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. NIV Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. The Bible says in Genesis 29:17: Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. What does Scripture mean that Leah was tender eyed? It is a difficult verse at first glance. How many daughters did Lot have? 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.. Its then that God demonstrates howHefaithfully cherishes andHefaithfully pursues. Where in the Bible did Peter say he could not be crucified like his Lord? Before we dive into some lessons we can learn from Leah in the Bible, lets review her story. 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. They go together, but Leah is still second best despite her many children. While others may appear to have everything together on the outside, focus on the condition of your heart. They likely revered and cherished their mother, bringing her untold joy and satisfaction. After seven years, the wedding finally arrives, and the veiled bride eventually becomes Jacobs wife. Leah fell short of the conventional standard of beauty in the ancient world. Sadly, can you imagine how that made Leah feel? The Hebrew word is rakkoth could also be translated to tenderhearted. Two . God had a special place in his heart for Leah. Even after Rachels death, Jacob continues to favor Joseph. He had seen Rachel and had been impressed that she was the one. Focus your attention solely on Him as He gives you all that matters mostcontentment! Many of the stories about Leah in the Bible center around her turbulent relationship with her sister, Rachel, as they are both Jacobs wives. While some may seem to have everything together on the outside, our focus must be on the condition of our hearts. We learn from Rachel that if we arent grateful for our blessings and trust that God is enough, jealousy will always make us want more. Clarke's Commentary. Leah is very insecure, knowing she is loved less than her sister Rachel. Perhaps having poor eyesight was itself considered unattractive in Jacob's day? 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 is the subject of this first half . Focus on the giver of your blessings instead of what is given. Then Leah said, God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons. So she called his nameZebulun.Afterward, she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah. God loved Leah and accepted her just as she was. How could wise King Solomon let foreign women deceive him? Have you ever felt rejected, left out, or ignored? Berean Standard Bible Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. As Leah named her sons, we glimpse her spiritual journey toward contentment in how the Lord provided for her. Here are 5 surprising facts about Leah that take her story from deep sorrow to eternal joy: In Genesis 29:13 CSB Rachel is described by her outward appearance as shapely and beautiful. Leah is identified as having tender eyes. Other translations say weak, delicate, ordinary, or plain. Leah, however, is described as having "weak eyes." As Rabbi Sarah Mack writes in T'Ruah, the Hebrew word in that passage could be translated in several ways, and the contextual clues here don't really help. Two Men Encounter the Bible from Very Different Circumstances. The Bible tells us: "Leah was tender eyed." (Gen.29:17).The NIV says: "Leah had weak eyes.".Different meanings can be derived from these words. (NIV). Perhaps God also has weak eyes. When he met Rachel, he fell in love with her at first sight. God ensures Leah a life of honor because He is her Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. Our circumstances cannot determine the level of our joy, consistency of our prayers, and abundance of our thanks. Jealousy Take Our Eyes off Gods Blessings, 7. Jacob clearly prefers Rachel, and God compensates Leah by making her fertile while Rachel remains barren. Leah gives birth to two more sons after this, Issachar and Zebulun, and to Jacob's only daughter, Dinah. It seems that Leahs father was not a man of his word. [12] Laban offers to give Rachel to Jacob in marriage in return for another seven years of work (Genesis 29:27). With the birth of each son, Leah acknowledged the role the Lord held in her life. We must rejoice even when things seem difficult or impossible because we have an incredible Savior who is faithful no matter what happens. Story of Leah in the Bible Her marriage began with scandal, but her position in her family gave her honor and respect in the community. Furthermore, the Bible says Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah (Luke 3:33-34)Leah carried the Messianic bloodline and was Jesus ancestor! Previous Post: The story of Leah in the Bible . a garland of the flowers I have gathered. 1 Read: Why Just Four Mothers? He is the author "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges.". "[22], University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, "Leah's Tender Eyes," at jerusalemperspective.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leah&oldid=1148344206, This page was last edited on 5 April 2023, at 16:17. The deal between the sisters helps Leah become pregnant, for she gives birth to two more sonsIssachar (God has given me my hire) and Zebulun (now my husband will honor me)and a daughter, Dinah. Leah, the wife of Jacob, experienced this; but God heard her prayers and saw her plight. 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. In a selfish world, contentment is not a quality that is popular in the Bible or on social media today. Leah's eyes, in their views, were either weak in power or color (Kidner) or in sparkle or fire (Wenham). It can be frustrating as a Bible interpreter to have to land on ground you know is a bit unstable. So lonely was she that even the Lord took notice of it and blessed her with many children as consolation. Pursuing the Lord keeps your heart tender as you face trials and endure grief. The Bible is full of characters from every spectrum of life. She is the mother of Jacob's first son Reuben. Leah in the Bible is the older daughter of Laban and Jacob's first wife. But both women made the same mistake as Sarah, offering their maidservants to Jacob during times of barrenness. Then she stopped bearing." (Gen. 28:32-35). When he meets the beautiful shepherdess, Jacob weeps with joy. Leah's first mention in the Bible comes in the story of Jacob. Jacob traveled to Paddan-Aram to find a wife from among his relatives. Thus the Torah describes her eyes as "soft" from weeping. [17], Each woman also continually questioned whether she was doing enough in her personal efforts toward increased spirituality, and would use the other's example to spur herself on. God, of course, saw this and allowed Leah to have four sons. The King James Version renders it as "tender eyed," while the New Living Translation says "There was no sparkle in Leah's eyes," and the Amplified Bible says "Leah's eyes were weak and dull looking.". He knows that this is the woman he is to marry. The 66 books of the Bible list is a very handy printable when you read the Bible. (Perhaps she had dull or pale-colored irises instead of striking dark ones?) The interpreters of the Old Testament added those words to the text much later. God also has a calling on your life and will make all circumstances work together for your good. Laban tricked Jacob, however, substituting the heavily-veiled Leah on the dark wedding night. He negotiates with Laban to serve him 7 years for Rachel's hand in marriage. Of course, Laban is to blame for this situation, but most of us can agree that Leah felt rejected or less than. However, Leah found favour in the eyes of God, He blessed her with children, while Rachel remained barren for a time. Leah was a loving and faithful wife. The two sisters competed throughout their lives for Jacob's affection. And if Im uncertain, I find, often enough so are theytaken collectively, that is. Jacob's first wife was second in his heart. Naming her sons tells the spiritual journey of contentment in the Lords provision. But its our job as readers to whom Christ may say one day, Have you not read ? And its our job as heraldsthose of us who are heraldsto do our best to repeat the message the King wrote down for distribution in his realm. 