Leah and Rachel's husband - crossword clue The life of the righteous Leah (Lily)

Unloved wife.Leah, Jacob's wife

On her advice, her beloved son goes to Mesopotamia - to the place where the servant of his grandfather Abraham used to go after the bride of his father Isaac, his mother Rebekah. But Eliezer went there with a whole caravan of camels and many gifts for the future bride and her family. Jacob flees from the house, having nothing in his hands but a staff. But he, too, went to Mesopotamia for a bride! How sad and lonely he was when he moved farther and farther from his home, remembering his prosperity and wealth.
The day has leaned towards evening, the sun has gone down, and he prepares himself for the night. She goes to bed in the open air, putting a stone under her head. He does not go to the Canaanites to sleep, remembering the order of his father, Isaac: not to mess with the Canaanites (Gen. 28: 1). Tired of the exhausting path, Jacob falls asleep, and the Lord vigilantly watches him and wants to console him in his distress and appears to him at night in a dream. Such a beautiful revelation: Jacob sees a ladder that stands on the earth, and the top of it touches the sky, and the angels of God ascend and descend along it. God stands at the top of this ladder and says: “... I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham, and the God of Isaac ... And, behold, I am with you; and I will keep you wherever you go; and I will return you to this land ... ”(Gen. 28: 13,15). What a merciful and loving our Lord! Not a word of reproach! An exhausted, tired fugitive needs encouragement, and the Lord encourages him: “... I will not leave you until I have done what I told you” (Gen. 28:15).
Doesn't God view Jacob's act as a sin? Of course yes! But now smoking flax cannot be extinguished. The time will come when God will speak to him about the stolen blessing and will break it - was it not the same with Peter? Now is not the time. The angel says to women after the resurrection: “Go, tell His disciples and Peter ...” (Mark 16: 7), and then Christ will ask him three times: “Do you love Me? ..” (John 21: 15-17 ). How kind and merciful our God is: He wants us to realize our sin ourselves, to understand our mistake and not repeat it!
Jacob feared the Lord after this vision, set up a pillar, poured oil on top of it and made a vow to God, saying: if God will be with me and keep me in this way, in which I am going, and will give me bread to eat and clothes to put on, so will I. in peace I will return to my father's house, and the Lord will be my God, then this stone, which I have set as a memorial, will be the house of God; and of all that You, God, give me, I will give You a tenth (Gen. 28: 17-22). These words show his desire to return to his father's house, as well as his strong nature - even at such a moment he is looking for his benefit: if you, Lord, give me, I will give to you! Twenty long years of tiring, hard work will pass, and Jacob will turn into Israel, and humble himself before his brother Esau (Gen. 33), but this will not be soon.
In the meantime, encouraged by the Lord, he continues his journey and comes to Mesopotamia. There he meets with the shepherds at the well and learns that they are the shepherds and sheep of his uncle Laban (Gen. 29: 1-8). Overjoyed by this meeting, he saw the beautiful Rachel, the daughter of his mother's brother, kissed her, lifted up his voice and wept (Gen. 29:11). After living with Laban for one month, to his question: "... will you really serve me for free?" (Gen. 29:15) he replied: "... I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your youngest daughter" (Gen. 29:18). Rachel was beautiful in form and face, and Jacob himself decided the question of marriage, because he fell in love with her at first sight. At this crucial moment in his life, he did not remember how Eliezer, the faithful servant of his grandfather Abraham, when he saw the beautiful Rebekah, knelt down and prayed! I think that his mother told him about this more than once or twice. He did not ask God if He intended Rachel for him as a friend in life, he decides everything himself! She is beautiful - and he doesn't need anything else!
Seven years passed, a feast took place, and after the feast Jacob was deceived: instead of Rachel, Laban gave him Leah as his wife. What you once sowed is the time to reap! Jacob did not think about it, and often we do not! Jacob is indignant and in his hearts says to Laban: "... why did you deceive me?" (Gen. 29:25) He insists that Rachel be given to him.
So, he has two wives: Leah, who was weak in eyes, and the beautiful Rachel. "Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah ... The Lord saw that Leah was unloved ..." (Gen. 29: 30-31). The Lord, who surveys the whole earth, sees Jacob, all his actions, and sees Leah, who is unloved ... After reading this verse, I was surprised: “The Lord saw that Leah was unloved ...” He sees all of us! He sees those wives whom they love and those who are not loved! He knows their experiences! The Creator Lord created a woman beautiful, tender and weak. She absolutely needs to love and be loved! Love is the most important component of a happy life.
