Genesis 35:21-26·~1 min

The Sons of Jacob

Israel travels on and settles beyond the Tower of Eder. There Reuben sleeps with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel hears of it.

I²¹srael again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. ²²While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.

The chapter lists Jacob's sons by Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah. The family line is gathered in full through the names of all twelve sons.

²³The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. ²⁴The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁵The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali. ²⁶And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher.

Section summaryThe journey continues beyond the Tower of Eder, but the family record is interrupted by Reuben's sin with Bilhah. The chapter then names Jacob's twelve sons by their mothers, gathering the whole household into view.

Role in the chapterThis section notes a fracture within the family and then steadies the narrative with a formal listing of the sons. It gathers the household as a complete family line even while leaving the offense unresolved.