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. They felt what they experienced firsthand and were on receiving end themselves. Although Jacob overlooked Leahs position in the family, God gave her the position of being the first daughter, the first wife, and the first mother to Jacobs first son. 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). Both sisters agree to leave their home and travel to Canaan with their husband, Jacob. 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. And second, Leah is "discarded" by her father, Laban (29:21-27). Due to the extreme emotional distress suffered by both Leah (and Rachel) during the marriage, Yahweh later strictly clarified his opposition to uncovering the nakedness of a woman and her sister while both were still living (Genesis 30:1, Leviticus 18:18). Sometimes it is difficult not to compare ourselves to these picture-perfect women. Leah is identified as having "tender eyes." Other translations describe her as weak, delicate, ordinary, or plain. 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. Leah was Jacob's first wife, and the older sister of his second (and favored) wife Rachel. The Bible does not give us many details about Leah. 17 and the eyes of Leah [are] tender, and Rachel hath been fair of form and fair of appearance. But listen for the one odd figure of speech Moses uses in this litany of feminine pulchritude (or the lack thereof): Now Laban had two daughters. PREVIOUS Genesis 29:16 NEXT Genesis 29:18. ' but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.' (Gen 29:17, ESV) Imagine if you were the first half of this sentence, the bit that comes before the 'but'. 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. The design of the inspired writer is to compare both the sisters together, that the balance may appear to be greatly in favour of Rachel. Out by the well, he encounters Laban's younger daughter Rachel tending her father's sheep, and decides to marry her. She was a matriarch to Jesus Christ. It is based on the word root Hodaah, connoting Give Thanks, Praise.. 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. The women in the Bible are just as diverse as the men. Rachel and Leah, painting by James Tissot. 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. May we be reminded that Gods plan for our lives doesnt always end up with us being Miss Universe, the most popular, or having the nicest house on the block. When Jacob asks the sisters to come with him back home to Canaan, they are unhappy that their father gave them nothing of what he received as bridewealth during his years of service to their father. You have to earn the right to your opinion, of course. I try to walk down the middle of this road. 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 ). In the Bible, Leah is the daughter of Laban and the sister of Rachel. StudyLght .org . Leah responded by offering her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob, and named and raised the two sons (Gad and Asher) that Zilpah gave birth to. [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. Were made to yearn for belonging and completion. 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. According to 1 Chronicles 5:1,[7] Jacob took the firstborn's birthright, which entitles a firstborn to a larger inheritance in Jewish law, from Reuben, his oldest son, to Joseph, who was his second-youngest son, and, in Genesis 33:2,[8] when he is confronted by Esau, puts Leah, along with Zilpah and Bilhah and all of their sons, in front of himself, Rachel, and Joseph, to be used as something of a buffer or a shield to protect himself in the event the confrontation turned violent. Learn Religions, Dec. 6, 2021, learnreligions.com/leah-first-wife-of-jacob-701187. We first learn that she was unloved and unfavored with a tender heart versus an attractive body. 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. [b] Earlier passages in the Book of Genesis give some background on her father's family, noting that through him, she is the niece of Rebecca, who is the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau, and the granddaughter of Bethuel, and rabbinic literature goes even further, with the Book of Jasher claiming Leah and Rachel were twins and recording her mother's name as Adinah and her brothers' names as Beor, Alub, and Murash. Then she ceased bearing. The whole reason I look at commentaries is that I need help, so I tend to turn to them when Im uncertain of the meaning of a given passage. 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. One of those sons was Judah who was listed in Matthew 1 in the genealogy of King David, King Solomon, and the King of Kings Jesus Christ. Another example of typical, modern-day, watering-down of Gods Word within scholarly circles! [21] Dante Alighieri's Purgatorio includes a dream of Rachel and Leah, which inspired illustrations by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and others: " in my dream, I seemed to see a woman 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. And they tend to sharpen up my vision of the question Im pursuing. Leahs eyes were weak. What does that mean? Even though her husband Jacob favored Rachel, Leah remained committed, enduring this unfairness through faith in God. See Genesis chapters 29-30. Create an account or log in to get started. Leah never seems to gain the affections of Jacob, yet her life is evidence of Gods devotion to her. God ensures Leah a life of honor because He is her Lord. Zavada, Jack. Jacob had eyes only for Rachel and he did not care about Leah. The women throughout these pages are just as diversified some strong ones who have changed history; others powerless victims whose lives have been forever changed. How could anyone be so heartless? Outward beauty with no faith in the Lord or strength of character does not last. According to this story, Leah was destined to marry Jacob's older twin brother, Esau. Leahs role as a wife tends to her husband, desperately trying to capture his heart. This is evident as she named her fourth son, Judah, meaning praise. 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. Leah will give Rachel the mandrakes in return for a night with Jacob. Can God really use even me? The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's name is variously said to mean "wild cow," "gazelle," "wearied," and "weary" in Hebrew. 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