Was Jacob's family happy? No! Quarrels and disputes between two wives-sisters, and then their children. Was this what Leah wanted? Of course not! Like every woman, she is looking for love and recognition. And the Lord helps her in this: seeing her suffering, He opened her womb, she gave birth to her firstborn son and named him Reuben, because she said: “The Lord has looked at my misery; for now my husband will love me ”(verse 32). This suffering heart, seeking love, understands the main thing: the Lord has looked at her misery. This humble heart feels that the Lord is with her, but still she wants to win her husband's heart by giving him a son! But the hope: "now my husband will cleave to me" was not fulfilled - She gave birth to a second son, whom she named Simeon, and said: "The Lord heard that I was unloved ..." (verse 33) Through the second pregnancy, she understood that the Lord saw her distress, heard her sighs, complaints, secret tears: Jacob has neither a gentle look, nor a kind word for her! And she continues to seek and yearn for his love. Having given birth to her third son, she said: “Now my husband will cleave to me; for I have borne him three sons ”(verse 34). But this hope of hers collapsed - everything remained the same: Jacob is cold and indifferent to this modest, humble-hearted woman who was looking for and thirsting for his attention and understanding.
What does Leah do next? Going away, how fashionable is it now? No! Having given birth to her fourth son, she said: "Now I will praise the Lord!" (verse 35). It would seem that nothing has changed in her life - why praise God? But complete humility came before the Lord: no complaints and desires! In this school of family difficulties, she learned to praise the Lord for everything and rely on Him! It was during this period of her life - complete obedience to the Lord - that Judas was born to her. From him will come the kings of Israel and the Savior Jesus Christ Himself. And not only. The tribe of Levi, which gave Israel the great leader Moses and the high priest Aaron.
"... humility precedes glory ..." - this is how the wise Solomon writes (Prov. 18:12). The Lord, sending difficulties on our path in life, wants to teach us complete submission to His will and the perception of it. How blessed our life becomes when we understand and perceive this! Our desires are no longer there - there is the One who leads us along the path according to His will.
At a time when Leah was in the school of humility and perfectly learned this life lesson, Rachel becomes more and more arrogant, proud, envious. Seeing her sister's clear blessing
she does not rejoice, but comes to Jacob and orders: "Give me children, and if not, I die" (Gen. 30: 1). What insolence and injustice! Beauties always talk like this to their husbands, feeling that they own their hearts: they are demanding, they threaten death or leave! Instead of humility before the Lord - ingratitude, instead of prayer - a threat to her husband!
Jacob was angry with her and said that it was not in his power, but in the hands of God. But Rachel does not draw any conclusion and continues to act willfully and boldly. She may not have children of her own, but in order to take revenge on her sister, she gives her husband her servant Balla. And when Balla gave birth to her second son, Naphtali, what foolish words does Rachel say: “... I fought with a mighty struggle with my sister, and overcame” (Gen. 30: 8). This is what a proud heart says: pride always fights and proves!
And Leah continues to communicate with God. He hears her and gives her a fifth son. Having given birth to Jacob's sixth son, Leah said: “God gave me a wonderful gift ...” (Genesis 30:20). She talks to the Lord, praises Him and thanks Him! She is modest, quiet, silent, shy. She knows that her eyes are weak, that she is not distinguished by beauty, she has nothing to boast of. She grows rich in God and praises Him.
But God loves Rachel too. He remembered her and gave her a son, and she realized that God can remove her shame (Gen. 30:23). A loving Creator gently breaks the pride of this beauty. He frees her from idols, that is, he cleans her heart from everything earthly, and ends her life when she gives birth to her second son. Why the Lord does this, we do not know - only He knows it. Maybe because Jacob loved Rachel excessively, and she was his idol? Or maybe she blossomed spiritually and was ready to meet with the One who worked so long and tirelessly on her soul? Many questions will be answered only in heaven! One thing is clear to us - the Lord left Jacob to continue his wandering on earth with the unloved Leah.
But this is not what we are talking about in our conversation, dear sisters! Our speech is about the modest visually impaired Leah, who has always been second after the beautiful Rachel, and unloved. She is a shining example for unloved wives! And how many are there in the world? Loving, suffering, unrecognized women!
Jacob overlooked the golden, faithful, kind and sensitive heart of the ugly Leah. She does not leave him, does not repay him with evil, does not present an ultimatum, does not sarcastically. Humbly, modestly, quietly carries his cross all his life. The Lord sees her, hears, remembers - and in her sorrow she praises God! And he lives out his day with Jacob. I think their relationship has become warm and close. Towards the end of his life, having put in order his past, that is, having reconciled with his brother Esau, having completed his will to his sons, Jacob commanded to bury him next to Leah (Gen. 49: 30-32).
How gratifying it is to realize that the Lord is taking care of the last days of our life on earth. He renamed Jacob to Israel, humbled Rachel, and together they all received a great honor - their names are written on the pages of Holy Scripture. Leah and Rachel became the founders of the Old Testament church. The elders of Bethlehem, blessing the marriage of Boaz and Ruth, wished him the same happiness and blessings from God that Rachel and Leah brought Jacob! (Ruth 4:11).
Dear sister, if you are unrecognized, unloved, remember: the Lord loves you, He knows you, remembers you and will send what He wants - what leads us to joy, to happiness!

