Rachel was a Hebrew Bible figure, one of the Israelite matriarchs, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aunt Rebecca was Jacob's mother. Rachel's eldest son Joseph became a prominent figure in Israelite tradition. This pre-eminence emerges in the story of Joseph, who prepared the way in Egypt for his family's exile there.