#Zilpah concubine

[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…

[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)

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jacob Returns to Bethel

1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

4 So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem.

5 As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. 6 So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother.

8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bachuth.

9 After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel.

11 And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

13 Then God went up from the place where He had spoken with him.

14 So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. 15 Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

Benjamin Born, Rachel Dies

16 Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. 17 During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”

18 And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.

19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a pillar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day.

The Sons of Jacob (1 Chronicles 2:1–2)

21 Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

23 The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

25 The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

26 And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher.

These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

The Death of Isaac

27 Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.

28 And Isaac lived 180 years. 29 Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. — Genesis 35 | Berean Standard Bible (BSB) Berean Standard Bible is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. Cross References: Genesis 9:1; Genesis 12:6-7; Genesis 13:18; Genesis 15:15; Genesis 17:5; Genesis 17:22; Genesis 18:1; Genesis 18:19; Genesis 24:59; Genesis 25:8; Genesis 25:20; Genesis 25:26; Genesis 27:43; Genesis 28:15; Genesis 28:18-19; Genesis 28:22; Genesis 29:31; Genesis 30:5; Genesis 30:10; Genesis 30:22; Genesis 30:24; Genesis 42:4; Genesis 47:9; Genesis 48:7; Genesis 49:4; Exodus 15:16; Joshua 15:21; Ruth 1:2; Ruth 4:11; 1 Samuel 10:2; 1 Samuel 17:12; 1 Chronicles 2:1 Micah 4:8; Acts 7:8

Divine Terror

[fordecree7]

BIBLE TIME

Genesis 35

God Blesses and Renames Jacob

35 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.

5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8 And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.

9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” 18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel's tomb, which is there to this day. 21 Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine. And Israel heard of it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

27 And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Bible Time-Genesis 35 Diane Beauford

[thefunbible]

Genesis 35

01 Skypal said to Jack, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there a way-special-table to Skypal, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your male-sibling.”

02 Then Jack said to his household, and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign friendos that are among you, tidy yourselves, and change your garments.

03 Let’s arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there a way-special-table to Skypal, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me on the way which I went.”

04 They gave to Jack all the foreign friendos which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jack hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

05 They traveled, and a terror of Skypal was on the cities that were around them, and they didn’t pursue the male-spawns of Jack.

06 So Jack came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.

07 He built a way-special-table there, and called the place El Beth El; because there Skypal was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his male-sibling.

08 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth.

09 Skypal appeared to Jack again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.

10 Skypal said to him, “Your name is Jack. Your name shall not be Jack any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel.

11 Skypal said to him, “I am Skypal Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply, add, subtract, divide, and maybe try some quadratic equations because math is important. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and dukes will come out of your body.

12 The land which I gave to Billy and Chuck, I will give it to you, and to your human-spawn after you I will give the land to mercilessly and brutally colonize.”

13 Skypal went up from him in the place where he spoke with him, at first like a helium balloon, and then: Poof! Gone.

14 Jack set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it which got it a little drunk, and poured oil on it, which just seemed to make the stone angry.

15 Jack called the name of the place where Skypal spoke with him (spoiler alert) “Bethel”.

16 They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor, which meant she was right fucked.

17 When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another male-spawn.”

18 As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Benoni, but his spermer named him Benjamin.

19 Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem).

20 Jack set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

21 Israel traveled, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his spermer’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now this will be on the test because it’s important to list some things: the male-spawns of Jack were twelve.

23 The male-spawns of Leah: Reuben (Jack’s initial spawn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

24 The male-spawns of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

25 The male-spawns of Bilhah (Rachel’s subservient): Dan and Naphtali.

26 The male-spawns of Zilpah (Leah’s subservient): Gad and Asher. These are the male-spawns of Jack, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

27 Jack came to Chuck his spermer, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Billy and Chuck lived as foreigners.

28 The days of Chuck were a totally not fabricated or imaginary one hundred eighty years.

29 Chuck gave up the phantasm and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jack, his male-spawns, buried him. The male-spawns of Keturah were probably around somewhere, maybe.

