Genesis 46:25
“These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls were seven.”
What does Genesis 46:25 mean?
Rachel's servant Bilhah bore two sons to Jacob, Dan and Naphtali, and this verse notes they made seven people in that branch of the family line. The mention of Laban giving Bilhah to Rachel reminds us of the cultural practices of that time, when households were structured very differently from today, with servants playing formal roles in family structures. What matters here is that the text is carefully documenting Jacob's descendants, showing how his family grew and showing that every person in it, no matter their mother's status, was counted as part of Jacob's household. For anyone reading through these genealogies, it can feel like just names and numbers, but each one represents a real person who belonged and was remembered.