The Sons Of Yacob
So far Yacob had been obliged to remain with his uncle for 'twice seven years'13 to payoff the dowry (mohar) of his two wives, Leah and Rachel. Once free from this debt he remained six more years at Paddan-aram, according to Bereshith, but now he was working on his own account. He needed to acquire wealth so that before very long he could return honourably to his father's camp in the Negeb.
Also, soon Yacob was to have twelve 14 sons, a symbolic figure which the scribes responsible for the Scriptural text were fond of emphasizing. We have already seen that Ishmael (the son of Abraham and Hagar the slave-girl) had twelve sons. In the institutions, in certain ritual descriptions and in a great number of narratives of the Old Covenant. the figure twelve appears with particular emphasis. In fact twelve also was the sign of fullness. Thus to the twelve prophets of the Old Law there correspond the twelve apostles whom YAHSHUA gathered round him.
One chapter of Bereshith describes with much picturesque detail how the names of the twelve sons were chosen. The oriental is intensely interested in everything concerning the genealogy of his important ancestors. But this passage might well remain incomprehensible without at this point some historical explanation.
In antiquity there were no family names. What we nowadays call a forename (a name chosen according to family tradition or the whim of the parents) must be regarded rather, at the period with which we are concerned, as a sort of nickname.
The eastern surname, bestowed on an individual at the moment of birth, as a general rule has nothing in common with the family name of western civilization which enables the complexities of the family tree to be more easily resolved. The purpose of the Semitic name is both social and spiritual and its object is to show the underlying nature of its bearer. It cannot be interchangeable. When a man is called by his name all the psychic powers of this name are set in motion; it has a real meaning. Hence its importance. Usually it was the mother who gave the name (at least in ancient times) at the birth of the child.
The social and spiritual thought governing the attribution of the names of Yacob's sons
With this in mind we shall be in a better position to appreciate the social and spiritual thought governing the attribution of the names of Yacob's sons. For the birth of these twelve children was to be marked by many incidents; all this to the great satisfaction of the storytellers and to the repeated joy of their audiences, not least because all these names in one way or another could be explained by means of puns.
Leah had been received somewhat coldly by her husband. To console her for this trial of her affections YAHWEH was to make her fruitful while Yacob's beloved Rachel remained, for the time being at least. without children. This was hardly calculated to make for a peaceful family life.
…Leah gave birth to her first son whom she called Reuben (Ra'ah be'onyi, 'he has seen my distress') and she added, 'now my husband will love me'. So at least she hoped. She then produced a second son whom she called Simeon (shama: 'he has heard'), meaning YAHWEH has heard that I was neglected, so HE has given me this one too. Leah had a third son. This time,' she said, 'my husband will be united to me, for I have now borne three sons to him' and so she named the child Levi (yillaweh, 'he will cling'). The fourth son was called Judah (odeh, 'I will praise').
In the circumstances Rachel's despair can be understood. In her distress she appealed to her husband, 'Give me children, or I shall die!' Yacob reproved her angrily: 'Am I in YAHWEH's place?' It is HE who has refused you motherhood.' Rachel decided therefore to make use of the perfectly legal Sumerian practice which was adopted by Sarah when she was barren. Rachel gave Yacob her slave-girl Bilhah, who in due time gave birth to a son' on the knees of her mistress' and thenceforward the child was regarded as Rachel's. Then Rachel said, 'YAHWEH has done me justice; yes, HE has heard my prayer and given me a son.' Thereupon she named him Dan (dananni 'HE has done justice to me')
After this success Rachel decided to repeat it; she continued to be a mother, through the agency of Bilhah, who gave her a second son. 'I have fought YAHWEH's fight with my sister,' announced Rachel, 'and I have won.' And so she named him Naphtali (niphtalti, 'I have fought').
All this time Leah, who with four sons, was well in advance of her sister, produced no more. But she took care not to allow herself to be beaten by Rachel in this curious competition. Her father Laban had given her also as a wedding present the slave-girl Zilpah. She too must enter the family circle. There followed another birth according to the Sumerian pattern. To the son who was born thus Leah gave the name Gad (gad, 'good luck'). Once more Zilpah bore a son, causing Leah to utter a cry of victory, 'What happiness! Women will call me happy!' So she named him Asher ('osheri 'my happiness' and 'ishsheruni 'they will count me happy').
It was now Leah's turn to give birth -in person this time. 'YAHWEH has paid me my wages,' she exclaimed. This fifth son was Issachar (sakar, 'he has hired' and sakar, 'wages'). When she gave birth to a sixth son, Zebulun (yizbeleni 'he will respect me') she hoped that at last Yacob would give her the honour due to her. After all these sons Leah produced a daughter, Dinah, who later on was to play a part in the troubles of the clan.
Then YAHWEH remembered Rachel. He heard her prayers and she gave birth to a son. This was the famous Yoseph who one day was to summon all his brothers to Egypt where he had become a high official. The birth of this ardently desired child caused Rachel to exclaim, 'YAHWEH has taken away my shame! and she added a prayer that YAHWEH would give her another son, There was a double pun here: 'asaph, meaning 'he has taken away' and yoseph, 'may he add', foretelling the future birth of Benjamin.
In all these rather forced etymologies there appears an element of popular entertainment. The Yahwistic tradition clearly predominates here. Down the ages the wandering shepherds endeavoured to explain by means of phonetic approximations, which seem very fanciful to us, the names of the eponymous heroes of Yisrael, the leaders of the Twelve Tribes.
13 Seven years This is a figure which recurs over and over again in the history of the Hebrews. It is used to indicate the completion of a perfect cycle As for the three periods (amounting in all to twenty years) that Yacob spent with Laban it is better to regard them numerically in a general sense, and not give them their precise meaning.
14 At the end of his period at Paddan-aram Yacob had still only eleven sons. The twelfth, Benjamin, was to be born to Rachel when the caravan, having left the region of the Euphrates, had penetrated into the land of Canaan and was on its way to the Negeb.
Yacob Called Yisrael Index Yacob Sitemap Scripture History Through the Ages Yacob Called Yisrael Yacob and Esau Theft Of The Paternal Blessing Flight, The Only Solution For Yacob Yacob's Dream At Bethel Yacob Puts Up A Stele Named BethEl The Location Of Bethel Importance Of The Well, A Meeting Place Details Of The Mohar The Sons Of Yacob How Yacob Became Rich Yacob Leaves The Land Of The Fathers Treaty Between Yacob And Laban Messages Between Yacob And Esau Yacob Wrestles With YAHWEH Two Brothers, Yacob and Esau Meet Towards The Promised Land The Departure From Shechem The Conclusion Of Yacob