Bible Women: Leah - Wife by Deception

Sister of Rachel, daughter of Laban, wife of Jacob..this is Leah.  Her story is one of obedience to her father, desire for her husband,  envy by her sister.  She bears the honour of being the mother of half of the twelve tribes of Israel, and one of her sons, Judah, was to be the line through whom came Joseph,  the husband of Mary, of whom was born the Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis 29:16-17  "..Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.  Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and wellfavoured."   I would like to believe that the expression "tender eyes"  is an expression of a compassionate, gentle soul, but Strongs concordance interprets this expression as one who has weak eyes. This is in contrast to her sister who was beautiful,  "Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.   Still the important thing to remember here is that the Lord does not judge us by our physical appearance, and praise His name for that.  Truly, "...the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

The story of Leah begins when Jacob was called by his father Isaac who "blessed him and charged him, and said unto him, ....go to Padan-aram,to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother." (Genesis 28:2) Jacob was specifically instructed "thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan) (Genesis 28:1)  Leah was not present when Jacob arrived at Padan-aram, and it was Rachel that Jacob met first, and Jacob loved Rachel.  Genesis 29:18 "..Jacob loved Rachel; and said (to Laban her father) I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter."   No doubt Leah came to know Jacob quite well as he worked those seven years for Rachel to be his wife,  but we do not know whether or not Leah knew that it would be her that would be given to Jacob on his wedding night.  The custom of the time was that the younger daughter should not marry before the older daughter, and so perhaps Leah was aware of what was to happen.. in any event on the night when Jacob was to receive Rachel as his wife, Laban took Leah instead, and brought her to Jacob.  Genesis 29:23 "And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her." No doubt Leah was covered, as was the custom of women in those days to be wholly covered when the marriage took place.  Jacob would not have recognized the deception until morning which is exactly what happened "...in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, what is this thou hast done unto me?..." (Gen 29:25) and Laban gives his explanation Genesis 26-27 "..Laban said, it must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.  Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years."  And Jacob did so and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also."  and so Leah had Jacob for herself for a period of seven days, before Rachel was given to him also as his wife for which he then had to serve Laban for seven more years.



Gen 29:30 tell us that Jacob "loved also Rachel more than Leah..." and no doubt Leah knew this, but when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he "opened her womb: but Rachel was barren." (Genesis 29:31)  and Leah conceived and bore a son whom she named Reuben with these sad words "...now therefore my husband will love me." (Gen 29:32)  Perhaps bearing children will bring her husband's love.  Next Leah bore a son whom she named Simeon "because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also." (Gen 29:33)  It is a wonderful thing that Leah acknowledged that her children were a gift of God.   And yet again she bore the son Levi "Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons."   and yet again she had Judah "now will I praise the LORD"  and with this, for a time, Leah stopped bearing children.  She has not won her husband's love, but she is praising the LORD. 

And now it is not enough for Leah that her husband has another wife, Rachel gives Jacob her maid Bilhah to bear children for him as Rachel is barren, as Sarah did the same years before in giving Hagar to Abraham.  And when Leah saw that Rachel's maid was bearing children to her husband, she gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob also who bore him two sons whom Leah named Gad and Asher.  

By this time, some years have gone by, it has been quite some time since the birth of Judah,  the last child born by Leah.  And one day her son Reuben went into the field and found some mandrakes, an aphrodisiac,  which he brought to his mother.  Rachel desires the mandrakes, and Leah replies "Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also?" (Gen 30:15)  This is so sad, because in truth, it was Rachel that was promised to Jacob, and by the deception of Laban, it was Leah who took away Rachel's betrothed.  Leah must have loved Jacob very much.  Leah must have known the power of the mandrakes because she went out to meet Jacob saying "thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes." (Gen 30:16) What a tragedy that Leah believes, rightly or wrongly, that she must use an object to obtain her husband. But "God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son" (Gen 30:17)whom she named Issachar, and then she had another son, Zebulon, "..now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons." Poor Leah is ever hopeful that Jacob will choose her to be uppermost in his affections.  And then she bore her daughter Dinah, who was to be involved in a great tragedy..

After the passage of time, Jacob desires to return home with his family, and his flocks, and both Rachel and Leah wonder if there is any inheritance for them from their father (Gen 31:14) and both of them acknowledge that their father Laban sold them to Jacob as his wages for serving Laban (Gen 29:15)  And so Jacob set out with all his family and all his flocks,  but he feared his brother Esau, from whom he had left home years ago, and so the handmaids and their children, and Leah and her children are put out in front and Rachel, ever the most beloved by Jacob, is protected (Gen 33:2) but by the grace of God Esau has forgiven Jacob, and bows are exchanged between  all.
And so Leah has come to live in a new land.  We are told of Rachel's death, but not whether or not it was before or after Leah's death.  What we do know is that Leah  was buried in the cave of Machpelah, which is where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah were buried. (Gen. 49:31)   We don't know if Jacob ever returned her love..but we do know that God blessed her with six sons who were the founders, with their half/brothers, of the twelve tribes of Israel, from whom the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ would come.  In Ruth 4:11 Leah is named, with Rachel, as those who built the house of Israel.   Leah may have come to Jacob by deception, but it was truly the Sovereign God who chose her to be the mother of those sons.  

vcg/October 2015