cleopatra

Dorcas

Dove

Easter

Etheldred

Happy

Keren-happuch

Mehetabel

Peace

Petronella

Philadelphia

Seabright

Urania

Virtue

Zilpah

[thecrimsonvalley-creates]

~ Moonlight walk ~ Zilpah sometimes walk the steppe at night, bathing in the moonlight. First time getting to draw Andrey into it and we just get this beautiful over the shoulder stuff OTL But at least I had fun trying to draw the long locks of Zilpah when not held up in a hairdo :D

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

I wish Joseph King of Dreams had the same passion and funding as The Prince of Egypt

Saaaaaame. I like it but nowhere near like I love PoE (pre-Egypt Joseph is so annoying qsdfsd and I HATE HATE HATE that they glossed over the family dynamics and the existence of Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah, and Dinah). 

The songs are still great though (BEHOLD THE GLORY and MORE THAN YOU TAKE!!!). And some of the visuals are fire, the prison and the harvest especially.

[theskullkid]

So, if anyone had happened to pay attention to my blog description or the stuff that I reblog, you’d know that I am very queer and also very Christian. One of my favorite things to do is to tell Bible stories, and I decided— why the hell not, I’ll post ‘em on here! I decided to come to you all today with the story of Joseph, son of Jacob, who was sold by his own brothers into slavery. Very terrible of them. I’m well aware. It happened kinda like this:

Jacob was this old guy in the old testament. He had four wives— Rachel, Bilhah, Leah, and Zilpah— and eleven kids. And out of all of them, wifey Rachel and his sonny Joseph where his favorites. Rachel, his favorite wife, because that was who he WANTED to marry (the others were added onto the list after a whole buncha mess that would take a long time to get into); and Joseph, the son bore by the wife he really loved. Jacob favored Joseph so much that Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and hated the very grounds Joseph walked on. Jacob even made Joseph a coat- a coat of many colors, as the bible says. It set him apart from his brothers, and it was hated by his siblings.

Joseph was blessed with a talent of being able to interpret dreams. I guess it made up for whatever he lacked in common sense. For example, once he went to his brothers and told him about a dream he had. 

“Hey, guys, I had a weird dream last night,” he said, although it wasn’t very odd to him. He knew what it meant. “We were all out gathering sheaves of grain out in the field, and all the sudden, my sheaf jerked outta my hands and rose upright, and your sheaves all jerked outta your hands, too, and bowed around mine! Isn’t that… Weird?” He gulped, because all the sudden, his brothers looked like they wanted to absolutely murder him. 

“You sayin’ that one day, you’re gonna rule over us?” They growled, because they absolutely wanted to murder him. Joseph had enough sense to keep his trap shut at that and shuffled off.

A while later, Jacob sent Joseph to go get his brothers and bring them home, because they were out in the field, doing farmerly things. They saw Joseph coming in the distance, and they all decided that they were sick of him and his stupid coat, so they plotted to kill him.

“Here comes the dreamer,” one of them said, mockingly. “Let’s just kill him and throw him into one of the dry wells. No one would know about it, and we can just say an animal killed him and ruin that stupid jacket as proof, easy peasy.”

Reuben, the eldest, turned a little pale. See, he hated Joseph himself, but he didn’t want to kill the guy. “Um… How ‘bout we, uh, not kill him? Just throwing that out there.” He said, nervously. “Lets just take the jacket and throw him into the well. Leave him there. Lets not get his blood on our hands.” Well, really, Reuben didn’t want Joseph’s blood on HIS hands. He intended on going back to the well and saving Joseph and leading him back.

A bit later, Joseph approached them.

“Hey, guys!” Joseph said, brightly, as the bloodthirsty figures of his brothers loomed over him. “Dad wants you guys back home, how much longer d’ya think you’ll be- ACK!”

The “ack” being the sound of Joseph’s brothers grabbing him, yanking off his coat, and tossing him into the well. For funnies, imagine that little cartoon sound effect that’s used when a character falls off a cliff. 

They left Joseph there, who was pretty much screaming, begging, pleading, and crying for his brothers to let him out, and went to go eat a meal— excluding Reuben, who was out biding some time before he went to save Joseph. As they were eating, they caught sight of some Ishmaelites passing through. 

“Hey, here’s a thought,” Judah said, his voice thick with food, “How ‘bout we sell him? That way, his blood ain’t on our hands, we’re a couple pieces of silver richer, AND we get rid of him. I mean, he is our own brother. Might as well show a little mercy and sell him into slavery.”

His brothers grunted in agreement, and when they finished, they went back to the well. 

“You came back!” Joseph hiccuped, a bruised, tear-stained and dirty mess, relief settled in his eyes. “I prayed you would! You can have the jacket, if you don’t like it- Huh?”

And then they sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver.

When Reuben found Joseph wasn’t there, he freaked out. “What am I gonna do now? This is gonna kill Dad!” He stressed, but his brothers had already taken the coat and smeared it with animals blood. When they presented it to Jacob, he thought that Joseph was killed by some animals, and he tore his clothes and went deep into mourning. When his children and many wives tried to comfort him, he refused it. He said that he’d never stop mourning his son until he was dead right along with him.

Meanwhile, the Ishmaelites went and sold Jacob away to Egypt for slavery. To Potiphar, to be exact, who was one of the officials for the Pharaoh.

You can read the story for yourself in Genesis, Chapter 37: verses 1 through 36 in the Bible! :D

[eesirachs]

Sorry what do the terms 'w2' and 'w1' mean?

in the context of jacob, both leah and rachel are w1—have wife position one status. bilhah and zilpah are w2—wife position two status, translated sometimes as concubines. w1 and w2 negotiated particular relationships with each other and with the patriarch, and were positions complicated by rubrics of femininity/womanhood, legal protections, and enslavement (hagar as a w2 and sarai as a w1 push these rubrics to their limits). residual and child-bearing rights were also tricky across the two terms. these statuses and the lexicons attaching them to bodies were unstable, though they appear constant enough in marriage contracts (mostly ob ones)

[promptuarium]

LEAH was the wife of Jacob, whose sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, and the girl Dinah. Zilpah, Leah’s slave-girl, bore Gad and Asher. Genesis 29 and 30.

RACHEL was also the wife of Jacob. Her sons were Joseph and Benjamin, who she died giving birth to. Genesis ch. 29, 30, and 35. Bilhah, Rachel’s slave-girl, bore Dan and Naphtali.

[yhebrew]

Polygamy in Hebrew and Greek Scriptures: The Truth About Patriarchs' Marriages

Polygamy is NOT in the Bible. 1 Timothy 3 says one wife. It frustrates me when bible believing men go out of context and pattern. Abraham had one wife at a time. Hagar was under Sarai's control and it was a one-time event with Abram.

Po.lyg.a.my noun – the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. Who are wives? Who are concubines? Is polygamy practiced today because Abraham, Ya’cov and David, did it? But did they, do it? We know Solomon did as he is the King of ‘The Torah Take Down.’ Let’s look at the words in Greek and Hebrew and who is called a wife and who is called a concubine. The…

[haveyoureadthispoll]

Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that are about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons. Told in Dinah's voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood—the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers—Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah—the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate connection with the past. Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women's society.

[the-immortal-mourning]

[Pssssst.. here, have this >:) -Zilpahs]

Oh. Oh wow. Oh. *They take the photo and stare at it with dilated pupils.* Oh my.