In the Book of Genesis, Bilhah (בִּלְהָה "Faltering; bashful", Standard Hebrew Bilha, Tiberian Hebrew Bilhāh) is Rachel's handmaid who becomes a wife of Jacob and bears him two sons, Dan and Naphtali.^[1]

The Testament of Naftali, part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, says that Bilhah and Zilpah's father was named Ahotay. He was taken into captivity but redeemed by Laban, Rachel and Leah's father, and he gave Ahotay a wife named Hannah, who was their mother. Rabbinic sources (Midrash Raba, Genesis 74:13 and elsewhere), on the other hand, state that Bilhah and Zilpah were also Laban's daughters, through his concubines, making them half-sisters to Rachel and Leah {see also, Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, xxxvi.}.

Genesis 35:22 says "And it was during the stay of Israel in that land, and Reuben went and lay with Bilha, his father's concubine, and Israel heard..."^[2] As a result of this adultery, he lost the respect of his father, as Genesis 49:4 says: "Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it."

However, Rashi, an 11th century commentator, interprets the story differently. He suggests that, as long as Rachel was alive, Jacob kept his bed in her tent and visited the other wives in theirs. When Rachel died, Jacob moved his bed into the tent of Bilhah, who had been mentored by Rachel, to retain a closeness to his favourite wife. However, Reuben, eldest son of Leah, felt that this move slighted his mother, who was also a primary wife, and so he moved Jacob's bed into his mother's tent. This invasion of Jacob's privacy was viewed so gravely that the Bible equates it with adultery, and lost Reuben his first-born right to a double inheritance.^[3]

Bilhah is said to be buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs in Tiberias.

Popular culture[link]

The idea of handmaidens is expanded on in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. In the novels The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, and Rachel and Leah by Orson Scott Card, Bilhah and Zilpah are half-sisters of Leah and Rachel by different mothers, following the Talmudic tradition.

References[link]

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Rear Admiral (Retired) Barry C. Black
62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate
In office July 7, 2003 – Incumbent
Preceded by	Lloyd J. Ogilvie
22nd Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy
In office August 2000 – August 15, 2003
Preceded by	A. Byron Holderby, Jr.
Succeeded by	Louis V. Iasiello
Personal details
Born	(1948-11-01) November 1, 1948 (age 63) Baltimore, Maryland
Spouse(s)	Brenda Pearsall Black (m. 1973)
Religion	Seventh-day Adventist
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1976–2003
Rank	Rear Admiral

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Barry C. Black (born November 1, 1948) is the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate. He was elected to this position on June 27, 2003, becoming the first African-American and the first Seventh-day Adventist to hold this office. The Senate elected its first chaplain in 1789.

He served for over 27 years as a chaplain in the United States Navy, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral and ending his career as the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy, the senior chaplain of the United States Navy Chaplain Corps. He officially retired from the Navy on August 15, 2003.

Naval career[link]

Commissioned as a Navy Chaplain in 1976, Black’s first duty station was the Fleet Religious Support Activity in Norfolk, Virginia. Subsequent assignments include:

• Naval Support Activity, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
• U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland;
• First Marine Aircraft Wing, Okinawa, Japan;
• Naval Training Center, San Diego;
• USS Belleau Wood, Long Beach, California;
• Naval Chaplains School Advanced Course, Newport, Rhode Island;
• Marine Aircraft Group THIRTY-ONE, Beaufort, South Carolina;
• Assistant Staff Chaplain, Chief of Naval Education and Training, Pensacola, Florida; and
• Fleet Chaplain, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia.
• Chief of United States Navy Chaplain Corps

His military awards include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two medals), Meritorious Service Medals (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals (two awards), and numerous unit awards, campaign, and service medals.

Personal information[link]

Black is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and an alumnus of Oakwood University, Andrews University, North Carolina Central University, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now known as Palmer Theological Seminary), Salve Regina University and the United States International University (now known as Alliant International University). In addition to earning Masters degrees in Divinity, Counseling, and Management, he has received a Doctorate degree in Ministry and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Psychology.

He is the author of "From the Hood to the Hill," released August 22, 2006.

Black has been honored in a number of ways for his achievements. He was chosen from 127 nominees for the NAACP's Renowned Service Award (1995) for his contribution to equal opportunity and civil rights. He also received the 2002 Benjamin Elijah Mays Distinguished Leadership Award from the Morehouse School of Religion. In 2004, the Old Dominion University chapter of the NAACP conferred the Image Award, "Reaffirming the Dream – Realizing the Vision" for military excellence on Black.

Black is married to the former Brenda Pearsall of St. Petersburg, Florida; they have three sons: Barry II, Brendan, and Bradford.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Barry Black

Biography portal

• United States Senate – Barry Black
• United States Navy Chaplain Corps – Rear Admiral Black's Remarks at His Retirement as Chief of Navy Chaplains
• Black, Barry. "Expecting the Unexpected: An excerpt from the book "From the Hood to the Hill"". Adventist Review. http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=938. Retrieved 2010-01-30. 
• C-SPAN Q&A interview with Black, October 25, 2009

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