LEAH le’ ə (לֵאָ֔ה, impatient[?], wild cow[?]). The eldest daughter of Laban (Gen 29:16), Jacob’s uncle. Abraham and Nahor were brothers. Nahor remained in the homeland in Haran and married Milcah (11:29). Nahor and Milcah had eight children of whom one was Bethuel (22:22). Bethuel, in turn, had two children who are named in the Bible: Rebekah (24:15) and Laban (24:29). Rebekah married Isaac and bore Jacob. Laban begat two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Therefore, Leah and Jacob were first cousins.

Leah is described as tender-eyed, which may mean that her eyes were weak (29:17). She was contrasted in appearance with her sister who was beautiful to behold.

Laban craftily gave his eldest daughter first in marriage to Jacob, although Jacob had bargained for Rachel (29:23).

Jacob, resenting the deception, evidently made Leah feel unloved (29:30). To compensate for this, the Lord favored her by giving to her four sons, while her sister remained barren. Her sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. Leah hoped to gain Jacob’s favor over her sister by these sons (29:32).

Later Leah claimed two other sons by her handmaid Zilpah, Gad and Asher (30:10, 12).

The evidence of Leah’s craving for Jacob’s love and feeling spurned by him is seen in her bargain with Rachel for the privilege of lying with her own husband (30:14-18). In this period, Issachar and Zebulun were born. In all, she bore him six sons and one daughter named Dinah.

When faced with a decision between staying with her father or going to Canaan with her husband, Leah showed her willingness to leave her homeland and go with Jacob (31:14). Still Jacob favored Rachel, putting Leah ahead of Rachel in the caravan to keep Rachel as far as possible from Esau whom he feared (33:1, 2).

Possibly the burial of the two wives of Jacob is more significant than anything else. Rachel, whom he had seemingly favored throughout his life, was buried in a tomb near Bethlehem. The place is still marked today. But Leah was buried in the family burial site at Machpelah, where Jacob himself chose to be buried (49:31). Thus perhaps Leah won out in the end over her sister.

Leah certainly was favored as far as God is concerned. Judah, the fourth son, was ultimately the one through whom Israel’s greatness came. Both David and the Christ were of the line of Judah.

Bibliography A. Edersheim, Bible History, I (1890), 125, 126, 128, 143; Margolis and Marx, History of the Jewish People (1958), 9; D. Thomas, Documents From Old Testament Times (1958), 9; J. Bright, A History of Israel (1960), 125ff.; G. von Rad, Genesis (1961), 284ff.; C. Pfeiffer, Patriarchal Age (1961), 55, 72, 78, 81, 83, 110; National Geographic Society, Everyday Life in Bible Times (1967), 102.