Genesis 30:22 (WEB)
God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb.
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Genesis 30:22–24 (KJV)
22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: 24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.
Key words
- זָכַרzakar · Hebrew
- 'remembered.' When God 'remembers' someone in Scripture he acts to save (Noah, Genesis 8:1; Hannah, 1 Samuel 1:19).
- יוֹסֵףYosef · Hebrew
- 'Joseph,' meaning 'may he add.' Rachel names him with a prayer for 'another son' — a prayer answered in Benjamin, whose birth costs her life.
Why it matters
God 'remembers' the barren Rachel and opens her womb, and she bears Joseph, the son who will be betrayed by his brothers, sold for silver, and exalted to save them. Pitre highlights that Rachel's fruitfulness comes as a gift after long sorrow and that her prayer for 'another son' is fulfilled in Benjamin at the cost of her life. Both sons matter for the typology: Joseph prefigures Jesus, and Benjamin prefigures the beloved disciple.