[craftylovegentlemen]

Genesis

Chapter 35

1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. 2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: 3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. 4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. 5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. 8 But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth. 9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. 13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel. 16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. 17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. 19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. 20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. 21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23 The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: 24 The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: 25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: 26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram. 27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. 28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. 29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Genesis 35

Diane Beauford

[torahtantra]

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac . From Parsha Vayishlach: "Salvation."

From Part 4:

Deduction leads to the end of the ego. He’s not your friend, you’re not his. It’s not meant to last...so kill your boyfriend like every other sensible man would, and move on. 

16 Then they moved on from Bethel [the house of God]. While they were still some distance from Ephrath [fruitful, but exhausted], Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni [son of strength].[u] But his father named him Benjamin [son on the Right].[v]

19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.

= Beauty and Laughter can falter but strength and righteousness prevail. They follow difficulty, permit the follower and the leader alike to overcome calamity: 

21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder [the flock]. 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben [the leader] went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah [the calamity] , and Israel heard of it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

23 The sons of Leah:

Reuben [the leader] the firstborn of Jacob [the follower],

Simeon [who listens], Levi [is loyal], Judah [who praises], Issachar [dedicated] and Zebulun [the glorious dwelling] .

= Leaders are born from servants and followers. Those who are loyal are rewarded and live in glory. 

24 The sons of Rachel [the ewe, youth beauty] :

Joseph [fruitful] and Benjamin [Seated Right].

25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:

Dan [to govern] and Naphtali [challenges].

26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah [the trickle] :

Gad [treasure] and Asher [happiness]

These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram [the ultimate substitution].

27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre [seeing, from adversity], near Kiriath Arba [four cities= Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed and Tiberias, which mean “teaches peace”, “friendship”, “cornerstone”, “piercing, seeing”. where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 29 Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

= “Abandon the past and trade up to a virgin future that is governed by righteous men who overcome calamity and reward the people with fortune and happiness.

They rise from adversity, leaving a record of how one pierces and lives many many years: through  peace, friendship, compassion and laughter. From these tenets, competent leaders and followers are made."

[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…

[yudayajin]

Revisiting Bilhah and Zilpah

So I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of c-dramas, especially historical ones (I’m trash and I’m addicted). Anyways, any woman-centred historical c-drama explores how fucking hard it is being a woman, especially within a polygamous system with concubines and main wives etc. 

It’s made my mind delve again into the wrong I feel has been done within our traditions towards Bilhah and Zilpah, the “secondary” wives of Yaakov, forced to bear children “on behalf of” their mistresses.

In ancient and imperial China, it was not uncommon to take one’s wife’s maid as a concubine. 

Taking a slave, whose life you own, and forcing them to bear children.

These children were then seen as less than, as illegitimate. They were raised to mistrust each other, to fight with each other for survival.

The women too had to fight for survival, for one man’s favour to protect themselves and their children.

This sadly is not a unique phenomenon. 

We Jews are descended from such families. 

All Jews are descended, either by blood or by adoption, from such women.  

They are the mothers of 4 of the 12 sons of Yaakov. 

Yet they are not matriarchs? 

They bore and raised our ancestors but are not our mothers? 

They were as Jewish as Leah and Rachael.

They converted along with them.

Yet their children were slave’s children when it suited, and tribal founders when it did not. 

So they must be Rachael’s or Leah’s when it suited, Bilhah or Zilpah’s when they are needed to be put down.

Their bodies, anyone’s body, cannot belong to another. 

Humans are not property; children are not property.

Bilhah and Zilpah were worthy to bear children “on behalf of” Rachael and Leah, but were unworthy to claim their own children as theirs? 

They are also our mothers but are not worth being included in our prayers and memories? 

Reuben disrespected Bilhah and Zilpah for daring to have any equality with his mother. 

He is not seen as wrong.

Bilhah and Zilpah may have been no stranger to this treatment.

They may have been Laban’s daughters from a “secondary” wife.

