Lexical Definition

‎Ῥαχήλ‎ Rhachḗl (hrakh-ale') Rachel N:N-F-P
of Hebrew origin (‎רָחֵל‎)

Rachel.

Abbott-Smith

Ῥαχήλ, indecl. (Heb. רָחֵל),
Rachel: Mt 2:18 (LXX).†

Abbott-Smith References

Book Refs
Matthew 2:18

Profile

Female • Sister of Leah • Wife of Jacob; mother of Joseph and Benjamin

Woman living at the time of the Patriarchs

Rachel was the beloved wife of Jacob, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.

Rachel was the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of Leah (Genesis 29:16). She became the beloved wife of Israel (or 'Jacob'), who worked for Laban for fourteen years to marry her (Genesis 29:18-30). Rachel was initially unable to conceive, while Leah bore several children (Genesis 29:31-35). In her distress, Rachel gave her maidservant Bilhah to Jacob, and Bilhah bore Dan and Naphtali (Genesis 30:1-8). Eventually, God remembered Rachel, and she gave birth to Joseph (Genesis 30:22-24). When Jacob left Laban, Rachel stole her father's household idols (Genesis 31:19). She later hid them and deceived her father when he came searching for them (Genesis 31:34-35). As Jacob's family journeyed to Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel went into labor and gave birth to Benjamin, but she died during childbirth (Genesis 35:16-20). Jacob buried her on the way to Ephrath and set up a pillar on her grave (Genesis 35:20). Rachel's sons, Joseph and Benjamin, became two of the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 46:19-22). Her tomb became a landmark (1 Samuel 10:2) and is mentioned in Jeremiah 31:15, where her weeping is used as a symbol for Israel's mourning during the Babylonian exile. This passage is also quoted in Matthew 2:18 in relation to Herod's massacre of the innocents.

All entries for Rachel: רָחֵלῬαχήλ