Olga Mokan

Mother of Joseph and Benjamin.

According to the biblical story, Jacob met Rachel when he arrived in Haran, fleeing the wrath of his brother Esau; Jacob loved her at first sight and agreed to work for her for Laban for seven years. When the term expired, Laban went for a trick and replaced Rachel with Leah on the wedding night. When Jacob discovered the substitution the next morning, Laban explained that he was obliged to marry the eldest daughter before the youngest, and agreed to give him Rachel, if Jacob commits to work for him another seven years (Gen. 29: 4-30). According to the Bible, Rachel was “beautiful in form and beautiful in face” (Gen. 29:17), and Jacob loved her more than “weak-eyed” Leah (Gen. 29:30). However, Rachel remained sterile and envied Leah's fertility. Desperate, she, as before Sarah (Gen. 16: 2–4), gave her maidservant Bilch at a concubine to her husband; Rachel considered those born Bilh oh Dana and Naftali to be her own sons (Gen. 30: 1–8). (The motive of infertility and late childbirth is widespread in the story of the patriarchs - see Sarah, Rebekah.) In the end, Rachel became pregnant and gave birth to a son, saying: “I took off ( asaf) God my shame. And she called his name Joseph, saying, the Lord will give ( joseph) me and another son ”(Genesis 30: 23-24). Rachel died during her second childbirth on the way from Beth-El to Efrat, in Beth-Lehem; dying, she named her second son Ben-Oni (“the son of my suffering”), but Jacob gave him the name Benjamin. Jacob buried Rachel not in the family crypt in the cave of Machpelah, but where she died - by the road, and erected a stone monument over her grave (Gen. 35: 16-21; cf. 48: 7). However, according to I Sam. 10: 2, Rachel's grave is located “on the Binyamin's borders, in Tselzah” (Beth-Lehem and its surroundings were in the inheritance of Yeh Uda, not Binyamin). The law teachers saw this contradiction and believed that in verse 10: 2 of Bk. I Samuel a mistake crept in (Gen. R. 82:10; Toseph., Sot. 11:11 and others).

According to Haggadh, Jacob buried Rachel on the road at Beth Lechem because he foresaw that the exiled to Babylonia (see Babylonian captivity) would pass here, and Rachel would pray to God to have mercy on them (Gen. R. 82:10). The grave of Rachel at Bet-Lehem is mentioned by early Christian writers (for example, by Eusebius); the earliest Jewish source describing this tomb, the 10th-century Jerusalem Guide, was found in the Cairo geniza. Jewish travelers, starting with Benjamin of Tudela (about 1170), speak of a monument consisting of twelve stones, eleven of which were laid by the sons of Jacob, and on them a large stone laid by Jacob himself. A dome on four columns was built over the grave. At the end of the 18th century. a building was erected around the grave, which was renovated in 1841 with funds provided by

