Introduction

Rachel is described as the more beautiful of Laban's two daughters and instantly catches the eye of Jacob. Her gesture to help Jacob with water echoes back to her mothers behavior upon ecountering Abraham's servant. Both times this gesture results in a marriage proposal. We aren't told much about Racehel's personality, explicity, but a lot can be deduced by her actions throughout the text.

Origins

Name

The Hebrew name we translate to Rachel is רָחֵל. It meands "ewe" and actually closer to Raquel in pronunciation. She is the only Rachel mentioned in the Bible.[1]

Ancestry

Rachel is one of few women that we can trace their entire lineage. We know that Laban is her father and that she comes from the same branch of the tree that Abraham does. She is a Hebrew—she and her husband (and his other wives) are the progenitors of the Israelites.

Questions

About the Passage

1. How old was Rachel when she met Jacob?
2. Did she love Jacob?
3. Were she and Leah close before Jacob?
4. Did she know her father was going to marry Leah to Jacob first?
   • Where was she during the wedding?
   • How did they get her to cooperate?
5. Did she have still borns or simply never conceive?
6. How did she feel about Jacob's treatment of Leah?
7. Why did she take the idols?
8. Did she ever worship the Most High?
9. Why was having children so important to her?
10. Was her barrenness set up for testimony or was it a punishment?
11. If it was a punishment, was it for her or for Jacob?
12. Sarah and Hagar bicker after Hagar conceives, what was Rachel's relationship with her maid like?
    • Before and after?
    • Did she take and raise the child?
    • How did she feel about that child being placed with lower importance (evidenced when meeting Esau)?
13. How old was Rachel when she had each child?
14. Why didn't Jacob carry her bones to the family burial site?
15. Why didn't Jacob want to be buried with Rachel?
16. Did she have Benjamin before or after Jacob was sold?
17. Was she flattered that Jacob would work 14 years for her hand in marriage? (or revolted?)
18. What was her outlook on life?
19. Did she agree with tradtion (like eldest daughter married first)?
20. Was she rebellious?
21. Was the kiss when she met Jacob a greeting or romantic?

Phototheology

Phototheology is a way of learning the Bible taught by Ivor Myers.[2] I am employing this technique in my weekly Woman of God study journal. The following three prompts are the ones I drew from the card deck while studying Rebekah.

How does this compare or contrast with the Adamic cycle?

In the table below I compare some of the similarities in Rachel's life/story and that of Adam.

Study the text against the backdrop of the life of Christ

I find it interesting that even though Rachel was the favored wife of Jacob, it is Leah who is chosen to create the line that will bear Messiah (Judah). That made me curious about why Jacob loved Rachel so much. Unlike her aunt and mother-in-law, Rebekah, we don't see any signs of generosity in her first meeting with Jacob. It is Jacob who offers to help her with the chores instead of the other way around. The only things we are really told about Rachel are that she desired children and she was the one who stole Laban's idols when they left home.

In this regard, it doesn't seem that Rachel has much in common with Christ or the life of Christ, but I think her relationship with Jacob speaks to the unconditional love Christ has for the Church. Often people reduce relationships and attraction to what people do—especially if you find yourself in listening to someone in the manosphere. However, Messiah loves us because He loves us; we haven't and cannot do anything to earn that love. Messiah died on the cross for us even though we didn't deserve it. He endured all the hardships of life for us, even though we didn't deserve it. Similarly, Jacob loved Rachel, even though she didn't offer him anything, she struggled to have children, etc. He simply loved her.[3]

Meditate on the emotion behind the story or text

Rachel experienced the following emotions throughout her story:

• Sorrow
• Frustration
• Jealousy/Envy
• Joy

Other emotions that might have been present include fear/anxiety (about the marriage), love (if she was in love with Jacob), anger/disappoinment about the sitatuon as a whole.

Journal Pages

Journal pages for my study on Rachel from May 21-27, 2025

References & Footnotes

1. "Strong's H7354. רָחֵל". Blue Letter Bible; visited May 2025
2. Pastor Ivor Myers' Phototheology Game Deck