Genesis 49:31
…there I buried Leah. Jacob's concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah, were not buried in this cave because they probably died sometime later in Egypt. The real question is why Rachel was not buried here. It was certainly not because Leah held a higher place in Jacob's affections. I do not believe that it had anything to do with whom Jacob married first or who was a real wife and who was not. I suspect that the separate burial of Rachel was prophetic of the separation of the two houses of Israel and Judah. The latter has remained physically identifiable with the patriarchs while the former has been scattered and has forgotten their origins. The blessing of Joseph in verse 26 reinforces this idea in my mind: "The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren."
I believe Jay you are on the right track. I'm with you on your statement that, " the burial of Rachel has a prophetic meaning." Also this goes hand and hand with Gen. 48 where Jacob separate Ephraim and Manasseh from the other tribes. This is quite telling by the fact Jacob deals with the other sons collectively in the next chapter. I would also point out before Rachel dies Jacob Has a meeting with God at Beth-el and God tells him that from his Loins there will come a 1 Nation 2 a company of Nations. This is exactly what Jacob passes on to Manasseh ( a nation ) to Ephraim ( a company of nations ) Before Jacob layed his hands on those boys he reminds Joseph of his mother and her death. In honor her her progenitors will become those great Nation in the last days.
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