When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another son.”
Parallel translations
- KJV And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.
- BSB During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”
- NKJV Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.”
- NASB And when she was suffering severe difficulties in her labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son!”
- NLT After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In her hard labor the midwife reassures Rachel that she has another son.
Overview
Even amid Rachel's struggle, the midwife announces the birth of a son, recalling Rachel's earlier longing for more children (Genesis 30:24). The comfort offered cannot avert the coming loss of Rachel's life. The scene captures the bittersweet intertwining of new life and approaching death.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Gen 30:24She named him Joseph, saying, “May Yahweh add another son to me.”
- 1 Sam 4:19–21His daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered. When she heard the news that God’s ark was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth; for her pains came on her.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 35:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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