I can do no other. Leah's life as Jacob's wife was distressful. Genesis 33:1 chapter context similar meaning "And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. At some level, we can all relate to the depressing comparison that Leah felt. I was surprised to find that several excellent commentators reading the phrase positively, as a reference to the beauty of Leah. After Jacob tricked his father and stole his brother's birthright ( Genesis 27:1-29 ), he was forced to flee to the home of his uncle Laban in Harran. Through no fault of her own, she was not one of the "beautiful people" and it caused her a lifetime of heartache. In Samuel 16:7 CSB, when the prophet Samuel anoints David over his older and stronger brothers as God instructs him not to look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Clarke's Commentary. All rights reserved. She is the mother of Jacob's first son Reuben. If Zilpah and Bilhah were indeed half-sisters of Leah, this would make Leah's adoptive sons, Gad and Asher, and Rachel's adoptive sons, Dan and Naphtali, her nephews. The chief recommendation of Leah was her soft and beautiful eyes . Although Leah was in a loveless marriage, her son Reuben was evidence to her that the Lord sees, Simeon means the Lord hears, and Levi that the Lord might create a bond between her and Jacob. We first learn that she was unloved and unfavored with a tender heart versus an attractive body. Story of Leah in the Bible 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and defiled her. This page/post may contain affiliate links. Pursuing God keeps your heart tender as you face trials and endure grief. Leahs role as a wife tends to her husband, desperately trying to capture his heart. So she named him Issachar. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. She may not have been Jacobs choice, but God chose her to play a role in the birth of the Savior of the world. Therethey buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leahthe field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last, andwas gathered to his people. We know that she was the lesser loved of the two wives, he loved Rachel more than Leah (Genesis 29:30 ESV). At first glance, Leahs story is full of grief. Rachel (Heb., the ewe) was, on the contrary, "beautiful and well favoured" (Heb., beautiful in form and beautiful in look). His father, Isaac, had married a first cousin, once removed; Jacob will marry his matrilineal first cousins and his paternal second cousins, once removed. We must rejoice, pray, and give thanks for who God is not based on our current circumstances. And we know that for those who love God all things work togetherfor good, forthose who are called according to his purpose. Seeing that she was unable to conceive, Rachel offered her handmaid Bilhah to Jacob, and named and raised the two sons (Dan and Naphtali) that Bilhah gave birth to. Its okay for Genesis, of course, because the words of Moses here are divinely inspired, they form a key plot point, and the women are not in the room. [b] Jacob is eager to marry Rachel and agrees to provide seven years' labor to her father if he can marry her. She has three more sons, namely Simeon, Levi and Judah, but does not bear another son until Rachel offers her a night with Jacob in exchange for some mandrake root ( , dd'm ). Leah never seems to gain the affections of Jacob, yet her life is evidence of Gods devotion to her. Scripture simply states the sad truth: "And Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah." An Unloved Wife. Rachel died giving birth to her second son, Benjamin and was buried on the side of the road leading to Bethlehem (Genesis 35:16-20). Can you relate to that? Leahs eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful. This verse sets up a contrast, and as in all language, so in the Bible: you interpret the unclear in light of the clear. In other words, just as pulling someone elses leg generally involves no pulling and no legs, weak eyes very possibly involved no weakness and no eyes. Leah in the Bible is the older daughter of Laban and Jacob's first wife. Therefore, Leah and Rachel each wanted to have as many of those sons as possible, going so far as to offer their handmaids as proxies to Jacob so they could have a share in the upbringing of their handmaids' sons, too. Modern English versions actually disagree on how to translate the Hebrew word for tender. Some translations contradict each otherlovely, nice, attractive, ordinary versus didnt sparkle, tender, delicate, weak! Behold the confusion! How could wise King Solomon let foreign women deceive him? And Leah said,Good fortune has come! so she called his nameGad.Leahs servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. She is the sister of Rachel and the cousin of Jacob. "Meet Leah: First Wife of Jacob." The Hebrew word in Genesis, rakkoth, could also mean tenderhearted or kindhearted. Leah was the mother of six of Jacob's sons, including his first four (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah), and later two more (Issachar and Zebulun), and a daughter (Dinah). Perhaps her relentless jealousy killed Rachel. Leah is very insecure, knowing she is loved less than her sister Rachel. But I, of course, also turned to that glorious army, the commentators. Leah's eyes, in their views, were either weak in power or color (Kidner) or in sparkle or fire (Wenham). According to Genesis 28:2,[5] the family resided in Paddan Aram, an area believed to correspond with the historical Upper Mesopotamia.