29:31–30:24 God blessed Jacob with twelve sons in spite of his prayerlessness and the rivalry of Rachel and Leah, who competed for his affections by bearing him sons (25:19–35:29 note). The names the mother’s gave these children reflect this struggle and also their recognition of God’s assistance to them in their unloved or childless states. God graciously built up Israel by championing the needy (e.g., Hannah in 1 Sam. 1), but the spiritual failures of Jacob’s family later resulted in rivalries among Israelite tribes.