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Benjamin—a Type of Christ

Written and compiled by Gary Kukis

These studies are designed for believers in Jesus Christ only. If you have exercised faith in Christ, then you are in the right place. If you have not, then you need to heed the words of our Lord, Who said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten [or, uniquely-born] Son, so that every [one] believing [or, trusting] in Him shall not perish, but shall be have eternal life! For God did not send His Son into the world so that He should judge the world, but so that the world shall be saved through Him. The one believing [or, trusting] in Him is not judged, but the one not believing has already been judged, because he has not believed in the Name of the only-begotten [or, uniquely-born] Son of God.” (John 3:16–18). “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life! No one comes to the Father except through [or, by means of] Me!” (John 14:6).

Every study of the Word of God ought to be preceded by a naming of your sins to God. This restores you to fellowship with God (1John 1:8–10). If we acknowledge our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). If there are people around, you would name these sins silently. If there is no one around, then it does not matter if you name them silently or whether you speak aloud.

Type, Antitype, Typical

A type is a preordained representation wherein certain persons, events, and institutions of the O.T. stand for corresponding persons, events, and institutions of the N.T. Types are pictures or object lessons by which God has taught His redemptive plan. They are a shadow of things to come, not the image of those things (Col. 2:17 Heb. 8:5 10:1). See the Doctrine of Typology (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

Also see Typology Links below:

Preface: Benjamin, at his birth, was a type of Christ. There is actually very little narrative on this incident, but what is found is filled with typology. This narrative was written around 2000 b.c., which is (obviously) 2 millennia before the birth of our Lord. The names given by Rachel, the mother, and Jacob, the father, are quite striking.

There are two authors of Scripture: Jacob, who simply records this incident concerning the wife he loves; and God the Holy Spirit, Who knows the end from the beginning.

Benjamin is a type of Christ. He emphasizes the two natures of Jesus Christ, human and divine.
Benjamin is a Type of Christ
The Historical Narrative	Jesus Christ and His Death
Rachel suffers hard labor and dies. Gen. 35:16–18	Jesus Christ faces excruciating pain and suffering, and then pays for our sins on the cross, after which He dies physically.
From her death comes life (Benjamin is born). Gen. 35:18	For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. (1Thess. 5:9–10; ESV)
Benjamin is born on the way to Bethlehem. Gen. 35:19	Jesus is born in Bethlehem. Matt. 2:1.
Benjamin is born, his mother dies; his birth is associated with death. Gen. 35:17–19	King Herod, upon hearing of the birth of the King of the Jews, made attempts to locate this child to kill him. In this, Jesus’ birth was associated with death. Matt. 2:1–8, 12–15
Benjamin is first named Benoni by his mother, which name means a son of my sorrow. Gen. 35:18	Jesus Christ is the Suffering Servant in Isa. 53. He was...a man of sorrows (Isa. 53:3). See also Matt. 26:38.
The mother names Benjamin. The name she gives him emphasizes his weakness. His mother dies, a sign of his mortality. Gen. 35:18	Mary is the mother of Jesus’ humanity. Jesus Christ is fully human. In this, He is just like us (but without a sin nature).
Benjamin is renamed Benjamin by his father, which means, the son of my right hand, the son of my strength (power). Jacob continues to live, a type of God the Father. Benjamin is a type of God the Son. Gen. 35:18	Jesus Christ is the Son on God’s right hand (Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. —Luke 22:69; KJV).
The father names Benjamin; the name emphasizes his strength. Gen. 35:18	Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
From his mother came Benjamin’s weakness; from his father came his strength. Gen. 35:17–19	Jesus is fully human, from His mother; and undiminished Deity from His Father.
Rachel says that she will die if she does not bear another son to Jacob. Gen. 30:1	We would be lost (suffer death and separation from God), without Jesus Christ.
Rachel dies, that her son might live. Gen. 35:18	Jesus Christ must die that we will live. Rom. 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Jacob will erect a pillar over her grave, which pillar is still there at the time this gloss was added, which is perhaps 500 years later (Joshua would have added this fact). Gen. 35:20	A pillar is a memorial to one’s death. Our pillar in the Church Age is the Eucharist, where we remember our Lord in the eating of the bread and the drinking of the cup.

Obviously, from the human point-of-view, Benjamin must be included in this narrative, as he is the 12^th son of Jacob. However, he is included in this chapter by God the Holy Spirit because he is a type of Christ.

A related topic here is Typology (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). This is one of the truly amazing topics of Scripture.

Birth of Benjamin and death of Rachel by Jacques Pilliard 1814-1898 France (from alamy.com; accessed February 10, 2016).

The Birth of Benjamin and the Death of Rachel by Domenico Chiesura (Oil on canvas) (From BBC–Your Paintings; accessed February 10, 2016).

This incident inspired many artists:

The Death of Rachel by Gustav Metz

The Birth of Benjamin and the Death of Rachel by Francesco Furini

Death of Rachel by G.B. Cignaroli

Typology Links
Typology (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)	Abraham as a Type of Christ (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)
Isaac in his Birth as a Type of Christ (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)	Isaac, when offered up by Abraham, was a type of Christ (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)
Jacob as a Type of Christ (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)	Benjamin as a Type of Christ (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)
Abraham’s Servant as a Type of Christ (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)
Melchizedek as a Type of Christ (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)	The Ark as a Type of Christ (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)
Moses as a Type of Christ (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)	Types and Antitypes in Deuteronomy (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)

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