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Person

Bilhah

Woman living at the time of the Patriarchs

Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, bore Jacob two sons, Dan and Naphtali, who became ancestors of Israelite tribes.

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Bilhah was the maidservant of Rachel, concubine of Israel (or 'Jacob') (Gen. 29:29). When Rachel found herself unable to conceive, she gave Bilhah to Jacob as a concubine to bear children on her behalf, following the custom of the time (Gen. 30:3-4). Bilhah gave birth to two sons, Dan and Naphtali (Gen. 30:5-8), who became the ancestors of two of the twelve tribes of Israel. Later, Jacob's firstborn son, Reuben, slept with Bilhah, an act that greatly displeased Jacob (Gen. 35:22). Despite this incident, Bilhah is still mentioned among the members of Jacob's family who went to Egypt during the famine (Gen. 46:25). Her sons, Dan and Naphtali, are listed among the seventy members of Jacob's household (Gen. 46:23-25). Bilhah's story highlights the complex family dynamics in Jacob's household and the importance of childbearing in ancient Israelite society. Her sons' inclusion in the twelve tribes of Israel underscores God's providence in fulfilling His promise to make a great nation from Jacob's descendants.

Family

Spouse or partner
Israel
Children
DanNaphtali

Connections

Part of: The patriarchal families

Bilhah's sons: Dan and Naphtali

FamilyStated in the text

Rachel gave her servant Bilhah to Jacob; Bilhah bore Dan and Naphtali, whom Rachel counted as her own. Reuben later slept with Bilhah, a transgression that cost him the firstborn's standing.

BilhahRachel's maidservant and mother of Dan and NaphtaliRachelSister of LeahDanSon of IsraelNaphtaliSon of Israel
Where the text shows it: Gen 30:3-8 — Dan and Naphtali born through BilhahGen 35:22 — Reuben lies with Bilhah1 Chr 5:1 — Birthright passes from Reuben to Joseph's sons

Sources: Gen 30:3-8 · Gen 35:22 · 1 Chr 5:1

The twelve sons grouped by mother

FamilyStated in the text

Genesis 35 groups the twelve sons by mother: six of Leah, two of Rachel, two of Bilhah, two of Zilpah. This grouping explains later tribal alliances, camp arrangements and the lines of favouritism in Genesis 37.

IsraelSon of IsaacLeahSister of RachelRachelSister of LeahBilhahRachel's maidservant and mother of Dan and NaphtaliZilpahLeah's maidservant; mother of Gad and Asher
Where the text shows it: Gen 35:23-26 — Explicit list of sons by motherNum 2:3-31 — Camp arrangement by tribe

Sources: Gen 35:23-26 · Num 2:3-31

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Bilhah Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Faltering; bashful, Rachel’s handmaid, whom she gave to Jacob (Gen. 29:29). She was the mother of Dan and Naphtali (Gen. 30:3-8). Reuben was cursed by his father for committing adultry with her (35:22; 49:4). He was deprived of the birth-right, which was given to the sons of Joseph.

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Bilhah Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(timid, bashful), handmaid of Rachel, (Genesis 29:29) and concubine of Jacob, to whom she bore Dan and Naphtali. (Genesis 30:3-8; 35:25; 46:25; 1 Chronicles 7:13) (B.C 53.)

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Bilhah Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

BIL'HAH (timid, modest), the handmaid of Rachel, and, by Jacob, the mother of Dan and Naphtali. Gen 29:29; Gen 35:25.

BIL'HAH . See Balah.

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Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Bilhah appears

10 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1090

Genesis9
1 Chronicles1

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.