In Genesis chapter thirty-five, verse eighteen, Leah and Rachel named all Jacob’s children. However, Rachel named one of her children Ben-oni which means son of my sorrow. A name like this would have put a terrible burden of guilt on the boy and made him think he was responsible for his mother’s death. Jacob changed his son’s name to the noble Benjamin, which means son of my right hand. The change shows he was happy to have Benjamin as his son even though Rachel was gone. Children need protection from guilt for trouble that comes through no fault of their own.
Rachel was in the process of giving birth to her child. During her hard labor, she was departing physically and decided to name the child a sorrowful name. In Genesis chapter thirty, verse one, Rachel passionately pleaded with Jacob after witnessing Leah go on a birth spree of having four children. She said, “give me children, or else I die; Rachel must have felt left out, seeing her sister married to the same man who was having children, and she did not.
In some countries, a woman unable to produce children was a shame or disgrace. This experience is a harsh reality for some ladies. Such criticism is uncalled for because no woman can determine if they can have children. Still, it must have been a burdensome experience for Rachel to endure while her sister was giving birth to four consecutive children. Leah was not beautiful as her sister, but the children bearing delightful as she was happy. However, even though Rachel was good-looking, yet felt ugly inside.
The experience of Leah’s sister Rachel must have made her feel sorrowful to the point that it affected her thinking. To name our kids based on how our life is going is wrong. Kids did not ask to have kids. Parents are the ones who have kids. Children should not be responsible for any mistakes, trouble, or hardship parents experience.