The Wives of Jacob's Sons (xxxiv. 20-21)

The Wives of Jacob's Sons (xxxiv. 20-21).

20. And after Joseph perished, the sons of Jacob took unto themselves wives. The name of Reuben's wife is ’Adâ ¹ and the name of Simeon's wife is ’Adîbâ’a, a Canaanite; ¹ and the name of Levi's wife is Mêlkâ, ² of the daughters of Aram, of the seed of the sons of Terah; and the name of Judah's wife, Bêtasû’êl, ³ a Canaanite; and the name of Issachar's wife, Hêzaqâ; and the name of Zebulon's wife, †Nî’îmân†; ⁴ and the name of Dan's wife, ’Êglâ; and the name of Naphtali's wife, Rasû’û, of Mesopotamia; and the name of Gad's wife, Mâka; and the name of Asher's wife, ’Îjônâ; and the name of Joseph's wife, Asenath, ⁵ the Egyptian; and the name of Benjamin's wife, ’Îjasaka. 21. And Simeon repented, and took a second wife from Mesopotamia as his brothers.

Footnotes

172:1 Cf. Gen. xlvi. 10. According to xxx. 7 ff. such a marriage (with a Canaanitish woman) was punishable with death.

172:2 Cf. Test. Levi xi. i.

172:3 Cf. xli. 7. The name goes back to "Bath-shua" (i. e. "daughter of Shua"); cf. Test. Judah viii. 2, etc.; cf. Gen. xxxviii. 2.

172:4 The name is doubtful. Some Ethiopic MSS. omit it.

172:5 Cf. Gen. xli. 45.