BILHAH bĭl’ hə (בִּלְהָ֖ה). 1. A slave girl given by Laban to Rachel (Gen 29:29), and by her to Jacob as a concubine (Gen 30:3, 4). This was arranged because Rachel was barren and became jealous because Leah was fruitful (Gen 29:31-35; 30:1-8). Bilhah bore Dan and Naphtali to Jacob (Gen 30:4, 7; 35:25; 46:25). Nuzi marriage contracts from the second millennium b.c. show that it was the custom for a childless wife to provide her husband with a slave concubine. The fact that Rachel named the two boys shows that she claimed them as her own, according to the custom of the day. Bilhah later became guilty of incest with Reuben (Gen 35:22).

2. A city in the territory of Simeon (1 Chron 4:29); prob. the same as BALAH (Josh 19:3) and BAALAH (15:29).