Genesis 46:25 - These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls were seven.
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What does "Genesis 46:25" mean?
This verse in Genesis 46:25 is part of the listing of Jacob's descendants who went down to Egypt with him. Let's break it down:
"These are the sons of Bilhah...": This refers to the descendants of Bilhah.
"...whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter...": Bilhah was Rachel's handmaid. Because Rachel was barren for a time, she followed the custom of the day and gave Bilhah to Jacob as a surrogate, so that she could have children through Bilhah. This was a common practice in that culture to ensure the continuation of the family line.
"...and these she bore to Jacob...": Bilhah bore two sons to Jacob: Dan and Naphtali (as mentioned earlier in Genesis).
"...all the souls were seven.": This means that when all of the direct descendants of Bilhah (Dan, Naphtali, their children, and grandchildren) were counted, there were a total of seven individuals. These seven individuals were amongst those who travelled to Egypt with Jacob.
In summary, Genesis 46:25 is a genealogical statement identifying the descendants of Bilhah who were part of Jacob's family that migrated to Egypt, highlighting their origin and totaling their number.
Genesis 46:25 - These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls were seven.
What does "Genesis 46:25" mean?
This verse in Genesis 46:25 is part of the listing of Jacob's descendants who went down to Egypt with him. Let's break it down:
"These are the sons of Bilhah...": This refers to the descendants of Bilhah.
"...whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter...": Bilhah was Rachel's handmaid. Because Rachel was barren for a time, she followed the custom of the day and gave Bilhah to Jacob as a surrogate, so that she could have children through Bilhah. This was a common practice in that culture to ensure the continuation of the family line.
"...and these she bore to Jacob...": Bilhah bore two sons to Jacob: Dan and Naphtali (as mentioned earlier in Genesis).
"...all the souls were seven.": This means that when all of the direct descendants of Bilhah (Dan, Naphtali, their children, and grandchildren) were counted, there were a total of seven individuals. These seven individuals were amongst those who travelled to Egypt with Jacob.
In summary, Genesis 46:25 is a genealogical statement identifying the descendants of Bilhah who were part of Jacob's family that migrated to Egypt, highlighting their origin and totaling their number.