This meant they were born “inferior”, forced to serve their sisters, given to them as wedding gifts.

But their fate did not end there.

They too had to become concubines. 

Four sisters had to share one husband.

Two are not even deemed important enough to be remembered as our mothers.

We have six mothers.

Sarah,

Rivkah,

Leah,

Rachael,

Bilhah,

and

Zilpah.

Their status and struggles are not a shame. They are not a secret to be swept under the rug, removed from our tefillot, our scriptures, or our memory.

I am proud to have their blood and soul in our veins. 

Blessed are you Hashem, my G-d, our G-d, and the G-d of our foremothers, Sarah, Rivkah, Rachael, Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah.

[kawuli]

My dad’s latest update on his OU Football Message Board Deradicalization Project:

One fellow referred to Black Lives Matter as a bunch of Marxists.  I said, "What? I'm all pro-BLM and I'm an evangelical Christian" (which is true, on a proper definition of evangelical). 

He replied: "BLM's goals of tearing down the biblical definition of family are not in alignment with "'evangelical Christianity.'" 

So I responded: "'Biblical definition of family?'" You mean like Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau? Jacob and Leah and Bilhah and Zilpah? David and his seven wives and many concubines, not to mention Solomon? Jesus, whose followers (including rich women who supported him) left their families to follow him?”

"I knew you’d come up with some obtuse answer.  You know full well what I mean" was his last word.  Yeah, I do know what he means, but that ain't a biblical definition of family. 

[fordecree7]

THE BIBLE BOOK OF GOD

Old Testament

Genesis 35

God Blesses and Renames Jacob

35 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.

5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8 And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.

9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” 18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel's tomb, which is there to this day. 21 Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine. And Israel heard of it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

27 And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Genesis 35

Diane Beauford

[fleetwood-mac-andcheese]

Why are Bilhah and Zilpah never included in the list of Matriarchs? They had the same number of babies as Rachel and the Bible calls them wives, not concubines or similar terms. Why do we not include them?

[mediaeval-muse]

Book Review

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. New York: Picador USA, 1997.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical fiction

Part of a Series? No.

Summary: 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.

***Full review under the cut.***

Trigger Warnings: domestic violence, childbirth, miscarriage, abortion, references to bestiality, mild sexual content, rape

Overview: I remember this book making a big splash when it came out. At the time, I wasn’t allowed to read it, so it kind of slipped my mind until this year, when I bought a copy while I was used book shopping. I’m quite a sucker for women’s history and retellings of historical stories from women’s point of view, so I was excited to read this. While I can’t speak to the historical accuracy or Judaism of this book, I think I can speak to the craft of the novel. This book is important in the same way that Mists of Avalon is important - it makes room for women’s voices and stories, de-centering the male perspective on monumental narratives. However, I don’t think Diamant did enough to make Dinah’s story a true story of sisterhood, and the novel as a whole left me wanting more.

Writing: Diamant’s prose is pretty easy to read. There are some nice metaphors here and there, and vivid imagery, but overall, it’s not extremely lyrical or dense. As a result, the book is a little bit more accessible to readers who are either unfamiliar with the Biblical story or don’t know much about ancient history. I do think, however, that Diamant writes in a way that keeps Dinah at a distance from what’s happening to her. The novel is in first person, but I still ended up feeling like I was reading Dinah’s relation of events after the fact, when she had some distance on things. As a result, I didn’t quite feel any emotional suspense.

