t12papocrypha
Testament of Benjamin 1
Benjamin opens his farewell address by tracing his origins: born to Jacob in old age, just as Isaac was born to Abraham, and suckled by Bilhah after Rachel died in childbirth. Rachel had remained barren twelve years after Joseph's birth, broke the barrenness through twelve days of fasting and prayer to Jehovah, and bore Benjamin — named 'son of days' to mark the late-life fulfillment. The parallel to Abraham and Isaac is deliberate: the birthright line runs through miraculous, covenant-sealed births, not natural sequence, and Benjamin's life begins already nested inside the Joseph-of-Egypt type.
1
The record of the words of Benjamin, which he set forth to his sons, after he had lived a hundred and twenty years. And he kissed them, and said: As Isaac was born to Abraham in his hundredth year, so also was I to Jacob. Now since Rachel died in giving me birth, I had no milk; therefore I was suckled by Bilhah her handmaid. For Rachel remained barren for twelve years after that she had borne Joseph: and she prayed the Lord with fasting twelve days, and she conceived and bare me. For our father loved Rachel dearly, and prayed that he might see two sons born from her: therefore was I called the son of days, which is Benjamin.
