The wife of Jacob. (Gen. 29. 23.) Her name, it should, seem, meant weary.
Le´ah (wearied), one of the two daughters of Laban who became the wives of Jacob [JACOB].
The elder daughter of Laban, and the first wife of Jacob, though less beloved than her sister Rachel. She had, through life, the remembrance of the deceit by which her father had imposed her upon Jacob. She was the mother of seven children, among whom were Reuben- Jacob’s firstborn-and Judah, the ancestor of the leading tribe among the Jews, of the royal line, and of our Lord, Gen 29:16-35 ; 30:1- 21. She is supposed to have died before the removal of the family into Egypt, Gen 49:31 .\par
Le’ah. (wearied). The daughter of Laban. Gen 29:16 The dullness or weakness of her eyes was so notable that it is mentioned as a contrast to the beautiful form and appearance of her younger sister Rachel. Her father took advantage of the opportunity which the local marriage rite afforded to pass her off in her sister’s stead on the unconscious bridegroom, and excused himself to Jacob by alleging that the custom of the country forbade the younger sister to be given first in marriage.
Jacob’s preference of Rachel grew into hatred of Leah after he had married both sisters. Leah, however, bore to him in quick succession Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, then Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah, before Rachel had a child. She died some time after Jacob reached the south country in which his father Isaac lived. She was buried in the family grave in Machpelah, near Hebron. Gen 49:31. (B.C. about 1720).
Leah (lç’ah), wearied. The elder daughter of Laban. Her eyes were delicate and weak. Gen 29:16-17. By her father Laban’s deceit she was married to Jacob; she bore him six sons and a daughter, but seems to have been ever painfully sensible that her husband’s affections were given mainly to her sister Rachel. Gen 29:21-25; Gen 29:31-35; Gen 30:1-21. She willingly accompanied Jacob into Canaan, Gen 31:1-55; and there she died, when, is not stated, but it was before the family of Israel went down into Egypt, and she was buried in the cave of Machpelah. Gen 49:31.
[Le’ah]
The elder daughter of Laban, given to Jacob as wife through the artifice of her father. She was ’tender eyed,’ and not as beautiful as Rachel; but she was blessed of God in bearing to Jacob six sons and one daughter, and was thus the mother of the heads of the important tribes of Reuben, Levi, and Judah, as well as of Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun. Gen 29:16-35; Gen 30:9-21; Gen 31:4; Gen 31:14; Gen 31:33; Gen 33:1-2; Gen 33:7; Gen 49:31.
LEAH.—The elder daughter of Laban, married to Jacob by stratagem (Gen 29:21 ff.). Jacob’s love for her was less than for Rachel (Gen 29:30); sometimes she is said to be hated (Gen 29:31; Gen 29:33). She was the mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and a daughter Dinah (Gen 29:31-35, Gen 30:18; Gen 30:20-21). She was buried in the cave of Machpelah before Jacob went to Egypt (Gen 49:31). She is mentioned in Rth 4:11. Her name probably means ‘mistress,’ equivalent to Assyrian li’at (Haupt, GGN
George R. Berry.
(Hebrew: weary)
Elder daughter of Laban, married by stratagem to Jacob who had no love for her (Genesis 29); mother of Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda, Issachar, Zabulon, and Dina (Genesis 29, 30). She was buried in the cave of Machpelah, beside Sara and Rebecca (Genesis 49).
Leah became the wife of Jacob by a ruse on the part of her father, taking advantage of the oriental custom of heavily veiling the prospective bride. When taken to task by his irate son-in-law, Laban excused himself by stating it was against the rule of the place “to give the younger before the first-born” (Gen 29:21-26). Although Rachel was plainly preferred by Jacob to Leah, still the latter bore him six sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah (Gen 29:31 ff), Issachar, Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah (Gen 30:17-21). Up to this time Rachel had not been blessed with children of her own. Thus the lesson is brought home to us that Yahweh has a special and kindly regard for the lowly and despised, provided they learn, through their troubles and afflictions, to look to Him for help and success. It seems that homely Leah was a person of deep-rooted piety and therefore better suited to become instrumental in carrying out the plans of Yahweh than her handsome, but worldly-minded, sister Rachel.
When Jacob decided to return to the “land of his fathers,” both of his wives were ready to accompany him (Gen 31:4, Gen 31:14). Before they reached the end of their journey their courage was sorely tried at the time of the meeting between Jacob and his brother Esau. Although Leah was placed between the handmaids in the front, and Rachel with her son Joseph in the rear, she still cannot have derived much comfort from her position. We may well imagine her feeling of relief when she saw Esau and his 400 men returning to Seir (Gen 33:2, Gen 33:16).
According to Gen 49:31, Leah was buried at Machpelah. We cannot know for a certainty that she died before Jacob’s going down to Egypt, though it is very likely. If she went down with her husband and died in Egypt, he had her body sent to the family burying-place. Rth 4:11 discloses the fact that her memory was not forgotten by future generations. When Boaz took Ruth for a wife the witnesses exclaimed, “Yahweh make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel.”
Wife of Jacob. Mother of six of his sons. Sister of Rachel. One of the Matriarchs of Judaism.
Being the mother of six of Jacob’s twelve sons, Leah had an important role as one of the mothers of the Israelite nation (Gen 30:1-19; Gen 35:23). She was not the wife Jacob chose for himself, and the ill-feeling between her and Jacob’s chosen wife Rachel created many difficulties in Jacob’s household. (For details see JACOB; RACHEL.)