Interesting Facts

• Merimah, also known as Rasu’u, was the daughter of Amuram.
• She became the wife of Naphtali, one of the sons of Jacob.
• She bore four sons: Yachzeel, Guni, Jazer, and Shalem.
• One account specifies her origin as Mesopotamia, while her father is identified as being from Haran.

Genealogy

• Merimah’s father was Amuram, the son of Uz, who was the son of Nahor.
• Her husband was Naphtali, a son of Jacob.
• Her sons were Yachzeel, Guni, Jazer, and Shalem.

Historical Context

Merimah’s story unfolds within the context of the marriages of Jacob’s sons after the departure of Joseph to Egypt. Her origin in Haran, a region associated with Aram and Mesopotamia, indicates the forging of familial bonds between Jacob’s lineage in Canaan and the Aramaean peoples. The journey of Naphtali to Haran to take Merimah as his wife suggests established connections or at least the possibility of such unions between these groups. These intermarriages were significant in the expansion and intermingling of early patriarchal families and reflect a cultural practice of seeking wives from outside the immediate kinship group, potentially for alliance or demographic reasons. The narrative does not provide specific details about the socio-political climate of Mesopotamia at the time, but the act of traveling to acquire a wife implies a degree of stability allowing for such ventures.

Narrative

Merimah’s narrative presence in the sources is primarily defined by her marriage to Naphtali and her role as a mother. The text states that Naphtali, along with his brother Gad, “went to Haran and took from thence the daughters of Amuram the son of Uz, the son of Nahor, for wives”. Merimah is identified as the elder of these two daughters. Following their marriage and return to Canaan, Merimah bore Naphtali four sons: Yachzeel, Guni, Jazer, and Shalem. Her story is thus interwoven with the establishment of Naphtali’s family and contributes to the lineage of the twelve tribes of Israel. While the sources do not record any direct actions or dialogues of Merimah herself, her significance lies in her role in extending Jacob’s family through her offspring, highlighting the importance of women in ancient patriarchal narratives as bearers of progeny and links between different ancestral lines and regions.