The Bible's Original Love Triangle: Jacob, Leah, And Rachel

In time, Jacob was able to acquire a flock of sheep, camels, and goats of his own. But tensions within the clan, particularly between Jacob and Laban’s sons, compelled Jacob to return to Canaan with his wives and handmaidens, who also served as Jacob’s concubines. By this time, these women had borne him 11 sons and a daughter.

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While traveling south, close to the Jabbok River, Jacob came upon a stranger who challenged him to a struggle. The two wrestled all night; the word “wrestled” (ye’abeq) is another of Genesis’ wordplays, using Jacob’s name (ya’aqov) and that of the river (yabboq). At long last, the stranger—an angel of the Lord, or perhaps God himself—relented, and declared that Jacob would be known as “Israel” (“he who prevails with God”) (Genesis 32:28). Just as Jacob had struggled with God, so too would the nation of Israel wrestle for centuries with its obedience to the Lord. Jacob decided to call the place Peniel (“God’s face”), saying, “I have seen God face to face” (Genesis 32:30).

The “unloved” Leah bore seven of Jacob’s children—six sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, as well as a daughter, Dinah. Jacob’s concubine Bilhah gave birth to Dan and Naphtali (Genesis 30:3-8), while another slave, Zilpah, gave him Gad and Asher (Genesis 30:9-13). 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). Together with the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, these 12 men would become the forefathers of the 12 tribes of Israel, sealing God’s covenant.

Entries in this series are excerpts from the National Geographic special issue 50 Most Influential Figures of the Bible, which was adapted from Who's Who in the Bible: Unforgettable People and Timeless Stories from Genesis to Revelation, published by National Geographic Books.

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