Protos

Who was Bilhah in the Bible?

Lived in the age of the patriarchs

Bilhah was the maidservant of Rachel, concubine of Israel (or 'Jacob') (Gen. 29:29). Bilhah appears in 10 verses across 2 books of the Bible.

What does the Bible say about Bilhah?

Bilhah was the maidservant of Rachel, concubine of Israel (or 'Jacob') (Gen. 29:29). When Rachel found herself unable to conceive, she gave Bilhah to Jacob as a concubine to bear children on her behalf, following the custom of the time (Gen. 30:3-4). Bilhah gave birth to two sons, Dan and Naphtali (Gen. 30:5-8), who became the ancestors of two of the twelve tribes of Israel. Later, Jacob's firstborn son, Reuben, slept with Bilhah, an act that greatly displeased Jacob (Gen. 35:22). Despite this incident, Bilhah is still mentioned among the members of Jacob's family who went to Egypt during the famine (Gen. 46:25). Her sons, Dan and Naphtali, are listed among the seventy members of Jacob's household (Gen. 46:23-25). Bilhah's story highlights the complex family dynamics in Jacob's household and the importance of childbearing in ancient Israelite society. Her sons' inclusion in the twelve tribes of Israel underscores God's providence in fulfilling His promise to make a great nation from Jacob's descendants.

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Bilhah appear in the Bible?

Bilhah is referenced in 10 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Genesis 91 Chronicles 1

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Bilhah.

RachelLabanWifeJacobIsraelReuben

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Bilhah?

Bilhah appears in 10 verses across 2 books, most often in Genesis, which accounts for 9 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Bilhah?

Genesis, 1 Chronicles.

Where can I read every verse about Bilhah?

This page lists 10 of them. Protos carries all 10, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Genesis with Bilhah explained on the verse.

Tap any name, place, or word you do not recognize and the background opens on the verse you are reading. No second tab, no search, no losing your place.

The Protos reader open on Genesis 1 with the How to Read Genesis background sheet raised over it
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