Genesis 35:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, "Do not fear, for you have another son."

NIV: And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, "Don’t despair, for you have another son."

NASB: And when she was suffering severe difficulties in her labor, the midwife said to her, 'Do not fear, for you have another son!'

CSB: During her difficult labor, the midwife said to her, "Don’t be afraid, for you have another son."

NLT: After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, 'Don’t be afraid — you have another son!'

KJV: And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

NKJV: Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.”

Jacob's most loved wife, Rachel (Genesis 29:30), has gone into labor. This happens while the large company is traveling south from Bethel toward the region of Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The Bible describes this as a difficult birth (Genesis 35:16), though we are not told exactly why. It's possible that Rachel went into early labor, possibly due to some unmentioned health issue.

Rachel's labor is difficult and life-threatening. The Hebrew words applied to her situation evoke something "fierce," "harsh," or "severe." A curious detail is that the midwife can identify the baby's sex during—not after—the worst part of this process. This could suggest something like a breech birth, where the baby is delivered feet-first. This timing might also suggest the midwife was performing a Caesarean, or "C-section," where the infant is cut from the mother's womb. Despite popular misunderstanding, this process was not named for the Roman ruler Julius Caesar; it was a last-resort method for thousands of years prior. In the ancient world, a c-section was a last-ditch effort to save the baby of a dying woman, as the "surgery" itself was always fatal.

Lacking more information, we can only speculate as to a medical cause. The only meaningful details preserved are that the process was extremely difficult, and ultimately fatal for Rachel (Genesis 35:18–19).

The midwife delivering the baby attempts to encourage Rachel with the news that she has given birth to a long-awaited second son. The name of Rachel's first son, Joseph, was a prayer for another son (Genesis 30:24). Now that prayer has been answered. It's possible that Rachel has given birth to daughters, as well, though we don't know for sure.

Genesis 35:16–29 describes Jacob's painful losses following God's great blessing at Bethel. His beloved wife Rachel dies giving birth to his twelfth son, Benjamin. Jacob buries her and builds a stone pillar to mark her tomb. Next, his firstborn son, Reuben, defiles the family by sleeping with one of Jacob's servant-wives. Though Jacob seems to do nothing, at first, Reuben will lose his birthright as a result. Finally, Jacob's father Isaac dies at 180 years old. Jacob and Esau reunite to lay their father to rest at the family burial cave at Mamre. The rest of Genesis will explain how the people of Israel came to live in Egypt.

God commands Jacob to build an altar to Him at Bethel. This will fulfill vows Jacob made after encountering the Lord for the first time, as he was fleeing for his life from Esau. Jacob rids his family of all their false idols and travels to Bethel. God appears to him again, reaffirming all the covenant promises. As they travel away, Rachel dies giving birth to Jacob's twelfth son. His first son, Reuben, sleeps with Jacob's servant-wife Bilhah, losing his birthright as a result. Finally, Jacob's father Isaac dies at 180 years old.

Recent events have left Jacob fearful of the people of the land. His sons slaughtered an entire town to avenge their sister's rape. However, God apparently uses this bloodshed to inspire fear. Nobody attacks Jacob's family as they travel to Bethel, setting up an altar and renewing their covenant with God. Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin. Jacob's eldest son sleeps with one of his servant-wives, losing his birthright. Isaac dies, and Jacob and Esau bury him in the family burial cave in Mamre. The story then focuses on Jacob's sons, primarily Joseph, as the family finds themselves drawn into Egypt.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.