Interesting Facts

• Adinah is specifically mentioned as the wife of Laban who bore him children, highlighting her role in his lineage.
• The text suggests that Adinah was initially barren, along with Laban’s other wives and handmaids, implying a period of childlessness before Leah and Rachel were born.
• The birth of her children, Leah, Rachel, Beor, Alib, and Chorash, is linked to the time Jacob resided and served Laban, suggesting a connection between Jacob’s presence and the blessing of offspring upon Laban’s household.
• The Lord is described as having “remembered” Laban and visiting him with sons “on account of Jacob,” indicating a divine favor bestowed upon Laban through Jacob, which directly resulted in Adinah bearing more children.

Genealogy

• The sources identify Adinah as the wife of Laban. Laban is identified as the son of Bethuel and the brother of Rebecca, Jacob’s mother.
• Adinah is the mother of Laban’s children: Leah and Rachel, who were twins, and later three sons named Beor, Alib, and Chorash.
• The texts do not provide information about Adinah’s ancestry or her life before her marriage to Laban. Her lineage and family of origin remain unspecified in these sources.

Historical Context

Adinah lived during a significant period marked by the interactions between Jacob and Laban in Haran. The timeline indicates her children were born while Jacob was serving Laban, starting approximately in the year 2187 A.M.. The cultural context of the time likely placed a high value on bearing children, especially for a wife, as seen in the emphasis on Rachel’s initial barrenness and Leah’s desire to gain Jacob’s love through childbearing. The mention of barrenness among Laban’s wives and handmaids suggests that fertility was a notable aspect of their society. Furthermore, the narrative implies a patriarchal family structure where the husband’s lineage and prosperity were paramount. The blessing of children upon Laban’s house due to Jacob’s presence points to the belief in divine favor and its potential impact on familial increase.

Narrative

Adinah’s personal story within the provided texts is largely defined by her role as Laban’s wife and the mother of his children. She is first introduced in the context of bearing Laban’s twin daughters, Leah and Rachel, after a period where his other wives and handmaids were barren. This event is significant as it establishes the lineage from which Jacob would eventually take his wives. Later, after Jacob had served Laban for four years, the narrative notes that the Lord “visited Laban and remembered him on account of Jacob,” leading to Adinah bearing him three sons: Beor, Alib, and Chorash. This episode highlights a direct link between Jacob’s presence and the blessing of offspring upon Laban’s household through Adinah. While Adinah herself does not speak or directly act in the narrative as presented in these excerpts, her significance lies in her pivotal role in expanding Laban’s family and providing the daughters whom Jacob would marry, thereby furthering the patriarchal lineage central to the biblical narrative. Her story underscores the importance of fertility and the belief in divine influence on family prosperity during this era.