And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan. And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son. And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad. And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.-Genesis 30:1-13***Leah and Rachel were the daughters of Laban the Syrian. Laban was the great-nephew of Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai). Abraham and Sarah's grandson Jacob (Israel) was tricked by Laban into marrying Leah, although Jacob had worked 7 years to marry Rachel. One week after Jacob unknowingly married Leah, Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel. Moreover, Laban gave his servant Zilpah to Leah, just as he had given his servant Bilhah to Rachel. After Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah were born to Jacob and Leah, Rachel arranged for Bilhah and Jacob to be intimate. Dan and Naphtali were born to Jacob and Bilhah. Leah arranged for Zilpah and Jacob to be intimate. Gad and Asher were born to Jacob and Zilpah. Afterwards, Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah, were born to Jacob and Leah, and Joseph was born to Jacob and Rachel. In Canaan, near Bethlehem, Benjamin was born to Jacob and Rachel. The 12 tribes of Israel are the families of the 12 sons, including the families of sons Manasseh and Ephraim who were born to Joseph and his wife Asenath. The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that Jacob proclaimed Manasseh and Ephraim to be his own sons. When Jacob was 130 years old, Jacob moved with his entire family to Egypt, the country wherein Joseph was second-in-command. Sometime after 147-year-old Jacob died in Egypt and his body was buried in Canaan, his descendants the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Over 1,400 years after Moses and Aaron led their fellow Israelites away from Egyptian slavery, and across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness on their journey to Canaan, the Promised Land, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26
Reference Information:
Asher = ashar = happy, to go straight on
Dan = din/diyn = judge, govern
Gad = guwd or gadad = fortune, invasive cut, expose treasure
Naphtali = pathal/patal = my wrestlings, to twist, crafty