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During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.” Genesis 35:17 · Berean Standard Bible
During her terrible labor, the midwife tries to encourage Rachel by telling her she's having another son.
The midwife is trying to give Rachel hope—one more boy, one more blessing for Jacob. But Rachel's body is failing. The midwife's words, meant to comfort, actually highlight the tragedy: Rachel will have this son, but she won't live to see him grow.
The midwife speaking to Rachel
This is where the human story meets divine purposes in a bittersweet way. The son born will be Benjamin, beloved of Jacob and crucial to the family's story, but he'll be born at the cost of his mother's life.
During Rachel's severe labor, the midwife encourages her, announcing that she is bearing another son, offering hope even as the situation remains dangerous.
The midwife's role (yoledet in Hebrew, literally 'one who helps birth') was crucial in ancient societies. Midwives appear throughout Scripture (Exodus 1:15-21) and were often respected figures within their communities. Her statement to Rachel—'Do not fear, for you are having a son'—may have been meant to encourage Rachel by emphasizing that the pregnancy will result in a male heir, highly valued in patriarchal society. Yet this encouragement fails to mitigate the actual medical crisis unfolding.
The midwife, attending Rachel
The presence of the midwife highlights the female networks of support and expertise that surrounded childbirth, often invisible in male-centered narratives. Yet this narrative shows that even with assistance and encouragement, some labors prove fatal. The birth of Benjamin becomes forever associated with his mother's death—he is literally born from her passing.
15Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
16Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult.
17During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”
18And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.
19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
Read all of Genesis 35 — God calls Jacob back to where it all started. Rachel dies on the road. The promises continue through grief.
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