As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. – Genesis 35:18

Today's Scripture Reading (October 16, 2024): Genesis 35

According to a 2017 United Nations Population Fund report, every two minutes, a woman dies as a result of the complications of childbirth or pregnancy. The report also indicates that for every woman who dies in childbirth, about twenty to thirty women suffer a severe injury because of a birth or pregnancy-related complication. There are many risk factors. One is location. It is far safer to give birth close to a modern hospital than at a distance. But that is not the only risk factor. The maternal death rate is also lower in places where abortion is legal, partially because women are less likely to go through an unsafe abortion but also because the medical professionals have more tools in their toolkit when complications arise in the pregnancy. A surprising factor in the rate of death during childbirth is age. The younger the woman is, the more dangerous the pregnancy. Older women die in childbirth less often than their younger counterparts.

Rachel, Jacob's favorite wife, died giving birth to her second son. Biblical experts, maybe callously, often argue that the death of Rachel was foretold by both Jacob and Rachel herself. Rachel had declared to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die" (Genesis 30:1)! If this were a novel, it would almost be poetic that Rachel dies because of the child that Jacob gave her and Rachel's earlier words could be seen as foreshadowing the later death of the heroine.

The sadder prophecy regarding Rachel's death comes from her loving husband. In speaking with Laban, Rachel's father, who had come in search of his stolen household gods, Jacob pronounces this curse; "But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it" (Genesis 31:32). At the time of this statement, Jacob was unaware that Rachel had stolen the gods. Laban had searched his daughter's belongings, but those gods had never been found. However, Rachel suffered the penalty anyway. It is a recurring theme in the Bible and a caution to all not to swear this kind of oath lightly, especially if you don't know the answer to the question.

Maybe it is easy to look at the death of Rachel from our place in history. But Rachel was a beloved wife, sister, mother, and child. Her death was a tragedy. The name she gives her second child reflects that tragedy; she calls him Ben-Oni, which means "Son of my Trouble." But it is not a name that Jacob allows to stand. In the wake of the tragic death of his favorite wife, Jacob changes the name to Benjamin, which means "Son of my Right-Hand." In doing so, Jacob reminds Benjamin of all that was good about his mother rather than the tragedy Benjamin's birth had brought into the family.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 36