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Zilpah

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Handmaid of Leah who bore Gad and Asher to Jacob as surrogate mothers

Detailed Definition
Zilpah, given to Jacob by Leah, produced two sons who became tribal founders (Genesis 30:9–13). She represents the complex dynamics of matriarchal surrogacy. In poetry, Zilpah symbolizes the dignity of the marginalized woman whose womb shapes destiny, the quiet contribution of servants to covenant history—often evoked as a figure of resilience, whose children inherit promises despite her secondary status.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Genesis 29:24, Zilpah is Leah’s maidservant given to Jacob—a detail used in feminist poetry about marginalized women; Contemporary midrashic verse imagines Zilpah’s voice amid the competition between Leah and Rachel; In poems about motherhood, Zilpah bears Gad and Asher yet remains unnamed in blessing; Some liturgical laments honor Zilpah as one of the four matriarchs of the tribes; Educational poems cite Zilpah to teach about ancient surrogacy and social hierarchy; Poetic reflections reclaim Zilpah as ancestor worthy of remembrance.
Additional Notes
Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant given to Jacob as a concubine, bears Gad and Asher (Genesis 30); though voiceless in the text, she represents the exploited women whose children become tribal founders; poets may reference Zilpah to critique systems of surrogacy and servitude, or to give voice to the silent contributors to lineage and legacy.
Also Known As
Zilpah handmaid of Leah Zilpah mother of Gad and Asher
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