D.C. Smith

The Role of Mothers in the Genealogical Lists of Jacob's Sons D.C. Smith

This work demonstrates that the genealogy of Jacob/Israel was singular
and based on the rankings of the four mothers Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and
Bilhah. These positions remained in the memory even as the power of
various tribes changed over time, guiding the sequenicing of names
within the lists. For this reason, the different presentations of the
genealogy are not indicative of different Sitz im Leben and do
not aid in reconstruction of Israel's early history. A secondary yet
equally important discovery is that mothers continue to hold importance
beyond the Genesis narrative. This work adds to the growing evidence
that mothers in particular, and women in general are vital contributors
to their families, to the Promise and to the advancement of the
theological message of the Hebrew Bible.