Rachel is a major character in the early Old Testament; she was a daughter of Laban, sister of Leah, favored wife of Jacob, and mother of two of Jacob’s children.
Rachel lived in Harran, or Paddan Aram, and that’s where she met her cousin Jacob. Jacob was fleeing for his life after tricking his brother, Esau, out of his birthright (Genesis 27:1–29). At his mother’s behest, Jacob headed for his uncle Laban in Paddan Aram (verse 43).