[6]. Jacob arrives in Haran and meets the younger sister, Rachel, at a well. [15] Frustrated that she was not able to conceive at all, Rachel offered to trade her night with their husband with Leah in return for the mandrakes. In so doing, he too will marry into the family of Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, the grandfather of Rebekah, and the great-grandfather of Rachel and Leah. Jacob sets out to Mesopotamia to marry from his parents collateral line. In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and foundmandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. They do indeed take the phrase more literally. The Hebrew word in Genesis, rakkoth, could also mean tenderhearted or kindhearted. Bridge-Logos Publishers. This is evident as she named her fourth son, Judah, meaning praise. She serves him and cares for him dutifully, but it never makes her good enough. Leah then turns to her children, which were seen as symbols of blessing. Shes buried in a place of honor alongside Jacob, at the site of his ancestors, including Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah. She has three more sons, namely Simeon, Levi and Judah, but does not bear another son until Rachel offers her a night with Jacob in exchange for some mandrake root (, dd'm). Thus God hastaken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. When he meets the beautiful shepherdess, Jacob weeps with joy. Leah is the subject of this first half . May you act worthily inEphrathah andbe renowned in Bethlehem, It is interesting to note that the name Leah in Hebrew means weary or cow while Rachel means ewe., Cows are a great symbol of fertility in Mesopotamia, partially because of the similarity between the words littu, cow, and alittu, birth giver.. Whatever she lacked in her marriage the world received a gift of a Savior through the abundant blessing of God. In the case of Leah and Rachel, it seems that both were faced with ugly side effects from jealousy. NASB And Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in figure and appearance. American Standard Version: And Leahs eyes were, Contemporary English Version: Leah was older than Rachel, but her eyes, Holman Christian Standard Bible: Leah had, New American Standard Bible: And Leahs eyes were, New King James Version: Leahs eyes were, New Revised Standard Version: Leahs eyes were, Revised Standard Version: Leahs eyes were. Her father doesn't want her either. In the Bible, we first meet Leah in the Bible as a character in the Book of Genesis who has experienced great heartbreak. To add to the big name parade, Waltke agrees with Wenham. Laban initially agrees but, on the night of what would've been Jacob and Rachel's wedding, Laban reneges; he insists Jacob marry Leah instead, as she is older. CSB Leah had tender eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. But both women made the same mistake as Sarah, offering their maidservants to Jacob during times of barrenness. Jealousy Take Our Eyes off Gods Blessings, 7. Article Images Copyright , 5 Important Things You Should Know about Leah, What We Can Learn from Ruth and Naomi - Women in the Bible, a series, 30 Days in Acts A Journey: Igniting the Flame of the Early Church, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. (Another piece of what I hope to be wisdom: if you are indeed a preacher or Bible teacher, and if you happen to know that a majority of your hearers for a given lesson or sermon are carrying a translation that takes one side or the other, its generally best to stick with that side. We meet great leaders and evil kings. Offspring who would build a nation to receive Gods greatest inheritance, eternal life through Jesus Christ. Judahs representation also includes the four letters of the Divine name Havaya. Each woman desired to grow spiritually in her avodat HaShem (service of God), and therefore sought closeness to the tzadik (Jacob) who is God's personal emissary in this world. Then she ceased bearing. All rights reserved., Posted on Published: April 25, 2022- Last updated: February 2, 2023, The Tribe of Zebulun: History, Prophecy and What We Can Learn From the Little-Known Tribe, The Ultimate Guide to Fasting in the Bible. 