LEAH (Heb. lēʾâ)

The elder daughter of Laban, sister of Rachel, and first wife of Jacob. She is the mother of six sons and one daughter. Her name is thought to mean “cow” in Hebrew.

Through the trickery of her father, Leah is wed to an unknowing Jacob, who had intended to marry Rachel (Gen. 29:16–26). The text does not indicate what part Leah played in the ruse Laban pulls. As a result, however, she ends up married to a man who does not love her and sharing that husband with her sister. Due to the lack of attention shown to her by Jacob, God blesses her with great fertility, while Rachel is barren. Leah gives birth to Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun (Gen. 29:31–35; 30:14–20). She also arranges for her maid Zilpah to bear two sons by Jacob, Gad and Asher, who are also attributed to Leah. In addition she has a daughter, Dinah (Gen. 30:21).

Leah is often described as unattractive, in contrast to her beautiful sister. This description revolves around the interpretation of Heb. rakkôṯ used to describe Leah’s eyes (Gen. 29:17). Most translations render the word in English as “weak,” but another possible translation could be “tender” or “soft.”

A key event in the stories involving Leah and her sister and their sharing of a husband occurs when one of Leah’s sons, Reuben, finds some mandrakes, which may have been an ancient aphrodisiac. Leah trades her mandrakes to Rachel (who hopes to use them to conceive) for an extra night with Jacob in her bed. Leah conceives from that union (Gen. 30:14–20). Through her actions and desires, Leah becomes one of the “mothers of Israel.”