What does Genesis 35:19 mean?
Scripture is exceedingly brief in this section. No explanation is given of how Jacob reacted to Rachel's death (Genesis 35:16–18). Given his great love for her (Genesis 29:20), it's reasonable to assume this was especially devastating. The trauma of her passing may have contributed to Jacob's excessive favoritism towards Rachel's other son, Joseph (Genesis 37:3).Rachel is buried along the road to Ephrath, the region where Bethlehem would be later (Ruth 1:2; Micah 5:2). This situates the birth of Benjamin near Bethlehem and Jerusalem, a region his descendants would later come to possess (Joshua 18:21–28). It also helps to explain Matthew's reference to Rachel when depicting Herod's slaughter of infants from that area (Matthew 2:16–18). Matthew, in turn, was citing the words of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:15).