Plot: The Red Tent for the most part retells the story of Isaac’s son, Jacob, from the Bible, beginning with his arrival in Heran and betrothal to Laban’s daughters. The last third breaks from Biblical events and follows Dinah after the death of her first husband and she tries to rebuild her life in Egypt. For a good portion of the book (maybe 1/3-1/2), Dinah is either absent or merely relating events as a bystander; I didn’t get the sense that the story was her own until much later in the novel. Though Dinah tells readers in the prologue that part of her purpose is to relate her mothers’ stories and pass down information about the women in her family, I do wish more was done to center Dinah’s voice and experiences. Since family is so central to the book, this could have been achieved through more meaningful interactions between Dinah and her mothers. Dinah’s voice does come through during the events of her “rape” and subsequent life in Egypt. These parts of the book, for me, were a little more engaging, as they retold a story which originally is centered on male violence. I will say, though, that I think Dinah fell in love with her husbands too quickly. She seems to be in love with them after meeting them only once or twice, so the air of “insta-love” abounded. But overall, I thought that the pacing of the book was a little uneven. There are large stretches of time where it seems like we are just being walked through daily life of Jacob and his family, or through Dinah’s loneliness in Egypt, and while these moments are valuable for getting a sense of what life was like in the ancient world, I think these descriptions could have been combined with more character work - have some interactions, for example, between Dinah and the people around her that generate stronger emotional attachments. There are some small interactions scattered throughout the book, but I didn’t quite feel they were given the weight they needed.

Characters: Dinah, our POV character, admittedly doesn’t seem to have much personality; even though the book is told in first person, Dinah seems to just be relating events. I didn’t get much of a sense of her as a person, even when she started talking about her own life. I mostly got the sense that she was a bystander until her first husband was killed, and then, she was mostly unhappy. Even when she found happiness in her second husband, she seemed to be anxious a lot. I found myself wishing that Dinah could have a little more joy in her life. The women were distinct in ways I found compelling. Leah was hard-working and skilled at a lot of things, and was in charge of running everything in the domestic sphere; Rachel devoted herself to midwifery when she realized she was infertile, which made her more mature in an interesting way; Bilhah had a way of seeing things that made her connect with people emotionally; and Zilpah was only interested in her deities and refused to bear children after her first time, which honestly was great. I also really liked Meryt, Dinah’s fellow midwife in Egypt, since she refused to let Dinah disappear in her depression. The male characters overall felt underdeveloped, which honestly would have been fine if they hadn’t been constantly interrupting the women’s stories so much. Since women are often underdeveloped in stories about men, flipping the script would have been great, but Jacob is pretty central to the plot, as are a few of Dinah’s brothers and her grandfather. Speaking of whom, Laban was awful. He had no redeeming qualities, which made him feel less like a character and more like a villainous archetype.

Other Feminism: While I don’t think this book explicitly claims to be a feminist retelling of a Biblical story, there is something inherently feminist about centering women’s stories and voices. That aspect of the book was valuable, though I do wish more was done to enhance the sense that this was a story about women who are marginalized in the original text, and I wish that more was done to strengthen the bonds between women rather than drive them apart. For example, Leah and Rachel are in conflict a lot over Jacob, which got kind of annoying. I understand that patriarchy structured a lot of ancient life, but so much of the story was about the women’s feelings for Jacob and bearing sons and making him happy, rather than taking refuge in each other. There was some, but I wanted more. There was also conflict between Dinah and Re-nefer over “custody” of Dinah’s son, and Re-nefer essentially takes over as mother just because she can. I wish the two had bonded more, rather than have their relationship look more like a master and servant. However, I did like that this book wasn’t afraid to talk about things like menstruation, childbirth, miscarriage, and infertility. When this novel first came out in the 90s, I think a lot of those things generated some controversy. They’re still controversial, to an extent, so I liked that they were discussed so openly. However, despite all that, I didn’t get the sense that there was much of a strong bond between Dinah and the women she helped deliver. They largely go unnamed or are small stories to fill space. I wanted a lot more emotional connection to Dinah’s work as a midwife. I also really didn’t like how the story treated Ruti, Laban’s concubine. Laban abuses her physically, emotionally, and sexually, while her children mistreat her and the other women keep their distance. There were moments when the other women were kind to her, but overall, I wish more was done to show how women could be supports to one another when a husband treated them badly. Religion: Despite this book being a retelling of an Old Testament story, the “God of Abraham and Isaac” is not the only god in the story. The wives worship various other gods, which to some may feel like a haphazard insertion of “mother goddess” paganism, but to me, it felt like an acknowledgement of the religious plurality of the time. I recently learned of the many different competing religions of the ancient world, and how Yahweh and El were perceived as different entities for a time. It seems refreshing, then, that this book do something by way of showing how religion wasn’t centralized or unified across populations.