RACHEL

(mammal, mother sheep; Gen. 29: 6,28, etc.) - the youngest daughter of Laban and the second wife of Patriarch Jacob. The first time we meet her name in priest. stories of Jacob's visit to his uncle Laban in Mesopotamia. Jacob's meeting with Rachel and his subsequent life is outlined in the book. Being with the usual simplicity of patriarchal times. So is the following story about his deep love for her, a love that has not been weakened for many years; about the cunning with which Laban deceived him, replacing the younger daughter with an older one when he married, and about Jacob's loyalty to the object of his first love and about his willingness to serve Laban for the second seven years for Rachel. Having become his wife, she was punished by sterility, perhaps for the jealous dislike she had for the rejected Leah (Gen. 29:31). However, after some time, God opened her womb and she gave birth to Jacob's son - Joseph. When Jacob departed from Mesopotamia, Rachel took with her and hid the idol images of her father without her husband's knowledge, no doubt due to some superstition, and when Laban insisted on the return of these, she cunningly avoided the search (31: 34-35), hiding them under the saddle of a camel and saying that he could not get up from it because of an ordinary woman. After his touching meeting and reconciliation with Esau and the bloody event, combined with the defeat of the inhabitants of Shechem, and the divine revelations he received at Bethel, Jacob set out on a journey from this last place, and now his beloved Rachel died on the way from giving birth to a son named Benjamin , "and was buried on the road to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem. Jacob set a memorial over her grave" (Gen. 35: 18-19). Rachel's tomb was well known for centuries after what we know from 1 Sam.10: 2. And to this day, both Jews and Muslims still treat her with great reverence. Local Arabs gather here for solemn prayers during the absence of rain. Married women take pieces of stone from here and wear them during pregnancy. Dean Stanley says that the designated tomb (shown in the accompanying drawing) is completely similar to the description of the biblical story. Rachel's memory was preserved in her offspring in subsequent times. At the time of Boaz and Ruth, the inhabitants and elders of Bethlehem, blessing the marriage of Boaz with Ruth, wished him the same happiness and blessings from God that Rachel and Leah brought to Israel (Ruth 4:11). Prophet. Jeremiah, depicting the calamities and captivity of the Jews, presents Rachel as the foremother of the Israelites, orphaned and inconsolable, weeping for her sons, for they were gone (Jer 31:15). The Evangelist Matthew, pointing out in this sad event the image of another sad event, and precisely the beating of the babies of Bethlehem by Herod, repeats the words of the prophet, applying them to the present event - the children of Bethlehem belonged to the offspring of Rachel, and she, like their mother, cries inconsolably, because they are not (Matt 2:18).

Bible Encyclopedia, Nicephorus. 2012

The love story of Jacob and Rachel

This love story very old. It began in 1781 BC. e. Jacob, like an obedient son, went to distant Harran to find a wife from Jewish relatives. His father Isaac commanded not to marry a woman from Canaan. Why? The Canaanites worshiped false gods and were distinguished by extreme immorality - homosexuality, bestiality and incest. In the worship of the gods, they sacrificed their first-born children. Probably, each of us would feel uneasy from such a daughter-in-law, accustomed to such customs of her people.

Arriving in Canaan, after many days of travel, Jacob meets the people at the well. These people are looking after the sheep. Jacob asks them if his relative Laban lives here. They pointed to a girl walking towards the well with the sheep. Her name was Rachel, she is Laban's daughter. When Jacob saw this girl, he was happy to find her! Approaching her, he kissed Rachel and wept loudly with joy. Jacob falls in love with Rachel at first sight. She had a beautiful face and a beautiful figure. Rachel also liked Jacob. Both happy they go to Laban.

Laban is delighted to have a prominent groom on the doorstep. Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel, who were about to get married. Jacob wants to marry Rachel. However, Laban, as a merchant of the time, told Jacob to work for Rachel for 7 years. What to do ... Jacob agrees, because he loves Rachel very much.

Well, that passed a long 7 years. Happy Jacob is preparing for the wedding. Finally he will be with Rachel. But on his wedding night, he realized with horror that he was with Leah. Laban deceived Jacob by giving him Leah to wife. Outraged Jacob goes to Laban. He doesn't love Leah! However, Laban found an excuse for his deed, as if they didn’t have to give the youngest daughter before the older one. What do you think Laban suggested to Jacob? Work for Rachel for another 7 years. I am outraged, for example. And you? Jacob goes to that too. His love for Rachel is very strong. After these 7 years, Jacob and Rachel are finally together! Laban was enriched at the expense of Jacob, because God loved Jacob and blessed him in labor.

