Whatever Leah lacked in her marriage, the world received a gift of Savior through Gods abundant blessing. lists them as being daughters of Laban, but not his wife Adinah, and another lists them as being the daughters of Rotheus, a man who was close to Laban but not related to him. Take that attitude, and you may find that people turn it on you. The Bible is full of characters from every spectrum of life. Contact Us (Mailing Address for Donations). We do know that she was the lesser loved of the two wives, he loved Rachel more than Leah (Genesis 29:30 CSB). For Leah, God's seeing her and granting her sons does not bring her the love she wants. It is unclear whether Leah had any say in the matter. Leah never seems to gain the affections of Jacob, yet her life is evidence of Gods devotion to her. The Best Bible Translations: All You Need to Know & How to Choose, 7 of the Best Exegetical Bible Commentaries, How to Study the Bible: 9 Tips to Get More Out of Your Study. (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. Fearful of his brother's wrath, Jacob flees his homeland for Haran, where he meets his maternal family, including Laban and his daughters. All rights reserved. 19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. As we saw in the case of Rachel, the security one would expect a person to have that is seen as beautiful in form and appearance was temporary as her jealousy grew. Clarke's Commentary. We can point to the naming of her sons and how she hopes to gain favor through birthing them. 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. The Lord saw Leahs rejection and knew what having sons would mean to her and her quest for being loved by her husband. He had seen Rachel and had been impressed that she was the one. Leah is described as having "soft (lovely) eyes" ( Gen 29:17 ). Then Rachel said to Leah, Please give me some of your sons mandrakes.But she said to her, Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? In Genesis 49:29-33, we learn that Leah is buried in a cave with Jacobs parents (Rebekah and Isaac) and grandparents (Sarah and Abraham). While some may seem to have everything together on the outside, our focus must be on the condition of our hearts. Genesis 30:17-21. In the case of Leah and Rachel, it seems that both were faced with ugly side effects from jealousy. (NIV). Many of the stories about Leah in the Bible center around her turbulent relationship with her sister, Rachel, as they are both Jacobs wives. He is the author "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges.". At first glance, her story might seem to be filled with grief and tragedy but as we read on, some moments help put things into perspective for this brave woman! For the verb raah, to see and the fact that God has seen Leahs sorrow and the noun ben, son., And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, Because theLordhas looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.. It was through their complicated love story that God would establish the twelve . Hamilton (NICOT) concluded that the phrase at issue here is a positive reference to something tender or delicate in Leahs appearance. She is also mentioned in Ruth 4:11. Then all the people who wereat the gate and the elders said, We are witnesses. Because Leahs story in the Bible is so intertwined with that of her sister, Rachel, and their husband, Jacob, she often goes unnoticed, living in the shadows. Laban tricked Jacob and had replaced Leah with her older sister Leah. Leah is a matriarch of her people and of Christ. God ensures Leah a life of honor because He is her Lord. God did eventually bless Rachel with a child, but because she wanted more, as jealousy often spurs, she felt it wasnt enough that she wasnt enough. 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. - Jewish Publication Society Bible Although Leah is given little attention other than conjugal visits with Jacob, she and Rachel are remembered as the ancestresses who togetherbuilt up the house of Israel.. The design of the inspired writer is to compare both the sisters together, that the balance may appear to be greatly in favor of Rachel. Feeling overlooked or not good enough can be a deep hurt and can snowball into feelings of being less than, forgotten, or the fear of not being wanted. While Leah and Rachel competed for Jacobs attention, Leah is honored in her death as the first wife of Jacob. In biblical times, women had little control over their lives. Her father doesn't want her either. And he divided the children unto Leah, and . It sneaks into every aspect of our lives, regardless if you are jealous over something small or big- it can rear its ugly head for everyone! For Leah, learning to simply praise God is the same thing as resignation. 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. 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. This is how far I got on my own. The Torah introduces Leah by describing her with the phrase, "Leah had tender eyes" (Biblical Hebrew: ) (Genesis 29:17). When Rachel saw thatshe bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. 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. 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. This post is loaded with all kinds of Bible lists . God loves us now, and He will love us forever. Ouch. Can you relate to that? As the mother of Judah, Leah was part of the ancestry that led to the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Love in the Bible: From God's Love to the Most Romantic Scriptures, A Profile of Abraham of the Jewish Nation, Meet Eve: The First Woman, Wife, and Mother of All the Living, 20 Bible Verses for Your Christian Wedding Ceremony, 13 Thank You Bible Verses to Express Your Appreciation, Meet Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist, M.A., English Composition, Illinois State University, B.S., English Literature, Illinois State University. At first glance, Leahs story is full of grief. Leah felt unloved. Where in the Bible did Peter say he could not be crucified like his Lord? Although Rachel was loved more than Leah, Leah is honored in her death as the first wife of Jacob. One day a stranger visits their home. In these verses, Jacob requests for his body to be laid there also. - Genesis 29:17 is a Hebrew pun : The eyes of Weary () were weak. Judah means acknowledgment (hodaah, as in modeh ani). Oh, Leah in the Bible! Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? Why did Peter and John need to lay hands on the Samaritans for them to receive the Holy Ghost? Learn Religions. Do not close your ears to the needs and hopes of those who may not be beautiful and have physical and emotional bruises. Another example of typical, modern-day, watering-down of Gods Word within scholarly circles! Leah[a] (/le./; /li/) appears in the Hebrew Bible as one of the two wives of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. They are contrasted with Rachel, who is described as looking beautiful. Perhaps she just looked listless, dull? At that time, women had little control over their lives, and it seems her father was not a man to honor the love between Jacob and Rachel. What the Bible indicates here is that Jacob did not love Leah at all. God loved Leah and accepted her just as she was. It is interesting to realize that the ugly wife actually contributed more to the formation of the nation Israel than the beautiful one! 7 Myths about Modesty Christians Should Stop Believing, 8 Reasons Why It's Hard to Separate from a Narcissist, The Unexpected Food That Sparked a Reformation, Boy Turns All The Judges In Seconds With Dont Stop Believin Audition, 13-Year-Old Turns Into Viral Sensation With 'Moon River' Blind Audition - Audition Videos, 30 Morning Prayers to Start Each Day with God, 6 Guiding Verses about Family Relationships. While I try to take care of myself, especially since having cancer, I know that God is not looking for what I am wearing on the outside but the adorning of who I am on the inside. Jacob did not see, hear, or attach himself to Leah, but the Lord filled the void Jacob created Leahs life. The older daughter (Leah) will marry the older son (Esau), and the younger daughter (Rachel) will marry the younger son (Jacob). "[11] Hearing this, Leah spent most of her time weeping and praying to God to change her destined mate. Her marriage began with scandal, but her role in her family gave her honor and respect in the community. Rachel and Leah, painting by James Tissot. In the Bible, we read early in the story that Leahs eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.(Genesis 29:17). And Leah said,Good fortune has come! so she called his nameGad.Leahs servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. If Id heard that others described me as having weak eyes and no other adjectives, Id probably feel hurt. God also has a calling on your life and will make all circumstances work together for your good. Berean Standard Bible Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. Jacob arrives in Haran and meets the younger sister, Rachel, at a well. The name Judah in Hebrew is Yehudah. 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.. It seems that Leahs father was not a man of his word. Prior to her and Rachel's mentioning, the Book of Genesis details how their first cousin and future husband, Jacob, with the help of his mother, Rebecca, willfully deceives his dying father, Isaac, into giving him his twin brother Esau's birthright. Naming her sons tells the spiritual journey of contentment in the Lords provision. Scripture simply states the sad truth: "And Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah." An Unloved Wife. [13] Jacob accepts the offer and marries Rachel after the week-long celebration of his marriage to Leah. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob, and I said, Here I am!And he said, Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, forI have seen all that Laban is doing to you.I am the God of Bethel,where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. 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. She may not have been Jacobs choice, but God chose her to play a role in the birth of the Savior of the world. Then she ceased bearing.. Rachel hung on to the terephim, while Leah looked to Yahweh. Id land without telling everybody where Id flown. [14][17] The Talmud (Megillah 13b) says that Rachel revealed to Leah the secret signs which she and Jacob had devised to identify the veiled bride, because they both suspected Laban would pull such a trick. Many Bible experts say the verse refers to Leah's lack of attractiveness rather than her eyesight. The King James Version that I grew up on has the even odder phrase, Leah was tender eyed. I sort of thought tender eyes were a good thing, not something that needs to be set in contrast to the beauty of ones sister. When we look at the beginning of Genesis, it is clear that Leah was not only less attractive than Rachel, but also her father used this, and the fact that the older sister in their culture should marry first as a reason to trick Jacob into marrying his daughter. When he met Rachel, he fell in love with her at first sight. [1] 3 He had a strong desire for Dinah, [2] the daughter of Jacob, and he was in love with the young woman and spoke . God also has a calling on your life and will make all circumstances work together for your good. She said to Jacob, Give me children, or I shall die!. And second, Leah is "discarded" by her father, Laban (29:21-27). Leah agreed, and that night she slept with Jacob and conceived Issachar. God sees your heart and knows your wounds. Her third son she named Levi (now this time my husband will be attached to me). God chose and elevated those whose hearts are pure before him. Story of Leah in the Bible Leah Is a Matriarch Unloved and unwanted, Leah was not only blessed by God with six sons and one daughter. In the Bible, Leah is the daughter of Laban and the sister of Rachel. Leahs heart was tender and created specifically to fulfill the task of Jacobs first wife and many sons. Here are 10 Lessons We Can Learn from Leah in the Bible 1. Can God really use even me? Thus the Torah describes her eyes as "soft" from weeping. God Pursues Us, even if No One Else Does, Woman of Noble Character Affiliate Program, way for a persons wealth and success in life can be found within their spiritual relationship with God, Leah Unveiled: Your Best Life Later, Discovering Identity Stronger than the Struggle, Rachel & Leah Bible Study Book: What Two Sisters Teach Us about Combating Comparison. One of those sons was Judah who was listed in Matthew 1 in the genealogy of King. As I age, I have the grey hair coming in, the smile lines, and even some bags under my eyes. Exactly what was wrong with Leahs eyes? 1 Read: Why Just Four Mothers? (NIV), Genesis 49:29-31Then he gave them these instructions: I am about to be gathered to my people. How long did it take for Israel to cross the Red Sea? Second son Bible indicates here is that Jacob did not love Leah at all was... To be gathered to my people times, women had little control over lives! Her honor and respect in the Bible indicates here is that Jacob not! 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