Children of Jacob
Jacob, through his two wives and his two concubines had 12 biological sons; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali,Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin and at least one daughter, Dinah (if there were other daughters, they are not mentioned in the Genesis story).
Benjamin (Hebrew: בִּנְיָמִין Bīnyāmīn; "Son of (the) right") was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thirteenth child and twelfth and youngest son) in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition. He was also the progenitor of the Israelite Tribe of Benjamin.
The latter third of the book of Genesis relates the complex and vola- tile relationship of the patriarch Jacob, his four wives, and their thirteen children (twelve sons, one daughter).
The younger daughter of Laban and the wife of Jacob, Rachel is the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who become two of the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen 35:24; 46:15–18).
The text is framed as an explanation by Jesus on the Mount of Olives concerning the life of Joseph, his stepfather. Agreeing with Mary's continued virginity, the text proclaims that Joseph had four sons (Judas, Justus, James, and Simon) and two daughters (Assia and Lydia) by a previous marriage.
“But Rachel Was Barren”
The midrash relates that Rachel was twenty-two years old when she was married to Jacob (Seder Olam Rabbah 2), and her barrenness lasted for fourteen years (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah 18, p. 99).
At the end of 20 years in Haran, Jacob's wealth was extensive. He had four wives: Leah, Rachel, and their handmaidens Bilhah and Zilpah. From these wives, the long-awaited promise of seed began to be fulfilled.
Miriam and Aaron were jealous because Moses had two wives and because more of his attention would have been taken by the newly married woman. It is not unusual in an African setting for relatives and friends to be jealous when husbands are too occupied with two or three wives.
Jacob's overt favoritism toward Rachel had prompted God to keep Rachel's womb closed, but Rachel's love was ultimately redeemed when she gave birth to a boy named Joseph, Jacob's favorite (Genesis 30:24-25).
Joseph, Jacob's Favorite Son (Arch Books Bible Stories)
Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he had been born to him when he was old. He made a long robe with full sleeves for him. But Joseph said to [his brothers], “Don't be afraid; I can't put myself in the place of God.
The Blessing of Jacob (Genesis 49) directly mentions Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin and especially extolls Joseph over his brothers.
Jacob wrestles God for the blessing God intended for him all along—a summarizing picture of Jacob's life. Because Jacob won't receive God's blessing, God wounds him in the place where he generated his own blessings.
Kings were forbidden to marry multiple women (Deut. 17:14-20); yet, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Even though the Bible does not say to not practice polygamy, it certainly provides many examples of the devastation that the sin of polygamy leaves in its wake.
"Christian tradition has long held that Jesus was not married, even though no reliable historical evidence exists to support that claim," King said in a press release.
According to the biblical account, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The wives were described as foreign princesses, including Pharaoh's daughter and women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon and of the Hittites.
There are six barren women in the Bible: three of the four matriarchs (Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel) in Genesis; Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1-2); the anonymous wife of Manoah, mother of Samson (Judges 13); and the “great woman of Shunem,” also called the Shunammite, an acolyte of the prophet Elisha (2 ...
The Bible does not specify how long Hannah was barren, a period that, according to the. midrash, extended for nineteen years. Why was this righteous woman forced to suffer so many years of childlessness?
Reaching menopause confirmed that it was biologically impossible for Sarah to conceive. Yet, intriguingly Sarah does not seem to acknowledge her menopause as the main culprit of her infertility. Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel's marriages are scrutinised by an Akan reader because of the delay in children.
A careful look at the New Testament shows that Mary kept her vow of virginity and never had any children other than Jesus. When Jesus was found in the Temple at age twelve, the context suggests that he was the only son of Mary and Joseph.
By contrast, the apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter, from the 5th or 6th century, has a long account of Joseph's peaceful death, aged 111, in the presence of Jesus (aged about 19), Mary and angels. This scene starts to appear in art in the 17th century.
Most of the ancient commentators of the Bible interpreted it as meaning that Joseph was law-abiding, and as such decided to divorce Mary in keeping with Mosaic Law when he found her pregnant by another. However, his righteousness was tempered by mercy and he thus kept the affair private.