Everything would be fine with Jacob if Leah and Rachel lived together. But that was not the case. There was a constant rivalry between them for Jacob's attention. Leah realized that she was not loved and therefore tried as best she could. She bore Jacob many sons. According to the Bible, Leah blessed, understanding her situation. But Rachel did not have children for a long time. This tormented her greatly. One can imagine how Leah showed her superiority over Rachel with all her appearance. After some time, Rachel still has children. The first was named Joseph, the second - Benjamin. However, when Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, she was on the road. The birth was difficult and Rachel died in agony. These two sons were Jacob's favorites. All the sons of Jacob were 12.

The brothers hated Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt. The father was told that a wild beast had torn him to pieces. Jacob cried from grief for a long time, so they already regretted what they had done. Benjamin almost disappeared through their fault. Jacob certainly would not have endured that. The brothers were very upset about what happened to Benjamin and were very worried about their father. But nothing happened. Joseph was alive, and besides, he also became the most important person in Egypt after Pharaoh. Benjamin is also all right. He invited his brothers with wives and children, as well as father Jacob to live in Egypt, which saved them from the famine that began in the land of Israel.

This is where I want to end this wonderful love story. You can read about her in the Bible - Genesis from 29 to 46 chapters.

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And others) - the youngest daughter of Laban and the second wife of Patriarch Jacob. The first time we meet her name in priest. stories of Jacob's visit to his uncle Laban in Mesopotamia. Jacob's meeting with Rachel and his subsequent life is outlined in the book. Being with the usual simplicity of patriarchal times. So is the following story about his deep love for her, a love that has not been weakened for many years; about the cunning with which Laban deceived him, replacing the younger daughter with the eldest when he married, and about Jacob's loyalty to the object of his first love and about his readiness to serve Laban for the second seven years for Rachel. Having become his wife, she was punished with sterility, perhaps for the jealous dislike she had for the rejected Leah (). However, after some time God opened her womb and she bore Jacob a son - Joseph... When Jacob departed from Mesopotamia, Rachel took with her and hid the idols of her father without her husband's knowledge, no doubt due to some superstition, and when Laban insisted on their return, she cunningly avoided the search () by hiding them under the saddle of a camel and saying that he could not get up from him because of the ordinary woman. After his touching meeting and reconciliation with Esau and the bloody event, combined with the defeat of the inhabitants of Shechem, and the divine revelations he received at Bethel, Jacob set out on a journey from this last place, and now his beloved Rachel died on the way from giving birth to a son named Benjamin , and buried on the road to Efrafa, i.e. Bethlehem. Jacob set her monument over the grave(). Rachel's tomb was well known for many centuries after what we know from the 1st book. Kingdoms (). And to this day, both Jews and Mohammedans still treat her with great reverence. Local Arabs gather here for solemn prayers during the absence of rain. Married women take pieces of stone from here and wear them during pregnancy. Dean Stanley says that the designated tomb (shown in the accompanying drawing) is completely similar to the description of the biblical story. Rachel's memory was preserved in her offspring in subsequent times. At the time of Boaz and Ruth, the inhabitants and elders of Bethlehem, blessing the marriage of Boaz with Ruth, wished him the same happiness and blessings from God that Rachel and Leah brought Israel to Israel (). Etc. Jeremiah, depicting the calamities and captivity of the Jews, presents Rachel as the foremother of the Israelites, orphaned and mourning inconsolably for her sons, for they were gone (). The Evangelist Matthew, pointing out in this sad event the image of another sad event, and precisely the beating of the babies of Bethlehem by Herod, repeats the words of the prophet, applying them to the present event - the children of Bethlehem belonged to the offspring of Rachel, and she, like their mother, cries inconsolably, because They are not here ().

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Leah and Rachel's husband - crossword clue The life of the righteous Leah (Lily)

See also the interpretation, synonyms, meanings of the word and what is RAKHIL in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

The love story of Jacob and Rachel

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Reinforcement and mesh portal

See also the interpretation, synonyms, meanings of the word and what is RAKHIL in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

The love story of Jacob and Rachel

Subscribe to our newsletter! There is no happiness in life without love! She is an invaluable gift, but everyone has the right to have her!

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