The Death of Rachel

Jacob and his company departed from Bethel and had traveled some distance toward Ephrath when Rachel began to labor (Genesis 35:16). The text indicates she experienced a difficult labor. As she was suffering in childbirth, the midwife spoke to her, instructing her not to fear because she was having another son. The text does not say whether the midwife provided any medical intervention or specific comfort beyond these words.

As Rachel was dying, she named the child Ben-oni, but his father Jacob named him Benjamin (Genesis 35:18). Rachel died following the birth of the child and was buried on the way to Ephrath, a location the text identifies as Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19). The passage does not record any specific dialogue from Jacob at the time of her death or specify the emotions he felt during the burial process.

Jacob set a pillar upon the grave of Rachel, and the text notes that this monument remained known as the pillar of Rachel's grave at the time the account was written (Genesis 35:20). The narrative concludes this event by stating that Israel journeyed on and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar, though the text does not say how long he remained at the burial site before departing.