1 He negotiates with Laban to serve him 7 years for Rachel's hand in marriage. Young's Literal Translation for Genesis 29:17. And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. In the light of day and the absence of a veil, the following day, the truth is revealed. He continued to pursue her heart, even if no one else did. We must rejoice even when things seem difficult or impossible because we have an incredible Savior who is faithful no matter what happens. Leah's first mention in the Bible comes in the story of Jacob. Get a roundup of new Word by Word articles in your inbox each Friday. What the Bible indicates here is that Jacob did not love Leah at all. Another example of typical, modern-day, watering-down of Gods Word within scholarly circles! They are contrasted with Rachel, who is described as looking beautiful. In the Biblical account, Jacob is dispatched to the hometown of Labanthe brother of his mother Rebekahto avoid being killed by his brother Esau, and to find a wife. Indeed, it violates the first rule they teach you at Bible-teaching school: Dont comment on the physical appearance of particular women. The blessing we see in Leahs life is that her dependence on Jacobs love and attention slowly turns toward God. King James Bible Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. Then she stopped bearing." (Gen. 28:32-35). In medieval Christian symbolism, Rachel was taken as a symbol of the contemplative (monastic) Christian life, and Leah as a symbol of the active (non-monastic) life. And Id appeal back to my gut feeling as someone who loves and knows language; Id explain the text as an idiom communicating, in a delicate way, that Leah wasnt quite the looker Rachel was. With the birth of her next two sons, Issachar and Zebulun, Leah acknowledges the gifts the Lord has given her. She said to Jacob, Give me children, or I shall die!. Rejoice always,pray without ceasing,give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Meet Leah: First Wife of Jacob. After being unloved and unwanted, Leah was blessed by God with six sons. Thus the Torah describes her eyes as "soft" from weeping. 2. (NIV), Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics. In 1 Samuel, when the prophet Samuel anoints David over his older and stronger brothers as God instructs him not to not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. According to some commentaries, Bilhah and Zilpah are actually half-sisters of Leah and Rachel.[14]. Jacob worked for Rachel's father Laban seven years for the right to marry Rachel. After seven years, the wedding arrives, and the veiled bride finally becomes Jacobs wife. She may not have been Jacobs choice, but she was chosen by God to play a role in the birth of Savior of the world. At the time, Leah only knew that her fourth son evoked praise to God and named him Judah. God sees your heart and knows your hurts, disappointments, and wounds. Its here-I-grandstand if you dont first listen to a representative sampling of careful Bible teachers and scholars (this is what I use Logos to do all the time). That Leah's eyes were compared to Rachel's beauty obviously meant there was no beauty in them and that Leah herself was probably plain in face and form compared to her sister. In Leahs story, we can be encouraged that a life redeemed can not occur with the perfect spouse or an abundance of children but with a heart that is tender and surrendered to God. Leah coarsely announces to Jacob that she has hired him with the mandrakes, and Jacob spends the night with her. Then he commanded them and said to them, I am to begathered to my people;bury me with my fathersin the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan,which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. Clarke's Notes on the Bible. Leah eventually has two more sons with Jacob, Issachar and Zebulon, and Jacob's only daughter, Dinah. - Jewish Publication Society Bible Perhaps she just looked listless, dull? https://www.learnreligions.com/leah-first-wife-of-jacob-701187 (accessed April 18, 2023). Her marriage began with scandal, but her position in her family gave her honor and respect in the community. Do not close your ears to the needs and hopes of those who may not be beautiful and have physical and emotional bruises. While Jacob may have settled for Leah, Leah herself doesnt settle. Leah and her sister Rachel, whose names mean "cow" and "ewe," give Jacob many sons; and their father gives him actual live-stock. It can be clear that Jacobs favoring of Rachel was taken by Leah as a clear sign of rejection. Leah Is a Matriarch Unloved and unwanted, Leah was not only blessed by God with six sons and one daughter. Today and in biblical times, contentment is not a prevalent quality. 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