Recommendations: I would recommend this novel if you’re interested in the Old Testament, the story of Jacob, women’s history, retellings of patriarchal stories, and midwifery.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Wed., April, 13, 2022

April 13_March31

RIGHTEOUS JOSEPH THE HANDSOME, SON OF JACOB ((ca. 1700 B.C.)

The Righteous Joseph the Fair was the son of the Old Testament Patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel (Genesis 37:3). He had eleven brothers: Jacob's first wife Leah (the daughter of Laban) gave birth to six sons: 1) Reuben, 2) Simeon, 3) Levi, 4) Judah. Then Leah thought she could not have any more children. His second wife, Leah's sister Rachel, also seemed to be infertile, was jealous of Leah, so she gave her servant girl Bilhah to Jacob “so that she may give birth on my behalf” (Genesis 30:3). The concubine Bilhah bore two sons to Jacob: 5) Dan and 6) Naphtali.

In those days, when a wife could not bear children, it was not uncommon for a female servant to have the husband's child on behalf of the wife. The expression "she shall bear upon my knees and I shall have children by her" (Genesis 30:3) refers to the rite of adoption whereby the new-born child was placed on the lap of the adopting woman to indicate that she had legally borne the child. The fact that Rachel gives the name, rather than Bilhah, demonstrates that she is recognized as the child's mother. When Leah thought she could no longer give Jacob sons, she gave her servant, Zilpah to Jacob, who bore him 7) Gad and 8) Asher. These two, however, were legally Leah's sons when she adopted them, in the manner previously described.

After some time, Leah did conceive two more sons: 9) Issachar and 10) Zebulun, and a daughter: Dinah, who is first mentioned in Genesis 30:21 as the daughter of Leah and Jacob, born to Leah after she had borne six sons to Jacob. Finally, Rachel gave birth to 11) Joseph, and 12) Benjamin.

Joseph's brothers became jealous of him because their father loved him more than his other sons, since he was the son of his old age. They feared him because he revealed his dreams, which foretold his future greatness. One dream was that he and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field. Joseph's sheaf rose up, and the sheaves of his brothers arose and bowed down to it. In another dream the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him. Jacob rebuked him for implying that his father, mother, and eleven brothers would also bow before him one day.

The brothers decided to kill Joseph, but the eldest son Reuben persuaded them not to do so. "Do not shed any blood. Cast him into this pit ... but do not lay hands upon him" (Genesis 37:32). Reuben intended to come back later and rescue Joseph, but his plans were thwarted. They stripped Joseph of his coat and threw him into the pit, and then sold him for twenty gold coins to merchants who were traveling to Egypt in a caravan. After killing a goat, they smeared its blood on the coat and brought it to Jacob saying that they had found it on the ground. Jacob recognized the coat and concluded that a wild animal must have killed Joseph.

In Egypt Joseph was sold to Potiphar, a captain of the guards. Because his master saw that the Lord was with Joseph, and that he was a successful man, he made him the overseer of his house, placing him in charge of all his possessions. The Righteous Joseph was fair of countenance, and Potiphar's wife wanted him to lie with her. He would not consent to this, but the shameless woman continued pestering him. One day she repeated her request, and he fled from her. She seized his garment as he ran away, and showed it to her husband when he returned home. Out of malice and spite, Potiphar's wife slandered the Righteous Joseph before her husband, saying that he had attempted to rape her. Believing the lie, Potiphar confined the innocent young man in a prison. There, Saint Joseph the Fair gained fame when he interpreted the dreams of two men in the prison (Genesis chapter 40).

After Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's two dreams (Genesis chapter 41), predicting seven years of plenty, and seven years of famine and misfortune for Egypt, he advised Pharaoh to appoint overseers to store one fifth of the grain harvest each year, and to reserve it for the time of famine. The Righteous Joseph was set free and was given charge of Pharaoh's household, and became the Lord of Egypt. Pharaoh was still the ruler, but Joseph answered only to him.

