Keraia
People

Leah

Leah, the first wife of Jacob and mother of six of his sons and his daughter Dinah.

The name Leah means “weary; tired”

FemaleEarly PatriarchPatriarchs eraOld Testament2 books40 verses

Summary

A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Genesis 29:16; only referred to as Leah (לֵאָה); daughter of Laban; a sister of Rachel; wife of Israel; mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah.

Profile

Leah was Laban's first daughter, Jacob's first wife whom he did not love, and Rachel's older sister.

Jacob tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing meant for Esau (Genesis 27:1–40). Then he went to his uncle Laban in Mesopotamia. He wanted to escape Esau's anger and find a wife (Genesis 27:41–28:5). Jacob fell in love with his cousin Rachel and agreed with her father to marry her after working for seven years (Genesis 29:17–20). During the wedding feast, Laban tricked Jacob by giving him Leah instead of Rachel (Genesis 29:21–25). Laban said the custom required the older daughter to marry first (Genesis 29:26). Leah was less attractive than her sister (Genesis 29:17). Jacob did not love her (Genesis 29:30–35).

Jacob loved Rachel so much that he worked another seven years to marry her. Because Jacob favored Rachel, the Lord blessed Leah with six sons and a daughter before Rachel could have children (Genesis 29:31–30:22):

  1. Reuben

  2. Simeon

  3. Levi

  4. Judah

  5. Issachar

  6. Zebulun

  7. Dinah

At one point, Rachel traded with Leah for some mandrakes in exchange for time with Jacob. People thought mandrakes helped women become pregnant. After a night with Jacob, Leah became pregnant and gave birth to her fifth son (Genesis 30:14–17). This increased her advantage in her rivalry with Rachel.

Leah was the mother of two important tribes in Israelite history. The tribe of Levi was the tribe of priests. The tribe of Judah became the royal tribe, leading to Jesus Christ, the promised descendant (Genesis 3:15; 12:2–3; 2 Samuel 7:16; Matthew 1:1).

Passages for Further Study

Genesis 29:14–35; 30:9–21; 31:4–16; 33:1–7; 34:1; 46:8–15; 49:31; Ruth 4:11

Events

Dates are approximate

Glossary entries

Leah

Family members

Father

Laban

Spouse

Israel

Siblings

Rachel

Children

Dinah Issachar Judah Levi Reuben Simeon Zebulun

Alternative names

Mentions

Includes 8 verses that refer to Leah without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.

  1. Genesis 29:16
    Now Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel.
  2. Genesis 29:17
    Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.
  3. Genesis 29:23
    But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her.
  4. Genesis 29:24
    And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.
  5. Genesis 29:25
    When morning came, there was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob said to Laban. “Wasn’t it for Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?”
  6. Genesis 29:27Referred to, not named
    Finish this week’s celebration, and we will give you the younger one in return for another seven years of work.”
  7. Genesis 29:28Referred to, not named
    And Jacob did just that. He finished the week’s celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.
  8. Genesis 29:30
    Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years.
  9. Genesis 29:31
    When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
  10. Genesis 29:32
    And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”
  11. Genesis 29:33Referred to, not named
    Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son as well.” So she named him Simeon.
  12. Genesis 29:34Referred to, not named
    Once again Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.
  13. Genesis 29:35Referred to, not named
    And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.
  14. Genesis 30:9
    When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
  15. Genesis 30:10
    And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
  16. Genesis 30:11
    Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
  17. Genesis 30:12
    When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,
  18. Genesis 30:13
    Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
  19. Genesis 30:14
    Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
  20. Genesis 30:15Referred to, not named
    But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
  21. Genesis 30:16
    When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.
  22. Genesis 30:17
    And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob.
  23. Genesis 30:18
    Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
  24. Genesis 30:19
    Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
  25. Genesis 30:20
    “God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun.
  26. Genesis 30:21Referred to, not named
    After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
  27. Genesis 31:4
    So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were,
  28. Genesis 31:14
    And Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we have any portion or inheritance left in our father’s house?
  29. Genesis 31:33
    So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.
  30. Genesis 33:1
    Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants.
  31. Genesis 33:2
    He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
  32. Genesis 33:3Referred to, not named
    But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
  33. Genesis 33:7
    Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.
  34. Genesis 34:1
    Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.
  35. Genesis 35:23
    The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
  36. Genesis 35:26
    And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
  37. Genesis 46:15
    These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.
  38. Genesis 46:18
    These are the sons of Jacob born to Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.
  39. Genesis 49:31
    There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.
  40. Ruth 4:11
    “We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.