Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, and some of the servants of Isaac had
been sent to Jacob by his mother, while he still abode with Laban, to
summon him home at the end of his fourteen years' term of service. As
Jacob did not at once obey his mother's behest, the two servants of
Isaac returned to their master, but Deborah remained with Jacob then
and always. Therefore, when Deborah died in Beth-el, Jacob mourned for
her, and he buried her below Beth-el under the palm-tree,[300] the same
under which the prophetess Deborah sat later, when the children of
Israel came to her for judgment.[301]
But a short time elapsed after the death of the nurse Deborah, and
Rebekah died, too. Her passing away was not made the occasion for
public mourning. The reason was that, as Abraham was dead, Isaac blind,
and Jacob away from home, there remained Esau as the only mourner to
appear in public and represent her family, and beholding that villain,
it was feared, might tempt a looker-on to cry out, "Accursed be the
breasts that gave thee suck." To avoid this, the burial of Rebekah took
place at night.
God appeared unto Jacob to comfort him in his grief,[302] and with Him
appeared the heavenly family. It was a sign of grace, for all the while
the sons of Jacob had been carrying idols with them the Lord had not
revealed Himself to Jacob.[303] At this time God announced to Jacob the
birth of Benjamin soon to occur, and the birth of Manasseh and Ephraim,
who also were to be founders of tribes, and furthermore He told him
that these three would count kings among their descendants, Saul and
Ish-bosheth, of the seed of Benjamin, Jeroboam the Ephraimite, and Jehu
of the tribe of Manasseh. In this vision, God confirmed the change of
his name from Jacob to Israel, promised him by the angel with whom he
had wrestled on entering the Holy Land, and finally God revealed to him
that he would be the last of the three with whose names the Name of God
would appear united, for God is called only the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and never the God of any one else.[304]
In token of this revelation from God, Jacob set up a pillar of stone,
and he poured out a drink offering thereon, as in a later day the
priests were to offer libations in the Temple on the Feast of
Tabernacles,[305] and the libation brought by Jacob at Beth-el was as
much as all the waters in the Sea of Tiberias.[306]
At the time when Deborah and Rebekah died, occurred also the death of
Rachel, at the age of thirty-six,[307] but not before her prayer was
heard, that she bear Jacob a second son, for she died in giving birth
to Benjamin. Twelve years she had borne no child, then she fasted
twelve days, and her petition was granted her. She brought forth the
youngest son of Jacob, whom he called Benjamin, the son of days,
because he was born in his father's old age,[308] and with him a twin
sister was born.[309]
Rachel was buried in the way to Ephrath, because Jacob, gifted with
prophetic spirit, foresaw that the exiles would pass this place on
their march to Babylon, and as they passed, Rachel would entreat God's
mercy for the poor outcasts.[310]