When famine also struck his home in the land of Canaan, ten of Joseph's brothers were sent to Egypt by Jacob in order to buy some grain. Only Benjamin stayed at home with his father. Joseph recognized them, but they did not know him. He threw them into prison for three days, then released them. He gave them provisions and sent them on their way, ordering them to send him their youngest brother.

Later, Joseph revealed himself to them, and he wept. He told them to bring his father and his entire family to Egypt. After Jacob's death, Joseph's brothers feared that he would repay them for all the evil they had done to him, so they asked for forgiveness. He replied, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20).

Before his death around 1700 B. C., the Righteous Joseph ordered that his bones be taken from Egypt to the Promised Land, which was done in the time of the holy Prophet Moses (September 4), 1496 B.C. As the father of Manassah and Ephraim, Saint Joseph is placed at the head of two of the tribes of Israel.

Saint Joseph is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers, and on Great and Holy Monday.

SAIAH 58:1-11 

1 “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God. 3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ “In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. 4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high. 5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the Lord? 6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

GENESIS 43:26-31; 45:1-16

26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. 27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. 29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.”

1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 “But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 “For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 “And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 “So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. 10 “You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. 11 “There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.” ’ 12 “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 “So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him. 16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.

[lilybarthes]

i'm sorry, reuben (jacob's firstborn) had an affair with jacob's concubine zilpah?

truly such a messy family

[holdonendure]

AND ELOHIYM said unto El-Ya`aqov, Arise, go up to Beyt-EL, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto ELOHIYM, that appeared unto you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother. Then Ya`aqov said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away את eth-the strange elohai that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Beyt-EL; and I will make there an altar unto ELOHIYM, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto El- Ya`aqov את eth all the strange elohai which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Ya`aqov hid them under the oak which was by Shekem. And they journeyed: and the terror of ELOHIYM was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Ya`aqov. So Ya`aqov came to Luz, which is in the land of Kena`an, that is, Beyt-EL, he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar, and called the place EL Beyt- EL: because there ELOHIYM appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. But Deborah Rivqah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Beyt-EL under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon Bakuth. And ELOHIYM appeared unto El-Ya`aqov again, when he came out of Paddan Aram, and blessed him. And ELOHIYM said unto him, Your name is Ya`aqov: your name shall not be called anymore Ya`aqov, but Yashar'el shall be your name: and he called את eth-his name Yashar'el. And ELOHIYM said unto him, I am EL SHADDAI: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of you, and kings shall come out of your loins; And את eth-the land which I gave Avraham and Yitschaq, to you I will give it, and to your seed after you will I give את eth-the land. And ELOHIYM went up from him in the place where he talked with him. And Ya`aqov set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Ya`aqov called את eth-the name of the place where ELOHIYM spoke with him, Beyt-EL. And they journeyed from Beyt-EL; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrathah: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; you shall have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-Oniy: but his father called him Binyamiyn. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrathah, which is Beyt Lechem. And Ya`aqov set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. And Yashar'el journeyed, and spread his tent beyond Migdal-Eder. And it came to pass, when Yashar'el dwelt in that land, that Re'uven went and lay with את eth-Bilhah his father's concubine: and Yashar'el heard it. Now the sons of Ya`aqov were twelve: The sons of Le'ah; Re'uven, Ya`aqov's firstborn, and Shim`on, and Leviy, and Yahudah, and Yisshakar, and Zevulun: The sons of Rachel; Yoceph, and Binyamiyn: And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtaliy: And the sons of Zilpah, Le'ah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Ya`aqov, which were born to him in Paddan Aram. And Ya`aqov came unto El- Yitschaq his father unto Mamre, unto Qiryat Arba, which is Chevron, where Avraham and Yitschaq sojourned. And the days of Yitschaq were a hundred and fourscore years. And Yitschaq gave up his ruach, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Ya`aqov buried him.

BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 35 את CEPHER