Bible Dictionaries

Ewe or sheep, Ruth 4:11 , the younger sister of Leah, daughter of Laban, and the chosen wife of Jacob, though her sister was favored with more children. Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, and died soon after the birth of the latter. See her history in Genesis 29:1-35:29 . Her sepulchre, half an hour's walk north of Bethlehem, is shown unto this day, the spot being marked by a Mohammedan wely or tomb, a stone enclosure and a dome. The prophecy, Jeremiah 31:15 , representing her as mourning over her posterity, the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, is quoted in Matthew 2:18 , in reference to the massacre at Bethlehem, in which undoubtedly many of her descendants suffered. It is supposed that one of the many places called Ramah was adjacent to Bethlehem.