Rachel (RAY-chuhl) — Rachel was Laban’s daughter, Leah’s sister, Jacob’s wife, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Genesis follows her from Harran to Canaan and records her death near Ephrath, associated with Bethlehem.
Birth year: Unknown.
Death year: Unknown.
Active during: The patriarchal narratives in Genesis; no secure calendar years are supplied.
Home region: Harran in upper Mesopotamia, then Canaan.
Main passages: Genesis 29–35.
Story and role
Rachel was Laban’s daughter, Leah’s sister, Jacob’s wife, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Genesis follows her from Harran to Canaan and records her death near Ephrath, associated with Bethlehem.
How the dates were determined
The biblical text places Rachel within this broad period: The patriarchal narratives in Genesis; no secure calendar years are supplied. Where an approximate calendar date is shown, it follows a conventional historical reconstruction rather than a date stated in Scripture. BC means “before Christ”; AD marks years in the traditional Christian calendar.
Limits of the evidence
Genesis supplies no birth year, age, or secure calendar date for Rachel. The patriarchal chronology cannot responsibly be converted into an exact lifespan, and the location and later identification of Rachel’s tomb involve historical and interpretive questions. The artwork is an imagined historical illustration, not a known likeness.
Explore the places connected with Rachel on a modern reference map.