The Role of Mothers in the Genealogical Lists of Jacob’s Sons

This work demonstrates that the genealogy of Jacob/Israel was singular

and based on the rankings of the four mothers Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and

Bilhah. These positions remained in the memory even as the power of

various tribes changed over time, guiding the sequenicing of names

within the lists. For this reason, the different presentations of the

genealogy are not indicative of different Sitz im Leben and do

not aid in reconstruction of Israel’s early history. A secondary yet

equally important discovery is that mothers continue to hold importance

beyond the Genesis narrative. This work adds to the growing evidence

that mothers in particular, and women in general are vital contributors

to their families, to the Promise and to the advancement of the

theological message of the Hebrew Bible.